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An ACE Day

Rob / 30.09.2003

The rains hammered down on tent roofs much of the night and the noise and volume of the nearby river rose noticeably, but by the 9.15 am start the clouds had risen so the mountain tops were clear, the rain had stopped and there was even some pale sunshine around.

Wet boots and clothing were hung out everywhere as teams went over their plans for the day during breakfast and studied the results so far. After day 2 Saab Salomon had a huge lead, Thorlos had pulled away from Sealskinz High5 and N. Downs Mountain Rescue were now well ahead of No Worries. The positions were:

1. Saab Salomon - 16.03.10
2. Thorlos One – 20.40.10
3. Sealskinz High5 – 22.08.15
4. North Downs Mountain Rescue – 25.25.50
5. No Worries – 28.26.54

Day 3 not only brought an improvement in the weather but also a different style of racing – similar to a day ACE racing. There are 3 stages to the day, mountain biking in the Beddgelert forest, mountain running and special stage in a nearby Copper Mine.

First came the 2 hour Mtb stage with 11 controls. All were optional and carried a 30 minute penalty if missed, and there was a 5 minute penalty for each minute late over the 11.15 cut off. All the teams took an anticlockwise route, leaving the controls nearest the camp until last and setting off at a fast pace along the forest fire roads, and it was wise to stick with them.

Approaching CP4 Saab Salomon came along the road, but everyone else took a cut through the forest and it was very boggy. James Thurlow was up to his waist in bog at one point holding his tandem on his shoulder! The teams quickly spread out, and had trouble finding a few CP’s. North Downs Mountain Rescue mismarked one and searched in the wrong place, then came back 30 minutes early rather than push on, but the clock stopped when they crossed the line, so that 30 minutes gained accounted for one of the penalties they collected.

The others stayed out until close to the cut-off, No Worries racing in to get back just in time. Saab Salomon got all the controls, Thorlos missed one, and Sealskinz High 5 missed 3, losing another hour on Thorlos. They’d set off towards CP 11 but this was up a track covered by felled forest and they gave up in the end. Thorlos do have a problem though, as Debbie Smit badly twisted her ankle when she slipped reaching that same control and the next stage is the mountain run. She limped back to the tent saying it would be OK, but Anthony Emmet shook his head and said, “It’s pretty bad – she’ll need lots of painkillers.�

Saab Salomon were happy with their ride and a lead of over 5 hours. “We nailed that,� said Helen Jackson. Tom Gibbs and Pete James were soon looking at the next stage which involves a quarry abseil and a run over Y Garn and 2 other nearby peaks, and again the controls can be done in any order. Once teams complete the abseil they can leave their gear and helmets and Gibbs and James showed their tactical acumen by deciding to got there first, to avoid any queues and so they would not have to carry their climbing gear over the hills. They were even happier when Brian Elliot announced a 2 minute interval start (to stop teams following each other) – so Saab Salomon will be first away and more sure of reaching the ropes first.

Not that they have too much to worry about, after the cycling stage the positions were:

1. Saab Salomon – 17.58.48
2. Thorlos One – 23.08.07
3. Sealskinz High5 – 25.28.35
4. North Downs Mountain Rescue – 29.27.37
5. No Worries – 31.22.45

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