Round 5, Fort William

Which ever way you cut it - Fort William is a bloody long way to travel to for a race! Once the border is reached its still another 3-4 hours on twisty roads to the Nevis Range. So, with such a long journey to undertake was it a bountiful trip for the RapidRacers...?

This was the final round of the 2006 NPS, and the final NPS for race organiser David Morgan. The king is dead, long live Si Paton!? We'll have to wait and see what Si is planning for 2007, but hopefully the National Points Series will be a competition worthy of the quality, dedication and enthusiasm of the riders in the UK. Time will tell...

Fort Bill, the jewel in the UK mountain biking crown - it truly is a course worthy of its reputation as one of the best tracks in the world, and a favourite for many World Cup riders. The only course in the UK with Gondola assistance, it puts you high up on the Ben Nevis range before a 5-6 minute descend down the hardest course known to man! Having done the Megavalache recently I thought I knew what hand pump was all about, but Fort Bill is different. Although the Megavalanche is long and you're on the anchors a lot, Fort William is a relentless rock garden from top to bottom - you have to break harder for those tight berms and there is no rest bite for your aching paws.

Bromley and myself (Mackie) travelled up in the Audi Quattro, which seemed to like twisty highland roads. Aidan and Gummy on the other hand had a mini, which for a lanky bugger and two sets of race kit seemed a squeeze, but it all fitted somehow?! So, four Rapid Racers up for this race, all in Masters Category and Aidan leading the series. A win here for the Bishop would make it 3 out of 4 in the 2006 NPS series (no one mention Neil Arnold ruining the party then!). Gummy was also high in the standings and was looking for a good result back on his trusty old Orange (that Giant Glory was short lived?!).

Legends

Saturday was a fine day with practice taking place in glorious sunshine, and also, no midges at Fort William! This may have been due to the time of year, atmospheric conditions, or the 'mosquito magnets' placed in the car park - either way, that was a pleasant relief. So, the course was dry, but much of it had recently been washed away with rain according to some locals. This meant an extremely rutted course with exposed rocks a plenty. Bike suspension was made to earn its corn on this course, as too was human suspension in the form of arms and legs! With traction being good in the dry conditions, many riders pushed their boundaries too far and practice was stopped on several occasions for injured riders to be scraped off the hill. Unfortunately there are no soft landings on this course should you get it wrong. Seemingly the track hadn't changed much from previous years, except for a improved step-up/ hip-jump near the bottom, a few extra doubles, and a few tweaks here and there. All, in all though, this is a fun course that really tests you whilst scaring the bejesus out of you - that's why we race isn't it?

The Rapids put in a stout qualifying session with Aidan being the only Master to go sub 5 minutes. The Bishop has had an outstanding season, and with the title already in the bag he was looking to add the icing to his 2006 racing cake (sorry, that's a really crap metaphor). Things were all going to plan for him at this stage. Gummy put in a decent time of 5:02 despite an 'off'. I was happy with my time of 5:20, I was pleased as I had held back on some of the pedally sections, saving some energy for race day (honest). Bromley however didn't fair so well. Pushing the boundaries of his ability and the laws of physics he ragged the top section in typical Crash Master balls out style. Convinced of a quick time due to the amount of near death experiences on the top section disaster struck Bromley firmly in the chest (and wrist) 20 seconds from the bottom of the course he got caught out on one of the double jumps (pedal strike), crashing at 30mph. Anyhow, a forlorn figure entered the finishing arena, jersey ripped, swollen wrist, and bruised ribbs, time: irrelevant. It was time for some pain relief - into town for beers!

The strange thing about Fort William for me is that it truly is a beautiful part of the country with the views of the Nevis range from the top of the course being spectacular. This makes me wonder how the people who built the town managed to shat out such an urban nightmare? Nightlife in Bill is equally weird as we ended up in the only late night drinking spot in town. I can't recall what it was called, but it must have been the 'Mutants Arms', the 'Royal Interbreed', or maybe the 'Slagshead'? I don't know if they've thought about remaking the Living Dead films, but if they need inspiration, then I suggest a night out in Fort William would be ideal. Anyhow, a few bevies and it was time to curl up in the Travel Tavern, except for Bishop who had to fill his hollow legs with more lager...

Sunday, race day. Spirits were high after a good day on Saturday, except for Bromley, who's bruised paw was turning black. Manfully (actually he winged like a big girl) he took to the track for practice and managed three runs. I had my lines dialled, and was all set for my race run later in the day, then, the heavens opened and the mountain was enveloped in a nasty grey rain cloud. Boogar!

Sat in a car with the rain hammering down, Bromley and I still had another 4 hours to wait for our race runs followed by a 7-9 hour drive home. Time to abort!

Aidan and Gummy had big fish to fry in the series and decided to stay till the death (well, there race runs anyway). Much to his disappointment, the Bishop reported that he 'Rode like a fag' and couldn't replicate his superb qualifying effort and posted a time just over 5 mins, putting him in 5th position. Maybe 10 pints of lager the night before isn't ideal race preparation after all Mr Bigshot!? Actually, that theory doesn't hold up at all, because Aidan's drinking partner in crime Gummy finished with a superb 2nd in his race run despite having to loan a shock to replace his Victorian Rock Shox unit (design input from Fred Dibnar apparently?).

A long, long journey home, and the NPS 2006 series came to a close. Aidan finished his first full season with the Rapid Racers as the best Master rider in the UK, top result for a talented rider. Gummy also finished in the top flight in the final standings. Cameos from Stefan Gleed, Crash Master and myself have made this a season for the Rapids to be proud of as a team. Soon, our DH weapons will be packed away for the winter. 2007 promises to be another strong season for the team - did anyone mention Intense Socoms all round? - sorry, I have to go now, I've made a mess thinking about that...