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Having a go at MTBO ....

Jue Panter / 05.05.2003

There’s nothing more exhilarating than riding downhill through the trees on switchback single-track ... and doing this in the middle of an MTBO (mountain bike orienteering) event was unexpected and FUN. Despite one of the ‘controls’ being half way down the track, I was able to hurtle by without stopping while the EMIT electronic punching system recorded my presence. This ‘remote’ system records the controls visited by transmitting a signal to a small receiver attached to the handlebars. An ideal system for mountain biking, which just added to the fun of the event - Round 2 of the Peel Adventure mtbo series held at Yateley Heath in Berkshire.

The Peel Adventure events use specially produced mountain bike orienteering maps with the courses pre-marked and all tracks and paths classified by rideability. Excellent course planning offered plenty of route choice for navigating between the series of controls, which competitors must visit in a set order. Many of the controls were strategically placed to encourage competitors down the more technical single-track to visit the controls themselves, upping the enjoyment and ensuring that biking as well as navigational ability counted. This was definitely in my favour as while I’m still working hard to improve my orienteering ability (lacking ability to map read and decide on route choice at speed) being an ex-elite mountain biker worked a little to my advantage on the course.

After a short warm up session, I stood at the start line in glorious sunshine (in stark contrast to the first round on Cannock Chase where it was wet and very muddy) full of enthusiasm to race. After my not-quite-so-successful introduction to MTBO at round 1, I felt a bit of the ‘all the gear and no idea’ syndrome with a Miry rotating map board and Silva clip on compass fitted to my handlebars. But I did have the mountain biking experience to feel confident using semi-slick tyres in anticipation of the fast dry conditions ahead. Except for one wet and muddy dog leg (where did all that water come from - it’s been dry for weeks!) I wasn’t disappointed. I had no time to get nervous and it seemed only seconds later that my EMIT receiver was activated and I was away… but only a very short distance to the map give out. I fumbled to put the map on to the map board, orientated the map using the compass, and then headed off for control 1.

Having found control 1 without difficulties, I managed to pick a rather long-winded route to checkpoint 2. Then I missed a small path, and turned the right way onto the wrong big track (!), compounding my mistake. Like so many mistakes, everything makes sense for a while and then it doesn’t, and suddenly you’ve lost a lot of time. Had I only used my rotating map board and compass straight away I might have realised ...

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