Ace Race One Day Series - Pippingford
Popping Round Pippingford
Eddie Winthorpe (Team SleepMonsters/Inov-8) / 19.05.2009
Despite it being a weekend of weather warnings and several fronts passing through, the sun shone at Pippingford Park for the first 1-day ACE race of the year. Of the 290 racers, a surprising number raised their hands to show they were first timers. In particular, this was the first ACE race to include a “youth class�. The format was described loosely as “mass start, run, bike, run, bike, then some more bike�. After a 600m sprint to the map giveout we had our first look at the map: “This race is going to be short� I said …totally failing to realise that we’d be given a second map later!
As promised, there were multiple clips available at CP1 which helped to minimise the queue, (but not as much as a longer run would, hint hint). Again, racers politely took their turn to punch at CP2 before the 400m sprint back to the first transition.
I almost lost one third of my team as we left the transition on bikes: realising there was no queuing at Challenge C, we made a hasty divert to quickly complete the exercise involving barrels, skis, tables and a cargo net.
Descending to CP3 in clouds of dust, a queue had formed for the punch on the bridge. Many will remember getting very wet here crossing the stream under the bridge on previous years. The good track to CP4 was a short, sharp climb that thinned the field slightly. Descending on good tracks to CP5 confusion crept in and spread the field further. “Which side of the water is the punch?� “I wasn’t expecting a stream just here!�
Starting the climb back through CP1 and past the mansion house the bike tow came in to use. We were rewarded with a long, fast decent. A quick look at the racers at Challenge B told us we’d be getting wet, so we continued to Challenge A: a follow-the-tape exercise along the stream, up and over a very steep hill, before re-crossing the stream and negotiating a very long and very dark tunnel!
Back on tow for another steep, slow climb to CP7 at the end of a track close to the northern limit of the park. Reversing out gave one of those rare chances to see who was close behind… or at least it should have done: I was concentrating on a sneaky shortcut and managed to cut cross-country straight to CP8 from the road. The single-track was faint and with many fallen logs littering the way, but we gambled that it would be better than doing two sides of a triangle (twice) and climbing up and down the same hill (twice). See All Event Posts
