Another Bank Holiday another race and once again undesirable weather!Andy and I headed West to try my first 12-hour solo at Set2Rise, an event that I’d heard nothing but good things about from Andy who had rode it last year and one that lived up to its billing.
It didn’t look good when we arrived; forecast was for drizzle and riders were coming back off practice laps covered in mud and the skies were looking ominous, the odd shower acted as suitable forewarning. As usual we were in high spirits, everyone had great memories of last year and much umming and erring energy was going into both kit choices; to gillet or not to gillet, and tyre choices; mud, knobbly or semi-slick. We must have changed our minds three or four times just as everyone else did.
The pace on the first couple of laps started fast but gradually the course succumbed to the now frequent showers and for a few laps I’m sure I went as far sideways as I did forwards. Summer tyres proved to be an optimistic choice, I was running Sagauros and Andy his favoured mix of Mexcals and Barro race.
As darkness fell the course really began to dry out, corners that were tippy-toed around praying the front wheel would hold were now leant into with ever widening grins, turns and corners became swoops and whoops, with the odd wet patch just to keep us on our toes.
This course really was a lot of fun. Well, except for the gargantuan climb that someone put in the middle of the lap just to make sure that the riders really had to work for each and every lap, and into the final singletrack without any doubt in your legs that you’d been trying. Despite this everyone that I passed or who passed me was having a great time with more than enough great trails to keep us all amused for the whole night and make the climb worthwhile.
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