MBE Autumn Series RD2 - Results & Photos etc

Another great evenings racing @ Hetton Lyons Country Park with near perfect weather for all three races. We had a turn out of 70 riders of all age cats from U8 - V60 from expert to novice. The first race was the little ones on the shorter course - same as Rd1 but anti clockwise this week. Joel H took the a clear led after lap 2 and completed 4 laps in 11mins taking 1st place. Only seconds apart Elizabeth M 2nd then 3rd place was Ollie W. Onto the second race of the evening - full course was the older kids. Thomas M turned up so that was 1st place gone baring mechanicals or an off. He led from start and covered 44 laps in just under 21mins! Jospeth A was 4 mins behind taking 2nd place followed Ben P (U12) 3rd who was flying. There was some great battles between many riders fighting for positions during the races. Last but not least was the Bigun's @ 7pm for 50mins of testing racing. Dean P (sen) was looking for his second win of the series and was having a great battle each lap with Darren G (V40) swapping places but Dean pulled through to take the overall win covering 8 laps in under 45mins. Darren G came through in 2nd place 12 seconds later. 3rd was Darren B (V40) who was cathcing the led group and  was only 11 seconds behind 2nd. Cat winners outside the top three V50- Ian R, V60- C Murley, Jun- Daniel H, Lady- Sarah M (who was bombing around! on that note is was great to see so many Ladys taking part and battling with the blokes.
A full set of results are on and a gallery of photos as well, also the League table has been set up and in the Results Section as well. Again i can only apologies for the local youths again, we tried to keep the course fully marked at all periods and last minute changes to the planned course due to fires etc!
Round 3 Wednesday 27th Aug, same time, same place, different course
All the best MBE Crew

MBE Autumn Series RD2 Wednesday 20th Aug - Riders info inc course details

Round 2 is on Wednesday 20th Aug @ Hetton Lyons Country Park, Hetton Le Hole. The main tracks and now all the singletracks are in perfect condition - hard & fast going under tyre. The refreshments are now all sorted. The Series will be similar set up to previous years with three races on the night, first U10 & U12 Novice 6.10pm on a shorter course for 10mins - all get some goodies at the end. Second race is the U12 expert/14/16 6.25pm on the main course for approx 20+mins, again all get some goodies after. Main race is at 7pm on the main course for approx 50mins (depending upon weather). It will be your best three from four rounds to count for overall league position and the presentation will take place after the main race @ Rd4 on the 3rd Sept. All riders who complete the series will be presented with a goodie bag regardless of position. All i ask is that you turn up in plenty of time to get signed on and get ready for your start time. We hold a tight schedule on the night due to fading light each week. If you are a member dont forget to bring your current 2014 licence otherwise you will have to pay the day member fee. If you are a non member can you complete the Day membership form (see section to the top right of this web page) and bring along on the day, that will help reduce the waiting time at signing on. The races are open to all ages and abilities from complete novice to expert, you dont have to be a member of any club either. You can enter on any type of bike suitable for offroad use inc mountain bikes etc, all you need is a helmet. Can you hand your numbers in when you help yourself to the free refreshments afterwards. Enjoy and have a good time. There will hoefully be a gallery of photos each week which are free to download. Results for each round and an updated league table. The course will be set of the hill side of the Country Park which has a great mix of all types of terrain from climbs, descents, singletrack, open sections.

The RD 2 course's - MAIN and U10/8's - (same as rd1 but in the opposite direction , best viewed in Satellite mode, click on map button and select. You can also down load to your Garmin / GPS etc. Please note there may be small changes on night due to weather etc. I have been organising / racing @ Hetton Lyons Country Park for many many years and this is the best condition it has been in for along time. Nearly all of the over hanging trees/bushes have been cut back, the grass has been cut, singletrack sections cleared out, new singletrack sections added

Another afternoon on the mtb's playing in the woods

Another afternoon on the mtbs with the kids mucking around in the local woods. Today we headed over to the "Chicken farm woods". Its been a while since we have been over there and the tracks into the woods were very over grown & tough going in places. The scrambler lads have not been in as there were no tyre tracks and the jumps etc havent been used for a while. Arran had a great time as we found a rope swing over the valley section. Later on further up the other side of the valley there was another swing but much bigger, he was getting massive air! I tried to get some photos on the phone but they come out blurred due to the speed of him. It was then a ride down into Durham for icecream and a cruise back home to get all the event gear ready for tomorrows nights Round 2 race.

This was the small rope swing !

Too fast, slow down for the camera



Chilled out local ride on the mtbs

After a busy wind swept weekend it was time for a local chill out ride down to Durham City Centre, play around in the woods - ice cream stop then a cruise back home. Arran is competing in his running club relay race tonight so didnt want to use too much energy! still beat me up the hills on the way back in. Forecast was very mixed but the wind has finally died down a little to make it more enjoyable to ride. Below is a few pics from my phone as i havent got a replacement camera yet!

Gale force winds so no riding but watched motorised bikes instead

Every year we try and get to the some local quad bike racing when it comes into the County Durham area. This weekend they were racing both days and were just the road @ Wooley Grange. As expected the course was bone dry / hard with plenty of dust. With Wooley Grange being on the top of a hill there was no shelter from the gale force wind either. We watched all the races in heat 2 then it was lunchtime. Then we watched all the races in heat 3 but the wind/cold/dust was just too much and came home to recover. Its a great day for the kids and free of charge to watch. More info here on the Nettquad website. They return back to Wooley Grange one more time this season 12th Oct. Below are a few pics from action

Fresh Goods Sunday - Part 3 - Exploring Britians Lost Railways Book

Part 3 and final of the Book Reports, this week is not directly cycling related but the vast majority of the lost railways have now been converted so you can use bicycles on them. This book covers the whole of the UK and covers only a few on the old railway routes in the NE/County Durham area. Its interesting to read just what happened on the old lines and makes you think back to years gone by when they were in operation as you cycle along them taking in the views. Again the book has plenty of photos from current to old and not huge amount of text to each one which is perect for me ;-) again i havent read it from front ot back as im going to keep it for the winter months. This a coffee table book as its hardback and a fair size. Here is the book description -

Exploring Britain’s Lost Railways gives the historical background to over 50 lost railway lines, along with descriptions of the route today for walking and cycling.

Each route is highlighted on historical Ordnance Survey mapping, showing which parts can still be followed today. The carefully researched text is accompanied by historical photographs showing each line in operation prior to its closure, as well as specially commissioned images from the present day.
Thousands of miles of Britain’s railways were closed during the 20th century, many following the implementation of the ‘Beeching Report ‘ in the 1960s and early 1970s. Since then, many have been converted to footpaths and cycleways. Fortunately, both the keen walker and the railway enthusiast can enjoy these well-worn routes and hidden byways in peace and tranquillity. Follow the routes of over 50 long-closed railways across some of our most beautiful countryside and discover the lost railways of Britain.
Routes include:
• Drake’s Trail – Plymouth to Tavistock
• Downs Link – Guildford to Shoreham-by-Sea
• Midshires Way – Market Harborough to Northampton
• Elan Valley Trail – Rhayader to Craig-Goch Dam
• Hornsea Rail Trail – Hull to Hornsea
• Deeside Way – Aberdeen to Ballater
Exploring Britain’s Lost Railways is an essential armchair companion for every railway enthusiast and outdoor adventurer.

I got my copy from Amazon for £12 inc p&p which is amazing value, the rpp is £30 which i feel is overpriced.