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2007 NPS, Round 2, Ae Forest

27th May 2007


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By Alasdair MacLennan

Ae Forest always manages to provide us with an exciting race with it’s impressive mix of technical off camber sections, aggressive rock gardens and big jumps always push riders and entertain spectators in equal measure. Whilst the weather had been threatening to unleash the worst on us all week it was to a miraculously dry track we started with on the Saturday.

Yes, there were still damp patches and yes, Friday night had also sought to remind our southern friends that whilst it may be nearing June, it is still not really summer up here just yet but in the main it was a lot better than we had been expecting! This years format continues on from 2006 with a seeding run on Saturday afternoon preceding Sunday’s race. In the past this has come under attack for reducing the amount of practice and riding time available but for this race at least, this seems to have finally been banished to the records. With ten trucks on hand all weekend there was very little queuing to speak of after the initial mad rush each morning and many managed a good six runs on Saturday and three on Sunday. There were even rumours circling of some super fit riders having managed eight runs on Saturday and five on Sunday. And then on top of that you had the two race runs. Very little room for complaint there although no doubt the awkward few will bemoan the lack of comfort that the cattle trucks offer over the coaches used at Innerleithen!

The track itself was very much the Ae Forest that we have come to know and love over the years. It may not provide the ultimate technical challenge in the way that perhaps the top of Innerleithen did for Round 1 but is still fun to ride and will still separate the riders out whilst providing something different in the form of a mix of the technical and the manmade. So from atop a windswept Dumfriesshire hill we set off. Out of the gate there used to be two lines. Left or Right. Now there is anything you care to put your mind to as various options have all been tried and tested. Most chose middle and then left so that you could get the gas on before the right left into the rock garden, getting more eroded by the day, and into the infamous off camber. In the dry this is manageable but once the rain falls and the surface turns to slick, this gets interesting. By the time you hit the right hander at the end you are carrying some speed. So, grab the brakes hard, lean over and pinball down the next part of narrow and loose trail before it leads into the damp and tacky trees. There were a few sneaky lines between here and coming back out into the open. Not major lines but certainly enough to add up to a second or more if you were going flat out. Avoid the tree that attacked Rennie unceremoniously in the final and jump the ditch, hit the inside of the right hand berm before popping over the small double, hitting the left hand berm, table top and then the triple. Back off the man made stuff and you are into the last few loose (and deep) corners before the road. Jump to the side of the drop, pedal for all you are worth across the road and hit the rock garden. Do you hit the left hand line which means you spend most of your time in the air or do you plough through the middle? The left was for the brave but it did carry the advantage of setting you up better for the next few corners. From here you are into the mini motorway; the wooden bus stop, the notorious coffin, then right, straight and into the new off camber section. This was loose and very awkward all Saturday but after several hundred people had walked it, a distinct line had been trampled in and things were much easier Sunday morning. The tight lines and steep switchbacks still caught a few unawares and dumped them rather hard onto the ground. Come out of all that smoothly and you are almost within sight of the finish. Hit the 10ft step down, the huge left and right berms and then follow the newly cut track which took you slightly uphill and onto some boarding. The landing from this was harsh and was the subject of some criticism from the riders but, being honest here, I have seen far worse! And anyway, the new elevator provided an alternative from the original and was actually pretty good fun to ride. It is impressive for the spectators too and Dan Atherton made the most of this by pulling a nice one handed whip into the 50ft descent after a crash further up put him out of the running in the final.

So, the track was riding nicely, the weather was proving indecisive and the transport was arguably the best seen at an NPS for many years. Did the racing manage to prove just as good? I think so. If you care to take a look at any given category you will find that a matter of seconds can separate ten or more places. This is healthy for the sport although it means that a minor slip on a root, failing to get clipped back in after a slide or just not putting together the cleanest run can mean that instead of losing perhaps a couple of places as you might have in previous seasons you will instead have dropped nearer ten!

Rain fell just in time on the Saturday before most of the seeding runs which had most people changing their Minions for High Rollers. And then, overnight, the heavens really opened which had people reaching for their spikes on the first few runs. Things calmed down for the Swampthings and High Rollers to come into play but some heavy showers mid racing left for a few coin flips to decide on what tyres to run. The most Factory of the Elites had their mechanics on hand with spare wheels, ready prepped with Spikes, should the worst happen. With the rain leaving for some filthy bikes, the Fenwicks supplied Jet Wash’s were certainly a lot busier here than they had been at the dust of Innerleithen – and most welcome they were too!

Juveniles may be a little depleted in numbers compared to previous seasons but the times are no less competitive. Lewis Buchanan is proving to be a very capable rider and a 3.4s lead for Last Bikes over Mark Scott ensured that he took top step on the podium with Fraser McGlone a little adrift in third.

Danny Hart is another on top form at the moment for Balfa UK. This is his second year in Youth and he seems to have stepped up the pace to suit as his time was well up there with the Elites. He very nearly clinched the TFTuned prize of £200 for the greatest winning margin too. Descent-Gear’s Gareth Brewin took second whilst Harry Malloy pulled out the stops to swipe third place for Muddy Fox.

Santa Cruz and Royal had a good showing in Youth when Josh Bryceland took the win and fourth fastest time of the day (beating Minnaar in the process) by a two second margin. Sam Dale put in a Solid (no pun intended) run to second for Solid Electric just a tenth ahead of Joe Smith onboard his Ancillotti. Note to Ruaridh Cunningham here; listen when people tell you spikes don’t work well in the dry!

Anyway, after tyre faux pa’s, we move onto the Veterans. Paul French may be have been around for a while but the experience and talent shows. Another win to add to his tally. Second was Seb Ramsay, riding for series sponsor Ticket2rideBC and Descent Gear whilst third was Fort William local, Alastair MacLennan, riding for Off Beat Bikes.

Did insider (and builders) knowledge account for David Tallontire’s win this weekend? I don’t think so, judging by the performance he has showed so far this year, the 2.28 was nothing short of him stamping yet more dominance on the Masters category. Mark Wilcox of Keswick MTB took second, just scraping an advantage of half a second over third placed Andrew Titley (Kona Sombrio).

Peter Williams not only took the Senior win for ProBikesport on his Fusion but also £200 from the pockets of Tim Flooks who is providing the cash at every round for the greatest winning margin; 6.17 seconds in this case. Tom Rodgers took second for All Terrain Cycles and Dale McMullen was third for series title sponsors Chain Reaction Cycles, just 0.6s down.

Adam Brayton is truly ruling the Expert category just now, trotting off large margin win after large margin win for Electric. 2.20 would have seen him well placed in Elite this weekend, a real step ahead from the rest of the pack. And who were the rest? Nikki Whiles for Team Skene was second and Rich Thomas of Ancillotti was in third.

In the combined non-elite women it was reigning student champion Sue Mahoney who grabbed the top step for Psyclewerx from Lynda Davies whilst in third was Monet Adams for Utopia and Cwmdown.

With Rachel Atherton unfortunately out after breaking her wrist in a nasty accident in Vigo we were an Elite short. Tracy Moseley pulled a 2.32 from the bag for Kona Les Gets whilst a very factory looking Helen Gaskell took second for Halfords Bikehut. Shortly to be sunning it up in warmer climes, it was Emily Horridge who took third for Mountain Cycle Chatel, not far from Helen’s time.

And finally we move to Elite men. It was here that many big names fell. As has already been mentioned, Syndicate’s Nathan Rennie came off the worse for wear after a chance meeting with a tree; Julien Camellini came down with a pedal axle in his crank, the body attached to his shoe and not much holding the two together; and lastly Dan Atherton came down with half the hillside on his jumper. There were others who had problems but we’d be here all day. Gee Atherton avoided the pitfalls and stood up top on the podium with 2.11 and just under a second’s advantage from Steve Peat in second. Matti Lehikoinen (did Si ever get his name right?) for Honda G Cross pipped his team mate, the illustrious Minnaar, for the final podium spot.

So there you have it, tight and excellent racing from all categories. There was a huge number of visitors who were wandering around the pits and course this weekend which must be good news for the ever increasing number of track side vendors. This year has seen a real surge in the standard of racing with an atmosphere improved by the number of pro looking pits around the finish area. None more so than the huge example of the Atherton’s tidy looking and fully liveried VW. G-Cross Honda, choosing UK NPS instead of the US based NORBA series, also add a dose of much needed bling in the usually dour British weather of hailstones and rain. Do you have a problem with your bike? Look no further than the services of Formula and Hope if they are braking related. Or perhaps you are finding that your suspension isn’t sticking you to the ground as well as you would like? In that case, take your pick of series sponsors TFTuned or perhaps Fox distributors, Mojo. Need some more general mechanical help and it is Madison who are on hand with both Park and Shimano. Find your bike rattling loose as you batter down the track? Then Loctite is your answer. MFX Air Art will be spraying up the lids of the Youth, Junior, Master and Veterans winners. That’s a cool prize. Cooler still is the £30k worth of Formula BMW experience that Loctite are putting up for grabs. All this has meant that the 07 NPS, so far, is up a gear from previous seasons with a slick, professional and well sponsored series that is finally living up to expectations.

That’s it for the Scottish rounds this year. Next up we are into Snowdonia for Rugog on the 22nd of July with a track that by all accounts is out to scare us all. With any luck it will be drier than last year too. See you there!