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 Round2 of Dragon Downhill series - Gethin Park - Sunny Merthyr Tydfil OK Race one is done its in the bag, we are now all official downhill racers to what capacity is to be judged only by others outside our close circle of friends and family. We all raced we all got seeded and we all finished with very respectable times, I would say to anyone contemplating racing in Gethin not to expect to much and just be pleased when you survive it as its hard going. Tough on the bike and even tougher on the body combine this with 20 degrees and boy it's an adrenalin packed weekend full of punctures broken - dearailuers, legs, a couple of arms and bit's of skin left in the rock garden for DNA proof there were Downhill racers here once!!! A quick breakdown of the weekend, oh alright for those that know me you know that I don't do quick. We turn up on a cloudy but warm day in Gethin park. Its rained hard the night before thunder and lightening the kind of storm you might wanna hide under the duvet, not me though Im becoming a downhill racer this weekend. We have a quick look at the course it looks damp but not like the porridge we have ridden in Rheola on practise day a few months back. Lets have a plan I think only do one practise run, maybe two at a push as my fitness is not quite there yet and I really don't want to break the bike before my seeding run at 15:19 pm. Run one I come down with rest of the team, Iuean, Greg, Will and Dan, we have already discussed its team order they must let the oldest and fattest win and since Martin is Team Photographer that makes me the winner. Yeah right, these guys aren't going to make it easy for to be beat their times they are ready for the jumps already talking of how high and fast they are going to go, all Im thinking of I might really die here today I might be totalled in a mass of Kona Stinky parts and a smell of damp body armour, I can think of better ways to go I can tell you. Anyway we decide to set off from the top, Dan leading the way setting a good pace, I like the top section this is good Im getting it, camber left little roller camber right yeah this is cool good run, then you drop out of the woods on the switch back, which is where it gets a little eeeiirrrie but what the hell. I come to the first big wall drop off and bottle it. Push it down like some kind of big girls blouse, luckily the other guys didn't notice so no mick taking there. Then you have some wooded section some roots that are ok, could get slippery if it rains again though. Then foot of the peddle back wheel sliding out ready for the entry to the bomb hole, thats where Martin ( Team Photographer ) gets the first picture of Handsome Howarth slightly in flight not completely as it looks pretty knarly place to land, oh my, another little rocky drop off and wow this must be the rock garden, oh my gosh this is something that just looks like it shouldn't be ridden but as Im pussy footing across team skene riders are skimming yes skimming across the rocks like they were riding on smooth tarmac, I knew I should have bought a Giant not a Kona, I too could be riding like that then Im sure, Better get straight onto www.thebicycledoctor.com ( Team Fatty's Sponsors )!!!! Out of the rock garden a couple more sweeping turns on rocks nice and then one BIG jump at the end that I bottle out of and go far right and managed to get covered in mud, then it's a little drop off into the finish. Who Hoo I survived Gethin. Bang goes only one run I love this, quick lets get on the bus and do as many runs as we can. And that is how it went enjoying every second no offs a couple of nearlys but not completelies. I did unofficial timings of my runs and I got a 5:01 so set off to do my seeding run confident that as I hadn't pushed to the limits on my runs I could beat the 5min Barrier and get a 4min time even if it was 4:59 easy I thought its in the bag just need to concentrate. On the truck of doom ( better name than uplift ) on the way up to the start, 18 riders all deep in thought thinking about which corner they can exit with more speed on shave seconds on their time move up a place etc etc, Im deep in thought about did I have a mars bar left in the team van or have I eaten it and what was I going to have for my TEA!!!! Get to the top, the younger guys had gone I was with my new riding buddy Paul who rides for NinePointEight an elite downhill racing team well compared to ours, however I think he was slightly tempted to swap teams when he found out our race rituals involve a chocolate fudge cake in the pub the night before!!!! Ok Paul said on your seeding run nerves could set in, I thought I will be fine I know the course my under 5mins is in the bag!!! I get third inline to the starting block no wind, quite quiet around apart from the recorded message NEXT RIDER, 15Secs, 10Secs 5Secs and then bep bep beeeeeeep!!! They are away. Oh no its me "460" team boss its here Paul is right nerves set in I don't know what Im doing all Im thinking is Im being timed being timed Im being timed!!!! 5secs here we go red green amber and Beeeeeeep Im off I gotta be fast there is another rider coming 30 secs behind gotta go gotta go got to the section I like at the top 100 meters from the start hit a rut WHACK bike stops deads I hit the floor and crush my leg, I stop with a thud at a race marshalls feet and hear FAT RIDER DOWN I REPEAT FAT RIDER DOWN WE MAY NEED A CRANE, only joking he said he might need a forklift. What goes through my mind now is though IM BEING TIMED BEING TIMED IM BEING TIMED, straight on the bike start to peddle oh no my bike cant peddle my big fat belly has squashed the crank into the frame it's a freewheeler from here then, down to the switch back nearly come off down to the rock garden I nearly come off I have lost no energy in my arms lost my nerve I know its going to be slow as I have been past by two wooshes of other downhill racers., hit the bottom with screams of " Fly FatBoy Fly" to the end to see my dad, best mates lee and matthew, team photographers partner sian and my deflated ego of will they believe me I fell that's why I did it in 2 days and a bit. Of course they will my bike is damaged but wait Jason on the PA systems shouts that was Fatty ( Handsome Howarth ) coming in with a time of wait for it wait for 5:11... Im not disappointed with that as I thought my run was rubbish but that time was OK quicker than some of my practise runs. Now its off to the Bike shop in Aberdare Dare Valley Cycles for them to fix my crank. Thanks Paul and Mark for helping us with your expert professional and technical array of tools. And for those of you who haven't seen a crank being straightened - They take it off put in on the floor and WHACK it with a hammer. Cool though seems to have done the trick just gotta mentally prepare for tomorrows race. ANOTHER BIG THANK YOU GUYS Sunday Morning comes, its warm again an early start we get to Gethin at 8:45 its already packed with people brimming with excitement for their turn on the white knuckle ride TRUCK OF Doom. We sign in for race day, get the bikes get armoured up and brave this course for a practise run, ONLY one today though for sure, my body still hurts from yesterdays abuse. Get to the top and think no one is timing me so just relax you fell off yesterday doesn't mean you will today it will be fine. And it was I didn't even do an unofficial timimg, I was smooth and the confidence grew even got a little bit more air out of the bomb hole. Cool ok Im ready for a chicken bap, mars bar and some crisps I can't eat much before the race it must be my nerves. I would have liked a red- bull seens I bought 5 for myself earlier at the Tesco petrol station at £1.89 each but my team mates had other ideas thats the thing with having team mates under the age of 14, they didn't want mams squash when there were redbulls to be had so I was left with mams squash that at 20 degrees was mmmmmmm lovely. What a support crew I have. OK here goes back up for the nerves again recorded message 15 seconds then beeeps. Oh no my stomach turns Im away with the nerves again its not good. Im one of the first in the masters to come down as I was the slowest yesterday, up to the line, it beeps it flashes here I go IM BEING TIMED TIMED IM BEING TIMED OH MY IM BEING TIMED must be quick I have someone behind me 30 secs creaping up, the top section good Im flying, its happening the fatboy is flying finding my wings, I hit the switch backs and yes its looking good I hit the drop off I don't like and cool nice bit of air, Ok this is feeling fast, hard left over tree roots and then down to bomb hole nice bit of air oh yes my fastest time is in the bag. Rolling over the next section pulling the front of the bike up gliding drop to the entrance to the rock garden carrying loads of speed this is what I wanted. Oh no too much speed drop down into the rock garden oh no this isn't the line I normally take SMACK the bike hit's a big rock my weight ( SHUT IT EVERYONE ) is to far forward and launch. fatboy is really flying the bike isn't though its just fatboy, it takes for what seems forever for me to land with a CRASH on all fours SLIDE on the rocks and BANG my helmet stops me with the help of a rather large rock. Once again I here a race marshall say rider down rider down, I get up knowing my leg doesn't feel right and carry on cos yes your right IM BEING TIMED, I get to the bottom feeling injured, I check the time its 5:07, not my best but again a big moment and still good so I must have been fast on the top section. Time to look at the damage some new scratches on the STINKY that's the bike, and then there is me, my knees have had the skin scraped away because I landed on all fours my knee pads had folded back and left me exposed for me to leave some DNA in the rock garden, nice. Someone shouted get some Vaseline on it, I quickly headed off as I knew Martin was in the woods and has a Vaseline fetish!!! Ok time for a Mars bar some more of mams warm squash.MMMM its even warmer now oh so lucky to have generous team mates. Then off on the truck of doom no its full I get to go on the bus and travel in style, all the way up im thinking come on this is it last run make it count stressing myself, worrying myself, I get close to the starting gates and all the nerves are here, my pain in the knee from my last crash is distracting and reminding me there are loads more sharper rocks to hit down there buddy, the hammer marks on my cranks from yesterdays crash all memories. The racing is paused as someone has broken his arm on the course this didn't put us off though. I see the kids off and wish them all well. My dad turns up at the top with some much needed food and drink a banana and im there, in the zone. My run is here and then I start to think about this in a different way. I tell myself to relax breath and be with the bike the bike not the timings not the spectators not the rider breathing 30 sec down my neck but be with the bike concentrate and feel it go left into the corner feel the compression of the suspension when you exit the bomb hole, experience the sense of relief when I slide on chippings but don't feel the impact, quickly connected back onto the bike as Im one I cant feel apart from this machine and feel the strength in my arms as I lift up for the final big drop-off. And wow I'm back in the room eyes open and wide awake, ( well in Gethin anyway ) and guess what even though I had a little lie down on some comfy chippings I hit 4:47 which is a big achievment for a guy that three months ago couldn't jump this bike or run up the stairs. SO COOLIO I DID IT. Onwards and upwards or is that downwards when you are a downhill racer. Its in the bag, Gethin has had team fatty in its presence and both live to tell another tale. Results for the team from first round |