Open Adventure - Open5 Series (North Pennines)

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Snow Adds A New Dimension to Open5

Phil Scarf, Team Compasspoint / 14.03.2006

The snow had started falling only shortly before we arrived at the event car park in Hamsterley Forest. Should we run or bike first. My usual preference is for running first—cycling tightens the hamstrings and so I feel sluggish running second. Also there is less kit to put on when running, so the bike to run transition is quicker than the run to bike. But with snow falling steadily, and biking conditions likely to become slower, it was to be bike first.

With that decision made, all we had to do now was get going. But getting going was the hard bit. No one wanted to leave the relative comfort of their cars. The first half an hour on the bike felt cold, slow and slippery. But once into a rhythm on the bike my confidence grew. The gravel surface of the fire roads gave good grip even in a few inches of snow and I found myself climbing and descending faster as the ride went on, and even beginning to enjoy it — goggles would have been a good idea though.

With smaller points for the furthest controls, it made sense not to be too ambitious, so this meant that the ten-pointer at the western extreme was out, and the climb to Doctor’s Gate could be left for a leisure ride sometime in the future. The singletrack looks well worth a visit on a nice summer’s day, but Doctor’s Gate, I wasn’t to be tempted up there in drifting snow.

The snow made navigation easier, with tyre tracks converging on controls. It also made boxes easier to find, with footprints to follow provided you weren’t there first. Having said that, familiar bike tracks and footprints between checkpoints appeared like phantoms. Have my nearest rivals taken the same route … how far are they in front of me ... were those their tracks? Fresh snow made it difficult to judge but easy to speculate.See All Event Posts