Event Details
Club: | SWEMBO |
Event Name: | Porlock Hill & Exmoor North |
Date: | 03/11/13 |
Format: | MBO Score |
Mapping: | Ordnance Survey |
Time Limit: | 3 hours or 2 hours |
National League: | - |
League: | - |
Electronic Punch: | No |
Event Report
After a week of the worst storms since 1985 I was wondering if this event could go ahead, but never doubt the forecasters(!!?!!) because like they predicted the storms had died down by Friday and come Saturday morning, as I started to put out check points, the weather was quite appealing. This however was short lived. After the 2nd Check point my chain snapped,'No worries' I thought ' I have my chain extractor' After an age, it seemed, I fixed the chain only to realise i hadnt threaded it through the mech. At this point the heavens open and I took a beating up on the exposed Moorland. As I faffed with the chain again, my extractor broke!! Not in the greatest of moods I stomped back to the car, chucked the bike in and proceeded to complete the course on foot with no further incidents!!
Sunday arrived with some very mixed weather. The riders who chose to wait for a dry patch didn't get to remain dry for very long, with intermittent very heavy showers, fuelled by gailforce winds. Those who happened to get caught by these up on the exposed moorland, some 519m above our seaside HQ certainly felt it!
The bad thing about having a sea level HQ is that you're almost always guaranteed an up hill start, and boy, did you have one here!! For the fool hearted the direct route takes you from sea level to 350m in less than a km. There were other more gentler options though!!!
The good thing about having a sea level HQ is that you're almost guaranteed a down hill finish!!! Some of those who were pushed for time opted for the direct route down the infamous 1:4, A39. They weren't left wondering why there was a 'cyclist dismount' sign for very long, once they had reached the badly cambered hairpins half way down!!! For those with more time, there was a choice of three or four lovely downhill off road sections, ensuring that everyone finished covered in mud and with big smiles on their faces (and only a few grumblings about the weather!!) For those who wished this event was in the summer, watch this space, plans for a 2 day (5hrs&3hrs) event incorporating some of this area, are a foot...
With the presentations over and everyone departed, it was just down to us to collect in the check points. To our relief, by then the wind had died down and the sun was even trying to come out!!! The last check point was retreived with the last of the daylight dying, and by 6 o'Clock we were back home!!!
A big thanks to all of you who braved the weather, I hope you thought it was worthwhile, and thanks to my band of helpers, Rich & Faye without whom the event wouldn't have happened.
I hope to see you all at our next event at Woodbury Common on 1st Feb 2013!!!