FNSS Races

Summer is definitely here. The first of the Friday Night Summer Series has happened. 169 riders turned up to race. Not bad for a local level race.

I rode the route with the club, doing course setting, on the Wednesday. A fun ride for the first half, quite quick. But then the race got into the woods. Imagine this. It is on a hill. It has lots of trees and roots. It has badger holes and rabbit holes. There is loose shingle going down and a swampy bit to ride up. The trees are close packed with low branch. You then have some killer climbs, gullies, logs etc. It is not paved, but loose earth and grass. Oh yeah.

So I fell off twice. But consider this environment with 169 nutters pounding around the course at full tilt and you get the idea. Damn fun. This isn't the only venue though.

The Friday Night Summer Series is the brain child of my local bike shop, or more to the point, Niel at George Halls. It takes in various sites around Northants, Leicester shire and Bucks (MK). The races last about an hour and are a fun, mud filled romp that test skill, endurance and your will to keep going.

Here is the link:

http://fnssmtb.com/

If the riders thought that this one was hard, the new course at Bulwick Estates are said to be even steeper and even harder. Yum Although booking on line closes six days before the race, you can still turn up and ride, cash in hand. It only costs a tenner.

The point is that normally racing is viewed as the preserve of elite international athletes who chase sponsorship and glory. The reality is that glory, or more usually the fun of getting out and giving it a go is open to anybody who just wants a good night out on their bike. No works teams, no uba athletes. Just people with bikes who want to get down and dirty.

Enjoy.