Extreme Winter Series - Nant G - 11th March

Extreme's whole aim when getting into organising their own races was to provide fun, affordable racing that'd provide a good way in for entry level riders who don't want the stress of the of one of the big 300+ rider headliner events like Pearce Cycles or the BDS.

With Nant G, they delivered that by the bucketload. 12 months after the BDS stopped at Nant G, Extreme Knowhow were back again with their own flags to run the Winter Series.

The uplift was the usual Nant G affair with a tractor for the bikes, all hung by the forks (no uplift damage all weekend) and a coach, all loading quickly and running up the hill at warp speed. I did 6 runs before lunchtime on Saturday, and that's with sitting three out. After an hour's stop for lunch, the uplift was back on and I cracked another four runs out before I called it a day. I could easily have done 15+ if I'd been able to hang on to the bike!

The track was considerably more gnarly than at the BDS, with new sections replacing the fireroad, and with added gnar from the now very well bedded in track at the top. Super steep with slippery rocks and roots everywhere. Arse over the back wheel most of the time!

Racing was different to the usual format, with seeding being separated out from the two race runs meaning more time on the hill and a chance for the first timers to experience the clock before had to lay it down for real! Fastest first with no separation of categories also meant you knew who you were chasing and led to some surprise pairings and without the pressure of knowing that a faster rider was behind you.

My seeding run was a fairly steady affair, with the hope of saving energy for racing, and landed me in 26th overall. In my first race run I did OK at the top, but made a few mistakes towards the bottom that slowed me slightly, arriving in at 3.04.5. My second run was going well until a mistake in the upper section left me off my bike and under the tape in an area that was difficult to get back on the bike. I cruised the rest and arrived in at 3.41, having been passed by pocket sized ripper Kade Edwards, who stormed his way down the hill to beat my best time by two whole seconds and win his category.

I finished 24th overall and 8th in senior.

All in all, a fun weekend at an awesome venue with a great track and a good, relaxed crowd.

The RG squadron's next race is Pearce Rd1, Bringewood.
My next race is the Extreme Knowhow Cannock short course race on the 25th March.