Help request - Beastway marshalling 14th July

[EdO]

[quote="Grahame"]
Ed, I should be fine to get you back to Beckenham, though.

[kieran]

Hi Grahame, just to confirm that I will be marshalling I should be there just about 7pm if no puncture/mechanical on the way. I will pm you my number -if you could pm your number to me so I can ring if I do get a puncture/mechanical Anyone else riding back? I will be riding home vis tower bridge to Forest Hill.

[Ivor]

Is anyone else (who knows the way) riding out from the City?
oh and a lift in the general direction of home would be appreciated - bike foldable so quite compact, will fit in a boot!

[kieran]

Ivor, I will be heading out from forest hill via tower bridge, I plan to leave home at the latest at 6pm, so I should be passing Tower Bridge around 6:20pm and I know the way from there. PM'ed u.

[EdO]

I'll meet you guys at tower bridge 6.20pm.

on MTB with slicks

Ed

[Serge]

The lift back to the croydon area is yours Ivor. Still two places left in the van. No problem waiting whilst you guys finish up. Bring your ponchos it could be a wet one tomorrow, Oh joy .

[kieran]

Serge, if its raining - can I take one of those places in your van for a person and bike?

[higg]

Some pics from Addiscombes promotion of Beastway tonight


Serge was racing as warm-up for Nationals this weekend. (I have about 10 pictures of Serge from this evening and the same guy [Matt Holmes] is directly behind him in almost every one.)
[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs018.ash2/34258_407993466867_565591867_4592605_5143892_n.jpg[/img]


There were some steep bits
[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs018.ash2/34258_407993486867_565591867_4592609_6200156_n.jpg[/img]


Helping out at an MTB event is easy once everybody stays on their bike and then keeps their bike on the trail.
[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs018.ash2/34258_407993501867_565591867_4592612_1777560_n.jpg[/img]

There he is again
[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs196.snc4/38121_407993666867_565591867_4592614_1239191_n.jpg[/img]

Grahame is on the organising committee for this race series and helps with course set-up for every race
[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs096.ash2/38121_407993706867_565591867_4592621_2364933_n.jpg[/img]

One of the most important tasks of helping out at an MTB event is taking down the course afterwards (i.e.) stakes and tape.
[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs176.snc4/38121_407993711867_565591867_4592622_1700414_n.jpg[/img]

more photos here

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... 9dce18fb33

[Ivor]

Well that was different! After a bit of phone negotiations met up with Kieran and Ed at mile end to ride over. After the obligitory "can you go quickly on that" comment about my folding bike we set of at a decent pace.
We perfectly timed the pace so we hit every set of lights at red.
Anyhow, quick briefing from Grahame ("here's your bib, go and marshal"), scampered down the hill through the thistles and found my spot. Weather looking pretty good too!

First racers through pretty damned quickly, with an unmistakable addiscombe jersey in second place, with another rider sitting right on his wheel. Then a whole stream of riders of all different ages on a range of bikes at a spread of speeds.
Ok this doesn't look so bad, perhaps I could have a go at this.
And another lap, fast dude (#2) blasts past, with quite a gap now back to Serge and his sucker, then another gap back to the rest. Then Grahame.
Still I reckon I could do this....
and on. and on. now the fields getting mixed up with slow and fast riders merging. lots of calls now, riders shouting on your right, coming through and so on. all very civilized. with a few snarky comments thrown in. now getting a steady stream of crashes just above and below me, nothing serious though.
Fast bloke still pegging it. clearing the ground on the bumps just past me. Serge, sucker, then the rest.
Young lad has a crash just before me and when I wave he runs down with his bike. Rear brake jammed on. have a bit of a fiddle, but he's taken out a spoke and his rear wheel is pretzelled, can't do any more for that.
Hear a bell in the distance and I'm recognising the riders as they come through now, fast dude, serge, sucker, rest. and finally Grahame with the time to clear the course order. scamper about collecting stakes and tape and back to the HQ. Have a chat about TT'ing with a NP rider there and meet up with Marco and Serge.

...and we're in the van homewards, work out Serge is going to come around the M25 so that's even more convenient for me for Oxted, I can get out at J6.

Good natter about everything bike on the way back and manage to distract Serge just long enough for him to miss turn on to the M25 ahem oops.
Anyway, heavens open on return turning the M25 into a river and Serge announces that throwing me out at J6 wouldn't be fair and takes me to my door. Very kind, many thanks!

Overall an excellent evening, glad I went along to take a look. Might be tempted to give it a go sometime, although would have to plan getting there and back after work it's a bit of a hike after all.

[EdO]

Think the action photos sum up the race for Serge. 2nd all the way round until the final climb

Fast tempo for me on the way down there. Cheers for the tow Keiran.
Hit several reds but managed to get there just after 7.

Got my instructions from Grahame with a radio and was off down to man my post by the gates at the single track section before the climb back up to the start.
Couple of guys pulled out near me but no incidents at all. Gave the guys plenty of encouragement and got some thank yous on the last lap.

Thought taking down the course would prove a nightmare but packed away quite quickly.

Thanks for the lift home and beer Grahame.

Will think about giving the racing a go next week.


cheers

Ed.

[Grahame]

Thanks for coming to help, chaps.

The structureless tyranny (the Beastway organisers) appreciated your efforts. The tyrants' confidence in Addiscombe was shown by the course design being one of the longest in this year's series (we only put up a long course if we are confident there will be enough marshalls around to help get it pulled down before dark), and the race being allowed to run on a lap longer (about 8 minutes) than other races - again confidence that the course would be down quickly.

I hope you all enjoyed it. Could you please each send me a pm with full names, so I can get the marshalling records updated and you won't be hassled (for a while) about helping out again. Cheers.

I dropped Sarah (Dulwich Paragon/Structureless Tyranny) and Ed off on my way home and was unpacked and in bed by midnight.

[kieran]

Hi, sorry I had to leave early last night, my wife had gone to pick up our son who was returning from a 3 day activity course (think survival course) and upon returning home realised she had left her keys locked up in the house. So I had to leave and race home (nice headwind ) ASAP as she had 2 very tired children with school the next day. I made it back in 1 hour 8min to Forest hill . Children got to bed just after 10pm then we had a glass of wine or two.

It was a nice ride out with Ed and Ivor, ED in his slicked up MTB and Ivor on his Airnimal. As the only person on a 'proper' racing bike and knowing the way I felt obliged to lead the way, and we were in a bit of a rush. Had a good work out getting there.

A nice dry course for the racers, Serge was lapping it every 7min 40sec or there abouts. I had a good view and even took the bike on the downhill single track section through the trees, abeit rather slowly. A big group of racers and it looked like a good mix of abilities and also of fun and pain (kinda like going on one of Sylv's MTB training rides).

Sorry I missed the clear up and chat at the end.

[Andrew G]

Ivor, Ed, It's great fun (did one last year, and one the year before) and I'd love to do them but it's just too far for me to get out to without being a major P in the A.

It really is a complete mix and you have a good race regardless of where you are in the field. People by and large are nice too and the leaders give a more friendly shout as they are coming through, and appreciate that if it's tight singletrack then you can't just jump in the bush out the way or should you. There is a much more appreciative nature that everyone deserves their race and I don't recall anyone being abusive when I raced in them, if you say sorry for holding someone up a touch on a tight section then you're more likely to get a "no worries" back than anything else and then they'll ping past you as soon as it opens up.

[Ivor]

[quote="marco"]we ended up on the M11 going north due to some roadside distractions that confused driver