The Merida Brass Monkeys - R1 - Winter Warmer

Words & pics Joolze Dymond

They came in their hundreds, regardless of the floods. the hottest ticket in town burning a hole in their pockets, eager to ride another awesome course that the Monkeys have become renowned for.  Round 1 rewarded riders with a 7-mile loop that took you from the comfort of the event village, out into the delights of Caesars Camp. Probably the hardest of the 3 events in terms of wicked climbs, but what goes up must come down and the competitors were rewarded tenfold after the leg crunching climbs with an awesome amount of descending. Conditions were amazing, considering the amount of water dumped on the area in the preceding days, with only a smidgen of muddiness to hamper the fast flowing trails.

It was day of immense ups and downs in more ways than one for many, as the flinty and gritty nature of the course took its toil, with lots of punctures and brake pad wear causing the outcome of the races to be pretty much last man (or woman) standing!

In the senior men's 4-hour race Tim Dunford looked like a man on a mission as he streaked past a good minute clear of his rivals on the opening lap. As the race progressed his lead was gradually worn down as was his brake pads and by his 5th lap he'd conceded his lead along with his gears to an incredible Al Fairbairn, whose last minute decision to ride single speed seems to have paid dividends as he ground out an impressive 7 laps to take the win, with Marc Chamberlain and Tim Dunford a lap behind in 2nd and 3rd respectively. The women's race was a much closer affair and also beset with problems, with race leader and eventual winner Jo Munden struggling on the course with a lost cleat, while Rachel Fenton and Charlotte McDonald not giving her any respite as they all completed 5 laps. There was even closer racing in the vets race with enduro specialist Anthony White riding hard to keep of the advances of his rivals, finally taking the win with 6 laps under his belt just 98 secs ahead of Nick Butler, while Matt Craner was just a further 2 mins behind in 3rd.  Claire Smith led the women's vets 4 hr from the gun with only rival Viv Hazelton able to match her lap for lap and after 5 laps apiece Smith claimed a convincing victory with just over 11 minutes to spare.

The fun riders had a chance to rub shoulders with the fast moving 4 hour riders as they started their hour race just 10 mins after the huge surge of the first race. 6 riders managed to squeeze out 2 laps in the allotted time with Stephen Dadswell proving to be the fastest man having fun in that race.

As midday approached the lovely though chilly blue skies started to cloud over, threatening to dampen the 2-hour start. With just a small reminder of the deluge experienced by many elsewhere the 2 hour got underway, the course now awash with a huge influx of fresh legs. 

George Budd led the charge in the men's race, with Isaac Pucci and Jason Bouttell tucked onto his wheel. The 3 man train made short work of the course for two laps, but by lap 3 Bouttell had lost contact with Budd & Pucci and as lap 4 unfolded Budd was left in control of the race with Pucci conceding his 4th lap to a bent rear mech, leaving Budd to take the win, Bouttell to snatch 2nd and Pucci having done just enough to cling onto 3rd. In the junior race Sam Stean took easy control of his race carving out an impressive 4 min lead on the first of his 4 laps, finishing his race 1 lap ahead of nearest rival Will Taylor, with a time that would have seen him grab second spot in the senior race, while Laura Sampson carved out 3 laps in the women's 2hr race to take a convincing win over 2nd placed Rachael Gurney.

Meanwhile in the vet's 2hr the competition was fierce, with just 56 secs separating the top 4 riders.  Dean Morgan got the holeshot, wrapping up his first lap with a 90sec advantage, however he soon found himself grounded as a puncture took its toll, brining Dave Larkin, Roki read and Nigel Huckson all back into the frame. As the battle for the win unfolded, it was Dave Larkin who took the honours over the 3-lap scrap, with Morgan relegated to 2nd just 16secs adrift successfully fending off Roki Read in 3rd by just 2 secs. Closer racing could be found in the women's vets 2 hr with Anita Buxton and Lydia Gould, trading blows over their 3-lap blast. Despite a strong second lap for Gould, it was Buxton who came out victorious taking the win with just over 2min advantage.

Thanks to the events generous sponsors, namely Merida, Mulebar, Nuflex, Repack, Sram, Nomad & Four4th lights, many riders who came to cheer on those who took their places on the podium were well rewarded with impromptu prizes!

Entries for round two aptly named The Christmas Cracker, which takes place on the 16th December of this cheeky little enduro are now open, don't leave it too late to enter as this event fills up fast!! 

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