Aidan takes home even more trophies

For last 2 years the Downtown race has been the race that signifies the end of the season and a chance to let our hair down, well so we thought.

Mackie, Aidan and me took the trip down to Cardiff to check out the 2nd ever downtown race the UK has hosted. I parked at the bottom of the course and it all looked very impressive, there was a massive TV screen to watch the action and a huge British Cycling truck at the finish line, all looked pretty professional. That was until I saw the huge fabricated jump at the finish, the steep run in to the jump put you around the 35mph when you arrived at the take off, the take off itself was what some would call a vert or dirt ramp. If you were to maintain your speed on the run in you would completely over jump the landing not to mention the over rotation in the air due to the steep take off. That gave me a moment of caution being a crap jumper, we've all jumped further but never has the run in been so fast, the take off so steep, and the downslope so short.

Still we all went up to the top for the start of practice, no-one was that sure when it started and some were saying there was 1 timed run and others saying there were 2.

Aidan Bishop's sneaky line

The Course
You started off steaming down a tarmac road through a chicane into a 90 degree right, sprint briefly into a 90 left, this was fun as you could really back it in Moto GP style, then back on the gas for a slight uphill into a brick build pogoda, this was a bit ridiculous, you went in slow dropped down a couple of steps, turned left and up a couple of steps, then left then right (still in the building) and then out the other end down some slippy steps.

We then skid round some rails and off a massive 1 foot drop and into what is the silliest section I've ridden in 8 years, and I've only been riding 8 years! It was effectively two 180 degree switchback and basically a brick built walkway, you can just, and I mean just about get the bike around full steering lock to full lock at about 2 miles per hour, not the most visually impressive with all the new public spectators.

You dropped off a few stair drops and another 90 right, then sprint again into the first of 2 horse boxes, just in case you missed that I did say "horse boxes", 90 left and sprint into the next horse box, 90 left and then sprint down through a couple of corners and hit the huge jump over the pich up truck, then sprint over the line.

 

Craig hits the horse box

Although the course was only around 1min 20 odd seconds, I have never been so aerobically tired on such a short course, it was a relentless session of sprint, hard stop, sprint, hard stop, sprint....and so on. I stopped to watch some riders over the jump, I was just starting to convince myself "That's doable" when a great jumper Pro Elite Rob Breakwell came over the jump and landed on his face, he rag dolled down the road a bit taking chunks out of his helmet, me and Mackie were right there and first on the scene to calm his twitching body, it was not pleasant to see a fellow rider go down so hard. I guess we all knew it would happen with the design of the jump but it was horrible to witness. He was eventually carted off in an ambulance quite some time later with a suspected broken arm and some posible neck injuries, get well soon Rob.

Fateful Jump that cost Rob Breakwell a broken arm


We've jumped further but the take off was too steep

So that was that, no jump at the finish and we all had to go round the chicken run, this meant the course just wasn't good enough to make an example of what we can do, it was very very slow in sections and down right dangerous in others. Shame really because there was a lot to like about this event that got quickly forgotten.

Mackie tackling the slippy steps

 

We practiced hard and then it came to seeding, Mackie was off first and our battle has been toing and froing all season, he had a clean run and posted a time of 1:31, he sat waiting for me and Aidan to come down. I shot off the line pedaling hard, I slid nicely round the first right hander and backed it into the first left beautifully, I stomped on the pedals and negotiated the pegoda building clattering into the wall on the exit, I continued on until the second horse box when the lactic acid took over and paralyzed the strength in my legs, I sat down for most of the rest of the course and crossed the line with 1:29.

Craig tackling the steps

Although I gassed real early it was still a good seeding time putting me 14th, Aidan came into view and looked smoother and fitter at the latter stages then the rest of us, he pedaled over the line and took 2nd place with a time of 1:22, only Poffley went faster. When you consider almost all the top times were set by riders on short travel 4X or similar bikes, it makes you admire the time Aidan did on his full on DH rig.

Cometh the hour and Mackie was off first given his dismal effort in seeding, sorry Mackie!, he ragged the course taking 3 seconds out of his seeding run with 1:28.911, I don't normally quote the time to the hundredths of a second but all will become clear, I set off determined to give it my all, I backed it in to the second corner and lost the front, a brief dab and I was back on it, by the time I got to the 2nd horse box I was once again blown out, I just couldn't stand up any longer the pain in my thighs with the lactic acid was too much, I managed to save enough to sprint over the line and the commissar announced my time 1:28. I join Mackie who says he thinks he just about beat me.....ahhhh bugger.

Aidan

We watched Aidan come down on the big TV screen and we held our breath, things looked very very close, he crossed the line with an amazing time of 1:21, surely this would be enough? Poffley and an unknown rider came down a fraction of a second faster pushing Aidan into 3rd place by a whisker.

Full DH rig doesn't hold Aidan back....

We went to check the results to find that me and Mackie had EXACTLY the same time with 1:28.911, unbelievable but a fitting end to the battle that has raged on all year, what are the chances. Although we're both 16th my name was above Mackie's which I claim is down to my better qualifying, Mackie says it's alphebetical....the conflict continues.

So another podium for Aidan from his first Downtown race despite us all being on for DH rigs, I think if Aidan trains hard during the winter, we could see him win back his National Points Series number 1 plate in 2008.

 

Craig completely wasted as he crosses the line!

 

Mackie

Brommers

Thanks to www.fattyre.co.uk , Rob Gale and moredirt.co.uk for some great action shots, visit their sites for more top photo's.