Caersws, Birmingham, Shrewsbury, Welshpool, Newtown, Field...

Landing Friday night in an already packed field the Descent-World Sprinter squeezed in opposite the finish line and set up shop.. Sat am saw clear blue skies and frost on every car window, the 1st of the year! A quick walk up the hill soon warmed everyone up and the views were spectacular with the early morning mist soon clearing. Everyone was talking how cold it was last night, Commencals Danny Harper entertained us all with talk of how he nearly froze to death and survived by going to sleep with his helmet bag on his head..

A dry and dusty course met us at the top, with a great start mound that lead into a sweet kicker into a down slope that nobody used?? Well only a few.. Before disaster, the 1st of many.. Multiple lines on a tricky off camber entertained us all, seemed the middle was best though some scary roots and stumps to throw you silly.. before the tightest and steepest switchbacks you have ever ridden. no berms meant for many a body check to the tree was one good way to stop! Through that and then upset the Marshall’s (Mrs Cann for one) as we all stopped to view the DANGER in front. A mega steep and rutted dusty line with a small vert drop onto a berm was the line. many went down here and only the other month I saw Dave Addison launch this. His bike shot over the berm and down the steep hill, littered with dense trees. I did a run and came back up and down to the same spot. He had just climbed over the berm after a 35mins trek to locate his bike and climb up the bank. Others did the chicken run, wide and long, seemed like a bad idea? Well this actually fired you at 100mph into "That" berm ensuring you flew the two sets of long doubles that threw you up and up. For those that did the berm drop earlier it was a real charge at those doubles and pretty hard to clear them for most.

A superb section next that really tested the riders skills. 100% braking, well almost as you dropped the anchors into steep chutes with zero berms at the bottom, everyone went over and off the course here and swallowed a mouthful of dust! If you did manage to control those brakes you also had to contend with the braking bumps and huge holes that appeared that swallowed your front wheel when you least needed it.
The whole time you were braking and so many riders mid race run thought they had punctured on the rear, me included due to the sound and feeling of riding ruts filled with 6inches of fine dust.

Safely through that or not and a welcome pedal along the flat over two sets of doubles. Then some speed. Fast as you wanted flowing sweet into a step-down into a right hand berm before you launched a 30ft set of long doubles, case them hard and snap your Boxxers clean in half just below the arch. That’s exactly what Dave Duggan and James Marples did in practice. 100% respect for even trying the, even the "Don" hooked up on these. Only a handful cleared these and everyone else rode around them.

Keeping your speed and pedalling hard a short uphill almost bought you to a stop, before a quick few cranks over a good sized step down before you cranked it hard and launched a huge step down, loads bigger than Coombe Sydenham into the field and cruised/tucked/sprinted across the line..

In reality that last jump was quicker to roll around than to launch 32ft and land some 8-10ft down on that dusty bank, but that ain't what this sport is about is it??

Rich Thomas

Practise Sat am went OK with some long delays not on the uplifts but at the top. This was due to the nature of the course with riders crashing so often and causing bottlenecks at every other corner. Did anyone get a clean practice run? Not me..

Ms Collins was greedy and not only exited the hill twice by Ambulance over the weekend, she also did it in style on a stretcher with neck brace!
The Sun prize giving when she went to climb into the Descent-World van (not the 1st girl) she slipped and swung out holding the door to arse plant in front of the crowds, silly..

The big news on Sat pm was Marc Beaumont spanking Elites by 6secs on a course under 2mins long! Isn't that taking the pi55? The other news was Sat evenings paty! The Brewin’s annual party, BBQ, cakes and a dip in their pool was were it was at. Unfortunately my court order excludes me from hanging around schools and swimming baths frequented by under 16s so Brum it was for a night out, again..

Peaty was in Canada filming for the Collective. Gee was on Red Bull orders to do an event in Germany whilst Dan Atherton was down at the BMX Brits Champs at Cheddar, wonder how he got on?? Ohh and Pagey??

We also saw a newcomer to Masters. Roger Wilbraham who is the Off Road Administrator for British Cycling. He only fell off 3 times in his race run, will we see him again? He's doing a great job the last two years in getting us recognised in front of the "Roadies". He can actually ride a bike as well and made a third at a recent BMX National as well as pushing me to silver when he took Gold at the NPS 4x Champs back in 2003, git…

Jamie Faulkner’s season is over after splitting open again his left elbow pretty bad after crashing at Fort Bill. Lets see if he'll make Elite in 06 as he was on it for points...

How Steep?

Sun am was again dry and those keen were walking the hill 09:00 for practise. 11:00am saw a quick downpour for some 20mins. Heaven knows what that course would have been like if it had rattled it down all weekend??

Dave Morgan changed the race run format for the Juveniles, why? Well his Thousand Pounds prize money anyone that could win every round was now only open to Descent-World/Balfa's Danny Hart. Dave wanted to ensure a big crowd at the bottom to ensure a big show. I thought he was waiting for his sharp shooter to get in place and take out Danny’s back tyre mid track..

Danny lead qualifying by some 8secs with a fall! Come race as he entered the field by whipping it out on the step down the crowd were going mental as was the commentator (yours truly). I mean, anyone who 's going to take cash out of Dave Morgan’s back pocket is going to be everyone’s friend, right? That said Danny crossed the line with a few seconds to spare, his Dad hoisted him high and the cheers went round…Well done, now where’s my 30% commission for your manager, eh??

In all this was a great season, well organised by Dave Morgan so many thanks on behalf of all the other riders to him.. he gets some stick but in the end without him, we wouldn't have a NPS series. so many THANKS.

Breaking news..

Santa Cruz's Nathan Rennie is going this winter for the longest jump on a push iron, some 120ft?? This unfortunately reminds me of the sad loss of Colin Winkleman who held the record on a 20" BMX at something like 112ft. With great regret and sorrow I was informed he lost his life the other week. RIP sir…

Josh Bender and I shared a beer or two last night! He gave me an exclusive on him working on a 100ft drop down at Zion in Virgin. It's being filmed by the Discovery Channel and the same guys who built Danny Ways ramp to jump the Great Wall of China have been commissioned to groom the landing and take off! SCARY!!

I'm currently in Vegas at Interbike as we speak.. Once the hangovers gone I’ll keep you muppets up to date on what’s shiny in 06 and what Descent-Gear will be stocking for you guys at Christmas!!

Brendan Fairclough