Event Reports

I'd forgotten just how far Llandovery is from Stockport.......

It was a bit of a last minute decision to do the Red Kite. I'd been mulling it over for a while but with a week to go the entry form was sent off and I sorted out some FIM tyres.

I've been doing a lot of riding (yes, I'm single again) but very few events. Practice days are more common these days, or so it seems, and I've done quite a few of these instead. But with this event being a timecard it appealed to me and after recently having had a weekend practicing in the Hafren Forest it was time to put all my preactice to the test!

The drive to Llandovery is a long one, a really long one, so I was hoping the event wouldn't dissapoint. The WTRA know what they're doing though and the recent dry spell ensured no bottomless bogs.

The course was only a short one at around 13 miles and was split into two checks. The first included the test and the second the fuel stop. Riding in the Veterans I was down for 6 laps so in the end it would be a reasonable distance covered. The check times stayed the same all through the event so after the first lap I knew I'd have no problems maiking the times.

Due to the dry ground there was a lot of dust but not much forest road included and everyone seemed to be enjoying the ride. The best description would be fast and flowing which suited me just fine. The test was a pretty tight one really. Not too technical but getting past slower riders was hard uness they moved over a bit, throw in a bit of dust and going off line to get past could well end in a face full of baked hard rut from the very soggy event they had last year.

A lot of the course has names for the various sections but I have no idea what they are. I did recognise a couple of bits I've ridden when doing the Crychan BEC which I was half expecting as the forests are pretty much next to each other. The run into the Epynt ranges was a little dissapointing. We just followed a gravel road for a mile or two and this was the worst place for dust. You did have to watch the puddles though as a couple of riders found to their cost. This track is used by tanks and so the ruts are that bit deeper than normal. On my first lap one of the riders on my minute came past in the dust and missed the by-pass line which skirted the water filled section. With the bike stopped and up to its tank in muddy water I figured that was his day was done.

The rest of the event went by in a blur of dust, fast tracks, climbs and decents in the trees and all the riders seeming to enjoy the riding in the lovely sunny weather. Toward the end a couple of loops got removed to give the Championship riders a touch more time as they were on a really tight time schedule. This just gave us a couple more minutes at the check to natter and enjoy the day.

It was a cracking event and worth the drive down. Yes, I'd have liked the lap to be a bit longer but we got the laps in so distance-wise it was spot on. Four of us from the club went down and all had a good days riding. Despite the distance it's an event I'd do again as it ticked all the boxes.

Geraint.