The second round of the 661 Mini Downhill series was again action packed with around 300 riders and a huge crowd. This time the Corkscrew trail was used for the race with only one new corner at the bottom differing it from the standard track.Conditions in the car park started completely frozen (though we did arrive at 8am) but quickly turned to slop as the sun thawed everything. In the woods however it was a completely different situation with the track being damp and consistently grippy all day.
Cheltenham and County Cycling Club fielded a team of 4, Roger Smith (veterans), Rich Dade, Adam Powell and Alex Hazle (all masters). This was Alex's first race in masters and largest category.
During practice Adam had a little trouble in the new last corner resulting in minor concussion. He completed the first run in a bit of a daze then decided to retire for the rest of the day leaving him in a disapointing 47th in the master field of 79. Alex and Rich had a much closer contest coming in a respectable 32nd and 40th split by just under a second and only 10 seconds off the leaders.
Most riders were slower on the second run with the track getting a bit tackier but Roger managed to get his race head in order to take time out on a slower track, never an easy task.
Again sold results for the Cheltenham and County DH riders but all still have the desire to do better in the future. Bring on the next and final round!
Words - Alex Hazle
Images - Loz Webb (Roots and Rain profile)
Full results and Photos - Roots and Rain
