Venue: Rheola

Report by: Craig "Crash Master" Bromley

The relentless race calendar continues with the next race upon you before you've hardly had any time to get over the injuries from the last race, next up it was off to the Welsh Champs for the 3rd round of the Dragon Downhill Series at one of my favourite tracks…..Rheola, a mans track!

I have been here 3 times totalling about 6 timed runs and never completed one of them without crashing my brains out, still it’s a cracking course. Although some of the additions to the course aren’t that brilliant, on the whole the track rocks. This is the venue that will hold the one off National Champs on the 14th & 15th July.

Aidan Bishop was still off racing following the birth of his new baby boy called Easton Bishop, congrats Aidan didn’t know you had it in ya! Well was it a massive disadvantage Aidan missing this vital practice, time will tell.

New born Easton Bishop

Stefan Gleed, Paul May, Paul Mackie and myself were there to battle the conditions and the course to hopefully come away in one piece. So how did we get on…….?

Practice on the Saturday was a miserable affair with it raining and then drying and then raining again all day, well we are in Wales! The course held up quite well although the new sections and the star wars section were understandably slippy, sorry very slippy.

The course up top is balls out over rocks that can puncture you in a blink of an eye, Mackie and me both suffered punctures over the weekend. There were lots of fast wooded sections that were greasy and took immense skill and confidence to nail at any speed. Time could be lost everywhere and stringing together a clean run was going to be the big problem.

Craig Bromley

Chainless seeding (or Seedless as we call it) came around and it was a time to see who the movers and shakers were, many like myself were so covered in crap that they opted to go home early and clean their kit/bikes rather than stay on late and do a chainless seeding run. Local boy and title contender Jullian Poffley was missing from the order so it was down to ex Pro Elite Mark Weightman to lay down the fastest time, Paul May (Gummy) came through with a good time of 4:05 placing him 5th, the rest struggled, Paul Mackie was next setting a time of 4:34 placing him 20th, Stefan Gleed next and he crossed the line with 4:28 placing him 16th, so not a legendary start to proceedings, good job it's only seeding.

Paul Mackie

Sunday race day came and it was much the same to start with, mud, mud, and more mud, first timed race runs came which was the real test. Stef was not looking his usual self which I put down to the track playing with his head, he obviously wasn’t feeling confident. Gummy was his usual opposite stating mud is good, “I prefer it in the wet!!!!!” Get this man some help please.

Gimme mud

I was up first due to not seeding the previous day and pedalled off the line like a man possessed, in fact I was knackered by the 3rd corner. The top section was just a blur, I was very fast but totally out of control and I was a passenger once again.

Paul May

I somehow survived and then it all fell apart, I clipped out corner after corner and then crashed on the steep shute sliding down the side of the track and thumping my right thigh to boot. I got back on and continued to over ride the course sliding everywhere, I was sideways in the air over the double in the woods and did a great impression of Sebastian Loeb when I landed. I crossed the line with a time of 4:05 covered in shite, knackered and feeling totally overwhelmed by the course.

Stefan Gleed then came down at warp speed and was unceremoniously bucked over the bars on the fast rocky section, he hurt his knee, ankle and his elbow in the process, he stood and watched the rest of the field come through rolling to the finish in pain. The look of dismay on his face was a picture, he couldn’t see what had grabbed his front wheel and didn’t relish the thought of having another go and so sat out the rest of the event. Welcome back Stef!

I came for soft drinks....

Paul Mackie then took on the course reporting a scrappy run with crashes and moments all over the shop, still he set a good time of 3:57 and promised great things for the second run.

Finally Paul May (Gummy) was up and our only real hope now of a podium now Stef was out injured, he ragged the course in his usual “brain in the glove boxed” style and managed a relatively clean run posting a time of 3:54, a good time but given it was a clean run I’m sure he expected better.

Craig playing in the mud...

Local boy Jullian Poffley showed his hand by posting an amazing time of 3:43 only fractionally beaten by Mark Weightman.

Anything could happen in run 2 as the conditions got dryer, don’t get me wrong were not talking dust here just better. I was off first once again and decided I didn’t want to scare myself to death or injure myself so a more cautious approach was needed, I set off with less gusto and tried to brake well in time for the corners, this allowed me to flow better and in turn rewarded me in time, I’m not saying I was electric just fast enough not to require an adult nappy!

Gummy avin it - 4th place

The closer I got to the bottom the more I slowed up worried I was going to throw it all away in the final stages, I cleared the star wars section (which is a collection of tight trees and big ruts designed to throw you off the bike should you dare to ride through) and cleaned the final sections to cross the line with a great time of 3:53, I dare to dream of a top ten placing and held my breath. Many didn’t go faster coming to grief but some did, I was pushed down to 9th place which was my best Dragon Series position and the first clean run at Rheola…..top result.

9th place for Craig

Next up was Mackie and he had a run as clean as hookers drawers, crash after moment all the way down crossing the line with the biggest munk on you could ever wish to see, there were no teddies in site as they were out of the cot and down the street! I then delivered the bad news that Crash Master Bromley had kicked his ass to the tune of 4 seconds, that really cheered him up as he proceeded to lock himself in the van, not sure what he was doing but it probably wasn’t far off self mutilation. I tried in vain not to rub his nose in it but failed terribly, a couple of races ago I was up for retiring depressed at how talented our category has got, now I’m revitalised and ready to put myself in harms way, 2 -1 to Mackie….here I come tin ribs.

Not a happy bunny! - 14th place

Gummy was up next and our only realistic podium hopeful, he once again rode like a demon and somehow stayed on despite riding like a savage dog with scalded balls, he crossed the line with 3:47 which was a good time and a possible podium. He watched the last few riders come down and unfortunately Gummy was pushed into 4th place and just off the podium by half a second.

Ben Greenland - 7th

Then we watched in total awe as Jullian Poffley crucified the field with an astonishing time of 3:34, how the hell? Aidan is going to have his hands well full if he’s going to beat the local boy at this venue for the National Champs.

So there we have it, another race over in our busy schedule, next week I’m off to the Midlands Champs to see how I fair against the rest in my region, I have had silver place for the last 2 years running but feel that that may just be a pipe dream for this year, top 10 will do but anything can happen in racing so watch out for the next race report.

Final standings:

1 Julian Poffley 00:03:34
2 Mark Weightman 00:03:43
3 Chris Ames 00:03:46
4 Paul May 00:03:47
5 Stephen Russdll 00:03:49
6 Dean Williams 00:03:50
7 Ben Greenland 00:03:51
8 Phillip Gray 00:03:52
9 Craig Bromley 00:03:53
10 Zac Hubery 00:03:53
11 Simon Paton 00:03:54
12 Richard Turner 00:03:54
13 Sion Jones 00:03:55
14 Paul Mackie 00:03:57
15 Chris Spencer 00:03:58
16 Alun Lewis 00:03:58
17 Sean O'connor 00:04:00
18 Jason Gidney 00:04:00
19 Chris Crook 00:04:01
20 Anthony Oates 00:04:03
21 Alexander Bayne 00:04:04
22 Daron Osborn 00:04:09
23 Robby Goldbin 00:04:11
24 Alex Slater 00:04:13
25 Richard Ryder 00:04:14
26 Dave English 00:04:15
27 Wayne Thomas 00:04:16
28 Phil Grimes 00:04:17
29 Jason Brennan 00:04:21
30 Phillip Mclaren 00:04:22
31 Jon Crook 00:04:40
32 Robert Morris 00:04:45
33 Jayson Cavill 00:04:45
34 Robert Stone 00:04:51
35 Dylan Aston 00:04:54
36 Adam Clarke 00:04:56
37 Darren Owen 00:04:58
38 Colin Bell 00:05:04
39 Stephen Louks 00:05:09
40 Lee 'Laid Back' Berr 00:05:10
41 Christian Tomlinson 00:05:11
42 Jay Hobbins 00:05:13
43 Andrew Salmons 00:05:52
44 Stephan Gleed 00:13:45
45 Ian White DNF

Other pictures courtesy of:

bikefotos.com

ukbikepics.com

coombsphotographics.co.uk