Margam madness!!!!

Share on Facebook  Share on Twitter

BY: Donna Morris

Published: 20th April, 2014

Well yesterday's race certainly lived up to its name!! Madness!!! Having pre entered I knew that already my race was going to be a tough one with 3 elite riders and an equivalent elite rider. I was already looking at 5th on paper. Also Friday night I had a tummy bug and really didn't think i was going to even be able to race. With both myself and phil racing we tagged Nannie along to keep the keeps entertained! We left at half seven and arrived to a busy, sunny margam park about half nine. We signed on, got ready and we got to the start for a half ten mass start.

The course was promised to be very hilly, technical and all round super course, and there was no promises broken! We started going the opposite way to the last nationals at margam. Not being the worlds greatest starters I got caught up in the queue's going into the first singletrack section so it was off the bike and scramble through.you then went up the loose climb and up to the peak before the first technical descent. You then climbed again until you hit the top of the bermy section( not my favourite bit, I lost loads of time and was just generally crap at it!!) then for the river crossing and a very sharp left uphill turn, which I had finally mastered by the third lap! You then climbed again and up onto the field before switching back down an easy flowing descent back to cross over the river again. Then it was one of my favourite bits up through the woods, a little drop off and a steep road climb which took you to a stones switch back climb, a bit more climbing then there was two routes. Unfortunately I took the wrong option on the first lap, but thankfully I took the technical line on the other laps. The chicken run was great until you hit a narrow bridge and a load if sludge uphill, followed by a stupid stone steep climb, which we missed the turn around point as it was a pile of stones!! A Marshall was placed there soon after! It then went back down what you had climbed and out across to turn sharply left handed to join the course, which I overshot. The technical route however was fun although for the life of me I can't ride tight loose corners. I need some tuition!!, this was followed by some roots and then a fun little bridge and drop off and finished with a little man made platform back to the road.

Then again it was up all the way, turning onto the rock section, which I also really enjoyed. But it was followed by a very steep sharp soil climb, which I jumped off a bit before and ran/dragged my carcass up. Un rideable I thought, but the other half tells me otherwise! Another practice area!!

Then on reaching this point it was a breezy journey across the top, until you turned to begin the descending!! This took you back to the road which was followed by the start of the nationals course. Up the long climb, which actually seemed tiny compared to the all the other climbing in the lap!! You didn't go as far as the tricky descent but took the lower line through the rooty two woods the down the rocky Shute, to the road and power down the road, field through a bog (which gobbled me up on the first lap, spat me out and knocked my chain off!!! ) then it finished with a twist through the trees to the start.

In summary an awesome loop, one I really enjoyed and would have benefitted from a practice. Lots of areas to improve on and I'm sure I would have been significantly quicker if the bermy Stoney section course was not in it!

On the start I was a little apprehensive of actually being able to keep a pace for that long as I don't do long rides and my first ever 4 hour event was at Bristol last year. (And that didn't have a third of the climbing this course did!!) my longest mtb ride other than that is about 2 hours!

However, I did it and I managed to come away with fourth. A pleasing result for me. Considering the competition! The weather was amazing and I managed to get a Little tan line!

Well done to all the crew a fantastic race Gareth, right through from registration to the course,timing and also to all the competitors!!

Also well done to phil, my otherhalf on taking the win I the four hour male category. Even though he didn't offer to piggy back me up the hill when he lapped me!! Not to mention a cracking result for ant white in his win (old guts 4 hour) and hats of to Andy howett for completing eight hours!

And thank you to Nannie for entertaining the kids, mummy and daddy even managed to have some chill time on the park after the race and we finished the fantastic day off with a trip to the pub on the way home!!



As always thanks to my sponsors
XCracer.com/scimitar
Mt Zoom
Exposure lights
Accelerade

Mummy morris!