Mixed Teams Dominate first of the Trailplus Races
Andy Wilson - Team For Goodness Shakes / 04.11.2010
The 2010/11 Trailplus Adventure Challenge series kicked off recently with a cracking race in beautiful conditions at Longmoor army camp. It’s a regular location and justifiably so, as it always allows Trailplus free rein to set a great mountain bike route without worrying about sharing the trails. For those who haven’t yet tried a Trailplus event they’re a great introduction to AR and a superb day out. <P>
Normally I’d shy away from events without navigation – I can’t compensate for my lack of natural speed with (usually) decent nav and route choice ... but Trailplus events, with fully marked courses giving the chance to go flat out from start to finish, are always good fun. And we can fly the FGS! flag at a For Goodness Shakes sponsored event.<P>
Leaving Bristol well before dawn we were somewhat less keen, clear skies had seen the temperatures plummet, and the car dashboard indicated sub-zero temperatures outside. We hoped the lake hadn’t frozen - I’ve been at a Trailplus event before where they’ve had to break the ice beforehand. Still, the clear skies also held the promise of a sunny day ahead.<P>
With no navigation involved, this is more multisport than AR, but it does mean much less kit to faff with. We arrived about an hour before kickoff, plenty of time to unload the bikes, sort out some very limited transition gear (helmet, bike shoes, camelbak, and bumbag for the second run) and drop these off at transition. We’ve done countless of these races so have it off to a T – well, apart from finding that I’ve brought some of Fi’s size 7 trainers which will definitely not fit my size 9.5 feet ... the Crocs I’m wearing are my only alternative until Barney saves the day by lending me his non-race casual trainers. Not ideal but better than barefoot.<P>
These races have grown rapidly in population over the last few years, and last year often reached maximum capacity, with the limited space at the front of the start line keenly fought over. This time numbers seemed to be down slightly, perhaps following the loss of the lead sponsor of the last few years. As we lined up under the start banner, it was noticeable that some of the usual front runners and rivals were missing. However, with continued support from a raft of other sponsors though the event itself was to the usual slick standard, with the same high standards of organisation we’ve come to expect, and every finisher was greeted with a goody bag and T-shirt.
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Alex, there from FGS to supply drinks to the finishers and capture some of the action on video, asked who our rivals would be. I had no idea, there were no teams I recognised, but these races are always competitive - we’d have to wait and see.
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