The full standings are available on the Welsh Enduro Championship Facebook group.
Tuesday, 9 September 2014
Update: ET James 2014 Welsh Enduro Championship
A great result for me at the Nant y Moch enduro has given me some more championship points and I'm now up in 5th place! With my entry in for the Jacko Memorial enduro this weekend and plans to enter the Fowlers enduro in October, points and positions are up for grabs!
The full standings are available on the Welsh Enduro Championship Facebook group.
The full standings are available on the Welsh Enduro Championship Facebook group.
CWAC Jacko Memorial enduro this weekend
I thought I'd see how the Nant y Moch enduro went before I decided to enter this one, mostly to give me a chance to assess the damage (me and the bike)! The entries closed last night but I was lucky enough to get mine in just in time.
I had a quick look around the bike after Nant y Moch and I need some new front wheel bearings but that should be it. I'll get that done on Saturday and then off I go to the Jacko on Sunday morning.
I had a quick look around the bike after Nant y Moch and I need some new front wheel bearings but that should be it. I'll get that done on Saturday and then off I go to the Jacko on Sunday morning.
Monday, 8 September 2014
Results: Nant y Moch enduro
The results are out for the 2014 ADMCC Nant y Moch enduro, and I'm happy to have finished 2nd in the Sportsman class! I thought I'd ruined my result by dropping a minute on the last check of the day but it made no difference so I'm pleased with that, I worked pretty hard for it and felt like I rode well.
Race report: Nant y Moch enduro
We couldn't have asked for better weather for the weekend, as I drove up to walk the test on Saturday morning, the Nant y Moch reservoir was still as could be and gave a magnificent reflection of the stunning scenery around it. The ADMCC club were hard at work when I got there, making final preparations for Sunday. It was an excellent, challenging and long cross-country special test, with a lot of technical sections, a "proper" enduro test if you will!
Sunday morning arrived and up I got at 6am. The weather was already looking stunning so it was going to be a good day out on the bike. I arrived with plenty of time, had a chat with a few riders and club members and then signed on, got my times and numbers and then had my bike scrutineered. Unfortunately (not only for the club), there was a low number of entries for the event, but that makes me all the more grateful to ADMCC for putting the event on regardless, it was great fun.
With a start time of 10:05am, I had 3 laps to do with each one set to take 80 minutes, 75 minutes and 70 minutes respectively. The special test was at the start of the lap and the first lap was un-timed. Let me tell you though, I was glad I made the effort to walk it! The course was great, there was a good mix including a lot of technical forestry going with tree roots and deep mud to negotiate.
I had two good timed tests, staying on the bike and going fairly steady and I stayed on time until the last check of the day. There was a deep muddy rutted section in the woods out on the second check, and I tried (and failed) to switch lines earlier in the rut, so I went for the tree roots on the outside and wedged the bike in a deep rut. The pegs were caught and not even a lifting it onto the back wheel could move it, the bike was just digging a hole - it was so soft! I was sinking into the mud as I tried to lift it out, back wheel first, then front wheel, then I had to lay it down to drag it across. What I hadn't realised though was that the rut on the other side was so deep. I had to stand in it to push the bike up but it was half way up my legs and I was pushing away from me! I had to ask a passing rider for help - I think it was Paul Jones, so thanks very much. He helped me lift it up and then he carried on. Back on two wheels I tried the next line over but ended up digging another hole, it was ridiculously soft in there. I had no choice but to drag the bike out into the deeper lower rut I was stood in but the bike had been sucked in and was hard to shift with my being lower than the bike itself. Luckily, top man Dafydd Morgan stopped to help me drag it out and down into the lower rut (diolch yn fawr, ti'n seren)! All in all that physically exhausting mistake took me 7 minutes to rectify.
I carried on and dropped out onto the fire road feeling cramp setting into my thighs and abs! This was the last section of the day - a few miles of it back to the finish. After a mile or so I checked the clock and my time due in at the check. I knew the clock was fast by 2 minutes and I was due in at 13:50. As I looked down, I saw the watch tick onto 13:48 and all the alarm bells went off! Down came the red mist and I rode flat out to the end of the check, I know at one point I had the bike flat out in top gear so I was really moving. I slid around the last corner and shouted "TIME?!" as I got there and heard "51" as the reply. I was gutted! I moved past the flag and handed my timecard in, but that was really hard to take after I'd ridden so well all day long!
So a bit of a disappointing end to what was a brilliant but hard event, now it's a case of waiting for the results and hoping for the best!
I'd like to say thanks again to the ADMCC club for putting the event on and all the effort that's gone into it, all the marshalls and officials and to Paul and Dafydd who were kind enough to help me, I hope I can return the favour at some point lads. Thanks also to Keith Bowen from MX247 and Sion Edwards for taking photos during the event.
Sunday morning arrived and up I got at 6am. The weather was already looking stunning so it was going to be a good day out on the bike. I arrived with plenty of time, had a chat with a few riders and club members and then signed on, got my times and numbers and then had my bike scrutineered. Unfortunately (not only for the club), there was a low number of entries for the event, but that makes me all the more grateful to ADMCC for putting the event on regardless, it was great fun.
With a start time of 10:05am, I had 3 laps to do with each one set to take 80 minutes, 75 minutes and 70 minutes respectively. The special test was at the start of the lap and the first lap was un-timed. Let me tell you though, I was glad I made the effort to walk it! The course was great, there was a good mix including a lot of technical forestry going with tree roots and deep mud to negotiate.
I had two good timed tests, staying on the bike and going fairly steady and I stayed on time until the last check of the day. There was a deep muddy rutted section in the woods out on the second check, and I tried (and failed) to switch lines earlier in the rut, so I went for the tree roots on the outside and wedged the bike in a deep rut. The pegs were caught and not even a lifting it onto the back wheel could move it, the bike was just digging a hole - it was so soft! I was sinking into the mud as I tried to lift it out, back wheel first, then front wheel, then I had to lay it down to drag it across. What I hadn't realised though was that the rut on the other side was so deep. I had to stand in it to push the bike up but it was half way up my legs and I was pushing away from me! I had to ask a passing rider for help - I think it was Paul Jones, so thanks very much. He helped me lift it up and then he carried on. Back on two wheels I tried the next line over but ended up digging another hole, it was ridiculously soft in there. I had no choice but to drag the bike out into the deeper lower rut I was stood in but the bike had been sucked in and was hard to shift with my being lower than the bike itself. Luckily, top man Dafydd Morgan stopped to help me drag it out and down into the lower rut (diolch yn fawr, ti'n seren)! All in all that physically exhausting mistake took me 7 minutes to rectify.
I carried on and dropped out onto the fire road feeling cramp setting into my thighs and abs! This was the last section of the day - a few miles of it back to the finish. After a mile or so I checked the clock and my time due in at the check. I knew the clock was fast by 2 minutes and I was due in at 13:50. As I looked down, I saw the watch tick onto 13:48 and all the alarm bells went off! Down came the red mist and I rode flat out to the end of the check, I know at one point I had the bike flat out in top gear so I was really moving. I slid around the last corner and shouted "TIME?!" as I got there and heard "51" as the reply. I was gutted! I moved past the flag and handed my timecard in, but that was really hard to take after I'd ridden so well all day long!
So a bit of a disappointing end to what was a brilliant but hard event, now it's a case of waiting for the results and hoping for the best!
I'd like to say thanks again to the ADMCC club for putting the event on and all the effort that's gone into it, all the marshalls and officials and to Paul and Dafydd who were kind enough to help me, I hope I can return the favour at some point lads. Thanks also to Keith Bowen from MX247 and Sion Edwards for taking photos during the event.
Monday, 1 September 2014
Coming up: Nant y Moch enduro
This weekend will play host to the ADMCC Nant y Moch enduro, celebrating 50 years of the Aberystwyth club, it's all set to be a classic multi-lap enduro, with a good variety of going and will be a round of the ET James Welsh solo enduro championship.
I think the Wales Air Ambulance EXC is good to go, I just need to do my usual checks for loose bolts, clean the air filter, check the spokes, tighten the chain and check the link etc etc! Hopefully I'll get a chance to walk the special test on Saturday. I could probably do with some fuel too :)
If I have time I might seal the switchgear with sealant - they seem to be prone to getting mud/water in there and it plays havoc with the kill switch/horn!
I can't wait to get out on the bike again, I've only ridden once since the Beacons Rally and that was just a quick blast around the field to bed in my new tyres, bring on the weekend, it'll be demanding and technical I'm sure, but that should make it all the more enjoyable.
As usual, photos, videos and a race report will follow!
I think the Wales Air Ambulance EXC is good to go, I just need to do my usual checks for loose bolts, clean the air filter, check the spokes, tighten the chain and check the link etc etc! Hopefully I'll get a chance to walk the special test on Saturday. I could probably do with some fuel too :)
If I have time I might seal the switchgear with sealant - they seem to be prone to getting mud/water in there and it plays havoc with the kill switch/horn!
I can't wait to get out on the bike again, I've only ridden once since the Beacons Rally and that was just a quick blast around the field to bed in my new tyres, bring on the weekend, it'll be demanding and technical I'm sure, but that should make it all the more enjoyable.
As usual, photos, videos and a race report will follow!
Thursday, 28 August 2014
Tracey Wheeler's motorcycle ride for charity
On the 31st of August 2014, Tracey Wheeler will be setting off on a solo motorcycle ride from Wales to Romania and back. In doing so, she will be raising funds for the Royal British Legion and Wales Air Ambulance.
Along the way, Tracey will be visiting a Bulgarian orphanage to deliver donated colouring books.
She will visit Auschwitz in Poland, ride the Black Forest Road in Germany and the Transalpina and Transfagarasan in Romania. The trip will take Tracey through 17 different countries in total!
For further details, photos, updates and information on ways to donate, please follow Tracey's trip on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Motobikechallenge and visit her JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/teams/TraceysRomanianRoadtrip.
"This trip will done by myself totally alone, no other riders, just me and my motorcycle. Wish me luck and please if you can spare even 10p give a donation to these wonderful charities :-)".
Good luck!
Along the way, Tracey will be visiting a Bulgarian orphanage to deliver donated colouring books.
She will visit Auschwitz in Poland, ride the Black Forest Road in Germany and the Transalpina and Transfagarasan in Romania. The trip will take Tracey through 17 different countries in total!
For further details, photos, updates and information on ways to donate, please follow Tracey's trip on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Motobikechallenge and visit her JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/teams/TraceysRomanianRoadtrip.
"This trip will done by myself totally alone, no other riders, just me and my motorcycle. Wish me luck and please if you can spare even 10p give a donation to these wonderful charities :-)".
Good luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)