2007 SDA, Round 3, Fort William

17th June 2007


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By Alasdair MacLennan

Not a week after winning the best UCI event of 2006, we are here at Fort William to race round 3 of the SDA series, complete with UCI points up for grabs to the top 10 riders. The track has seen some major changes since we visited in September for the 2006 NPS Final and, whilst many were dubious as to how well these would work, in the main they all gelled to just increase further the level of strain that this track places on both bike and body.

The new top section is not only longer as the crow flies to the point where it joins with the old but also takes a much less direct route to get there. Where last year at the NPS we saw a winning time of 4.12, this year was nearly fifty seconds down on that, only just scraping under the five minute barrier. Part of that is down purely to the increase in length but there is also the factor of having to pace yourself more to keep yourself on the bike and able to finish. Never has ‘to finish first, first you have to finish’ been more apt. Many riders struggled to cope with the increase in length and just felt dread once the end of the new section was reached; knowing all too well that there was still the majority of the track to ride!

With the Santa Cruz Syndicate team in attendance, along with Fabien and Tracy from Kona Les Gets, we saw a slightly higher profile for an SDA race to that which we are used to and it all combined with the NPS 4x event, also being held here this weekend, to really add something to the atmosphere.

The track might not look so different if you aren’t a regular visitor to the slopes of Aonoch Mor but it certainly adds another dimension to the difficulties experienced when trying to piece together a full run down this brutal track. And now, for a run down on the changes. Instead of a gentle coast to the start from the top gondola station we now have a very short push to the start ramp now residing to the rear of the building. So, standing on the start ramp, stick your goggles on, clip in and hold on tight for nearly six minutes of bodily abuse. From the start you are treated almost immediately to a sprint into the left hand hip by the balcony filled by throngs of tourists. Ok, perhaps not throngs but a fair few suitably impressed. It may not be the best jump to ride but it sure is a superb addition in bringing the sport to the masses. From here are a number of switchbacks which, when first built, lacked flow. Now that there has been over 300 riders pounding them for a weekend, they have rutted up nicely and link from one to another in a sinuous and drifty roller coaster across the bogs via wooden bridges to join into the old track shortly before the legendary pinball. Drop out of the old bus stop and hit two new rocky berms before getting onto the old track proper. From here on down there were a number of soft holes which came out over the course of the weekend to keep your eyes keen. The next change worth any real time was at the rock slab fifteen seconds or so below tower thirteen. There was now a sneaky inside line over the boulders which gave a very smooth transition onto the slab itself. From here to the deer gate there was nothing left to do but get off the brakes, stay smooth and try not to get caught out by the sporadic bursts of wind which occurred throughout the weekend. The deer gate then gives a seconds respite before you are back to maximum attack and are fighting the bike once more over the rocks and loose surface of the switchbacks. These were even rougher than in previous seasons and really showed whose suspension was working at it’s optimum. The ‘race only’ woods were up next; a new line cutting slightly to the right of the main gully. Soft, greasy and very slippery as roots came out, riders were quickly sent in every direction but the one in which they wanted to be travelling. By now, you were really flagging and you had to keep concentration up to stop any silly mistakes losing you time. Out of the switchbacks, across the firebreak and into the gully. Out of the bottom here and hit the tabletop or the wall ride. The tabletop, if landed nicely, really gave you some pump and shot you back into the trees at a speed which made the hairs on your neck stand up. Try to avoid high siding the corner at the end as you compress then bike fully first right and then left, across the bridge and start getting on the gas again. Pop the wallride, double the treestumps, across the second bridge and then into the now sanitized rock garden. This can now be hit with several pedal strokes and really rockets you onto the path and subsequent motorway. The berm before the hip now provides some serious speed and your wheels barely leave the ground as they travel in a smooth arc over the hip and back into the seemingly endless sprint to the finish. Squash the first new table, watch for the kick. Hit the double, attempt the next table and then really haul yourself towards the Tissot. Clear that after five and a half minutes of riding and you are doing well. Now you really need every mile an hour you can squeeze from the bike. Get a few pedals in before dropping into the off beat wall, squash the corner and pop the step up into the berm at what feels like warp speed. Your lithium crystals struggling, give it a last bit of gas into the take off for the triple and hope. Hope against everything that you clear it or get ready to suck up an extremely hard landing as you hit the flat ground. The last little jump, a quick final pedal and that’s it. A run of the new World Championship course at For William. Not only is it as physically brutal as ever, in places more so, but it is also longer and far more draining that in previous years. By the time that you were entering the old section up top it was hard to believe that you still had over four minutes of riding to complete before crossing the line. The winner of the Worlds trophy in September will certainly have proved themselves to possess both fitness and skill in equal measure.

Whilst the upper reaches of the course may not have taken as many casualties when compared to previous races, the final arena certainly did. Many a rider had huge crash after huge crash after attempting the newly shaped triple out of the 4x track. Reshaped to allow a tunnel to pass underneath it was longer than in previous years and lacked both kick and much in the way of downslope to land on. Indeed, should you miss the first short downslope. Seeing someone come down so hard that their pedal axle snapped was not what you wanted to see when you were minutes away from leaving for your final run with an identical pedals strapped to your bike. Oh dear. Several frames were seen being dragged down the hill in more pieces than they started in, along with the usual scores of punctures and broken wheels. This place takes no prisoners.

Friday, although cold and windy, was sunny and gave a fair number of riders to stretch their practice over three days. Both the Santa Cruz Syndicate and Kona were riding on Friday for a photo shoot. Rennie was looking flat out fast and Barel was his characteristically smooth self. Whilst walking the track in the evening it was clear that it could do with some rain to dampen down the marble effect that always appears here when it’s dry. And rain it did. Saturday morning dawned with rain which didn’t cease until into the early afternoon but which certainly improved the levels of grip, if not that of your vision. It’s amazing how little moisture it takes to transform the track. Even though Sunday saw blue sky poking through, the track was still damp enough to allow turns to be railed without too many marbles at the edges. Perfect weather for once then on the slopes of the Nevis Range. Now it’s not often that you hear that, is it?!

The racing was as tight as ever, despite the significant increase in track length. First off were the Juveniles with times as close as ever. Lewis Buchanan took third spot for Last Bikes/Dusttildawn. Descent-Gears' Sam Flockhart took second place by the narrowest of margins as Mark Scott pipped him for first by 1.1 seconds. Despite the elongated track, racing was still as close as ever with less than 5 seconds seperating the top three riders.

Several of the top riders from certain categories were away racing the Maxxis Cup in Andorra, including Danny Hart in the Youth category. In his absence we saw Joe Flanagan take the top step for All Terrain Cycles with a time just shy of the 5.30 barrier, enough to keep James Scott in second place with a time 1.4 seconds down. Arran Gannicott pushed hard to take third place for Santa Cruz with the first of many V10's to take podium slots this weekend. Including Gareth Brewin of Descent Gear in 4th, these guys managed to pull a clear 10 second gap to the rest of the pack. Impressive.

And then we move onto Juniors. These times are just incredible. Josh Bryceland on the top step set 4th fastest time of the day with a 5.05 onboard his V10 for Santa Cruz/Royal. Not far behind was Ruaridh Cunningham who is really on fire at the moment. Just 1.9 seconds down from Joshm it is he who takes the second step for Bikelove. Joe Smith takes third for Ancilotti with a time that very nearly got him in the top 10 overall too.

Senior saw alpine Bikes’Peter Williams storm to a dominating victory with a time of 5.23, 17.5 seconds clear of second place man Andrew Buddin of Descend Hamsterly. Tom Lamb, brother of Fergus and another Alpine Bikes rider, takes the third step a few seconds down.

Continuing his unbeaten run this year is David Tallontire, riding for Biking Heaven in the Master category. A time of 5.29 is enough to secure a good margin of 8 seconds to second placed Bryan Berger of Lo-Riders. John Young picked up third spot for Moray Mountain Bike Club with a time not far off that of Bryan. Of note too was Si Paton’s frankly astounding time of 11.48. I think he stopped for a snooze on the way down after the exertions of the mornings 4x!

Local man Alastair MacLennan is a quick man at any time but especially so on his local track. Not only does his time put him onto the top step but he also nearly breaks into the top 20 overall. 5.28 shows both speed and consistency. In second is the perennial favourite of Paul French, less than two seconds away from Alastair. Ticket2ridebc.com’s Seb Ramsay was third here this weekend.

And now for Expert. Iain Cookson set the benchmark in his first run with a 5.28 , only to step up the pace to secure the win for Electric with a 5.23 in his second. Not far behind him were Tim Green and Greg O’Keefe, second and third respectively.

As is usual for the SDA, the women’s category here is run as one with no separate Elite tier. She may have been expected to cruise to the win but, as practice for the Worlds in September, this was to be taken seriously. Even the skinsuit made an appearance on the Sunday afternoon. On a track this long it has to make a difference. Her time of 5.39 showed why she is such a regular feature of the World Cup podiums across the globe. In second was Lynne Aitchison, pushed hard to the line by Aimee Dix in third, just two seconds separating them.

Lastly we have the Elites, and an all Santa Cruz Podium after Fabien Barel decided to sit it out. After the first runs it was Steve in the lead, Rennie in second and Marc Beaumont in third. With a plane to catch for Mt St Anne, neither of the Syndicate riders were going to do a second run until Nathan reckoned that he could have Steve. So early second runs were agreed upon and they were back up the hill to battle it out. First down was Nathan, the first rider of the day to break the magical 5 minute barrier with a 4.59. But Steve was a man on a mission and raised Rennie by 5 hundredths of a second. Close. Ever so close. Marc tried to pull out a time to match but a mistake up top in his second run left him in third with a 5.02.

So there you have it. It may have been the warm up event for the World Championships but both the SDA and Fort William combined to provide, as ever, some fantastic racing. Big name riders and many not so big names all made the long trip up from the south to ride in what is to be the only domestic race held here this year. It was certainly an interesting challenge to be met when trying to piece together the first timed run down here due to it being so much longer and brutal than any other track in Britain. Do you run it to the wire at the top and risk mistakes lower down as you tire, with no energy left for the last sprint to the finish? Or do you instead choose to start off steadily and then begin to up the pace as you work your way down? It was a difficult call, with many riders stopping midway and others backing off for a few seconds in places to allow their hands a chance to recover. It is a tough course and one which pushes people to their limits. And that makes for a great spectator spectacle as both the speed and big jumps liven the crowd that always appears.

Thanks must go out to the medics who peeled the riders from the course this weekend, the marshals who braved the clouds of midges and also to Bob who, despite initial impressions, has actually created a stunning course here that is a real challenge. The next Scottish race is at Pitfichie in Aberdeenshire, a polar opposite to what we had here this weekend but sure to be another fantastic race.