Borderline PMBA Enduro Series Round 3 Report - Lee / Cockhill - 13/14 June 2015
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BORDERLINE PMBA ENDURO SERIES ROUND 3 RACE REPORT - Lee / Cockhill - 13/14 June 2015
Last weekend was the third round of Borderline/PMBA enduro series supported by local shop Ride-On - and this time round 3 was held at two spots local to ST Towers.
Lee Quarry and Cock Hill are well known spots around here; they were linked with a track in between the two. The race also featured a long moorland transition, and a total of five stages.
So five tracks with a a handful of trail centre berm, a large dollop of hand cut woodland fun, and a generous handful of downhill trails - with a srinkling of loam thrown in for good measure. This was also the Northern champs; the winners took the title of Fastest Northern in their category. in fact, the PMBA is going from strength to strength with Tracey Mosley attending round two, and some more very, very fast lads and ladies came to join in.
Stage 1
Stage one was the classic Singletrack Weekender trail - it starts right at the top of Lee Quarry with some amazing views of the local valleys and villages. A swoopy start down the big banked berms sent you through an awkward lumpy section. Too big to ride smoothly and not the right shape to jump (well, for my skillz), time was lost here by quite a few riders who mistimed it, or turned in too sharply. It was a steep drop into the arena, and the into the natural turns cut out between young trees. And then you had to pedal your little heart out to the finish line for the final flat section.
To get over to stage two we had to travel out of the back of the quarry and over the moors. It’s a nice change to have a fun transition for once. Many races take you down the most direct route, which is often a monotonous fire road.
Stage 2
Now this was a track that made everyone smile. Built by a local rider, it contours around a wooded hill side on a narrow track. A few jumps and drops made it a fast track if you had the courage to hit them all. It was one of those trails that if you turn in too tight you were guaranteed a knuckle-to-tree fingerburster. In the middle, there was a very awkward rocky climb. Many practised a CX style dismount and ran (hardly losing any speed to be honest). But as I came around the corner though, it looked *so* doable. And oh, how wrong I was to try. one stall and and dismount later, and I smarted from some time lost.
After the moorland transfer we hit Cock Hill. Now the trails here are completely different to Lee Quarry. I think this is what made this race so good last year (and even better in 2015). Downhill oriented trails with roots, jumps, rocks and loam in the lower sections.
Stage 3
Stage three was the Dark Red trail. It is dark in these woods and it takes a lot to dry it out. The slight drizzle made some of the top corners greasy and hard to hold, but it quickly dropped you into a root section and over a large tabletop. From here on we were twisting and turning, jumping and dropping, all with a smile. And it finished off with some natural corners similar to those in the Tweed Valley. There were some definite lines to try and hit here, which I’m so pleased we’d practised previously.
Stage 4
Stage four was the Wilder Beast. Last year the trail guys at Cock hill cut this in; an already rowdy trails with some off-camber loveliness. To make things more interesting they cut in a new section just for this race; a straight line rhythm section traversing back across the hill side. Upper body strength and pump skills were needed to keep the bike moving before we found ourselves back on the original beast and over the infamous rock garden. The brave were clearing the lot off a small take off, but in practise I witnessed too many riders landing short on the sharp rocks. So I played it safe and went for a tyre tap, hop skip and jump, affair. The lower section was nicely bedded in this year with a definitive line into the final steep turns. But a target on the trail at the bottom wouldn’t have been out of place for those coming in too hot! Our own James decided exiting backwards with a flip was the way to go here. Crashing with style - until he realised he’d popped the hose out of his front brake.
What was he going to do with out a front break and one stage to go? Use his near infinite charm to find another rider who has finished to borrow one from!
Stage 5
Stage five was back at Lee Quarry. Again, from the top but taking in one of the different right hand lines. A similar style of start as stage one (big high sided berms) led us on to a flat pedal with a head wind (boo). Keep the power down though, and you dropped into a steep grassy gully, which put us into a tight left and right turn designed to kill our speed. And into another steep shoot back on to the trail centre jumpline. The final section was a sort of give-it-everything-you-have-left-in-the-tank (if anything) pedal to the finish.
This was such a great day out on the bike with a real nice set of varied trails and top folk. I love the relaxed atmosphere and the growing field of riders out having a good time.
The next round takes us north to Kirroughtree in Scotland where Trail Pixies have been lovingly preparing some more trails. Enter here, camping is available!
We’d like to thank all of the sponsors for supporting the round and the series, the medics (who were kept busy) all the trail people and most importantly the folks who give up their time to marshal these races. We can’t race the tracks without their help. THANK YOU!
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