Something of a first for us, as we do not normally get involved with mountain biking. However this year's event at Dalby Forest included some street racing around the nearby north Yorkshire town of Pickering. The format was great and was run more like a series of sprint races on the track. Riders competed in heats with the winners going through to quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, and were held over one lap of a town centre circuit. Unlike our normal town centre racing though, there was a bit of off-road with steps and gravel to be negotiated. I was not able to operate from the van as I normally do. Instead I was located under British Cycling's gazebo (or Easy-up as they laughingly call it!). This was about three feet higher than the road surface so the camera could get quite high making for good photofinish pictures. There was a good crowd as can be seen in these photographs above and below. In the bottom picture you can just see my small table with laptop on the very left. Before I went I had no idea what to expect, but I thought it unlikely that I would be of much use. Surely mountain bikes would not produce close finishes. Wrong!! See a couple of samples below. |
