BUSA MTB 08- CwmCarn washout! - Swansea take the win.

1)Swansea boys on top of the podium. 2)Me and Jack (AKA Hill) 3)Will Mk2 - Just goes to prove where theres a Will theres a way! 4)Will storming his way to the finish line

The Welsh racing gods came out in force for the BUSAs, to ensure an unforgettable weekend of big gusty winds, torrential downpours and hundreds of dirty soggy students. The turn out was awesome with CwmCarn absolutely full to capacity and 290 riders on the start list. Loads of rental vans were rocking about rammed with bikes people, and all the other random stuff required for the student champs such as the air horns, cowbells made from swingarms, cow print pyjamas etc. Its always good to see such solid investment of so many student loans!!

Initial impressions of the track were that it was tame and pedally especially when comparing it to Dunkeld last year, however this changed dramatically come Saturday. The weather really helped liven the racing even if it did scare off the spectators. The final section of the track became fairly hairy with the wind, the last jump was taped in and took a few victims, I watched 3 people in a row get taken by gusts and blown clean off their bikes coming off the bridge before it. Chris Barnard receives trail points for pulling out awesome whips over the last jump while the rest of us were hanging on and hoping. Barnard had some of the best style of the weekend on a bike that very closely resembled a shed, he really needs to get off his lazy trucker arse and get back out riding again, oh and rebuild the hardtail!

1) Barnard whipped. 2) Me over the last double 3) Al showing off the gold. 4) Vanning it.

First run was nuts, no visibility, wet sticky track and loads of blown out corners. It only took one run to remember why we do it and to make all the other shit and hassle that comes with racing worth it, no normal ride will ever be as intense. Alex Roberts was first to set the bar for Swansea and put in one of his best performances yet on a borrowed Solid, One word to describe Al's bikes is bodged, this just goes to show how much potential he has if only he could learn how to tune a bike without making use of the hammer! A few too many mistakes and getting held up by traffic left me back in the rankings. Jack set a decent time, looking incredibly fly in his new SH kit. This left Will Soffe who was seeded 5th and the last Swansea rider on the hill. Will has started this year with so much confidence and determination, and had really set his sights high for this event. He came down absolutely storming leaving him in the hot seat after the first run.

Second runs were very cold and wet, with a lot of drowned looking people at the start hill. The rain had cleaned the track up a bit but it was now resembling a river most the way down. Severe goggle issues left me completely blind 100m off the start hill killing my chances of a decent second run. Alex was able to knock another 3s off his first run and sticking him in 17th. There was some real tension at the finish while we waited for the final riders to come down and see if Will could hang on to the top step of the podium. He showed some great consistency coming in only 2s short of his first run however Ralph Jones and Chris Hutchens just sneaked in front, still 3rd isnt too bad for a fresher! Rob Hinds had a huge grin on his face all weekend and made it into 92nd place which is definately not bad for his first DH race.

Importantly this left Swansea to take the team win, we have all got a bit used to the 3rd step of the podium and there was a moment of doubt where we thought we had missed the podium completely as 3rd and 2nd were called. This was followed up by the XC boys taking the team win on the sunday, leaving Swansea's record of being undefeated in all cycling events this year intact.

The weather meant all but hardened few bailed to warmer places on saturday night so the epic BUSA party never happened. Big thanks to Paddy who pulled off another awesome event with the help of Dragon DH, CwmDown and Extreme Medics. Bring on next year!!

Full results at www.busacycling.biz

...Read more!

Busting the Kites out at Llangennith

Pictures from top: 1) & 2) Dan going huge with the blade. 3) Me hanging low. 4) Paul grinning like a nutter! 5) Aint it pretty!

...Read more!

Dirt no.73 - The Hardtail Isue

Check it out some, lanky, blond, dreaded guy has sneaked into this months issue!! Anyway another great release from the guys at Dirt incuding anything you would ever need to know about hardtails, plus a review of the soul and an interview with Cy discussing the ideas behind Cotic bikes. Well worth a look - www.dirtmag.co.uk

...Read more!

Glyncorrwg 'X to the C'

This place ruined me!! If you like long grueling climbs then this is the one. Somehow the trail never seems to level off and unlike Brechfa I didnt find the descents that rewarding. I love destroying corners, however the trail seemed to straighten out whenever the speed picked up. This is proper XC though and if you look at it from that perspective I bet it is awesome, the scenery is absolutely mint and with skinny tyres, clips and maybe a less burly build these trails would be a whole different game.

...Read more!

Sunshine in Wales!!

Is summer here already? - bring on global warming!! What a weekend of quality riding, another early start today, well a little late after a very hungover Will had to be scraped out of bed! Me, Will and Jack headed out to the valleys, the van absolutely stacked full of bikes. First stop the BMX track and then on to find some DH. We ended up at Llantrisant which has some really nice tracks, the riding there makes a good change to what we have been riding recently with some real nice root sections and techy corners as well as a nice easy push. Back via Maccy Dee's for some proper DH grub, fully stocking up the fat and salt levels! Anyway here are some pics I found on the camera from up at Kilvey the other week.


Jacks shiny new Sam Hill lid, his new love!! ^

...Read more!

Big News - Tredegar BMX track now run by an official club

Tredegar BMX track is now being run by an official club which is great news as it means there will be people up there and running gates every sunday. The atmosphere today was really good, the change is bringing new people to the track and should be great for the tracks future. The track itself is national level and an excellent training facility, great for building up the bike skills and fitness. There will also be a race next weekend (17th Feb) run by Dragon Downhill. I thoroughly recommend checking it out.

...Read more!

Brechfa - Gorlech trail - one word, Mint!

I just had my first experience of a welsh trail centre and can honestly say it was the best days riding I have had in a longtime. If you haven't been to Brechfa it is a bit over half an hour west of Swansea but it feels deep in the heart of wales with its tiny rural villages, plenty of tractors parked up in driveways and deep green valleys, the feeling is far removed from the industrial character of the 'valleys,' where most of the riding happens.

The trail itself has some good climbs and despite being a religious 'non pedaler' I was starting to (well almost!) understand that satisfaction that comes from pedaling to the top of some proper singletrack. It gives it an edge as you have to respect the effort taken to get there and hit the downhills full on. The singletrack is definitely first class and as a downhiller even scary in places when hit it at pace. The last descent is awesome all the guys got to the bottom buzzing, loads of good hearted banter and a few cuts earnt on the way down, but so good that we pushed back up the fireroad to hit it again. Well it would have been rude not to. It was really good to get out in the sun and chill with mates. This kind of riding is so relaxed and built around fun, man-made tracks definitely have their place and are well worth the effort to go check out.

Being as organised as ever I managed to leave my camelback at home with the camera in it so no pics this time, best place to get more info about Brechfa is www.mbwales.com.

...Read more!