Northern Downhill Round 1 Kidland Forest

This time last year I was stressed, ran ragged as the co organiser of Northern Downhill. This year Carl will be race series organiser and I will be a lot more relaxed on the bike.

Snow came to Northumberland mid December and only thawed from the valley 3 weeks ago, to Carl’s relief! How ever when the snow returned early in the week we started praying for the thaw. Our prayers where answered for a short while with the warmer weather and thaw later in the week however this led to the rivers flooding again putting access to the forest at risk.
The valley has got to be one of the most remote in the country if not the UK and Carl and my self have first hand experience of how remote after getting stuck in the valley in bad weather! To every ones relief the rivers abated and luck was on our side.

Sign on came with numerous jokes about the extra big number boards, some chose to trim them down others chose to hide there cables behind which made an nose cone.

The track had only been ridden for two races last year both of which were in the dry however the weekend forecast was not and the track was really going to be put to the test as the ground has only been snow free for a few days and the ground was sodden in places.

The start was from the fire road and was snow for the first couple of runs straight into the whoops before heading into the darkness and the right left switchback then heading diagonally on a newly taped line down to a fire break then back between two trees with interlocking roots giving a U shape slippiness, don’t break or your front wheel is on the wrong side of the trunk and your sniffing mud. The hill now flattens slightly here and its crucial to carry your speed, if you got off line you could guarantee there would be axle deep gloop to catch your front wheel. I could confirm this to be the case on just about every run of the weekend!

The hill heads down again in better light with grippy gravel corners and higher speed that helped clear your spikes which were most riders tire choice for the whole weekend.

The course now drops down and rides the top of an old wall in and out of bus stops. This is around 40 seconds in and the only rest on the hill my arms where burning probably due to the amount of sticky mud packed around the bike.

Off the last bus stop the track heads steep down into the darkness again. There is a multi choice line dropping in and the backside of the roots are deep holes before a left hand berm shot you out across the gradient before turning in again right. The hill is so steep here that every turn onto the gradient there is a definite fear factor trying to control the speed on the steep ground. The next left drops away fast with a load of roots on the apex the best way in is to get the bike turned up high on the right before the roots. Once round you have another option with the log left untapped which could straighten the line for the next left. I must admit I took the original long line as I was looking more for grip to slow me up but some riders obviously needed the speed.

The next shoot is the steepest on the hill with multi line around a tree into a left hand ledge down low, the problem being that to get to the ledge you have to head straight down the gradient between trees hanging off the back of your bike. Next up was a safe long fast right around the netting before the tight left or a tighter right steep full of roots leaving a quick snake hips left on after. Speed picks up again with a series of corners which are digging down into fresh gravel followed by some flat gravel corners, then the now famous V-tree. This is a twin trunked tree just wide enough to get your pedals and bars through.

The track now heads straight again down to a right berm which was just a gloop that stopped most rider’s dead, but with a bit of rock in on Sunday morning the bike would bounce back.
The next once flat drifty left developed a deep single line rut down the middle which was almost impossible to keep out of and not many managed to get a jump up over the roots.
The final shoot developed some braking bumps with the loose material gathering at the bottom berm which worked better than the best Hope brakes and left a couple of pedal strokes over the line.

Talk of the weekend was how beaten up the track was, the conditions could not have been worse but the track needed a big test and this was it. I was running with my chain off due to bent cranks most of the weekend and there was not a section that could not be rolled.

Uplifts ran smoothly with no longer than a 10 minute wait at the bottom. The black trailer seemed to work the best and speaking to Carl at the weekend he intends to eventually convert the others to this design. I ended up with a small scratch on my newly painted gay blue frame! Should I have had tank tape on?! Think, safe sex! ware a condom!! (tank tape!) Oh and watch who is rubbing up against you!

Robbie Mclean was the only juvenile to attempt the course well done mate!

Matty Leggett took the youth win with a 2.32.09 James Wilson and Kris Cunningham were 2nd and 3rd on the same second.

Mark Scott took the junior win with an impressive 2.03.22. with Ben Millward 2nd on the next second and Jordan Doig in 3rd.

Zac Hubery took the Master win with 2.08.60 with Thomas Reed a close 2nd on the same second and Christopher Whitfield 3rd.

Helen Gaskell took the win for the women with Sarah Newman a close 2nd

Stevie Boyd took another impressive Veteran win with 2.18.17 with Pete Hoggan 2nd and Team CHR main man Michael Strangeways on the same second in 3rd. Check out Michaels headcam run in practice some sections he should have had lights on!

The Veteran plus race was won by Paul Rafferty well done, with a bit look you might have some more competition for future rounds. Thanks for making the effort.
Henry Stam took the Senior win although he could hardly believe the time of 2.05.25 which was checked and confirmed with Peter Walton in 2nd and Steve Turnbull in 3rd

Local boy Ben Hall took the expert win with a 1.59.73. with Robert Young 2nd and Ben Whitehead 3rd. Check out Bens practice headcam of the course.

Adam Brayton took the Elite win and was looking good all weekend and the new Mythic really does look the business his time and fastest time of the day of 1.56.43 stood out, but he followed it with a second run sub 2 minutes without a chain most of the run. It just shows there’s not a lot of pedalling on this track. Pete Williams was in 2nd place.

Overall I got a good vibe from the weekend, the Rose and Thistle was alive on the Friday and Saturday with beer and good crack, thanks this really does help persuade the locals that we are not a bad lot really!
I bet most of who look back at the weekend will do so knowing it was a memorable one testing your wet riding skills to the max.
We were up last weekend and the track has dried up well. I am certain the conditions where just what it needed.

Results

Juvenile
1st Robbie Mclean 4.54.43

Youth
1st Matty Leggett 2.32.09
2nd James Wilson 2.46.06
3rd Kris Cunningham 2.46.91

Junior
1st Mark Scott 2.03.22
2nd Ben Millward 2.04.06
3rd Jordan Doig 2.08.08

Master
1st Zac Hubery 2.08.60
2nd Thomas Reed 2.08.72
3rd Christopher Whitfield 2.10.62

Women
1st Helen Gaskell 2.38.49
2nd Sarah Newman 2.44.88

Veteran
1st Stevie Boyd 2.18.17
2nd Pete Hoggan 2.35.01
3rd Michael Strangeways 2.35.53

Veteran +
1st Paul Rafferty 5.03.24

Senior
1st Henry Stam 2.05.25
2nd Peter Walton 2.09.77
3rd Steve Turnbull 2.10.20

Expert
1st Ben Hall 1.59.73
2nd Robert Young 2.07.86
3rd Ben Whitehead 2.08.78

Elite
1st Adam Brayton 1.56.43
2nd Peter Williams 2.00.62

Full results can be found on www.northerndownhill.co.uk

Special thanks to:

everyone who made the weekend possible most of whom are Carl’s family and friends.
Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team who are all volunteers and stood in the rain most of the weekend.
Oliver Coats for the photos check his site for more www.olivercoats.co.uk
All of the Marshals again who stood in the rain.

Sponsors

Thanks to this seasons sponsors Hope, Ride Central, MX1, Forestry Commission and Rose and Thistle Alwinton.

Well done and enjoy, to the two lucky winners of the riding holiday courtesy of www.Switchbacks.com 2 holidays will be given away at each round in a raffle after the presentation podium.

Future events

We have a couple of proposals in the pipeline for later in the year including:
• New track steeper than Kidland with more elevation drop with potential for uplift practice days. Details to be released in the coming weeks.
• Mass start enduro (mega avalanche style) race next winter promising 15 minutes of 75% descending with a climb in the middle. Date and venue to follow.

We are always looking for whatever support we can, if you feel you can help us in any way we would be over the moon to hear from you!