BMBS Round 4 2011

Margam Park has been on the cross country mountain bike calendar for over a decade and is well recognised as being a true "Mountain Bikers course" with tough climbing and some decent technical descents.  For Orange Monkey-Cannondale this would be a chance for the riders to excel on a course that suits them with all of our riders strong on both the climbs and the technical aspects of the course.

On arrival in Wales we were greeted with the normal rain we have come to expect when crossing the border but with an ever improving forecast, a beautiful B&B and morale so high it was sure to be a great weekend.

Sure enough race day was hot, very hot, and with all riders ready to depart at 12 with their usual warm up watched upon by many interested passers by the mechanics made there way to the technical areas.  One noticeable absentee was Paul who has been suffering from a chest problem and took the decision not to race as a precaution.

As the gun went on the Elite race, Rourke raced into an early lead before settling in the top ten with Chris not too far behind and Ben mid pack.  Just a few minutes later Alex was also off and soon got himself into the leading group on the opening climb.  

The course was hot and with so much climbing it wasn't long before riders started to suffer, not just with the heat but the pace on the lung busting climbs.  Rourke had established himself in 6th place and just a handful of seconds behind Welsh Champion Lee Williams.  Chris was also slowly moving up, as was Ben.  My lap four Rourke had moved into 5th and a podium position with Chris in 7th and chasing 6th down hard.  Ben had moved into the top 15.

While the action was hot in the Elite race, it was on fire in the Juniors with Alex in 2nd and attacking on lap 3 to open a gap on third place.

On the final lap Rourke stayed strong to finish in 5th and on the Elite podium (a first at a British Round for the team) while Chris had disaster with his pedal coming off meaning a lonely walk back to the arena after such a fabulous ride from the ever improving rider.  Ben showed real grit and another improving display to finish 14th (his best result to date).

Alex stayed strong and rode an incredible final lap to finish 2nd and only seconds away from first in this, his first year as a Junior.

It was a wonderful weekend for the team with outstanding performances across the entire team and a good sign for the upcoming National Championships next month.  

The team will now head to Belgium before preparations begin for the National Championships and then the busy period of World Cups in August.

A huge thank you to all our wonderful sponsors who help our riders perform to the best of their ability with the very best equipment and nutrition.

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