Race Report: Video & Pictures from PMBA Enduro Series RD5 - Grizedale

Masters winner David Read reports on Round 5 of the PMBA Enduro Series, which provided the toughest challenge in the series so far, but lots of smiles!

Waking up on Saturday morning to the sound of Shotguns in the field next to my house it can mean only one thing summer is drawing to a close and autumn is on its way. As the local hillbillies go about the task of shooting anything that moves I get the van loaded making sure I've got my wellies and umbrella. After weeks of warm dry weather the north of England does not disappoint with torrential rain and high winds on the Friday night and Saturday morning. The dream of roosting dust and dry loam now a thing of the past, instead nappy rash cream and woolly undies are on the menu.

I arrive at grizdale midday on Saturday to have a look at the stages that are not restricted; already there are vans in every layby and filling up the visitor centre carpark. I meet up with Joe Harrison (Marin, Stan's no tubes rider) and his parents and head to Grizdale bikes to get the low down on where the stages are.

Having raced here before I had a reasonable idea about the stages, but is always good to have a look at how they've been taped and work out what lines are going to work best. Turns out this was a good move as Kev and Mike with the help of local pinner George Sharpe had taped the stages wide giving plenty of scope for imaginative lines, Joe as usual doubting some of my line choices but after a demonstration of hook to flat he grow a set and agreed this was going to be one of the fasted lines.

After checking out what we could be headed back to the vans for a quick change of clothes and off to the Eagles Head for steak pie, mash and a couple of pints of Lowes water Gold. The Pub as bustling with racers, and after a bit of a chin wag we headed back to the vans for a quick brew and off to bed.

Although it had steadily pissed it down for the majority of the night we woke up to a clearing sky and headed to the main carpark to meet up with the rest of our mates. With nearly 340 racers the place was booming, the Flanagan brothers had turned up to support their local event in a rude looking M Sport Limited edition Transit van it had blue seat belts so must be fast!

We signed on and headed out to practice the stages that had been off limits on the Saturday and dial in our lines from the day before, it was a nice tight loop with the exception of stage 1 which was a good 5 mile loop to get out to and back, needless to say I didn't bother practicing this one again. Back to the van for some lunch and a bit of maintenance, the Lake District rock taking its toll on my bike with a bent pedal and a damaged rear mech.

With the sun now shining it was time to head out on our race lap, the PMBA races are super laid back, you can ride the loop with your mates and seed yourselves accordingly at the start of each stage. Set off in groups of ten every five minutes to try and avoid queueing we head out on the epic transition to stage 1.

Stage 1 starts in a clearing deep inside the forest then drops into the trees and off a small drop, this then leads into a super off camber Rooty right hander. In slow stay high and fast out, or in fast and hope for the best? I know which one I did! Carry on down through the tight trees your faced with multiple line choices as the track comes out into the open, a few fast corners and down a steep muddy shoot. Unfortunately I catch the rider in front as we drop down the shoot; I give him a couple of words of encouragement as he pulls over to let me past. Next up a flat but technical sprint up a couple of rock steps before dropping down through a small rock garden and into a fast catch berm, out the berm off a jump two more bermed corners then a sprint into probably the most technical part of the track. A small step up and then step down off camber and littered in muddy roots and wet slippery rock, get this wrong and it's gonna hurt! A quick brake check on the way in to set the bike up, my Schwalbe Super gravity tyres hook up and I'm through and across the finish line. A great fast and techy stage to get everyone's heart beat racing. "Martha we don't swear!"

After what seems like an eternity we pass back through the main arena on our way out to stage 2, people are already finishing stage 5 so best stop chatting and get the hammer down out to stage 2.

Stage 2 is the longest of all the stages and for me the most fun, after catching a rider on stage 1 I position myself behind a couple of mates for the best chance of a clean run. This stage was originally dug by the guys that run the UKGE and offers a great mix of terrain with tight tech, open loam, a fire road climb and balls out descents! The stage starts tight in the trees with mud rocks and roots to catch you out, a couple of tight corners and a steep muddy shoot littered in tree stumps and roots. This opened out into a slight clearing with mud being the main course, over the brow and into an off camber traverses stay high before slapping 3 epic deep rut berms, Hero berms! Out onto the first fire road for a super-fast long right hander then hook to flat on the generously taped middle section. More Rooty corners and a traverse across a fern covered hillside with mature pine trees, this section had changed quite a lot since practice with several new lines showing. Hard to pedal on this section so you had to maintain your speed and work the trail to get the best out of it. Now drop onto the next fire road for a short uphill sprint, this was also part of the transition up to stage 3 so there were plenty of people there to heckle and offer great words of advice like PEDAL!!!!!!! (Thanks Bex Baraona) Off the fire road and down a steep rock filled descent, if your bum wasn't wet before it was now! Across a foot path and the trail gets faster and faster, as few sneaky Brian Harrison straight lines you fire off a log step down, slight left across some roots at warp speed then left into a difficult right hander dig deep for a quick sprint and across the line!

Stage 3 off the top of Carron Crag the highest point in Grizdale forest, this would be make or break for many people. The stage is DO or DIE, well DO or smash your mech off and get a puncher! The stage starts with a tight single track decent, I tend to hop to the edge of the track that is much smother and faster. You then drop down a small off camber slab and into the trees, a quick sprint then down through the Data Tag chicane and back out into the open. From here it is a case of who has the biggest minerals; it really is how fast do you dare go? Fast, wide, wet and rocky the trail goes left and right and drop down every increasing rocky drops. Two wheel drifting to the outside of the corners there are people lining the trail repairing punchers. So many sniper rocks you have to be on your line or your gonna come a cropper. I sprint hard down to the finish but out brake myself and stoppy across the fire road at the bottom and into the brush on the other side before gracefully dismounting! No I didn't I went over the bars unable to unclip and ended up face down with my bike onto of me fumbling around much to everyone's amusement! What a stage though, Hold it wide and let it slide!

Stage 4 just a quick transition down a fire road and we were there. A quick uphill sprint the get us going then drop down through the trees on a fast hard pack walkers trail. This was only a short stage but had a couple of corners that could really catch you out, a left hander with roots forcing you down towards a tree stump and a tight chicane where the trail crossed another round a couple of trees. This had a real slippery exit so it was slow in and fast out. Let go of the brakes, a couple of hard pedal strokes and you were pinned like an Ewok on a speeder bike through the narrow trees. Right left right and across the line. One stage left

Stage 5 was only short but sweet, quick sprint down the fire road then into the trees turning back on yourself, fresh cut trail then into the rock slab of doom. I had practiced this about 5 times and had crashed every time. Crashed on the way into it, crashed my way down it, and crashed out the other side. One time I even felled a small tree using my testicals! Any how I arrive at the slab of doom in my race run and low and behold a crash awaited me, thankfully just a small off with genitalia intact. Now a lung and leg burning sprint all the way back to Grizdale bikes for the end of the stage.

Racing over and the arena if alive with excited people and tales of glory and smashed dreams, I high five my mates and head off to the timing tent to hand in my dibber. The timing is super-efficient hand in your timing dibber and you instantly get your stage results and overall time printed out on a receipt sized piece of paper. The results then update on a large TV screen as riders arrive back, no waiting around instant bragging rights amongst your mates. When the last rider is back the results are checked and the podiums are on.

Stoked to come away with the win and 5th fastest time of the day, thanks to my sponsors:

Evil Bikes, Twelve 50 bike shop, 100%, Royal, 7IDP, Five ten and everyone else who has helped me this year (our Doris X) Also thanks to all my mates at these events you piss taking bastards make the events so much fun and laidback. Finally thanks to Mike, Kev Duncan and everyone else who puts the events together, and most importantly the marshals who without we would not be able to race. Thank you.

Elite men:

1 Sam SHUCKSMITH
2 Cal DEW
3 Matty STUTTARD
4 Sam FLANAGAN
5 Edward ROBERTS

U18 Boys:

1 Nial OXLEY
2 William WELFORD
3 Tom WILSON
4 Jim TOPLISS
5 Seb GLEDHILL

Senior men:

1 Ben CLARKE
2 Ben PARKIN
3 Callum RUSSELL
4 Ryan DUTTON
5 Oliver RAINE

Master Men:

1 David READ
2 Mat WRIGHT
3 Daniel JOHNSON
4 Nathan CAVALIER
5 Chris DIXON

Veteran Men:

1 Darren HOWARTH
2 Ian CATION
3 Martyn ALDERSON
4 Paul MASHITER
5 Lee BAXTER

Grand veteran Men:

1 Howard STUTTARD
2 Chris NORMAN
3 Bill DEERE
4 John MERRY
5 Lawrence SMOKER

Women:

1 Carrie POOLE
2 Rebecca BARAONA
3 Martha GILL
4 Melissa PEARSON
5 Emma KNIGHT