Racer's Guild

April 24th, RG timed Practice:

2010-04-30T00:03:00.001+01:00

Rider: Ed Smith, Fotog: Stu Hopkinson

Course details;

Little Bringe - Starting with the Ridge Line, right hand berm into short straight to finish

Conditions - Dryer than a Jack Dee show, hand polished roots and extra dust to go with the dust.

The final organisers email arrived on Friday night, "see you all on the hill at 9am tomorrow" were Harry's words. 9am?! Well it's not a work day so I got onto he hill around 10ish expecting to see people just starting rolling up. Harry, Rich and Mick were already off down the hill though with the course all taped out. The sun must have been making people's heads go funny or something.

The sun, the sun. Well it's been missing from a Guild Session for so long that it's might as well never have existed, but here it was making a storming come back. A light breeze, a few fluffy clouds and bone dry dusty trails. Perfect.

The course was Little Bringe, a couple of line options had been left open to gives riders a choice, last time we ran a session on this trail in 2009 the choices were a bit more restricted, more on that shortly.

Getting the course taped so early meant we were able to open it up before 10.30 so there was plenty of chance for people to get some more practice in. Everything was looking good. sign-in was all set, the course was taped, we only had the finish line to sort. Rich was taking first timing slot at the bottom of the hill so with half an hour to go was heading down the the bottom and squeezing in a final cheeky run at the same time. With Wyld Stallyn (ask you big brother) Harry following him down Rich was going all out on his short travel hardtail with street tyres pumped up rock hard. Not the ideal choice for one of the more tight and rooty trail on the hill but no worries eh.

Well not until the final section when the bike was binned and Rich used his arm as a brake. Wife beater vests don't offer too much protection and it was a pretty dazed and confused Rich I found when I headed down to see if the guys needed any help. Long story short but Rich ended up sitting out the day giving Lance (our new recruit to the timing tent) some training on the timing side of the event. He's now at home nursing a suspected broken elbow, get well soon Rich.

All this meant we had to kick off 5 minutes late with the runs so at 1.05pm we were off. With 55 Stile Cop regulars and new faces alike we were running one of the most chilled days we've seen for a while. The start line reached 28 degrees at one point although the breeze kept things nice. Riders were lined up on cue we had no faffing and everyone had a smile on their face, something else had to go wrong, but it didn't, sweet.

The fast boys started setting the pace and pretty soon the fastest times were around 52 seconds for a few of the usual guns. Once they got settled in though the times started dropping and it was looking like sub 50 seconds may be possible.Sam Maddison was throwing everything at the hill as usual and the orange and white blur was right up there on the clock. I mentioned that we'd kept a few line choices open this time around, well some of the lines Sam was spotted taking were off the radar all together, cheeky but inspiring at the same time.

Rider: Sam Madison, Fotog: Alex Smith

It was looking like a usual kind of running order for the main category until new face James Gant threw his times into the mix, run on run he was up there to finally post a 49.4 and take fastest run of the day. Not wanting to be outdone Mitch Ingley (who for some unknown reason decided it was the day to bring his hardtail out) got down to a consistent 53 second slot until deciding to borrow a full sus which knocked 3 seconds off his times.

Becky Hilton made it onto the hill as our only lady rider of the day, posting a 1.17.8 to place respectably in the overall field.

As ever we had a few young rippers along who were putting in some very respectable times proving that the Guild is doing what we've always wanted to do by bringing new and young riders into the scene. A special mention to 10 year old Cameron Jones who got faster with each run and reached 1.34 in the end.

Thanks to everyone who joined us and to our marshalls for the day. See you again in May.

Stu.

Ian Boon's excellent video HERE

Write-Up, March 2010

2010-03-23T14:30:00.013Z

This months session saw only 47 riders make it out to the hill, our lowest turn out in a long time. I think it would be fair to attribute this to the last moment date change; due to working and family commitments on our event crew and nothing to do with anyone being scared away by the dreaded rain! Our apologies to those who missed out because of the change of dates. We are taking steps to try and make sure this doesn't happen again.

Ok, down to business...

Trail : Ridge Run, with alternate corners after the ski jump.
Conditions : A mixture of slop, wet roots and a generous helping of loam.

Check out the results here: Results

The week prior to the March Guild was a sunny affair, with just about every trail on the hill dry and very gripy for about the first time this year. Everything was looking great for the weekend until the nice weather girl came onto the tele' and told us all we were going to get wet! Some of us pulled our fingers out and fitted spikes, the rest of us sniffed at it thinking it wouldn't be too bad, sticking with the dry tyres we had just retrieved from a dusty corner in the back of the shed! As it happened the trail was a mixed bag getting more slippery throughout the day, thanks to the showers. But the variety of surfaces gave grip at some point whatever choice of rubber you were touting. The top section was a slimy tram line of a rut all the way down to the gas line drop The moisture in the loam elsewhere actually seemed to help hold it together and other spots more sheltered from the wet stuff maintained their surface.

N. Carson coming down hard from the gas line drop. Photo credit Stu Hopkinson.

With longer days we were able to push the practice start time back to the later 1 o'clock start time we aim for, allowing more of a warm up for the riders and a better chance to check the track out. The riders used this extra time wisely and most spent time sectioning the lower fresh and loamy corners to get them dialed before timing started. Time well spent that would prove its worth on the stopwatch later in the day. Most notably on the off camber tight line option on one of the final corners that got so worn away by the end of warm up that a completely new complex of roots had appeared in place of all the loam that was roosted away.

Andy Hughes mastering the off camber loam. Photo credit Thomas Gaffney.

Not everyone managed to ride the slide to success. Rider after rider through the warm up met their match and ended up taking soil samples. Unfortunately not everyone came away from the corner un-harmed. Lee Gratton of the Squadron managed to tear a big hole in his arm whilst getting chucked off the bike, a quick trip to the hospital and some embroidery later he was discharged with a cool future scar and a lolly pop. Event Leader 'Stinky' Harry took the time to drive his car back and everything went smoothly... If your reading this Lee, Harry says he likes you car, but you might want to look at your bumper and to expect 6 points to appear on your license!

Unknown rider taking time out to test the soil PH. Photo credit Kitman.

Time to move onto the best results from the categories. This month we had no 'rippers' or women participate.

Youth (15 and under)

1st - Tom Austerberry
2nd - Dan Summers
3rd -Tom Goodwin

Tom, Dan and the other Tom were the only youth riders to break the 1 minute barrier. Tom Austerberry, on his brand new Orange rig was 6.7 seconds faster than Dan Summers and Tom Goodwin was only 0.3 of a second behind Dan.

Senior (16-39)

1st - Sam Maddison
2nd - Aaron Tolly and Andy Hughes, joint
4th - Elliot Machin

Sams first run down the hill was interrupted by a sit down on the last corner and in usual Maddison manner resulted in anger and shouting once over the finish line, so he marched back up the hill to have another go! Sure enough, later on in the session Sam came down and put in the fastest time of the day: 47.3 seconds. Aaron and Andy managed to score identical times and Elliot would up 4th only 1.6 seconds behind Sam.

Veteran (40+)

1st - Mick Whyte
2nd - Dale Laywood
3rd - Bob Dangerfeild

For most of the session Dale was the fastest 40+, but as is getting to be a common result, Mick got his act together and took fastest Veteran with a 55.6 . Bob was 3rd fastest 2.3 seconds behind Micks time. Can anyone knock Mick off his high horse and take him to school this year? Only time will tell...

Ian of team boons video is worth a look as always, this time further improved with his recent purchase of a new camera!

Last, but not least, the massed media was on the hill on saturday! Have a look through these great galleries:

Thomas Gaffney Photography
Paul Grocott (SXbegins)
Kitman
Stu Hopkinson
Gaz

Renew your membership to Racers Guild!

2010-03-20T23:36:00.000Z

Were you a 2008/2009 member of Racersguild? If so, it's time to renew your membership!

Membership to RG is free and allows you access to free or discounted BC membership, discounts with Descent-Gear. Most importantly, it'll mean you will receive the Racersguild Newsletter every month, letting you know when the next timed practice date is (dates will no longer be published on the forum), giving you club news and the latest and greatest deals from Descent-Gear.

To sign up, fill out the form here. Once completed, you'll get an email straight away saying that you've been successful.

Cheers,

Alex@racersguild

Site updates

2010-03-16T21:41:00.002Z

The 2010 calender is now live, and our membership page has been updated. Go have a look!

RG February - Snowed off

2010-02-22T12:31:00.001Z

With snow on Wednesday, and more snow on Thursday, and then on waking up to find even more snow on Friday Morning, we were forced to inspect the access roads at Stile Cop at mid day Friday. If there was snow on the fireroad, no access to road vehicles would be possible and we would have to call it off. Sadly the news from Harry was grim. The fireroads were thick with snow, and impassible by road vehicle.

February's RG was off, but some hardy souls still got out, got riding and shredded some gnar.

Fotog: Tenyearsafter

Tenyearsafter's 20th Feb set

There will now be no RG in February, but we hope we'll see a lot of you at the Mini DH at the Forest of Dean next weekend. The next RG will be the 27th March.

20th Feb Racersguild@Cannock Chase

2010-02-16T23:43:00.002Z

Hi folks, details for the 20th Feb Racersguild@Cannock Chase are below.

Trail work: Big litterpick following the outbreak of litterbugs.

Sign on from 11am
Start times from 11.30am
Timing starts from 12pm

Don't forget to bring some pennies for the tin!

If you want to help with starting, timing or marshaling, speak to Harry, email him at Harry@racersguild.co.uk, or PM him on here. We rely on your help!

Descent-Gear.com our number board sponsor unfortunately won't be here supporting you trackside. He's up in Scotland for a race up there. If your after something for the weekend then they ship out everything next day for free and are open 10:00 to 22:00 everyday and won't be beaten on price!

www.Descent-Gear.com
Office 0121 422 1032
Mobile 07968 229 359
si@descent-gear.com
!!FREE NEXT DAY DELIVERY ON ALL ORDERS!!

Alex@Racersguild

Alex says: The UCI wants to ruin our national championships...

2010-02-14T20:22:00.001Z

The UCI has recently re-introduced the rule whereby anyone who wins the national champion must wear the national champions jersey during every subsequent timed run and on every podium.

The national champion's jersey has very limited space for sponsor logos and often doesn't fit with the team strip. That means that the rider's sponsors get less exposure during the times that their riders are most likely to be seen. As a result, just as a few years ago, team managers will either remove their riders from the national championships, or instruct their riders not to win. This makes a mockery of our national championship races.

We've already seen Sam Hill mysteriously crash yards away from the finish line of the Australian National Champs whilst half a second up. Team orders or accident?

For the past few years, riders have worn an arm band consisting of their national federation's colours if they are national champion, and that's worked. Why the UCI had to change it back to the bad old ways, we do not know, but it's damned silly.

Bottom line: If you want to see a national champ, not a national chump, you need to sign this petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/UCIrule/petition.html

Alex

The above represents the view of the writer and does not necessarily represent the view of Racersguild.co.uk

Jan 2010 Timing Day

2010-01-26T00:39:00.004Z

"I've never even tried to clear it before, it just happened!"

Rider: Peter Gill, Photog: Stu Hopkinson

3 degrees Celsius, heavy mist and murky, that's how the top of the hill looked with Harry, John and Mick ready and waiting when I arrived at 9am, a quick check to make sure Harry hadn?t wet the bed and we got to work. Suddenly things got a whole lot brighter when Sam Maddison showed up on his new team Orange, first ride out and it looked superb with it?s perfectly colour coordinated orange glow sending geiger counters off the scale around the country. We spent 5 minutes warming our hands on the bike and headed off for a steady run down the Red course to check it was ok and we kicked off the trail prep and marking.

Seems Sketch shrunk in the wash over Christmas
Rider: Luke "minisketch" Cryer, Photog: DrifterJon

We figured it might be a quiet day with the weather and forecast rain but by the time we got to the top of the hill things were getting pretty busy. Si Paton was set up with the Descent-Gear.co.uk stand and the rain was still holding off, result.

Descent-Gear giant Si Paton tests his fresh-out-of-the-box 22shhh!

Photog: DrifterJon

So the course was standard Red including the original long right hand corner that's been disused for a few years, crossing the fire road into the rooty Ss. It was going to be a real test of fitness with a long, flat out trail finishing with a slippery sting in the tail. Adding in the bring your hardtail promo we had and it was shaping up to be an interesting day although we were all grateful that there were no skinsuits on the hill this time!!

Runs kicked off and in the spirit of hardtail pride Mick Whyte then posted a 1.26.9 to set the hardtail bar nice and high.
The course may not be the most technical we have on the hill but it had lungs popping up and muscles screaming for mercy for all but the uber fit riders. It was eyeballs out all the way and great to see such a mix of bikes from full on DH race bikes to 24? wheeled, singlespeed, fully rigid boneshakers, there?s a few dentists in work for the next couple of weeks.

In the end Andy Hughes stormed it to take the fastest time of the day at 1.19.1 while vet hardtailer Mick held on for fastest time in his category. Top senior hardtailer was John Lee with a 1:25.6 pulled out right at the end. Ride of the day, though, has to go to Tom Hodgkinson who not only got the fastest time in Juniors with a 1.24.9, but simultaneously took the fastest hardtail time of the day. He's either been practicing, or someone needs to put him on a big bike!

In the Ladies cat, Elite racer Harriet Latchem took time out from winning regionals to sprint the Red course in 1:29.5, a full 15 seconds clear of Becky and Nadia. Winter training obviously pays off!

Back in the middle of the field, Richie Parsons crossed the line headfirst, Stu Tite notched up his best ever RG result with a top ten overall placing and third fastest hardtail, and Luke Cryer showed that he's not all no-footers and cheek by posting a very respectable 1:27.8
The day also saw our first ever young rippers cat with newbies Josh Laywood and Jessica Pearson showing that everyone can get involved in the Guild. On the right course it?s be great to see these young guns going for it again.

Slippery conditions didn't phase young Jessica!
Photog: Stu Hopkinson

So have we proved a point? Full sussers are faster than hardtails on our little hill? Maybe, but judging by the buzz that filled the hillside there?s no shortage of fun whatever you ride.

Media:

Boon's first video of 2010: Red Mist

Joe Ellement's Vid:

Photos:
Drifter Jon
http://drifterjon.pinkbike.com/album/Racers-Guild---Jan-23rd/
Stu Hopkinson
http://stueysasquach.pinkbike.com/album/Racers-Guild-Jan-2010/
Kasper Wozniak's Dad
http://mtbkacper.pinkbike.com/album/Racers-Guild-23Jan-Cannock/
Tim Pegasus
http://timpegasus.pinkbike.com/album/RG-Jan-23/

Jan results are now available and the 2010 calender should be up to date this week

Over and out:
Stuart@Racersguild & Alex@Racersguild

Midlands MTB Forum Problems + Marshalls

2010-01-21T09:24:00.000Z

The Midlands MTB/Chasetrails forum appears to be broken at the minute. Please bear with us whilst the forum owners fix it. In the meantime, any updates will be posted here.

We need marshals!
If you are over 18 and fancy two guarranteed in advance start times this weekend, comment on this post leaving your name and email or phone number, or email Harry at harry@racersguild.co.uk

Descent-Gear will be at RG Jan 23rd!

2010-01-17T20:44:00.001Z

The Racers Guild number board sponsor Descent-Gear will be trackside with some Racers Guild specials:

All Maxxis Downhill Tyres are �50.00 a pair.

Troy Lee D3 Helmets �400.00

Element Nickel Wide bars �39.99

Fox Goggles �29.99

If you need anything in advance of Saturdays action get onto Descent-Gear.com, they deliver next day for free or can also deliver trackside.

Important Info for 2010 RG Events

2010-01-17T19:32:00.001Z

There are two changes to the way Racersguild runs that come in to effect from this month.

Entry cap
The number of entries for any timed practice day is limited to 100, allocated on a first come, first served basis. We will always let you know what time you can sign on from.

Race plates
You must return your race plates at the end of each timing day to the Race Plate Bucket. Please do not take 2010 plates home with you.

Timing day: 23rd Jan

2010-01-17T00:25:00.000Z

It's this month's timing day on Saturday 23rd!

In a break with tradition, we're running a hardtail special. Leave your big bike at home and bring that hardtail that's just gathering dust. Time to find out whether you've got skills, or whether you've been making up for it with 8" of suspension like me

New race plates will be in use. Please leave your old plates at home. New plates must be returned to the bucket next to the sign in area before you leave.

Sign on from 11am
Start times given out from 11.30am
Timing starts at 12pm
Timing ends at about 3.30ish

Please also remember to put a quid in the tin! Your donations keep Racersguild running.

The Descent-Gear shop will be in attendance, and I'm sure Si will have plenty of shiny 2010 gear for you to ogle.

In a total break in R.G tradition we think it is only fair to mention that we will be running the Red line for Jan's Guild Session.

Time to find out who has been getting the miles in over Christmas and who has been getting the beers in!

We will still allow you to run if you really don't have a hard tail bike but we might ask you to take the chain off!

Racersguild Season ender party and Film Premi�re 2nd Jan

2009-12-25T12:14:00.000Z

Everyone at Racersguild invites you to join us for the 2009 Racersguild Season Ender Party and Film Premi�re on the 2nd Jan 2010.

If you've ridden this year, come along, and if you helped out this year, marshalling, taking photos, filming, starting, please come along too as without the help we get all year long, Racersguild just wouldn't work.

Ian @ Boon Productions will be showing his 2009 Racersguild film, Second Time Around

Day: Saturday 2nd January 2010
Time: 7pm

Place: Birches Valley Forest Centre near Rugeley
It will take place in the same place as last year, the TreeHouse classroom behind Swinnertons. It'll be all signed up on the evening. Parking is in the Go-ape Car park and is free.

Ian will also be selling copies of STA, so make sure you reserve your copy! Copies are �6 and you should PM Ian before the 2nd to make sure he has a copy for you.

Bring your own beer!

December 19th - Tolley's Trail - Write up

2009-12-23T13:08:00.000Z

Saturday 19th was about the ice, those roots and the ground you could never quite predict.

Aaron Neumann on Andy Hughes' bike?

Photo credit: Kitman (click for gallery)

Frozen solid ground, frozen fingers, sheets of black ice in the ruts leading in to the steepest part of the track and the infernal Screams Vs Highrollers debate.

Before we started timing, all the focus was at the roots. A steep chute into an offcamber lefthander over roots that wanted to take you straight over the tiny catch berm, and if you made it that far, another two diagonal slippery snakes to shoot your front wheel away from you.

Alex Hill inspects the trail

Photo credit Stu Hopkinson (Gallery)

First down the hill was the RG Squadron's latest recruit, Lee Gratton. All those tumbles in practice had clearly paid off, as he drew a line in the snow at 57.7 seconds. Big guns Andy Hughes and Elliot "Pants on the outside" Machin both failed to go under a minute at first, struggling to stay on the bike and stay pinned when you never really knew if the front wheel was going to hook up or not. Then, thirty minutes in, Adam Halling sent a shot across the bows with a 57.8. Adam was confident he had plenty left in the tank. Some time later he delivered, taking a half second lead out of Lee with a 57.1 and concluding with a storming 56.6. Lee's only reply was a 57.6, putting him in second a full second behind a perfect ride from Adam. Andy Hughes put in a strong show towards the end, scoring a 57.8, but not enough to usurp the winter warriors.

Luke Weston visits the 80s

Photo credit: Kitman

Meanwhile, over in the junior cat, nine riders lined up to take on the ice. With Joe Ellement, Sam Maddison and Mitch Ingley all over-age and bumped up to Senior, it left a classy Elliot Gill to take command and leaving the rest of the field wondering where they were going to find a full ten seconds from, with Tommy Jeffs coming closest.

Honerable mentions go to;

John Lee, taking the hardtail glory with a stonking 1.13.8 whilst still in his morning suit

Barrack Obama, who, taking a break from climate conferences, signed in as Paul Grocott and laid down a 14.4

Daniel Gibson, who posted a 1.17.8 whilst wearing a christmas present. Seriously.

Dan Gibson makes his presents known before gifting himself to the ground

Photo Credit: Kitman

With everyone retiring to the car to defrost, we wound up early, allowing the Squadron to get a photoshoot with their new team manager, John Lee.

So, it's goodbye to the 2009 season, and with it, goodbye to Aaron, who has turned Racersguild from an idea on the back of a beermat, to the monster it is today. We'll miss you buddy!

Media:

Photos:

DrifterJon's photos

Tim's photos

Paul's photos

Stu Hopkinson's photos

Kitman's photos

Video

Lance Netherton:

Ian@ Boon productions

See you all in 7pm, 2nd Jan 2010 @ Birches valley for the End of Season Party!

Saturday 19th's Track is....

2009-12-18T16:00:00.000Z

...Tolley's Trail

Yes, that's right. That steep, rooty slippery track that peels off New Line just after the rock garden. Wet screams for the loamy bits or highrollers for the frozen bits? Will anyone be able to clear the roots? Will Sam Madison ever get a clear run?

Sign in from 11am
Get start times from 11.30am
Timing starts at 12pm

Please bring your race plate and some pennies for our donations tin.

Check out our previous post for Descent-Gear bargains.

And now, for some ROOOOOTS!

Descent-gear will be at racersguild 19th dec

2009-12-14T22:39:00.001Z

Si Patons Descent-Gear.com trackside emporium will be in the house for some more "Racers Guild Specials" so make sure you bring cash or card for those last minute christmas specials.

Maxxis Downhill Tyres �50.00 a pair
Element Nickel Wide Bars �39.99
Leatt Adventure Neck Braces �169.99
Plus the full range of Troy Lee Race Kit and much, much more..

www.Descent-Gear.com ship every order for free next day and answer the phone.
Plus they can deliver trackside if your postman is not as fast as you!

Sign in starts @ 11am
Timing starts @ 12pm

See you there!

Write Up- 29th November

2009-12-04T14:52:00.008Z

Results are posted here, read them and weap: Results

Well that special time of the month has been and gone again and normal service is resumed. This month we prepared an unusual mix of lines to try and put on something a bit different. The start was onto the top half of the black run, which then peeled off through a flat bog to join the big 180 degree berm on the red run. Straight after that there was a right turn onto the low level woodwork of snakes and ladders, this led into the steep part of the track and plunged down into a huge catch berm that as well as holding riders was holding a pond on the day. Once round the berm there was a short link up hill to either kill off your speed or stop you dead, before a tight corner back downhill round a rooty tree. After that a couple of tight switches to join you back onto the bottom section of the red run, a quick sprint across the fire road then an option of drifting on the off camber inside or railing the berms on the bottom 2 corners, then over the humongous greasy root to finish. We test rode the combination of trails in the dry and it worked very well, however after the deluge of rain in the week before the event things got a little more challenging....

Tom Austerberry going round the pond to keep his socks dry.

Timing this month started at the earlier time of midday in order to make use of what little light we have to play with at this time of the year and the first fast time of the day was to be set by Guild founder Aaron Meumann, 1:20.1, that time stood as fastest for some time and later on in the session Aaron would shave seconds off his time to land a 1:17.7, 8th fastest overall.

Aaron 'Mr. RG' Neumann giving a free lesson to a lot of younger riders on the hill.

As usual Andy from the Squadron was up there with the rest of the fast boys, as well as Adam Halling, Lee Gratton, 'Mad' Sam Maddison and Chris Derry. All putting on a good show with times under 1:17. However this month saw the return of the northern invasion to Cannock Chase, and as expected in tow was Kurtis Knowles, who as you might remember was one of the dominating names in this years Northern downhill series. You've probably already guessed it... But Kurtis went home with the fastest time of the day 1:13.3, 1.2 seconds faster than 2nd fastest!

Self professed northern monkey Stephen Tomlinson went home happy with a time of 1:24:4...

... And Kurtis here styles it up over the bottom jump on his way to fastest time.

Thanks to all the true believers who came out to help, either offering First Aid assistance, Martialling or help with timing and signing on, we can't do it without you lot!

Ever ready Mick Whyte keeping us safe and offering words of encouragement in between chomping on a banana and taking the fastest time in the Veteran category.

Other notable mentions from this month have to be Declan Whyte, our youngest rider (by a long way!) with a time of 1:44.5 to manage 13th fastest out of 19 youth riders and Dan Green who managed a time of 1:26.3 on his jump bike with a slick/street rear tyre!

As usual we had a mass of photographers on the hill snapping away, credit to the photos used in the write up must go to Kitman, Martin Sutton and Thomas Gaffney, links to all galleries below:

Kitmans gallery

Tomos gallery

Martin Suttons gallery

Pauls gallery

Bisks gallery

Last but not least I will leave you with the usual video offerings from Team Boon and Lance, enjoy:

Descent-Gear at RG on Sunday

2009-11-27T01:19:00.001Z

Si Paton will be rocking up to RacersGuild on Sunday with the Descent-Gear shop, With 2010 TLD gear in stock!

Don't forget your wallets folks. Now is the time to get your spikes and swampies for winter, remember, RacersGuild members get 10% off Descent-Gear's already CRC beating prices!

Join British Cycling - It's Free

2009-11-21T19:12:00.000Z

Racers Guild of Cannock Chase is a British Cycling affiliated club. As a member of RG, you are entitled to join British Cycling at Bronze level, for free. So far only 11 riders have taken this offer up, with 8 of those being people who need racing licences and took advantage of the massive discounts offered to club members.

Racers Guild is one of only a couple of dedicated DH clubs in the country, part of the reason that downhill is so under-represented at British Cycling. By joining for free, you give Racersguild and DH as a whole a bigger voice.

You can join by Clicking Here where you can opt to either join British Cycling as a Bronze member (free) or as a silver or gold member which, amongst other benefits, gives you access to a full UK racing license, required to compete at the British Downhill Championships (NPS) or to collect points from any regional races.

Make a difference to downhill; Get stuck in.

Write Up - Saturday 24th October

2009-10-31T07:38:00.004Z

Yet again, sorry to have kept you hanging on for this, but its been a manic week and I hope you all appreciate me typing this out at 7am on my saturday off before going for a shred round the local!

For those who couldn't make it to the Guild, the trail this month was Wanderland, this time with no bus stops! So in the words of Andy. H of the Squadron "Its flat out from the Gas line right down to the last corner"... Well maybe for you and a select few mate, but the rest of us had at least a little scrub of the brakes before we got there!

Andy dropping into the start of the 'flat out' section.

This month again saw big numbers in the youth category, 20 riders this month... However, due to a number board shortage some riders signing i for the event had to use the numbers of the Youth section, I'm sure our strict 'I.D. if you look OVER age' policy got these riders correctly listed in senior, maybe a couple of youthful child like faces went undetected into the wrong category, only honesty will tell now! As for the times, Alistair May, Sam Dale and Mitch Ingley made the top 3 times respectively, with only 2.7 seconds separating the op 3. The kind of close result we're coming to expect at the Guild.

Mitch airing onto the fireroad on his way to 3rd fastest youth.

This month saw smaller turnouts in both the Masters and Women's categories, Becky. H was there, but not feeling to well spent the day marshaling for us, thanks to Stu and Becky who came along to help out even tho they we're too unwell to ride! Jo Perkins was the only entrant for the women's category and put in a time of 1:31.5 and Mick Whyte was the fastest of 4 Masters with a time of 1:07.7!

Fastest Master, Mick throwing it down!

Well, well... As usual , last but not least the Seniors category. 58 seniors this time around made it to the hill and as usual it came down to the wire! Early on Adam Halling set a fastest time of 1:00.1, which was then matched by Lee Gratton with an identical 1:00.1... Andy Hughes of the Squadron was waiting at the top of the hill tho and came down like greased lightening with what would stick as the fastest time of the day, the only rider under a minute, 0:58.6. Adam and Lee would both try again to beat Andy with no success. The only change to the top 3 being Lee beating his 1:00.1 with a 1:00.0 to just pip Adam back to 3rd. So to re-cap - Andy Hughes fastest, Lee Gratton 2nd and Adam Halling 3rd.

Lee, close but no cigar... on his way to second fastest.

Those of you with eagle eyes may have noticed the massive Descent Gear stand at the top of the hill with Si Paton, Son and dog there to do you some great deals on all sorts of kit. It was great to have 'Mr NPS' back on the hill, but better than that Si and Descent Gear will be sponsoring the guild next year with a generous donation of new number boards for next year, for those of you that don't know this may not sound like a lot, but those boards are chuffing expensive and this is a fantastic boost for the Guild! Check out www.descent-gear.com for Si's great prices, don't forget Racers Guild members are entitled to discount at Descent Gear, which makes the UKs cheapest even cheaper! You can also expect fast and friendly service... go on you'd be a fool not to. More on this coming soon.

Now over to the media! This time all the pictures used in the write up are curtacy of Paul (SXbegins), have a look through his pinkbike album and i'm sure you'll find one of yourself! Thanks Paul!

http://sxbegins.pinkbike.com/album/Racers-Guild-Stile-Cop-241009/

As usual Ian from Team Boon was there filming away and John Lee (Jumble) from the 52 week project was there riding and filming, check out both of their videos here:

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/106484/

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/106249/

5 points or a punch on the nose to the first smarty pants to point out my spelling errors and now i'm off for a ride! See you all next time!

-Rich

October Results Posted

2009-10-22T21:35:00.005+01:00

Here are the results for Saturday's wicked Wonderland timed practice. They've been updated with hardtail times now, although you may need to refresh your browser.

Squadron on Pinkbike!

2009-10-21T08:51:00.002+01:00

Just thought I'd post this here as well as on the Squadron Team blog... Head on over to Pinkbike if you've not yet read John "Jumble" Lee's article on the Squadron!

If you don't know who Jumble is, you might enjoy reading about his "52 weeks" project via his blog or website.

Breaking News, Descent Gear back at RG!

2009-10-19T11:32:00.006+01:00

Bring your piggy banks and big girly purses!

Si Paton will be rolling up to the Racers Guild day this Saturday with the Descent Gear stand and, as usual, is promising some killer deals on all sorts of essentials and trick bits. It might well be the last chance of the year to see the Descent Gear stand with Si's great prices on Maxxis Tyres. With the RRP on Maxxis rubber set to go up next season you'd be a fool not to stock up on saturday!

Also don't forget that any signed up Racers Guild members receive discount from Descent Gear. If you're not a signed up member and you want to join the Guild then check the "join" box when you're signing in. RG membership also entitles you to discounted British cycling membership and discounts on racing licences.

Last thing, don't forget that the Racers Guild is dependant on donations (in the red tin at sign on) to keep going. Every month we have expenses such as the Firstaider and club insurance to cover. The RG is a non profit club and with you're help we'll can continue to host the timed practice days everyone loves!

Rich.

Forum

2009-10-19T09:43:00.001+01:00

Hey folks, just to let you know that someone is working on getting the forum back up. I'm not sure what the problem is, but hopefully it will be back soon.

Racer's Guild goes racing for real - Descent Gear Unclipped

2009-10-14T19:54:00.006+01:00

From Squadron Moelfre 2009

You wouldn't believe it, but we had 23 riders from Racer's Guild entered into the Descent-Gear Unclipped race at Moelfre this past weekend! That's like, ummm, 7% of the total entries! We didn't manage to make a central camp - in fact we were spread all over. But everyone did manage to make it to the campfire at some point Saturday night, while our good friends from up north (i.e. Steve) kept us entertained with good stories and occasionally painful one liners.

The first competition for the weekend was the Saturday night long jump. I didn't rush over, as the jump was only about knee high and I didn't think it would be too spectacular. When I did wander over, I just happened to catch some pint-sized juggernaut mid-flight going waaaaay bigger than anyone could understand. That just happened to be the winning jump. Any guesses to who it was? Here's a hint:

Guess Who? Photo by Scott Cartwright. From Squadron Moelfre 2009

Still don't know? Well, who else, but the human coil spring, Sam Maddison. Somebody walked it off...40 ft. Think of the Ridge Line ski jump, and then think of someone landing about twice as far as where the landing is. That might approach his accomplishment! Wish I could remember what he won...

Sunday rolled around early, with a mix of clouds, sprinkles, sun, and an increasing wind which would play havoc on people's 2nd runs in the afternoon. Can't complain much about the weather though, it was alright for the whole weekend.

Sam Maddison taking the Sam Hill Line, photo by Scott Cartwright. From Squadron Moelfre 2009

In Youth, Sam once again got some spotlight in the hot seat for a long time with a super quick 2:35. Youth is a highly competitive category though, so he ended 7th in the end, which is still an awesome result. He crashed on his 2nd run, but rather than throw in the towel he gave it some welly - I saw him motoring down the long pedally section faster than anyone else and yelled my lungs off at him from the uplift. Ed Smith had what looked to be a good result, although I didn't speak to him and know he was having some brake issues. And Joe Ellement tackled the biggest course he's yet ridden being fairly new the sport, which is an accomplishment in itself.

Joe Ellement, photo by Scott Cartwright. From Squadron Moelfre 2009

The surprise in Juniors was Kyle's 16th place finish - with a flat! The boy has definitely got quicker, who knows what he could have pulled off with a clean run! Joe Worral placed 24th, which isn't too shabby either - not sure what his run was like. I saw Tom Harris there as well, but couldn't find his result, if he was there for moral support good on ya!

Kyle Dixon, photo by Scott Cartwright. From Squadron Moelfre 2009

In the womens class, Nadia did very well and went home with a 5th pla...hey that's a podium in a World Cup! Becky was also there and took 9th - I know she was pleased to conquer the steep section during her race run. This was only her second race, but I reckon she'll be back for more!

Becky Hilton, photo by Scott Cartwright. From Squadron Moelfre 2009

Masters was right after Womens, which was just Stu and myself. Stu, like Becky, also had a good race run - wish I could say the same for myself! Two little mistakes on my first run and a crash on the 2nd. Can't complain though, it was good enough for 8th. That wouldn't have even been top 50 in Seniors though! On the way home I was reflecting on life, as I like to do, and realized that I am a bit of a choker when it comes to racing even though I do love it. It's one of the reasons I ended up forming the Squadron and spend a lot of time outside the tape around races supporting the Squadron guys - time better spent I think!

Yours truly, photo by Tom Smith. From Squadron Moelfre 2009

The Seniors class was huge - 130 riders and quite a few RG regulars. I'll work my way up - I don't think Stevo was too happy with his run, and James M pulled something in his leg which meant he had to sit the 2nd run out. Hope it heals quickly mate! Turns out he went up the hill to watch and ended up helping me with my bike in that stupid off I had in my 2nd run - he gave me a good shout and I was back on my way, thanks man! John Lee, the pinkbike blogger on week 11 out of 52 before the Mega Avalanche was there in training as well. Shane blew out his rear mech in practice but managed to fashion a single speed up using a zip tie as a chain tensioner! On all accounts he did OK for 84th position!

Steve Tomlinson, photo by Scott Cartwright. From Squadron Moelfre 2009

Jay Price took 82nd, no doubt slightly troubled by his massive header which left most of his upper body looking like a big bruise - can we get a picture of his black eye? Twin bro Dan had a very good run at 2:40 (have to say that because he just beat me!) for 54th place. Tropical Dean did a very solid 2:45 for 76th - actually it was a blinding run, but that's more due to his race kit. And Joe da ho Howard showed up - we all thought he was still living it up in BC, but apparently he's back - 68th for Joe with a solid time.

From Squadron Moelfre 2009

Richie was there, and despite his t-shirt that said "can't ride for sh*t", he did a 2:41 for 59th. We had a bet riding on who would be quicker between us, the winner wouldn't have to do the timing at the next RG. Richie lost by a fraction - but we decided Alex (who wasn't at the race) would do the timing anyway.

Richie Parsons, photo by Scott Cartwright. From Squadron Moelfre 2009

Now we're getting into the really quick guys. Sam Hill came down riding Gee Atherton's bike - no no wait, that's just Ryan. He caught someone in his first run and yelled at him all the way down. His second went alright though, 22nd place with a very fast 2:32. He was right on the tail of all-out Doddy who muscled out a 14th place finish with 2:29 - only a fraction slower than Andy on the Squadron.

Andy Dodd, photo by Scott Cartwright. From Squadron Moelfre 2009

To find out how the Squadron guys did, pop on over to the team blog here:

Squadron Home Page

(may not be up yet, be patient)

There was some awesome pre-race mechanics and massive race moments - it's definitely worth a read - don't miss it!

It was an awesome weekend made better by great company. I drove home with a bit of a heavy heart - this was my last UK race before I return to the states. The sun was setting and there was a warm light that cast long shadows on the Welsh hillsides along the winding country lanes. It was stunning. I will miss this. The country, the racing, and the people. As much as I'd like to say you British are a bunch of pricks, sadly, it's just not the case - you're actually some of the best friends a guy could ask for. Quit while you're ahead they say - the weekend was definitely a high point and a great memory to cap off a great few years. Cheers guys and gals!

Everyone's Results

Joe Ellement: 65th Youth 3:44
Sam Maddison: 7th Youth 2:35
Ed Smith: 22nd Youth 2:48

Kyle Dixon: 16th Juniors 2:46 (with a flat)
Joe Worral: 24th Juniors 3:02
Tom Harris: Didn?t race?

Shane Botha: 84th Seniors 2:48
Dean Callister: 76th Seniors 2:45
Andy Dodd: 14th Seniors 2:29
Ryan Edwards: 22nd Seniors 2:32
Joe Howard: 68th Seniors 2:44
John Lee: 112 Seniors 3:07
James Molyneux: 86th Seniors 2:49 (injury)
Richie Parsons: 59th Seniors 2:41
Jay Price: 82nd Seniors 2:48
Dan Price: 54th Seniors 2:40
Steve Tomlinson: 118 Seniors 3:12

Stu Hopkinson: 29th Masters 3:47
Aaron Neumann: 8th Masters 2:41

Becky Hilton: 9th Womens 3:57
Nadia Williams: 5th Womens 3:20

Jay Price, photo by Scott Cartwright. From Squadron Moelfre 2009

Joe Worral, photo by Scott Cartwright. From Squadron Moelfre 2009

Boon 2009 Productions Video