Event Details
Club: | SMBO |
Event Name: | Pentlands MBO Score |
Date: | 06/06/10 |
Format: | MBO Score |
Mapping: | Ordnance Survey |
Time Limit: | 3 Hours |
National League: | - |
League: | - |
Electronic Punch: | SportIdent |
Event Report
It was a miserable wet,windy,grey and cold day out...BUT...what a fabulous event put on by Andy and his team from Trailquest Scotland MBO.Having competed in about 70 " Trailquests" over the last few years this one will stand out in my mind for a long time.
The Pentland Hills were a delight to ride, I wish it had been 4 hours instead of 3....despite the weather !... As usual ,...went wrong at the start ....easily confused by the housing estate streets on the way out, but once I got going it was fine. Through a small copse to C/p 9 at the Ranger Centre, then on to Nos 15 and 24 around 2 small reservoirs on nice smooth tracks, a bit of a climb with a touch of pushing up to 18 on a good track then down on a rougher track to 27,then out n back on a groomed track for No10....back up and over to pass No18 and a great run round on bumpy ground to 29 at Loganlea Reservoir....from here,picked up speed to No12 then even quicker alongside Logan Burn and Glencorse Reservoir to a bit of a push up to No25. So the checkpoints were coming thick n fast ( well, so it seemed to me ) and through the mist I caught glimpses of the smashing scenery in this area.....must be wonderfull in good weather! Out n back for a 30 pointer near the Fort( which I didn’t see in the mist) at No26 then it was time to head back towards the finish as I had just over an hour left ( or so I thought ). The biggest climb of the day for me followed, as I rode and pushed for a bit up to 19 from 13 on a decent track, meeting a few cheery walkers on the way. It was descision time at the top of the pass as I don’t like to head away from the finish in the final 45 mins...but as I hadn’t a great choice of Checkpoints left to go for I flew downhill to 14 and 4 then realised I had time to go in and out for 8 and 16 and on the way back picked up No 5.I some how messed up my timing as I thought I was back with under 2 mins left which I was quite chuffed with, but when I downloaded I found I had 15 mins to spare !...must have been the weather affecting my computer ! Never mind, it didn’t detract from a fantastic day out,well worth the trip..if you missed it you missed out...Don’t miss the next one at Innerliethen..it will be tougher and even more fun.
This Trailquest gets my" Event of the Season" vote so far. The Event Centre was perfect, hot showers at the end, free food and hot drinks... .a bar for those who needed it and a whole host of prizes. Having run events myself in the past I know all of this doesn’t " just happen."....it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. So well done to Andy and his team on how to run an event correctly and professionally.....all the hard work paid off.......over 80 competitors shows just how much.
Steve Watson ( Supervets ) 290 pts.
.