Royal Dean Forest Cycling Club

2006 Forest of Dean

MTB Enduro

Sunday 15th October 2006

Please click here for results 1 Lap / 2 Laps / 4 Laps

ENDURO REPORT

On Sunday 15th October, 240 riders tackled the new 10 mile lap Mountain Bike Enduro circuit in the Forest of Dean.  The event was the brainchild of Club rider and elite mountain bike racer Ben Oliver and was organised by RDFCC.

It was the first mountain bike race in the Forest for eight years and the challenging circuit was appreciated by novices and experts alike.   The race took in new and existing section of fast single track, exhilarating downhill sections, paths and fire roads to produce what many riders confirmed to be the best route that they had ridden.  There were three races, a 1 lap event for novices, a 2 lap event for intermediate riders and 4 laps for the experts.

There were cash prizes for the the first three male and female finishers in each event with the winners also receiving a bottle of Champagne.

The event was well supported with many spectators out on the course and in the start/finish area.  It is hoped, given the positive feedback that has been received already that the event will become a regular feature on the RDFCC racing calendar.

Photos of the event, taken by Clubman Mike Anstice, can be found on www.photoboxgallery.com/velo. These pictures are also available for purchase. For more pictures click here.

The winners were:

Melanie Alexander - winner of Ladies 4 lap race

Ryan Henry - winner of men's 4 lap race

A few plaudits received from appreciative entrants

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the event today. The organisation was great and the course was fantastic – I couldn’t believe how dry it was! The facilities beat most MTB XC race venues by a country mile too. I’ll be up for some more next year. Neil Taylor

Many thanks for a fantastic event today, the course was superb and it reminded me why I started MTBing in the first place. The F.O.Dean has always been one of my favourite places since I started in the very early 90s and you had just the right amount of testing climbs, challenging descents and some of the finest natural singletrack anywhere (and I've ridden in many places including Spain and the USA !) Even though I was cramping up a bit on the last lap I still thoroughly enjoyed the whole 4 laps. Keep it up and thanks again. Dave Gale.

Hi there,I just wanted to congratulate you and to say thank you for running such a great event. It was a tough ride but I really enjoyed it and glad I made the trip. I am looking forward to the next race already. Thanks again, Scott Mason

Ben/Matt/All - Can I pass on my congratulations to the club for an outstanding course layout. It was a great mix of technical singletrack, paths and fireroad. I think it would be fair to say that over the years I haven't rode a better track. Unfortunately, due to family commitments, I was unable to come on the day, but did manage to do a circuit late on Saturday. So far the feedback I have heard is positive, and an enquiry about the next event! See you on the track. Patrick Delaney

Hi Trevor, Congratulations on organinsing an excellent event, I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though my legs are trying to tell me differently. Thanks again, look forward to the next one, Dan Hughes

Trevor - A brief note to thank you and the whole team for an absolutely superb event yesterday-an excellent course that was technically demanding yet rideable throughout, excellent marshalling and first aid cover all made up for a great days sport. Thank you all and I'm looking forward to the 2007 event already. Best Regards, Keith Binding