Bike: Hunter
Distance: The full three laps
Result: I finished. That’s all that matters at an SSUK
Off to Pippingford Park for SSUK 2011After the promise of dry, dusty and fast trails it absolutely hammered down most of the morning. Which turned the course into a wet, rooty, muddy slip-fest. Which basically meant it rocked.
I found my bike relatively quickly, hidden in plain view at the side of the track, which meant I was out before too many mincers. By the beer stop I’d worked my way up to people managing a similar speed. I heard later that behind me the queues were quite something as people got off and minced at every muddy leaf and blade of grass. There were many riders on the bermed section of the course frankly “wasting the hill”.
Stragglers were asking those of us who could ride the course whether mud tyres would make a difference. Well, they do, but the biggest recommendation would be to just get out and ride more.
Muddy
But no matter, everyone looked like they were having fun – even if it was the sort of relief that it would soon be over, and those that weren’t drank the beer stop dry and just put in a single lap.
In true SSUK fashion, someone won, and the rest of us were all losers. In my case this keeps up a twenty year tradition.
It was good to see “Bleeder” Burman win the egg and spoon race. Especially as the trip was partly inspired by Tym, seeing him turn up at races by bike in the past.
