Dynamic Adventure

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A Winter Dynamic Adventure on the Downs

Simon Thomas / 27.01.2003

Event 1 – January 18th 2003, East Dean, West Sussex

The village of East Dean in West Sussex, in the shadows of the South Downs, provided the perfect location for the first event in the Dynamic Adventure 2003 calendar. The long spell of colder weather had finally broken and the icy conditions that had made the chalky bridleways treacherous the week before a distant memory. The sky was clear, light winds and the promise of good temperatures for January set the scene for the event.

The event was a sell out, with 84 competitors entered and some having to travel from as far afield as Cardiff, Cheshire and Derby. The event had attracted a mixture of first time racers, those returning to improve upon their first attempts last year and the more experienced racers who were looking for an early opportunity to blow away the Christmas cobwebs in preparation for the new season.

A Wake Up Call

The scene was set for a fantastic days racing, competitors arrived early to prepare themselves for a challenging course set in beautiful country taking in the South Downs Way. The first stage, a 2 hour run, certainly woke a lot of competitors up! Heavy conditions underfoot in certain areas were to favour those choosing to take a route choice anticlockwise around the course. Only three entrants cleared the course, each from the three categories. Dave Fryer was the first solo gaining the maximum 300 points available, Anthony Emmet and Tim McDowell were the only pairs to clear and Thomas Cook took the honours in the team category. There were also some impressive performances from Putney Speedos, Dynamic Adventure, Team 69, Kim Collison and Phil Stuart only dropping one checkpoint or receiving penalties for a late return.

The second stage, a 3 hour mountain bike section, was welcomed by many and the prospect of a dry course due to the chalky soil was inviting competitors back out into the countryside. However, the warmth of the village hall and copious cups of tea to wash down the fresh cakes proved too much for some. There were the inevitable late starters but the non competitive atmosphere meant that it was all taken with a pinch of salt. The weather continued to shine on the competitors but conditions were not what they had hoped for.

The course was challenging but throw in some heavy clay and mud and progress was slowed! Nobody cleared the course with the top performers dropping 3-4 controls or arriving back late trying to fit one more control. The first solo was Kim Collison with 405 pts out of 450. The pairs was won by Phil Leavesley and Phil Jenner with 380 pts and Thomas Cook took honours in the teams category with 400 pts. See All Event Posts