Round three of the Scottish Downhill Association 2011 series took place at Dunkeld in Perthshire on a much changed track.
Arriving on Friday evening I made my way up the track that was the scene of my least enjoyable race of 2010. To my surprise I found a very different track. The SDA had obviously put a lot of work in to the track with large new sections cut through the woods including a couple of good double step downs (picture). The tapes had also been set pretty wide giving a great selection of lines to choose from. I came off the hill really excited about the weekend ahead and praying that it would remain dry. Rain would very quickly spoil this great track as the new sections were on soft ground.
Saturday morning I got up to find it damp and it only got worse as the rain got heavier all day. I started well with a couple of fast and fun runs but the track was getting very slippy and more cut up all the time. By the time I came down on my third run, large sections were becoming a lottery and a pretty scary one at that. The rock gardens that litter the hill all took casualties but I still managed what I thought was a pretty good run and kept up with or was faster than riders I know to be quick. I did another couple of full runs in the afternoon before falling at one of the very grease shoots when I got off line. I remember is sitting up and wandering where the people standing round me had come from and seeing my bike leaning against a tree. I don’t think I was out for long but I definitely lost a few seconds somewhere and broke my helmet peak in to the bargain. Time to call it a day.
On Sunday morning I did one practice run which wasn’t error free but I got down pretty well and was up for a really good result as race time approached. I spend the interim on the hill with dad looking at lines and learning from watching the others. On returning to my bike I found I had a rear flat that must have happened right at the finish of my practice run. With no time to spare a new tube was fitted before catching the uplift. I arrived at the start gate as my number was called and went straight in to run one. It didn’t last long before I washed out on a corner at speed. The bike sailed off in the weeds as I went tumbling down the track. By the time I got up, dusted myself off and got my bike back I knew the run was lost so waited for the next rider down to pass before making my own way down. 3rd last after run one left no room for mistakes on run two but that’s exactly what I did. Again I struggled for front end grip all the way down and eventually fell hard in the fast rock garden run down to the lower fire road. I retired on the spot and had to make my way back down the fire road so never saw the finish a second time.
Having gone in to the weekend on a high, had a great day on Saturday, I’m totally gutted with Sunday result. I can’t put in to words how low I felt as I packed up to go home. As you can see from the picture I’m still riding the loaned 2010 bike and getting desperate to prove to the other riders that Rose have made a 2011 bike. I’ve a three week break now until my next outing which is back in Fort William for Kill the Bill 2 on the 2nd/3rd of July followed the week after by the SDA champs then the BDS Champs two week later.
Photo by Paul Cram http://www.rootsandrain.com/photos/paul-cram/
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