SouthWest Champs Course Preview

Share on Facebook  Share on Twitter

BY: Rob Smith

Published: 12th June, 2010

Bring those climbing Legs and leave the single speed at home, Tomorrows South West Championship event at Newnham Park is going to be a feast of sweeping single track and taxing climbs with both highest points in the valley visited during the 7k plus lap laid out in the Devon sunshine. 

 

I had the opportunity to both walk and ride a lap today and with Martyn away and Jay and Maddie having been given free rein the route was always going to be something special, with plenty of the old favourite to keep the regulars happy but spiced up with some new inventive ways of linking those bits together.

 

Starting of in the shooting ground it off across the concrete river crossing and up into the rhododendron covered carriage away before a left turn up the splitter so far so soggy but at the top of the splitter it's up "Pipeline Return" rather than the descent we're used to.  Top of the climb and off into some tricky "bomb" craters left from the recent 4X4 weekend before some fast single track all the way out of the park and along to the farm, which you'll be please to note is a lot drier than the last visit plus we're going down rather than up.  On my lap the gates were still closed, let's hope Jay's got them opened before the race starts tomorrow.

 

Think your retracing the route used at the last round of the soggys?  Wrong 'cause just when you think it's a right turn coming up the course goes left to climb even further heading for open moor land, Before a left turn through gate way and we're back in Newnham park and some single track not used for a very long time, and having ridden it shame on you Martyn.  The recently named  Certini Single track is right up there with Cottage return as one of the best , gravity assisted single track in Newnham. All open flowing single track with the odd bump just for a bit of air time.

 

All too soon you're at the bottom running along the river's edge before arriving at the second river crossing, this time a narrow footbridge. It's after the bridge that we start to ascend again up the well travelled stone climb that seems to go on forever and has a nasty kicker right at the top, but of course the climbing doesn't stop there.  Onward and upward towards bluebell wood but on the way there's "Look Back Loop" off to the right, a sneaky little detour off the double track which will give riders the chance to see who's on their tail.  Earlier than usual it's off to the left as we head again into uncharted territory for some more single track sought out by Jay which twists ad turns before rejoining more familiar trails just before the jump into Bluebell woods proper.

 

Out of Bluebell woods, time for a quick drink before disappearing off into another of the Newnham favourites, "The Bomb Holes"! And the fun doesn't stop there just when you think you're back on familiar territory Jay has found a little some thing extra to entertain "Landover Lump" a simple yet deceptive hump just off the double track that robs you of all your speed going up to it and spits you out the other side with just enough speed to miss the turn into the final single track before the finish, Well it did me! 

Through the single track to the fern covered hill side, a quick glance across the valley to the farm yard you rode through earlier in the lap and its down "The Descent With No Name" which brings you out at the bottom of "Clif Climb", into the arena and to the end of a lap.

 

And for all you wondering about tyres, I'd say semi slick or slicks, there's couple of sticky bits but the majority is dry as a bone and with no rain forecast it will only get drier as the day progresses.

 

More information www.fullysussed.co.uk   

 

Rob