Gethin proved to be a simple course to learn: smooth berms and rises to pump through at the top, a series of tight switchbacks down a steep open hillside, a tasty little root section, and most notably a challenging rock garden made up with some very large stones indeed. These sections were nicely linked up with singletrack which made for a course that wasn’t hard to master but had a few rocky challenges to overcome.

By the middle of the day, the sun was in full force and with the humidity combined to produce temperatures close to 30°C. Insulated with Dainese body armour this meant that we were all sweatier than sumo wrestlers in sleeping bags in a sauna. Keeping the fluids topped up was therefore a high priority. A nice cold beer at the top of the stupidly long push up from the uplift to the start line would have been just what the Doctor would have ordered – if only he not been stuck in the ambulance that had become bogged down in the mud (nice driving dude!).

The heat meant the course lost its early morning slippyness and there were no excuses left for poor times as even the roots and rocks offered plenty of traction. In the heat of the mid afternoon sun honest times of 3:30 for Bromley (19th place), Pickles 3:42 (57th place), and 3:37 for me (48th place), were posted for the Rapids. Not earthshatteringly fast, but a solid day of riding was and no injuries were registered.