Gorrick MTB races (Tunnel Hill/Crowthorne)
Discussion
Ive been mountain biking the last few years – live right next to swinley so im up there once or twice a week and can get around the trails reasonable quickly now (Blue in ~29mins and Blue/Red combined in ~1hr15). Fancied having a go at a race for a bit of a challenge, and Gorrick have two coming up a stones throw from me – 28th Sept at Tunnel Hill, and 9th November at Crowthorne Woods. I once had a little explore of Tunnel Hill but have never been through Crowthorne woods. Anyway:
- Has anyone done the races there before?
- Anyone planning on doing either of these?
- Would one or other be better for a beginner?
My age (38) puts me in the “Master Male” category, which is 3 laps (although its not clear how long a lap is…). Does that sound like its going to be full of hardcore experienced racers or just average Joe’s like me? Gorrick suggest doing a “Fun Male” to begin with but at ages 12+ im worried it’ll just be me getting overtaken by people not old enough to vote!
Any words of wisdom/encouragement welcome!
- Has anyone done the races there before?
- Anyone planning on doing either of these?
- Would one or other be better for a beginner?
My age (38) puts me in the “Master Male” category, which is 3 laps (although its not clear how long a lap is…). Does that sound like its going to be full of hardcore experienced racers or just average Joe’s like me? Gorrick suggest doing a “Fun Male” to begin with but at ages 12+ im worried it’ll just be me getting overtaken by people not old enough to vote!
Any words of wisdom/encouragement welcome!
The Gorrick races are great places to start out and see if you have the racing bug. They normally prepare interesting routes taking in plenty of singletrack in the location they choose, so they're fun to ride.
It will depend on the weather and conditions (courses are usually set out on the day before the race), but expect 4 or 5 mile laps for the Autumn and Spring races. There is usually a fireroad start at the beginning and it's worth pushing hard to get as close to the front as possible for when the first singletrack starts as this can cause a bottleneck. The Crowthorne race will be the flatter of the two, but they normally manage to throw in a couple of short sharp efforts to keep you on your toes.
Fun race really is a big mix of people, some quick and some slower, but there aren't many youngsters in it as there are usually age category races for the younger entrants. People ride all sorts of mountain bikes as well, so it really is a good introduction. It is only two laps so will be somewhere between 45mins and 1hr15 depending on lap length, conditions and your fitness. I would suggest that as a first race, this may be the best category to enter as even 45 mins can hurt a lot when you're racing.
Masters is 3 laps, so you get more value/pain for your money but will include some very quick people who have pushed through their 20s into their 30s.
If you're actually free on the dates for the first one, try Fun as a starting point and then you can always change your category for the next race.
One thing worth doing is arriving some time before your race and doing a practice lap so that you know what is coming up. You can do this at any time, just make sure you move off the racing line if people are coming up behind and racing in their chosen category.
Hope that helps.
It will depend on the weather and conditions (courses are usually set out on the day before the race), but expect 4 or 5 mile laps for the Autumn and Spring races. There is usually a fireroad start at the beginning and it's worth pushing hard to get as close to the front as possible for when the first singletrack starts as this can cause a bottleneck. The Crowthorne race will be the flatter of the two, but they normally manage to throw in a couple of short sharp efforts to keep you on your toes.
Fun race really is a big mix of people, some quick and some slower, but there aren't many youngsters in it as there are usually age category races for the younger entrants. People ride all sorts of mountain bikes as well, so it really is a good introduction. It is only two laps so will be somewhere between 45mins and 1hr15 depending on lap length, conditions and your fitness. I would suggest that as a first race, this may be the best category to enter as even 45 mins can hurt a lot when you're racing.
Masters is 3 laps, so you get more value/pain for your money but will include some very quick people who have pushed through their 20s into their 30s.
If you're actually free on the dates for the first one, try Fun as a starting point and then you can always change your category for the next race.
One thing worth doing is arriving some time before your race and doing a practice lap so that you know what is coming up. You can do this at any time, just make sure you move off the racing line if people are coming up behind and racing in their chosen category.
Hope that helps.
daddy cool said:
Ive been mountain biking the last few years – live right next to swinley so im up there once or twice a week and can get around the trails reasonable quickly now (Blue in ~29mins and Blue/Red combined in ~1hr15). Fancied having a go at a race for a bit of a challenge, and Gorrick have two coming up a stones throw from me – 28th Sept at Tunnel Hill, and 9th November at Crowthorne Woods. I once had a little explore of Tunnel Hill but have never been through Crowthorne woods. Anyway:
- Has anyone done the races there before?
- Anyone planning on doing either of these?
- Would one or other be better for a beginner?
My age (38) puts me in the “Master Male” category, which is 3 laps (although its not clear how long a lap is…). Does that sound like its going to be full of hardcore experienced racers or just average Joe’s like me? Gorrick suggest doing a “Fun Male” to begin with but at ages 12+ im worried it’ll just be me getting overtaken by people not old enough to vote!
Any words of wisdom/encouragement welcome!
I used to race them in youth and junior, they werent national, or even regional level back then but there was decent competition. They are on the whole a friendly event, the courses are usually natural and contain lots of singletrack.- Has anyone done the races there before?
- Anyone planning on doing either of these?
- Would one or other be better for a beginner?
My age (38) puts me in the “Master Male” category, which is 3 laps (although its not clear how long a lap is…). Does that sound like its going to be full of hardcore experienced racers or just average Joe’s like me? Gorrick suggest doing a “Fun Male” to begin with but at ages 12+ im worried it’ll just be me getting overtaken by people not old enough to vote!
Any words of wisdom/encouragement welcome!
Masters would be the competitive age based class, and the top riders in that are usually seriously fit, while fun is less so and aimed at 'fun' even though its still competitive.
You're not going to know your level until you try but as it's your first and not too sure just enter fun and build up from there...
Cheers for the advice guys - i think you are right. I'll go "Fun" for the Tunnel Hill one and then see how i feel about the next one afterwards.
(Would have been entering on my trusty Boardman Full Sus, but yesterday picked up a nearly-new Boardman Carbon Hardtail 650b which may be better suited)
(Would have been entering on my trusty Boardman Full Sus, but yesterday picked up a nearly-new Boardman Carbon Hardtail 650b which may be better suited)
Very few youngsters in the races at any level there so Fun will be mainly older blokes with lower fitness, new to racing or just less competitive. Definitely worth doing the first leg in that way.
The two you mention are places I ride once or twice a week and are great places to go racing for the first time. Nothing too technical with a good mixture of surfaces and singletrack/fireroad. Tunnel tends to be longer, less steep hills, Porridgepot/Windmill tends to be more short, sharp stuff and suffers more in the bad weather.
They ride pretty much like the red trails at Swinley once you're away from the Clubhouse end.
The two you mention are places I ride once or twice a week and are great places to go racing for the first time. Nothing too technical with a good mixture of surfaces and singletrack/fireroad. Tunnel tends to be longer, less steep hills, Porridgepot/Windmill tends to be more short, sharp stuff and suffers more in the bad weather.
They ride pretty much like the red trails at Swinley once you're away from the Clubhouse end.
Craikeybaby said:
How did you get on?
Well, im replying to this from work, so that confirms that ive havent turned Pro just yet!http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b324/Daddy76/Mou...
Nah, it was really good actually. Beginners was the first race of the day, which meant there was no time to do a lap to warm up and/or practice the course. 25 people in my race, all adults that i could see, a variety of mountain bike types. I decided to hold back initially and see how it panned out. As soon as it starts you do a left up a steep slope - and of course a few at the front fluffed up a gear change before the top, causing us at the back to go into the back of them. After the intial bedlam i starting overtaking a few people, though this was hard as much of the track was very narrow. In fact, i found the whole course hard going - tight switchback, sudden steep climbs through narrow rutted paths, loose surface on steeply cambered hillsides - nearly lost it a couple of times! Lap one, on cold muscles, really hurt - but a spectator on a climb noticed my PH jersey and gave me some encouragement. Lap 2, having warmed up, and knowing what to expect, was better and more enjoyable.
Almost the whole way round i traded places with a chap on a Scott hardtail, and eventually pulled away to finish about 30 secs ahead of him. Afterwards we sat down and had a nice chat (hello Tim!) and heard that he was a fairly regular racer, although in his late 40's i think (im 38).
Oh, so i came 11th in the end, which i was reasonably pleased with for a first attempt.
According to my Garmin, each lap was less than 4 miles, though that may be undercalculating as there were many tight twisty sections. The race took me ~52 minutes, and i was surprised how hard i found it, as im used to riding longer and faster around Swinley. I checked my lap times on the published results website, and i would have been one of the slowest in the "proper" racers 30-38 age category, which i suppose just shows the difference experience makes.
Stayed around for a while to watch some of the Pros, who were blisteringly fast. A few pics of them:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b324/Daddy76/Mou...
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b324/Daddy76/Mou...
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b324/Daddy76/Mou...
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b324/Daddy76/Mou...
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b324/Daddy76/Mou...
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b324/Daddy76/Mou...
Im intending to do round 2, in November, in Crowthorne, which is about 2 miles from my home. Will probably do the beginners race again. Hoping the familiar terrain might give me a better placing. Anyone fancy joining me? Would be nice to see another PH Jersey!
I went over to see if I could find the lap, and have a crack at it in my own time. Finding the start and the first section wasn't too bad, but the whole Hungry Hill area is so "busy" with many small sections close together that I ended up going very wrong, although I think I found some more of the course by accident while heading out of the area. It's not that great a place for riding, either - too much sand, too many deep 'ruts', some up above bottom bracket/hub height, and tight with it. I'll go again, but probably not bother with searching for the Gorrick lap.
As for joining you, I'm not sure just now. The idea is tempting, as I'd like to have a crack against direct competition. All I have at the moment is Strava 'rivalry' on the two 'race' courses I know well in Minley Woods. What's putting me off is my fitness (or lack thereof) and the weight of my bike (a shade under 15kg 'as ridden'), along with the 'November' part of it all. Realisation dawned on me this week, when I went to look for my winter kit, windproof jacket, long trousers, etc. Most of it was cut off me back in Feb when I got hit by a van, and as I didn't need such things all summer long, I've not yet replaced them. I've got the PH winter jersey on order, and some Ron Hill running pants will do for the bottom half, so now I just need to HTFU a little.
I recently went up to Swinley, and squeezed in two laps of Red. I started and finished at Red 8 (Devil's Highway entrance) and the one lap that matched, the segment (lap) time came in at around an hour dead. The other lap was lost to GPS drift or some other technical nonsense, but I had stomach cramps anyway, so it'd have been slower. I suppose I ought to try starting at the beginning, really, or even tagging the Blue and Red trails together. First priority now that the weather seems to have turned is new tyres though. Mine are near slick with tread wear, so not at all suitable for the wet.
As for joining you, I'm not sure just now. The idea is tempting, as I'd like to have a crack against direct competition. All I have at the moment is Strava 'rivalry' on the two 'race' courses I know well in Minley Woods. What's putting me off is my fitness (or lack thereof) and the weight of my bike (a shade under 15kg 'as ridden'), along with the 'November' part of it all. Realisation dawned on me this week, when I went to look for my winter kit, windproof jacket, long trousers, etc. Most of it was cut off me back in Feb when I got hit by a van, and as I didn't need such things all summer long, I've not yet replaced them. I've got the PH winter jersey on order, and some Ron Hill running pants will do for the bottom half, so now I just need to HTFU a little.
I recently went up to Swinley, and squeezed in two laps of Red. I started and finished at Red 8 (Devil's Highway entrance) and the one lap that matched, the segment (lap) time came in at around an hour dead. The other lap was lost to GPS drift or some other technical nonsense, but I had stomach cramps anyway, so it'd have been slower. I suppose I ought to try starting at the beginning, really, or even tagging the Blue and Red trails together. First priority now that the weather seems to have turned is new tyres though. Mine are near slick with tread wear, so not at all suitable for the wet.
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