Ten More in Moray
Riders Bask in the Moray Sunshine
Stu Thomson / 25.08.2010
The Moray event has been a regular on the No Fuss Calendar for several years now and the flowing, undulating terrain of the 10 mile lap route once again provided both exciting racing and a challenge for riders of all abilities. As with the other No Fuss 10 hour events, the object for riders is too complete as many laps of the 10 mile loop as possible within the 10 hour limit. Participants can compete in the event as either solo riders or as teams of 2, 3, or 4.
With a pre-event meal supplied as part of the entry, the majority of competitors gathered on the Friday evening to kick off the event and begin the social atmosphere that No Fuss Events are so renowned. With the large distance travelled by so many competitors, the Moray events always becomes a full weekend of socialising rather than a one day event due to the number of competitors who camp or stay in the local area. Needless to say the public houses of Fochabers were certainly graced with the mountain bike community on the Friday evening as riders looked forward to Saturday’s event.
As Dawn came on Saturday morning it was clear from the outset that the weather gods had graced the hills of Moray with a stunning day for mountain biking. As all the teams and solo riders were greeted at the 9am race briefing the sun was already beating down the event. The race got underway at 9.30am to the cheer of spectators and a wheelie from early leader James Shirley.
The course in Moray is a sharp contrast to that of the technical and rough terrain of the previous Benromach 10’s in Fort William and Kirroughtree. At a first glance the course in Fochabers is a more simple technical challenge compared to the other events, yet it was soon clear that once riders gathered a strong pace, the dry, loose trails were at times very treacherous. The majority of the lap is made up of smooth, flowing singletrack, with trail centre styled flat and bermed turns scattered amongst a plethora of man-made bumps and jumps. However the final long descent back down to the finish was a more natural trail with a large helping of tree roots to keep competitors on their toes.
SleepMonsters
