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Same But Different

Rob / 27.04.2004

ACE Races was back in the hilly Hafren Forest area, and yet again the Welsh weather was blisteringly hot – but this time it was April, not August! Many regular competitors were back for another go as well, but this time around the course was very different, taking in new areas and the team composition had changed too. Racers who were solo’s last time were in teams, some who were in regular teams last year were having a go at soloing, and there were lots of new pair combinations. So there were some new Adventures and Challenges for everyone, and they’d need all the Endurance they could muster.

The venue was the extensive, flat sheep field at Nant-yr-Hafod Farm once again, and there were many first time ACE Racers setting up camp. They woke to a clear-blue-sky morning and as the chill temperature quickly warmed up, listened carefully to the briefing explaining that the first two stages were combined into one 8 hour long stage. The Mtb checkpoints were scattered all over Hafren Forest, and the X-country run CP’s were high in the mountains, on the Plynlimon mountains. They could do them when they liked, provided they passed through the transition area between 11am and 4pm.

There was some serious head scratching and map studying going on before the start, as there were so many checkpoints. Some careful contour counting was needed, and it was clear no one was going to clear the courses – Phil Humphreys was taking no chances on that. Route choice on the bikes was extensive and riders headed off in all directions from the start.

The forest fire trails were fast riding, but confusing if you didn’t follow the map carefully, and the many steep sided valleys meant careful route planning paid big dividends. Phil had warned against short cuts, but they were still taken, and regretted, in dense undergrowth or felled forest debris.

Beside one valley, with tracks both sides of the river, 4 bikes lay abandoned and in the steep undergrowth below team Aztec Multipower searched for CP117. Having spotted the bikes Tanya Trayers and Zoe York had stopped beside them to study the map and try to locate the CP. After they’d seen the team emerge some distance down the track, with Eddie Winslow muttering about the CP being marked nearer this trail than it actually was, they decided to ride around and get to it from the single track the other side of the river!

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