Our Sleepover event is always the most stressful event of the season, having to plan two events back to back, but adding to this the privilege of incorporating the National Champs into it pushed the stress levels right up. With riders expected from further afield that normal,we decided to use two unconnected areas, to showcase what the area has to offer, a move we have not done for the sleepover before.
Porlock makes the ideal base for a 5 hour event, being a lovely quaint town on the coast with immediate access to the northern edge of Exmoor. Being at sea level means that from almost every direction you'll have a downhill finish.
We had initially planned to take the course North over the top of Dunkery Beacon and down into the Barle Valley, but some of the Bridleways had been made unrideably churned up by horses, so we opted to take it eastward up on to Selworthy Beacon as we did for the Sleepover 2014.
With a long spell of hot, dry weather before the event, the trails were all bone dry, and riding very fast, I did wonder whether this would enable some of the top riders to clear the course. Fortunately this was not to be the case.
After a long day before the event we managed to get all the check points out, only to return to a message from the ranger warning us of a high tide expected the morning of the event and advising us to relocate the CP we had at the far end of the flood plain at Gore point. This resulting in an evening of map adjusting, and an early morning trip to move the CP.
As the first of the riders pulled up into the parking field, the sun began to break over the steep sided valley. It wasn’t long before the event centre was awash with riders busying themselves preparing for the Start, before setting off toward which ever of the steep climbs they opted to tackle first.
With all the riders out, it was down to us to make late amendments to day 2's map, clean up the flooded toilet, and prepare the refreshments.
Shortly after lunchtime the first of the riders began to return, and the banter was soon in full flow, comparing routes and adventures over cake and coffees.
As the last of the riders finished it became clear that Day 2 was to be a close fought battle with Ifor Powell leading the way with a slender 16pt lead over Gary Davies & Graham Tibbott, both on 540pts from a possible 600. In the Overall Ladies, Izzy Boyd was to take a more comfortable 55pt lead into Day2
With all riders in, fed, watered, and sent on to their overnight stopovers, it was down to the small band of volunteers ( Peter Newman, Anthony Finnis)(thanks guys) and us to collect in the days check points. With this achieved, we headed home for a few hours kip, before the alarm was to wakes us up for Day 2.......