Report by: Aidan Bishop

Pictures by: Joolze Dymond Photography

That's what a National Champs silver medal looks like

August and the weather has hardly been summer like recently, but I awoke to a lovely sunny morning and prepared to hit the road to attend the 4X national champs near Gloucester. Once I turned off the M4 at Swindon it turned a bit grey and overcast…bugger was I going to be in for a nasty days racing in unfavourable conditions again? As it turned out the weather held and it was a dry day and I was at a new venue at Redhill Extreme, a hillside with a fresh 4X track on it for bikes as well as the hill used for mountain boarding.

Upon arriving at the venue I had time to play due to practice not starting until midday (why we started that late I’m not sure), and so I walked up the steep hillside to check the course out. The walk up the hill would become a factor as after numerous practice runs, 4 motos and finals tiredness had to be kept at bay!

Aidan Bishop

The course was refreshing to me as it contained multiple lines a wide track all the way down, and best of all on an old school FLAT 90 degree left turn to the finish, which reminded me of the good old days of Malvern Hills dual descenders! Here's a quick run down of the course.......from the start it was a sprint over a roller then a double, slight left over a table top, and then rapidly pick up speed as you turn down hill. Over another table top then bear right and down a slight step down and into two line choices, the most used inside line was over two successive table tops, the other being a triple jump which if used was a case of jumping the double and ride the last third lump (a few tried to triple it in practice resulting in some nasty crashes and I think only Yeomans and Evans tripled it up in the senior race).

Following this was a table top then step up table top, then into a long left berm with inside and outside lines, outside line you would then jump a blind step down followed by a triple, then table top then another whilst turning left, inside line was small step up to step down then double then join the table to table. A right hander lead you onto the last straight, most going wide around a berm and over a small step down, inside you could go over a steep hip but it wasn’t really used. You then really started motoring over a fairly big table top then onto a BIG table top (approx 30ft watch the cross wind though!) then it was the set up for the grassy turn over a lumpy roller and finish, seniors were timed as per world cups and Beaumont was fastest clocking in at 39secs.

After a long frustrating delay I finally got started with the masters motos at about 4pm! The man to beat this season was Dave Garland with his now legendary gates and start straight power , and I had to race him in my first two motos…Great! First one he was first to the corner, I kept close to him down the track and managed to set up the last turn to apex tightly and pass him before the finish. Second moto I got a good gate and managed to lead from start to finish. Third moto I was up against Roger ‘rollback’ Wilbraham from British Cycling, I went early and hit the gate so followed roger until the last turn where I managed to get inside and outbrake him to take the win.

At this point my confidence was growing I was 3 wins from 3 motos, a big threat was looming from Ian Hopkins he was also winning all his races, and Darren Howarth was on the gas out front of his second moto when a big over the bars resulted in him having to go to hospital with a suspected dislocated shoulder…Get well mate.

Fourth moto I was up against Hopkins, he gated me and I followed him down, I was keen to see if I could do anything on that last turn but a flat on the third straight meant I had to roll home getting taken just before the line!

Semi final time and I had Garland and Dominic Bent in mine, both good starters and I had lane choice, I chose number 1 and had to get a good start to stay in the race for one of two final places on the line. It was a close start with Dave edging infront and moving across us, a bit of contact but everyone got round the first corner with Dave leading me second and Dominic in third who used the triple line but got it wrong and went over the front and bent his wheel in the process. I tailed Dave down and again managed to pass him on the last corner, hopefully playing with his head before the final!

Final time and Hopkins had first pick, he chose lane 1, I had second choice and decided for some tactics. Both Hopkins and Garland had told me that they get put off their gates when Roger was next to them because of his roll back starts, so I chose lane 4 thinking Roger would choose lane 2 and be in-between the other two and unnerve them a bit! It didn’t work, we all gated similar I then heard some expletives from Dave as he unclipped! I made contact with Roger but we both stayed up and I managed to slot in behind Hopkins. I kept close hoping to make a big last manoeuvre on the last corner but on the third straight I unclipped which allowed Hopkins to get clear and stay there for the deserved gold with myself taking silver and Roger Wilbraham bronze with Dave coming home fourth looking and feeling shattered after a long day…(well he is 40!!!).

Somehow Aidan looks bigger on a bike!

The senior race was pretty exciting with a previous match up between Scott and Dale Holmes resulting in Beaumont going around Dale. The final ended with Dale leading start to finish Scott having the title evading him again and Lewis Lacey taking bronze.

A good day’s racing (bar the delays!) all in all, I would have loved to get the win but it wasn’t my day and silver is a pretty satisfactory result in this hit and miss discipline.

I jumped in the van and sped home for a beer and more sleepless nights with baby Easton!!!!