Single speed UK Championships 2017

Roadtrip...

Been needing to get away and enjoy myself, meet like minded people and have a good time, so was really looking forward to this weekend, Staveley in the Lake District was the venue for the Single Speed UK Championships...

I am still trying to remember everything as it was so much fun!, the weather was dry and the scenery there absolutely stunning, so different to back home, really green with the wetter climate and stone walls and houses very pretty scenic villages and farms,
Friday evening people kept arriving and  after a visit to the excellent Hawkshead Brewery back at the campsite the fires were lit and lots of laughter and fun ensued...

Now that is a hip flask!...

Good friend Mike arrived late and gave my tent a rattle next morning and we had coffee and slowly everyone else appeared,

The previous evening i met a chap called Lee, a Thatcher by trade who makes his own Cider, at 10% it was rocket fuel! lol,  the lable kept as a nice reminder of this weekend...

This pic could make a suitable  cover for a BOC (Boards of Canada)  album..

Pre race Cider before the midday start with John and Benjamin who i rode with for the guided trail ride start up onto the hills...

I was riding my old Pugsley, Mike his Cotic Rocket that he had single speeded for the weekend...

Lol!

We were off and straight up a long long climb...

With no rush and a few stops to regroup it was real social and plenty of banter and laughs....

What goes up...

Also goes down, nice descent to the vally floor...

This could be in the Alps!, so Alpine...

Mike had dissapeared behind, turning up at the beer stop having ripped his rear tyre and had to stick a tube in...

This event had a great format, led up into the hills to a beer stop we were then set a hill climb challenge, and what a challenge! i went for it and cheered on got to a foot from the gate in the wall before my cranks started to try and turn backwards!...

When i looked up ahead through the gate i was gobsmacked at the steepness of the hairpin bends!, and several riders had managed to get up to them,
The steepness just shows the power of horses that would have once used this route...

Big respect to the rider on the right who was the winner getting up to the 2nd hairpin.
He was running 32;21 on 29+ wheels, brilliant effort!...

A long descent followed and i rode down with Iain who organised the Euro SS champs which Mike and i went to at Evanton in May, you can read about that weekend Here...

Another beer stop before the race itself...

lol!...

Race time;
A short run up to the bikes and we were off, it was a long hard grind going up the hill, behind me Mike shouted he was going to cruise the race,  i felt really good so went for it!,
Sweat was pouring out me as i mostly stood up for the entire climb and lungs on full operation!
Up at the top i was quite near the front having passed a few folk and riding one handed grabbed some pics of the stunning views...

The Bog of Doom..
We rode this twice riding a loop, and a few folk were impressed at the Fatbikes clearing the soft going, it was still hard work and again mostly out the saddle the whole way...

Back to the race start and again another beer!, we were the first riders to stop for beer we were told, and we were in the top twenty, i was buzzing and wanted to go for it,
I have never felt competative for years and i was really enjoying the challenge,
I rode half the 2nd lap with this lad, time for pics while he answered a text despite racing! lol...

Made it across the bog and passed some riders, and then was passed myself by a real fast guy before arriving at the Whisky stop,
Whisky downed i totally went for it down the long descents to the finish...

Grabbed this pic one handed before time to turn up the speed and rode off the brakes as much as i could, i had now caught up with another rider and we rode together to the finish at the main road,

By now my whole body was knackered and vision was closing in to all i could see was the track in front, people and marshals at the side of the trail were blurred as i focused on trying to read the rocks which were real rough in places, a crash on here would be real nasty,
Riding the old Pugsley fatbike with no suspension i was getting a flogging as it bounced around,
I got that feeling, that buzz where your totally on the edge and riding your heart out and it`s like what i can imagine a drug would be like, your buzzing with the adrenaline and your body is using everything and your on it 100% and i realised this was one of the best rides of my life, i was alive and kicking, and dam it felt good!,
If you ride bikes then hopefully you know what i`m on about, it started for myself riding BMX as a teenager,the first Ariel's at Livingstone Skatepark, and really big jumps on my own ramps at the farm,  I am 46 years old now and i felt like a kid again on that last descent, it`s a strange emotional adrenaline buzz i actually cannot really explain...
Then we were on the road and i remember shouting to Kieren that was amazing!, he too was buzzing and having followed him down i let him ride into the campsite ahead,

Here is that last descent uncut...

Last Descent SSUK 2017 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.

Only the the 1st 3 Men and 3 Woman get finishing awards and recognition at SS events everyone else that finishes is awarded 4th...

Turns out i was 14th to finish, and 1st Fatbike out of approx 175 riders,
Sitting in the sun with a pint as more riders came in also smiling i realised i just had what could be one of the best rides of my life...


Anyhows with a lot of film too good to edit here is a round up film of Saturdays ride and race,
7 minutes long with that last descent unedited,
Song is `Perladine Friday` by Scottish artist Chris T...

Vimeo;

SSUK 2017 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.


And YouTube;



Mike turned up and we sat in the sun and enjoyed the beer, check out this bike made out a radiator!  lo how cool is that!

Great bunch of folk i met over the weekend and hope to ride with them again somewhere in the future...

I won a bike cleaning kit in the raffle, got some free grips, and bought a pair of Stooge handlebars discounted and chatted with Andy of Stooge Cycles, never took a picture of it but had a short ride around the campsite of his prototype steel 29+  Speedball,  and decided there and then i want to buy one, click Here... for a picture of it on Andy`s website,
So put my order in,  will be out in 6 months or so,
Your only here on this planet once, and gotta enjoy yourself and your hobbies and passions,

A quick visit to the Hawkshead Brewery then back to camp and party time!,  live band was ace and things all got a bit blurry as i crawled into my tent around 2am...

One souvenir i had to buy before leaving ;)

A big thank you  to all who organised the weekend, terrific job and fantastic scenery made better with fantastic weather!,  met some lovely folk and look forward to more weekends like this in the future...


More soon...