This is my 1st post on the KMB blog site so I'm very pleased to be able to report on a good race resut for the KMB Mountain Bike squad up at the Strathpuffer.We were very lucky to get to race the event due to the incredibly bad weather in the event run-up, snow and rain had turned over half the circuit into glass ice which was impossible to ride on (as I found out - more later). On the eve of the event high winds flattened the event centre marquee and made camping an impossibility, fortunately one of our team members has an understanding girlfriend in Inverness who put us all up for the night. So it was a nice? surprise when it was decided at 7am on the Saturday morning that the event would take place.
11am came too soon and I lined up on the start line to complete the 'Le Mans' starting sprint to collect the bikes. A good run placed me in the top 20 and severely out of breath (I hate running) and ready to blast up the 1st climb, this is where the reality of the ice struck. The course was unrideable, in fact it was barely walkable, so we slithered and skated our way into the first forest section where the ice petered out. Adrenaline rushing though my veins I worked my way up to 3rd place and was well placed for second at the end of the 1st downhill; where it all went wrong! As I exited the trees at 20mph the singletrack descended into ice pack, and I went down like a pack of cards. Bars twisted, collar bone screaming I clambered back on and limped after the second place rider who had stopped to laugh.
I nailed him up the next climb, serves him right for laughing, and set off after 1st place, closing him in through the singletrack, just as we levelled the trees opened up again and the ice re-commenced for a 5k climb. A chance of 1st place simply evaporated as the rider took to the ice and simply pedalled off. I was amazed, the clever sod had got a set of ice spikes, the control on these tyres on glass ice is simply amazing, in fact over the remainder of the course he stuck a further 5 mins into me and the rest of the field.
As the race progressed the ice broke up and fortunately an ice free line appeared. Subsequent laps got faster and faster. Chris Hope went out on lap number 2, took the lead and we never looked back from there, Chris posting the fastest lap of the event with Ben Bardsley and myself posting 2nd and 3rd respectively. The Team went on to win with a 4 lap advantage.
Obviously an event like this is a team event and without an evenly matched and consistent team you will not succeed. I reckon this is what makes the KMB team the team to beat on this event, so Congratulations to the other Team Members - Chris Hope, Ben Bardsley and temporary (on loan from Wheelbase!) substitute Paul Trott
I can highly recommend this event to anyone looking for a race a little out of the ordinary, the preparation and dedication of the team who put this event on every year, this is the 3rd year, is unsurpassed, and the friendliness and cameraderie of the racers is not seen in events of this type outside of Scotland (no I'm not even Scottish).
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