Seconds out - Round2 - Extreme Events Winter Series Astonhill

Astonhill Sunday December 11th 

So here we have round 2 of the new-fangled Winter Series by the guys at http://www.ekhint.co.uk/. With Round 1 done & dusted in far away Glenco, this southern affair was no less wintery ! Luckily not so much in actual rain, which didn't come till the racing was done, but by-eck' it was nipple-hardening cold, and you knew it if you weren't to bothered to get warmed up quickly enough. 

Astonhill is well known to be chalk based, rooty, techy, and always a challenge in the damp. This was obviously a turn-off for some because not that many turned out, although this is a new venture by the guys at Extreme, so I guess it would take a while for word to get round that they actually do put on a great show, with smooth running throughout the day, glitch-free. The track used was the old-school DH3, the last time this course being used at a race (by the Astonhill crew themselves) was back in 2006. Starting out on flat, with a lung-stretching sprint over several table-top jumps, and a few berms, the track drops to the left, and with some decent speed in your wheels, you hit a long fast berm, then a quick left across the fire-road, which shoots you into the woods. From here you keep your speed if your fit enough, through a series of off-camber corners and drops, some of which get bloody tricky at speed, whilst keeping your eyeballs up ahead, you get ready for the first rooty right-hander, and a (no brakes!) drop, again keeping your speed, and into a mega rooty section that was bending left, and leaning (off camber) to the right ! Past this challenge you get shot straight into singletrack (pick your line) covered in braking bumps, a couple of tight turns, and a dash to break the laser .. all fast and furious in the dry, all fast(ish) and butt-clenching in the wet ! (well, slick) 

The other thing Astonhill is known for .. is the push-up! not that bad if you pace yourself, and it always goes quicker with some friendly banter, and after 5-6 practice runs, your's truly had a few tyre dilema's .. my Highrollers clogged up like marmite in a cheesegrator after two runs down, so it was first time out for the spikes.. uncut. (most people cut Maxxis wet-screams down) and I kinda found out why, because the track was not quite wet enough for them to dig-in, and over roots ..well .. "skwirmy" bummer really, I wasn't to used to them, but they felt better than my clogged up Highrollers.. 

I felt OK in practice but found it tough to keep my speed up and ended up pretty far off the pace, I clearly need to race/ride more in the wet to help get my tyres etc more sorted. You never stop learning as they say.  The Masters category only had 8 riders in it, with yours truly finishing 4th. The event attracted some quick riders due to the British Cycling points status, and along with quite a few first time racers, this provided a great mix of talent and fun. The Extreme guys have big plans for next year with more races in both XC and DH, so keep a beady eye on their website for updates and info. The next round is in the legendary Nant G venue, and after that in Cannock Chase. See ya there ! 

http://www.ekhint.co.uk/ 

http://www.rootsandrain.com/race917/2011-dec-11-2011-12-the-winter-series-2-aston-hill/

Cristian Tomlinson