z IRISH GRAVITY ENDURO SERIES / ROUND 2
z IRISH GRAVITY ENDURO SERIES / ROUND 2
112
BOY’S AND THE BLACK STUFF
z
IRISH GRAVITY ENDURO SERIES ROUND 2
BOY’S AND THE BLACK STUFF WORD S BY ROWA N S ORRE L L / P H OTOS BY V I C TOR L E WI S
We (a rag–tag bunch of mountainbikers from South Wales) were heading to round two of the Irish Gravity Enduro Series after an invite from series organiser Niall Davies. Now any trip to Ireland is sure to involve plenty of the black stuff, and this was no different, as it was a hot topic of conversation early on in the van. They say it doesn’t travel well and that the best place to savour the famous stout is in the bars and taverns on the Emerald Isle itself, even Niall was using the black stuff as one of his selling points to us…and of course it worked. Little did we know that it was another form of black stuff that we would grow all too intimately accustomed with (whether we liked it or not) over the coming days. Three of the wettest summer weeks on record had done their best to turn the Three Rock Mountain area into a peat bog and the natural, technical (what should be), loamy trails marked for the special tests had broken down into a gloopy and sticky quagmire. Then like any good plan, it all came together, and in abundance, which proved to be our downfall, but it was only just getting started…Road Trip! A mixed bag, that just about sums up the ensemble that formed the Wye Valley Warriors vanload of bodies, a motley crew if you will, that ranged in ages, bikes, wheel sizes, riding abilities and personalities. What better way to capture the overall spirit and feel of a weekend than through the collective thoughts of a group of travellers? And so it came to be, later that first night in a local tavern, with each one of us rummaging around in the bottom of a small bag to choose a piece of crumpled–up paper. Scribbled on the paper was a number, which coincided with the running order for the coming day and the chance to put into words what they had experienced. So without further ado I shall leave you in the capable hands of former Dirt rider Rob ‘Dazzler’ Breakwell who led the first leg of this marathon relay…
113
z IRISH GRAVITY ENDURO SERIES / ROUND 2
THE JOURNEY
Start as you mean to go on; you know how a trip is going to turn out when you leave Monmouth with seven lads crammed into a van heading to Holyhead (a 4.5 hour drive) just 4 hours before the ferry was set to leave.
114
Now it was all about F1 speed pit stops, pee bottles and trying to win some time back. To gain time in a large van is no easy feat; it’s all about carrying speed in the corners for momentum, which means minimal braking to the point where the van is bumper–to–bumper with the vehicle in front, this became worrying when we noticed that Sam (the ‘drive’) was actually reading the road through the windscreen of the car in front! With Guinness in our bellies and event expectancy in our heads we rocked up to our accommodation – this was a turn up for the books, an up–market hotel where the white van looked right at home next
to the Beamers and Mercs. We arrived in the early hours and were greeted by a wedding in full flow, we thought we fitted in just fine only to be greeted by the first person we see with ‘Be–Jesus.... you don’t belong here boys!’ Oh well let’s appreciate it while it lasts. A good sleep and a hearty breakfast was needed before what laid ahead. Many places are full of life’s characters and this area surrounding Dublin is no exception. We subsequently found out it takes just 15 minutes to drive to the venue but on our first day it took us an hour and a half. This was for two reasons; firstly Rowan’s bleary eyed looking out of the
window and confidently stating, ‘That’ll be the mountain it’s on up there!’ we took a back country bee–line for it and nope, it wasn’t. Secondly, the directions offered by locals. We should have been suspicious when after asking the way to Three Rock Mountain we were told by a toothless grin, a high pitched cackle, ‘keep going, up there it is, keep going boys!’ Our questions should have been ‘have you been drinking?’ or ‘have you licked any toads today?’ Talk about the blind leading the blind. After a lovely scenic tour of the hills around Dublin we eventually honed in on the race venue after we admitted defeat and phoned photographer Victor Lucas!
BOY’S AND THE BLACK STUFF
z
Once at the site it was time to get down to business, three weeks of rain had put a bit of a dampener on things, but in true enduro style, the race was on, whatever the weather. Hats off to Niall for his commitment and hard work organising the event, as we were greeted with a professional set up as the baton was passed on to our driver Sam Jones on board his Dirt Magazine loaned 29er Intense Tracer…
SPECIAL STAGE 1 A real red herring! Off the start it was super wet, yet grippy, with outcrops of granite stone, on a trail centre style run that was fast and rough enough to make it a real race section. Some lovely flowing corners, small rock step–downs and rollers, just tuck in and let it go…this is mint. But then...after a quick sprint up a fire road, hard right into a dark muddy hole! Our very own Nikki Whiles had an ‘up–close and personal’ moment with the bottom of it. Mud, mud and more mud mixed with some nasty roots, rocks and big compressions, undulating ground was the problem. Not steep enough to let gravity take you, instead it was a matter of trying to grind your way through, which in these conditions were near on impossible to clean. “Gravity Enduro?’ I thought, where’s the gravity?! After Nikki getting accustomed to the black stuff head on, the next disaster was for Dazzler, as I saw him just 100 yards into the woods with no chain! I was gutted for him, should I stop and help? Na, I’m racing! More mud and bog corners, barely rideable, more scooting than riding. Trying to stay on the pedals was the key. A couple of corners later it was like a war zone, a few lads ankle deep in mud swearing (Gee up to his waist) and shouting! Steam rising. This is where it’s at; bar to bar action, trying to pass people on this type of terrain was challenging, but fun, and not getting held up by other riders who were all struggling, slithering, walking was the key. The Pros didn’t have the same problems, they started up front with clear tracks, where’s the fun in that? Our own WVW pros Rowan Sorrell and Nikki Whiles should have been with them but after seeing the conditions of the tracks in practice and six pints of Guinness later that evening decided to take the fun option and run with the hounds at the back... Suckers, as they were battling past up to 10 riders per run. Timing always seems to be a big issue in a lot of enduro races, they operated a simple wrist tag system here, which worked well as long as you took your time and placed the tag in the right spot. But as riders frantically tried to stop their bikes at the end of stage 1 and rushed to dip their tag they would panic and start swiping like possessed mad men before collapsing in a heap. We learnt the knack is to relax and hold it still in front of the reader, but easier said than done.
Sam set a good early pace stating that the 29er made it easier for him over the awkward rocks, but he’d still put in his fair share of footwork, the baton was shoved firmly into the grasp of the one and only Billy Trailstar…
115
z IRISH GRAVITY ENDURO SERIES / ROUND 2
SPECIAL STAGE 2 ‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’ is the slogan of the Dublin tourist board. An apt phrase that I reflected on just thirty seconds into stage two when I sunk up to my 20mm axles in a dirty, boggy wet hole and thought, ‘yep, this is Truly, Deeply, Muddy’. After a 35–minute climb from the opening stage we were once again on the spine of the Three Rock Mountain ready to swipe our timing cards and start the clock on track number two. Mud and root was the overwhelming theme to this stage and a definite art was needed to keep flow and momentum through the mire. I was struggling with crayons while the fast lads were at ease with their easel. Or maybe it was just a stage I was going through? Yes, it was. It was stage two and I was going through it really slowly. The start was traditional. Traditional Irish peat bog. This saw me adopt a new riding style. Dancing a jig beside my Nukeproof
Mega, I ran along pushing her through the very thick Irish gloop till I was up to speed again to hop on. ‘Gloop and scoot’ this was called and served me very well. Lord of the dance, Michael Flatley, would have been proud but he’d certainly have lost a shoe or two here and probably his sense of humour as well. But I’m from Wales and we love the mud and my shoes were tightly laced up. Two minutes in and a brief fire road climb allowed some of last night’s refreshments to be spat out. Lungs burning you dropped into the dense pine forest again. A little drier this time, so tempo was easier to maintain. Ducking and diving between trees, the speed was tempered with a few short jinx uphill. Finally into a muddy bomb hole then a sprint for the line. Nearly ten minutes of pain and it’s over. Two stages down and three more to go. I’m moaning, but deep down thoroughly enjoying the challenge.
Billy elated with his moves on stage two sends the baton high and long and it is skilfully caught by the hands of the fastest man on paper according to Niall, our vertically challenged Spaniard Gee ‘speedy’ Gonzales…
116
z IRISH GRAVITY ENDURO SERIES / ROUND 2
z IRISH GRAVITY ENDURO SERIES / ROUND 2
SPECIAL STAGE 4 118
This section started a little slower than previous ones. Within 10 metres from the start line you had dropped into a mucky gully that was littered with rock and soft spots. The gradient was against you and with limited spaces between the rocks to get the cranks in it left you pining for more speed. Through four or five gruelling rutted–out flat turns, some side slope opened up and so did the speed. Speed built up quickly, but it was short lived. There was a large low tree that was growing straight across the track. This was an issue as you had to basically stop and get off the bike just to duck under this thing. Maybe not such an obstacle for all riders but for me it certainly ruined the flow in
the top section. A steep roll–in onto a fire road with a 60 metre uphill sprint was your greeting from the exit of the first woods. The slog so far all came together in this next piece though. Steep gradient, loamy soil with endless switch backs. A few cheeky roots and rocks to keep you on your toes, but nothing that led you to grab the brakes. I was grinning from ear to ear with each freshly rutted turn linking into the next. This was more like it! After about a minute of railing steep loamy turns you fired out of the woods into the open. With the gradient still onside it led onto a stony wet gully. With good rocky ground beneath you rolling was fast, and with no nasty corners you could keep your speed
up all the way down. The bottom section felt like a bobsled run, where you’re stuck in a death–grip channel drifting meandering turns to the finish. A good fast ending to a slow boggy start.
Nikki slipped me the baton at the end of the longest liaison as we climbed from the bottom of stage 4 all the way back up to the masts at the top of Three Rock Mountain ready for the start of the final stage. The pressure was on to leave Jeffsie with a comfortable final leg…
z IRISH GRAVITY ENDURO SERIES / ROUND 2
SPECIAL STAGE 2 ‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’ is the slogan of the Dublin tourist board. An apt phrase that I reflected on just thirty seconds into stage two when I sunk up to my 20mm axles in a dirty, boggy wet hole and thought, ‘yep, this is Truly, Deeply, Muddy’. After a 35–minute climb from the opening stage we were once again on the spine of the Three Rock Mountain ready to swipe our timing cards and start the clock on track number two. Mud and root was the overwhelming theme to this stage and a definite art was needed to keep flow and momentum through the mire. I was struggling with crayons while the fast lads were at ease with their easel. Or maybe it was just a stage I was going through? Yes, it was. It was stage two and I was going through it really slowly. The start was traditional. Traditional Irish peat bog. This saw me adopt a new riding style. Dancing a jig beside my Nukeproof Mega, I ran along pushing her through the very thick Irish gloop till I was up to speed again to hop on. ‘Gloop and scoot’ this was called and served me very well. Lord of the dance, Michael Flatley, would have been proud but he’d certainly have lost a shoe or two here and probably his sense of humour as well. But I’m from
Wales and we love the mud and my shoes were tightly laced up. Two minutes in and a brief fire road climb allowed some of last night’s refreshments to be spat out. Lungs burning you dropped into the dense pine forest again. A little drier this time, so tempo was easier to maintain. Ducking and diving between trees, the speed was tempered with a few short jinx uphill. Finally into a muddy bomb hole then a sprint for the line. Nearly ten minutes of pain and it’s over. Two stages down and three more to go. I’m moaning, but deep down thoroughly enjoying the challenge.
Billy elated with his moves on stage two sends the baton high and long and it is skilfully caught by the hands of the fastest man on paper according to Niall, our vertically challenged Spaniard Gee ‘speedy’ Gonzales…
z IRISH GRAVITY ENDURO SERIES / ROUND 2
ARRE ENDURO
SPECIAL STAGE 5
120
We had managed to stay together as a group throughout the day recounting the tales of each stage as we travelled between them, however as the heavens had truly opened up on the long drawn out climb to the start of stage 5. Sam had bolted and made a break, it was every man for himself, soaked to the skin and cold we set about closing out the course with the last test. Sam had managed to slip a group of riders and get a relatively clear track, I had a queue of around nine between him and me. Setting off out of the start the trail was relatively flat for the first 200m’s and then all of a sudden the gradient picked up just enough for the bike to really get going. The hard stone and rock under the tyres on this trail centre style section was, for once, a breath of fresh air as the speed flowed as the now customary kamikaze passing moves came out of the bag. Water bulged out of my shoes with every pedal stroke, however this was the most fun I’d been having all day, the rain was heavy and the water streamed down my face as I blinked at hyper speed to try and maintain some sort of vision. I was having a blast though, the race had all but gone from inside me but this felt liberating and for once the bike wanted to run as we raced down a long section of trail centre descent with sweeping turns and granite boulders. But of course the trail wasn’t going to let us off this easily, this was positively tame in comparison to what had come before and sure enough there was the sting in the tail – a freshly cut last section to the course. But unlike much of what had come before this had plenty of gradient to keep the wheels turning and it rode awesome in the conditions with steep drops, roots and rock gardens, it then flattened off with some huge puddles between me and the finish line. I splashed my way through and dipped the wrist tag for the last time.
As we regrouped at the van I made sure to make a safe changeover to our anchor man (or anchor lady depending on how he’s feeling), the horse whisperer Jeffsie, or Shirley as he’s known around the office…
Rapid breathing and fatigued muscles made the final climb back to the start for the final stage a weary one, but the exhilaration was totally worth it. Men are competitive creatures, and the small pieces of paper clutched in our hands – those little slips showing your times and final positions – can mean so much. For some of us it’s about personal achievement, proof that we were there, that we braved the wet muddy trails, that we did it, but for others it’s a testament of their superior skill and speed. I headed back to the van to catch up with the rest of the guys and to put on some warm, dry clothes, then back to the bike village to watch the presentations. Sam Jones did the Wye Valley Warriors very proud, with a first place position in his age category. After much jubilation at the podium, it was time to celebrate...the Irish way! We went back down the mountain to grab a much needed hot shower, to refresh and soothe those tortured muscles, to explore the surrounding areas and pubs. We found a little seaside town called Bray, just outside Dublin, which was the ideal place to celebrate all the successes of the Gravity Enduro challenge, and to try out another challenge of our own, this one involving large quantities of Guinness and plenty of tequila till the sun had long gone down. After all, as athletes, we all know how important it is to hydrate properly after extreme exercise! After the clock had struck twelve, we had more reason to celebrate...Billy’s (the web) birthday. A very special occasion, with yet more Guinness and tequila, singing and even some dancing, each WVW strutted their own unique dance style with Billy ruling the dance floor and teaching us all his ‘special moves. The weekend was full of tough riding, and rough drinking, and the swaying motion of the ferry ride home the next morning gave us plenty of time to reflect on that. The weather was completely shite, but the atmosphere, organisation, community spirit and welcoming nature of the Irish people was truly amazing.
It should be added that Joe Barnes shredded the gloop like no other to take the win by almost a minute from Rene Wildhaber, with Greg Callaghan taking third spot.
BOY’S AND THE BLACK STUFF
z
121
Irish Gravity enduro is an excellently organized series with a dialled timing system and technical courses. The weather made this one a real challenge, but no less fun, and it was smiles all around in the pits after the event. Check out www.gravityenduro.ie to get yourself booked into the final round of the series.