Congratulations to everyone for finishing, Graham Tibbot for another excellent score, Geoff, Alastair & John for their help and Alex for an excellent course.
Planner's Report
Gill Garth Farm played host to this years 5hr NYMBO event. So how was it? Maybe it is best described as wet. Well, it actually rained non-stop from start to finish, puddles became lakes, streams soon became rivers, water levels rising and floods everywhere - even the parked cars where looking in jeopardy at one point. Its fair to say that the riders were not to keen to start out, even the cow-shed that played host to the event was just too luring and comfortable... but slowly as the clock nudged 10 then one-by-one the riders started, hoping the rain would abate, but it didn't.
So to the course, I was invited to use Gill Garth Farm, by the Wilson family who farm there, they are the best people around and allow me to do a Fell Race from there as well as the BMBO event and of course the 3 Peaks CX that comes through it. So We owe a really big thanks to them. The northerly location of the base allowed me to plan a course around the upper reaches of Ribblesdale and on to some of the less frequented and more mountainous trails. The route effectively circumnavigated Ingleborough, with a few 'control clusters' scattered about the area. Some favourites of the riders, such as the Wharfe single tracks where used, with reports of the slate clapper bridge near CP45 being submerged... My apologies for CP39, the 'cattle-grid' location was out by about 100m on the map and also a missing finger post at CP45 meant that a more hidden stone gate post had to be used.
I like to plan a course that is ideally just achievable by the 'top-bombers', so it was nice to see that Graham Tibbot got a score of 509 today, on a good day he would have done it I'm sure - so kudos to Graham. However Graham's kudos has been revoked as he had a whole team of people searching the field getting drenched looking for his missing car key, that later mysteriously reappeared in the middle of his van... It was pleasing to see a good turnout of juniors as well - they loved riding the puddles and the rivers and it made me wonder at what age is it that you consciously avoid a puddle at all cost??? - kids love 'em, I hate the things personally.
Big well done to every who turned up and rode (I won't mention his name but some chap came from the Loughborough region forgot his bike shoes - anything to avoid a ride in a bit of Yorkshire rain!). Considering the weather most people used most of the 5hrs and got some pretty respectable scores across all the classes, but there were one or two 'late backs' that cost them 'a bit', but hey never mind!
Happing riding - Alex Pilkington