6 Weeks till 'Dave': Round 2, Saturday 18th August

Feeling sad that your favourite 4 wheeled mode of transport isn't being represented at the Olympic Games?  Try the World Alternative Games Instead.
http://www.worldalternativegames.co.uk/events/mountain-boarding/

or as it's better known to the Mountainboarding Community:

ATBA Downhill Round 2, Saturday 18th August 2012!

Just over 6 weeks to go until Round 2 of the ATBA Downhill Series at Esgair Dafydd or 'Dave' is round once again.  Very similar to last years event, and like Round 1 earlier this year up in Whinlatter, Lake District, we can expect to see high speed straights, technical cornering and incredibly close action as riders from across the UK compete to get down this tried-and-tested 1.4 mile, 9-cornered track in the fastest time.

Using the synchronised-watch system of clocking the riders in and out of the start and finish gates, riders get the opportunity to complete the course as many times as their stamina will allow with their fastest time being the one that counts.  Take advantage of the on-site uplift to maximise your riding without compromising on the climbing and make the most of the empty track which will be closed to other vehicles on race day.

All of this can be yours for £10 if you are an annual ATBA members or £20 for Day Members i.e those without ATBA membership who want to join in the fun.  Or get your membership now and save money all over the place!

Located near Llanwrtyd Wells, on the A483 in between Buith Wells and Llandovery, Post code: LD5 4TE, this track is pretty remote for everyone so camping may appeal to those travelling a bit further.  I'll add in some camping details here as and when they emerge.

Want to join in the discussion prior to the event?  The official ATBA Page has all the info and the official Facebook Page has all the discussion.

For those that haven't ridden a downhill event before or want to know a little more about the intricacies of riding 'Dave', read on!

"What are you looking forward to at this years event?"

In all honesty, it's basically a dusty track miles from anywhere.  Why do some of last years riders want to do it all again?

Jay rides noSno and since last years event has upgraded to hydraulic brakes for improved speed control.  He say that he is looking forward to bettering his time from last year on this challenging track, whilst making the most of the uplift and enjoying the friendly competition between riders.

Brennig is an innovator in mountainboarding development and creativity and constantly works on updates to his 'nompa' (Trampa/noSno mashup).  You can read all about his adventures at the 'Where the party is' blog and he simply says that he is looking forward to "actually getting out and riding" and adds that "it's an awesome track".

Chris, author of the 'Freeride NW' blog has switched his Comp 26 from last year to a noSno and hopes to improve on previous times by straight-lining the long section before 'Rogers Corner' (Corner '2' on map) without fear of speed wobble.  He too looks forward to catching up with loads of riders.

"What advice or Dave tips would you give to someone who hasn't ridden a downhill event or Dave before?"

It's a long way to go just to crash out on the first corner so we asked a few of last years riders to provide some hints and tips for the first timers.  So without giving away all of Dave's secrets (we don't want everyone to beat us!), here are some of the responses.

Jay says:

"pad up (of course), bring food and drink, have fun, and have some more fun"

Worth restating to take all of the supplies that you think you may need - food, water, spare equipment.  It's a long way from nowhere if you suddenly get the munchies or a flat tyre!  But above all, have fun - we look forward to catching up with as many of you as possible on the day!

Brennig says:

"Riding Brake-less? Practise your sliding and scrubbing, take it slow at first, you have all day to get a good time and you only need one. Pump up your tyres a little bit more every run and try lots of different lines. If you're going to crash the bushes are your friends.

Riding with a brake? Bomb those straights and don't brake too often, after Rogers corner (corner '2' on map above) try not to use it at all. And don't forget to enjoy yourself."

Its a good point to make that whilst many people will be riding with brakes, many others ride without and the fastest times of last year were all done brake-less.  It was an eye-opener last year to be overtaken on one of the practice runs by Steve Morris who was riding brake-less but who had far better cornering technique.  At Dave, equipment may assist, but good riding technique is essential for a good time.

Chris B says:

"Practice your cornering (especially heel sides)(Chris rides goofy). Other than speed tucking (which is beyond me anyway) it seems the biggest thing that affects your time is your ability to take corners at speed. Dave has about 9 of them; alternating heel side and toe sides.


There isn't much difference in time between brakes/brake-less at a high level, but for intermediates, brake boarders seem to have an easier time of things.


Don't try and blitz it early on; if you come off and injure yourself on a practice run or your 1st run its no fun."

Speed tucking?  Roger S writes a little about it here, giving plenty of food for thought and also some related interesting articles on Competition Strategy and Cornering.  Point to note that even if you're not going for a full Brazilian speed tuck, that you will be holding a mountainboarding stance for approximately 3.5  to 6 minutes depending on track times.  Multiply this time by 4 or even 5 times for the number of runs on the day and it soon becomes obvious why the day can be tiring.  Spending a few minutes every day holding a pose may reap rewards on the day, or at the very least mean that your legs aren't like jelly after the first couple of runs.

And Chris' point about not injuring yourself on the first run?  It's happened at the last two events now to riders on the first practice run on the first corner so it's definitely worth a mention.

Anything Else???

Some great responses above.  All that I would add is to try and get a good nights sleep the night before.  It can be a long day and is tiring, even with all of the vehicle up-lifts.

Dave has been described by many as 'the top where you try and limit the speed, followed by the rest where you try and maintain the speed'.  This is because of the long, reasonably steep straights leading to the first tight couple of corners.  However, brake too much at this point and it is difficult to regain speed on the lower, shallower half of the course.  In particular, try to maintain speed on the last corner as it is a relatively long straight to the finish - easier said than done with reasonably large rocks on the apex of the corner!

Finally, for those that just want to sit back and watch some videos, a couple for you:  The official 2011 promotional reel, followed by Travis' on board competition run.

Daredevils: Life on the Edge - Monday C4

Just a quick heads up about a documentary this Monday evening, Channel 4, featuring Danny MacAskill and a whole load of similar extremists.

From the description in the Radio Times:

"Stunt cyclist Danny MacAskill questions why people pursue extreme sports. Despite becoming famous through clips of his bike skills on the internet, he has suffered a series of injuries and is currently unable to perform. He speaks to fellow enthusiasts, scientists and psychologists to try to understand what leads people to take incredible risks."

Whether it'll be as good as Concrete Circus remains to be seen but it is the same director - Mike Christie so fingers crossed on this one.  I'll put a reminder out on twitter closer to the time and link to the 4OD links that will hopefully emerge following the programme.

Support the ATBA - Boards for Beginners

From the recent ATBA Newsletter #29:

"One of the things that keeps beginners from getting into mountainboarding is the cost of buying a board. We want to do something about this, and we need your help to do it. Do your have any spare board parts just gathering dust? Donate them to the ATBA-UK and we'll build up boards and sell them cheap for beginners. We'll also include an info pack with the board with info about centres, basics techniques, and info about becoming part of the community. We think it'll really help get more people into mountainboarding but we can't do it without you. So, bring any old spare wheels, bindings, trucks and even decks to any of the ATBA-UK comps and we'll gladly take them off your hands."

We've all got bits and pieces lying around the place - old egg shocks from when we were all a bit thinner round the waist, or skate trucks that became obsolete as the tracks got faster and the tricks got larger.   Club all the bits together and we've probably got a good number of boards as well as the opportunity to make a bit of cash for the ATBA.  This can go into promoting these events to make them even bigger and badder than ever before or go into any number of things that suck up money these days just to keep things running smoothly.

So, feeling charitable?  Going to an event? Round 2's this week by the way!

It's back to the writing....

It's back to the writing unfortunately since late last night when I had my car broken into resulting in a few bits and pieces nicked, including my beloved Contour HD cam D:

Not only this, but also my SatNav.  May it break down on them as frequently as it used to do so for me, and may it cause them to lose themselves every time they visit East Leeds.  May they agonise when it resets everytime they cut the ignition.  This is what you get when steeling a 3 year old, repeatedly repaired SatNav.

Not only this, but also my generic mp3 player.  May they be sorely disappointed in the lack of banging garage and electro beats and instead endure my large selection of podcasts, mashups and Mr Scruff sessions.  Good job I archive everything.

They did however leave my collection of CDs which obviously means that they have a poor taste in music, and my work notes, of which without them, I'd be way up the creek - my memory is terrible.

Most of these bits and pieces I can do without.  My camera however was fantastic for documenting the odd session or two and it will be sorely missed, especially as all of my spare funds right now are going in the composite axle pot.  Even more so, I was jammy enough to get mine at the especially low price that I did, so replacing is unlikely in the immediate future.  Shame really as I was looking forward to getting some footage of 'Dave'.

So it's back to the writing.  Not the worst thing ever, but with a picture equating a thousand words, a video worked wonders for taking the effort out of things sometimes.  Take it or leave it, you'll just have to use your imagination once again....

Self Timing Systems

Here's the plan.  I've bought one of these off ebay; they're only a couple of quid if you order from China and don't mind waiting a couple of weeks.

The LCD screen is on the large side, being approximately 65x40mm which should mean that I can read the numbers when the unit is strapped between my feet to the deck.  The casing will be drilled so that a wire can extend up the brake cable and connect to a rugged push switch on the brake lever mounting.  This will start-stop the timer with a push of the switch even when wearing gloves and should allow for a reasonably accurate indication of track run time.

Why?  The intention for this system is to a) allow quicker personal feedback at some of the longer runs such as Dave and Whinlatter before the relative start and end times have been compared and official times calculated, and b) allow for some personal investigation on the effectiveness of various speed tucks.  I appreciate that a whole load more information could be gathered by using GPS, but this should be a cheap and fast alternative i.e. not an issue if it falls off and breaks.

Yes, the system isn't foolproof to be used as a standard competition tool - I could easily pause the timer for a few seconds on the way down, and if this was the case, a series of relays that prevented a re-start unless the system is reset could be easily implemented.  But this isn't the point.  Unless I'm cheating myself, then the basic system as described above should do the job nicely for my own needs.

As an afterthought, my only concern is one of complexity especially on these race days when the person in front of you has set off and you have one minute to climb the ramp, strap yourself into the bindings, hold the brake lever in a position that won't get tangled up in the front trucks when setting off, start the helmet cam, ready the start-stop timing button and then pull yourself out of the starting gate without falling over.  Perhaps I should just ditch the gadgets and remember to enjoy the ride instead.

Who's with me? The Good Ride Guide!

This article originally appeared at the Mountainboard Derby blog.  This is mainly because I posted it in the wrong blog.  Hey ho!

Rogers UK Ride Guide is fantastic - an ever growing map showing all the popular riding locations, plus a whole load more and is a great start for those looking further afield for their thrills.

Following this line of thought, does anyone think it'd be a good idea to pull this information together to all this in a format familiar to anyone who has read one of the  'Good Beer' or 'Good Pub' guides over the years?  Each location would have a short description with a series of icons to designate the type of riding.  I'm thinking along the lines of Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Grass, Woodland, Firetrack, Freeride, Easy Access/Close Parking, Remote, Short/Medium/Long Trails, sort of thing.

Trails can be sorted by region with a corresponding map and possibly the option to rate or comment on trails with photos as appropriate.  All this could form a standalone website, or section of website, or compiled into an e-book, though distributing the wealth could be tricky if there are loads of contributors!

So, any good ideas, get in touch, or perhaps I just need some good logos and a bit of time to work out the Midlands section.  If nothing else, I just like the name 'The Good Ride Guide' and wanted to get first dibs on the copy write.  Even if it's a daft idea, at least we still have the UK ride guide!

Here is some additional information for those few people that don't regularly read the 'Good Beer' or 'Good Pub' Guide.

This is how to use the 'Good Beer Guide':

...and this is is what a typical section looks like when viewed from a slight angle:

So far, there seems to bee good interest, even though I didn't do the obvious thing and google goodrideguide.  (Un)fortunately, mountain bikers seem to have thought of this first, though it could be far worse - it could rate the ladies of the night on a sliding scale.  Still, I think the project has potential so lets see what happens.  Reckon we have more chance of producing a nice pamphlet that an actual e-book, but that could be fun too.