Roadtrip; Fort William UCI World Cup 2012

The annual road trip to Fort William for the UCI World Cup...
Every year this weekend is a great couple of days spent in a fantastic area of Scotland with friends. Watching what i think are the most skilled cyclists in the world as they race on the longest, toughest track on the UCI world circuit.
Down Hill racing takes all skills to be the best, fitness, skill and sheer bravery, and to witness it feet away at the track side is something you do not see in many sports nowadays. You get to brush shoulders with the best riders in the world in the pits and on the Gondola ride to the top and the atmosphere as you walk down the track on race day is electric as the riders near the arena and the noise from the loudest crowd on the world cup circuit gets louder as the race times get faster.
Then someone comes down and blows the socks off all previous times and the crowd at the arena - hyped up by the DJ and pumping tunes as they watch the race up the hill on the worlds largest TV (official) go bonkers!. And this year it was Aaron Gwyn who was 9 seconds up at the second split, as the rain had now eased the track would have been harder as the mud started to cover the rocks making it an even greater achievement...

I did not film this year as it was as mentioned a heavy drizzle and low cloud, and left it to the professionals and posted some on line official films  further down a bit, so just chilled and soaked up the atmosphere of a great weekend...


Here is a film on youtube from the riders view of the track to give you an idea of the lenght and technical challenge of the course...




Drive up Thursday morning and as always stop off at the Commando Memorial and pay respect...

Down the road and soon were there...

Tents pitched and down the town for the usual pub lunch, and visit to the `Nam shop`...

-:)

And a wee bottle to share over the weekend...

Friday;
Ride up to the Calidonian Canal.
Retro bikes this year and 3 generations, 1980s Muddy Fox Courier, 1990s Kona Kula and Millennium Orange Patriot...

Joined by midges for the evening when the wind dropped but a lovely evening...

Saturday;
Along to Anoch Mor by bike and a look around the trade stands and check out the factory team bikes, old and new...

This is a piece of history - Myles Rockwell's Kamikaze Downhill bike form 92/93, check the gearing -:)

Friend Jake was there. He works for the UK importers of Crank Brothers Products. Jake built my Pugsley and all my fatbike wheels since. He is enjoying his new job. here he is servicing a pair of Steve Pete's pedals...

-:)

Original Orange Clockwork on the Orange Bikes stand...

And Peaty`s 2005 Fort William winning bike...

Bling at the Hope stand...

Trials event going on around the village...

Mobile band!...

Time to head up the hill on the Gondola...

Perfect weather...

Warming up for qualifying...

Current world champ Danny Hart...

Friends Rick and Andrea were working at the event...

Qualifying runs...

A walk up to the view point...

Back down and a long wait to get a fence side view onto the track for the 4X event...

Sunday; Race Day...


Heavy rain during the night then low cloud and drizzle up the hill, was quite atmospheric as the riders came out of the low cloud and then disappeared again...

Amazing the speed they ride over the rock garden...

Down out of the cloud and through the woods...

The new motorway section...

Noise of the crowd was nuts as the last riders came down!...

Esp when Aaron Gwin came down and cleaned up. Danny Hart got 0.8 secs close but it was Aaron's day. Film from youtube...



Great weekend. I set a new personal best time when i slipped and took off down the hill on the mud while walking down the track side!, roll on next year...

This Is Peaty - Episode One 2012

Home late from an ace weekend at Fort William...
Peaty  did not have a lot of luck this year on Anoch Mor, but he is still a legend, more soon...

Summer Low tides...

"Early bird catches the worm"...  and the low tide -:)

Up early and down to Gullane to catch a very low for summer 0.5 meter tide...

There is something about riding across land exposed twice a day, somewhere that 6 hours later will disappear under sometimes 8 feet of water, and very low tides allow new routes across tidal sand flats and often reveal things you do not often see.
This mornings ride i have done before a few times but today was a first as i managed to ride the full 8 km along the low tide line from Gullane Point to Port Seaton and ride below the rocks at Ferny Ness and out across to the line of rocks called Long Craigs at Port Seaton.
Riding the Surly Moonlander the exposed rippled sand flats were smooth to ride over, i expected the Peffer Estuary to be  wheel depth but was very shallow and only hub depth.
Out there you are always in sight of the coastline and never more than 2 KM away at the most from Tarmac but it feels a world away. Just the noise of the lapping waves and birds along the shoreline which drown out the distant roar of the A1 road into Edinburgh. Was a great solo ride...

Aberlady Bay...

Common seals...

Peffer Estuary...

Gosford Bay...

Looking back...

And inland to Green Craig...

Ferny Ness...

Good riding here for the Moonlander...

Seaton Sands...

 Long Craigs...

4 hours later returning around Kilspindie and Aberlady Bay is 3/4 full an hour from high tide....

Here is some helmet cam footage shot on the Go Pro. click on 720p to view in HD

Song is `Poppy Seed` by Boards of Canada

Summer high tides...

A new moon and a some very low/high tides here on the coast over the last few days.
Mid afternoon high tide at 5.8 meters left little room on the sand below the high tide line and a swell pushed in with with the recent North/ North Easterly wind meant a very wet porridge like sand to ride on...
So what to do when the tides and conditions are no good for a FatBike Tour?, go ride with your friends -:)

Filmed in 4:3 SD (standard definition)  with the Tachyon XC sports camera

Song is `Up in the Sky` by Oasis