Video: Borderline PMBA Enduro Series - Round Two

There is no better feeling than when you wake up expecting the forecast rain, sleet and grey skies, and are greeted instead by a blue sky and bright sunshine!

Fine, sunny weather and fluffy nimbus cloud is what greeted competitors arriving at Grizedale in the heart of the Lake District for Round 2 of the 2015 Borderline PMBA Enduro Race Series. Nick Holt and I arrived early and were parked, with regimental precision, in the usual field, a short walk (or ride) from the visitor centre. Sign-on was the usual chilled out PMBA affair, set up outside Grizedale Mountain Bikes there were several groups of friends catching up and the hubbub of activity and friendly banter began to set the tone for the day. Rumour was circulating that there would even be a world champion putting in an appearance!

Signed on, timing chip collected and start time selected we rolled out for our practice lap. With quite a bit of guiding on for Sublime Rides at the moment, this was our first race of the year and there were a few butterflies fluttering as we made our way up to Carron Crag, at the top of the forest, for Stage one.

Nerves were soon forgotten, once the steep entry to S1 and 'that' rock roll were out of the way, and the rest of the 9 mile practice lap was soon completed, albeit with plenty of stops to catch up with both friends and rivals. This theme continued over lunch, with coffee and cake in the sun, before heading back out for our race lap, early-afternoon.

Stage 1
Possibly my favourite of the day, S1 started steep, rooty and natural. The chat on the start line had concentrated on starting steady and not making mistakes; With a field of 388 riders, caution was probably well advised, as much could have changed since practice, despite the dry weather. In the event, conditions in the woods remained fair, perhaps just on the muddy side of loam. With a few exposed roots ready to catch a wheel, however, it was still a great feeling to pop back out into the sun light, charge down the steep PMBA exit line and drop into the Black Trail, recently reconditioned by Andy and the guys at Progressive Lines. This is where the greatest concentration of spectators had gathered, with easy access available from the Visitor Centre and in sight of the recently reshaped and groomed jumps, and it was great to see and hear the support for riders as we returned back up the hill for Stage 2.

Stage 2
The climb back to the high point of Caron Crag was the only point in the day when the weather showed what might have been, with a brief and very light shower of hail, before the sun popped back out, to widespread relief! Stage 2 was standard Lake District. Although in this case a walkers path, this is the type of terrain that Grizedale has aplenty, multi-line top to bottom, rocky and loose, with steep sections and slabs. This is where many of those on light weight tyres and tubes unfortunately paid the price - the evidence was obvious at the bottom of the stage. Equally evident though, was the camaraderie, the 'spirit of enduro', call it what you will, but there were many stories of races saved by the loan of a tube or repair kit and that was great to hear. I don't think Lee and the guys at the shop had sold so many tyres and tubes in a while!

Stage 3
The transition to 'The Data Tag' Stage 3 was a quick spin along a fireroad and with no queue, we were straight in. Another superb natural stage but this time fast, rooty singletrack with an odd off camber corner and a bit of moisture in places. Chilling at the bottom, before starting the transfer to Stage 4 it was great to see rider after rider smashing the last few turns, everyone exiting the last bus-stop having thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

Stage 4
Grizedale has a long history of showcasing the work of local sculptors, there are literally hundreds, tucked away throughout the forest, so it was perhaps fitting that we finished the race down part of the now disused international sculpture trail. The trail is steep, loose and tight, a twisty brown ribbon of singletrack, and it is brilliant. Dropping competitors out onto the North Face trail at the bottom of this awesome section, the final two minutes of racing was along, up and then down the last of Grizedale's trail centre loop. A test of a rider's power and fitness, this ended the race right back at the centre, within meters of the timing tent. Ideal for dropping in the timing chip and beginning the nervous wait to see if you've done enough; whether that's in the hope of a podium spot or just to see if you've beaten a mate or your friendly nemesis!

Once again, the PMBA team put on a superb event, at a superb venue; and it was true - we did have a world champion in our midst! Tracey Mosley (Trek Factory Racing) didn't disappoint, looking comfortable and composed on the rocky, technical stages, she took charge on Stage 1 and led to the finish. Taking top spot in a sizeable women's field. Great to see her chatting to the fans and posing for selfies afterwards. She obviously enjoyed herself posting later on Instagram.

"Such a fun day racing at the second round of the Borderline/PMBA Enduro at Grizedale this weekend. Great organisation and an amazing fun and social format of racing. No start times and ride with your mates...So good to see the grassroots of Enduro racing in the UK is very healthy with this event and a mini Enduro at the Forest of Dean both attracting over 300 riders on the same day. Also great to see over 20 girls racing...thanks to the organisers for a great event"

Cleaning the steep tech of stage 1 gave me a boost of confidence, which I was able to carry through all the stages, even the final half mile sprint to the finish on Stage 4. Pushing on paid off with a 2nd place in Masters, a good result on home soil. Sublime Rides team mate Nick placed just outside the top 20 in a packed masters class of over 130 riders, despite loosing a few seconds passing a rider on Stage 2.

All in all, another great grass-roots event, really enjoyable and I can't recommend one highly enough. It's always worth remembering that once you've competed, you can say you're a mountain bike racer – and that always sounds good!

With several of the stages this year run on popular walking trails, there was no Friday or Saturday practice available. Essential to protect the relationship with the Forestry Commission and future use of the venue, this ruling was widely respected and our thanks goes out to everyone!

Enter rest of the Borderline/PMBA Series

• R3 - Lee Quarry and Cockhill - 12/13th June
• R4 - Kirroughtree - 5th July
• R5 - Lakes - 13th September
• R6 - Gisburn Forest 11th October

Borderline Welsh Enduro Series

• R2 - Marin Trail - 31st May
• R3 - Penmachno - 6th September

Results

Pro Men
1st Joe Flanagan, Hope Technology Factory Racing, 7:49.13
2nd Callum Dew, Pioneer Scott Syncros, 7:58.33
3rd Sam Flanagan, Hope Technology Factory Racing, 7:58.63
4th Josh Lewis, Stif Cycles, 8:00.66
5th Joe Young, Infinity Cycles/Royal/Seven Protection 8:13.12

Women
1st Tracy Moseley, Trek Factory Racing, 8:33.91
2nd Rebecca Baraona, 9:17.75
3rd Cheri Mills, One Planet Adventure, 9:36.59
4th Carrie Poole, Flare Clothing, 9:42.59
5th Martha Gill, Marin/Stan's No Tubes, 9:50.12

Senior
1st Callum Russell, Wet Lettuce, 8:09.43
2nd Ben Clarke, biketreks, 8:24.83
3rd Chris Boak, 8:30.48
4th Matthew Ineson, 8:40.19
5th Joe Harrison, Marin Bikes, 8:45.86

U18
1st Nial Oxley, Mondraker – Ride-On/TwoTwo Gravity Racing, 8:09.89
2nd George Sharp, Gill Cycles/Grizedale Mountain Bikes, 8:40.61
3rd Scott Woolley, BikeWright/Paligap, 8:42.19
4th Dan Hole, Hope Factory Racing, 9:06.49
5th Jim Topliss, Steve Peat Syndicate, 9:11.84

Master
1st Matthew Jones, Gill Cycles/Grizedale Mountain Bikes, 8:07.28
2nd Nigel Pilling, Sublime Rides, 8:16.38
3rd Rich Norgate, Magic Rock Racing, 8:21.93
4th David Read, Evil Bikes/Twelve 50 bikes race team, 8:25.04
5th Matthew Prichard, Evolution bikes gravity, 8:27.32

Veteran
1st Dan Greenwood, Orange Factory Racing, 8:28.16
2nd Woody Hole, Hope Technology Factory Racing, 8:30.81
3rd Darren Howarth, Gill Cycles/Grizedale MTB, 8:39.25
4th Scott Stephenson, 8:39.62
5th Ian Cation, 8:46.27