Muckmedden MTB Event 22/04/12

Well, it’s finally happened, Muckmedden is now a living, breathing mountain biking event instead of just being a logo and a description on a website.

On April 22nd, after 14 months of organising and bashing away at a keyboard (ahem), Pitmedden forest came alive when literally hundreds of people arrived, either to watch the racing or take part in it.  It was a fantastic turnout and the weather was kind to us, especially after the three weeks of torrential rain that lead up to race day.  Riding conditions couldn’t have been more challenging for the Muckers who rode what is a very testing course even when it’s dry.

Banners were positioned at the trickier sections of the course and dressed the forest up a treat, adding a bit of race glamour to sections such as Drop Dead Fred and the SKA Trail.  Deborah Hackett provided a very entertaining commentary helped by the outdoor address equipment from Sam Gifford that transmitted her voice around the forest nice and clearly.  She did especially well with the commentary considering this was her first time at a mountain bike race.  Fantastic, and it just added to the tongue in cheek, laid back vibe we wanted at Muckmedden.

Rachel (Lady Muck) and Laura dispatched with the queues of eager Muckers at the registration tent in their own inimitable style with help from Darren and Liz.  The army of Muckmarshals also performed brilliantly throughout the day, directing traffic, encouraging riders to keep going and having some banter with them.  The famous Pitmedden Wolfman even made an appearance at several parts of the course!

Many thanks to the British Red Cross who covered First Aid on the day with the backing of Darren and Claire, thankfully we had nothing too serious, and the one incident I saw was dealt with without any problems.  With the slippery conditions and the technical nature of the course I expected more casualties, but I was more than happy to be proven wrong on that score.

Throughout the day, the smell of cooked venison from Fletchers of Auchtermuchty and Hatters and Co’s veggie burgers (a recipe specially formulated for Muckmedden) filled the air.  The smell of cake didn’t fill the air, but there were plenty of those available too, including some amazing Muckmedden cupcakes made by Stella from Hatters and Co.  I managed to squeeze one of those in while I wasn’t flappping about like a chicken with it’s heid cut off.

What a week leading up to the race.  It was a hectic, emotional roller coaster and it ended with a massive sense of relief and happiness when the day went to plan and lots of smiles started to appear.  The whole event’s been a huge learning curve with lessons learnt, but thankfully only minor tweaks are required to improve things, and judging by the feedback from everyone, it was a resounding success!

One thing I wasn’t expecting, came in the morning of the race when the timing people arrived.  It turned out we’d have to move the start/finish off the fireroad, as First Aid weren’t allowed to drive over the timing mats to get access to the White Loop.  I didn’t know this until an hour before Muckmedden Lite, and I quickly had to alter the course.  Nice and stressful at the time.

The original idea was to have the mats directly in front of the start of the White and Blue loops, so that teams could cross the timing mats between stages and straight into the transition area to swap riders.  This was also going to be where Deborah would be in the trailer so she could spot the riders as they approached the timing mats to help her with the commentary.  People could also mill around in a no-ride zone without being mown down by mountain bikers, and split times would be displayed in the window of the trailer, so people could see stage times as the race wore on.  That didn’t happen unfortunately, but the day went really well in spite of that, and thankfully it didn’t detract from the day at all.

There were also some problems with the portaloo’s, as I ordered three and only two arrived.  Then, the two toilets that were delivered didn’t seem to have any water in them, and after a few hours we had to shut one of them completely.  Not pleased about that, it’s important to have good, useable facilities at events like these, so apologies if you were affected by this.

Moving onto the races, and although there were some great battles within all categories, a couple of performances really stood out for me.  The first rider who deserves a mention is Huw Oliver, overall winner of Mental Muckers with a time of 2hrs 02mins 08secs.  If you’ve ridden the course you’ll know what a blistering time that is, but given the condition of the trails on the day it’s an actual miracle, congratulations Huw, you have flung doon the goblet with a time like that.

Next up for a mention has got to be Ewan Gronkowski who claimed second place in Mental Muckers with 2hrs 07mins 47secs.  The reason his time is so special, is he rode more than a lap with no saddle at all!  He didn’t even stop to drop the seatpost and rode the super-technical course with a spiky pole an inch from his bum at all times!  I’m not sure if having a spiky pole near my bum would make me ride that fast, but hopefully I won’t be finding out anytime soon.  Well done Ewan, now go and have a sit down on a comfy chair

Last mention goes to Joe Nally, overall winner of the first ever Muckmedden Lite with ten laps under his belt.  No mean feat, and a fantastic acheivement that would give more than a few Mad Muckers a fright.  Congratulations to you Joe.

Of course, while all this was going on, Tom from Collective Training and Adam from Progression Bikes had built a fantastic skills course/pump track in the centre car park for everyone to have a crack on, and also to offer free riding tuition to those who wanted to hone their skills.  The track looked like a great laugh, and I am disappointed I didn’t get to ride it, (I was too busy playing on a Walkie Talkie somewhere) but I’ve since heard lots of great reviews from those who did have a blast.  Many thanks chaps, sterling work.

Bannatynes Health Club were also on hand to give visitors a free health check and they kindly donated 200 drinks bottles to give away at the event.

There were a few major mechanicals and plenty of minor ones according to Kyle Strachan from Bloomfield Bikes, Abernethy.  He was carrying out running repairs to entrants bikes before and during the race in order to allow as many riders to complete the race as possible.  He also kindly donated some excellent Bloomfield Bikes goody bags as prizes.  If you were one of the lucky winners of a Bloomfield Bikes goody bag, how tasty was the flapjack that was tucked in there with all the other goodies?!

Did anyone see the fantastic Muckmedden cake made by Three Wishes Novelty Cakes in Abernethy?  It was absolutely stunning, and I never even got a bite of it.  Gutted, but we raffled it off along with some other cracking prizes to raise money for CHAS so it was all for a great cause.

Huge thanks to everyone who helped turn Muckmedden into a real event, it couldn’t happen without all the volunteers, so thanks again, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I found it stressful

Also one final big thanks to all the sponsors; (in no particular order)

Gareth Christie Digital Artist – (Muckmedden Logo/T-Shirt design/Flyers/Posters/Business Cards/Banner and Flags design/other stuff).

Hope – (Prizes).

Alpine Bikes – (Prizes).

Haglofs – (Prizes).

Wigwam – (Prizes).

Christine Sinclair – (Prizes)

Forestry Commission Scotland – (Positive attitude towards the event/advice/permission to use Pitmedden).

Comrie Croft – (Prizes).

Atholl Arms Hotel Dunkeld – (Prizes).

Collective Training – (Skills Training).

Progression Bikes – (Skills Training).

Bloomfield Bikes – (Prizes/Bike Repair).

Danscot – (Printing T-Shirts/Flyers/Posters).

Richards Bike Shop, Perth – (Prizes)

Eventfull – (2-Way radios/Gazebos/Bike Racking).

Legends Promotional Products – (Muckmedden banners/Bow flags/fleeces).

Holden Environmental – (Waste disposal facilities).

Katie Brooks – (Website design).

Senses Health and Beauty, Aberargie – (Prizes).

Morrocco Media – (Mucky Video will be released soon, details to follow).

So, I suppose the question is:  Would I do it again?

Well, my family are just getting used to seeing my face again rather than the back of my head, so I’ll be enjoying some down time for a while.  The trails must also be assessed over the coming weeks, and after that it will be decided whether it’s possible to run the race again next year.   But, now that the blood pressure’s back in the safety zone, and I’ve heard the positive feedback, it might be worth doing again to see if we can get some dusty trails next time.

Mind you, where’s the fun in that?  It’s not called Muckmedden for nothing!

Here’s a cracking rider’s eye review of Muckmedden written by Keith Leinster from the Middleden Muckers who came 3rd in the Mixed Pairs along with Lyndsay.  Many thanks and really glad you both enjoyed it.  (Courtesy of Middleden Mountain Club)

http://www.middledenmtb.co.uk/?feat=middleden-muckers-race-report

You can find PK Perspective’s photos of Muckmedden at:

ttp://pkperspective.co.uk/2012/04/muckmedden-mountain-bike-photos/

Howard Ashton Jones has offered to donate a portion of the sale of his Muckmedden photos to CHAS:

ttp://psbphoto.zenfolio.com/f866651016

Dougie Taylor took around 1000 photos at Muckmedden, they are available to view at the website below:

http://www.dougietaylorimages.co.uk/gallery_498671.html

There are also some great photos taken by Muckmarshal Scot Greig on the Muckmedden Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/www.muckmedden.co.uk

Thanks for coming, and hope to see you next year!!!

So you’re coming to Muckmedden just to watch the racing and enjoy some good food?  Excellent idea!

As we all know, in Scotland it pays to prepare for all kinds of weather,  however this doesn’t mean you have to look ridiculous in the forest, oh no, quite the opposite in fact.

Here are some bang-on-trend, but practical clothing solutions to consider, so you can laugh in the face of the elements all day long and leave with a smile no matter what the weather’s like.

Even if you’re a small, hairy pig or it hasn’t rained for a few days, don’t forget your Wellies:

You’re unlikely to find many Midges in Pitmedden at any time of year, but when you look this good, why wouldn’t you wear a *Midgie Net?

*Beard not included.

Muckmedden will undoubtedly receive a serious pasting from the Scottish Sunshine, so don’t forget your Sunblock (Factor 90+).

If it is going to be sunny (which it is) you may fancy something slightly cooler on the feet, like these beautifully hand-crafted Flip-Flops. 

It’s Scotland, so although it may be scorching, there could be a slight breeze.  Try this stylish Hat/Scarf/Shades Combo.

And why not enjoy the racing in comfort by bringing a *Fold Out Chair?

*Tiny man not included

Of course, you should really bring something along to make some noise for your favourite rider(s) too.

And finally, don’t forget to bring some dosh for the Muckin’ T-Shirt you didn’t get around to ordering.

You’ll also want to try the delicious venison offerings from Fletchers of Auchtermuchty, or the tasty veggie alternatives and home baking from Hatters and Co.  I’m getting hungry just talking about it.

 All sorted?  See you there then!

I shall now attempt to lay down a Blog without using the words;  AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH, *O.M.G, or HOLY MUCK IT’S NEARLY HERE!

Instead, I shall now calmly and maturely mention that Muckmedden is less than three weeks away, and we have over 150 competitors signed up so far.

I am very pleased to say there have been a lot more female entries coming in lately too.  I have absolutely no problem in admitting I’d rather see a forest full of women in Lycra, than a bunch of hairy guys rubbing in their chammy cream (but they’ll be there too  so it’s great to see more girls on the entry list.  What we need now, are more young riders for Muckmedden Lite, otherwise it looks like the spoils are almost certainly coming back to Abernethy, due to the amount of local entrants we have so far.

As well as getting to race on a genuinely fun and challenging course, the Muckmedden Lite riders who make it onto the podium are going to be taking home some pretty good prizes.  First placed male and female will both get a set of Hope’s lovely anodised wheel skewers to pimp their ride, a Muckmedden T-Shirt, and some cracking Wigwam singletrack socks (worth a total of £60).  Second placed male and female both receive a Cateye Velo 5 bike computer (courtesy of Richards Bike Shop in Perth), a Muckmedden T-Shirt, and a pair of Wigwam singletrack socks (worth a total of £40).  The riders in third will take home a Hope drinks bottle, and a Muckmedden T-Shirt (worth a total of £15).

All for an £8 entry fee?  If you are aged 11 to 15 and you like riding Mountain Bikes on fun trails, why wouldn’t you enter?!

I think a mountain bike race can be a pretty intimidating environment for novices, so it’s been nice to receive some emails from entrants who say they’ve decided to make Muckmedden their first race.  I always wanted Muckmedden to appeal to non-racers and seasoned racers alike, and I’ve tried to put the point across that although your lap(s) will be against the clock, it’s up to the individual rider if they want to treat it like a race on the day, or just enjoy some challenging new natural trails without getting lost.  If you do however have your eye on the podium, there are some really good prizes up for grabs in all categories in the big race too.

Among the prizes for the main race, are high quality Haglofs Gram 7 Hydration Packs, Haglofs Merino-Wool Active Beanies, Haglofs Wallets, Haglofs Waterproof Phone Pouches, loads pairs of Wigwam high-performance socks, Hope T-Shirts, Hope drinks bottles, Alpine Bikes vouchers, Bloomfield Bikes goody bags, free entries to other mountain bike events, meals for two, accommodation and bike hire packages, Muckin’ T-Shirts, and plenty more.

As more and more things arrive, from sponsors banners to start/finish flags to prizes, the whole thing is becoming more real.  Everytime I look at the countdown clock on this site, it’s jumped a few days forward and I get a few more butterflies floating about my belly, but I’ve still managed to get out on the bike with my buddies and guide a few entrants around the course over the latest dry spell.

A couple of weeks ago, it was the boys from Herbies Bikes in Broxburn, who hadn’t ridden at Pitmedden before.  It was nice to meet a bunch of mates who were just out to have a good laugh and enjoy riding their bikes.  We had a great ride on the dry trails, and they all enjoyed the course, saying the same as everyone else has so far, it’s technical, fun and physical, and two laps is going to be tough, but do-able.

This weekend it was Stefan Morrocco from Morrocco Media who came for a ride around the course with us.  Stefan is a keen mountain biker himself, and has put together some lovely edits in the past, on various subjects, including mountain biking.  He will be working together with Gareth Christie on race day to film a Mucky Video, which I’m really looking forward to seeing.

*O.M.G!  I’ve just looked at the countdown timer.  Only 15days 21hrs 32mins 10secs until entries close!  Holy Muck, it’s nearly there!  AAAARGH!

Sorry about that, I tried my best.

*I’d like to point out, that at no time before, or after this post do I use the phrase O.M.G. and I have never watched Glee.

First of all, a very brief Weird Muckin’ Dream update.

Things on the dream front had been pretty normal, until the other night:  It was the morning of race day, the entertainment I’d booked for the event – Whitney Houston hadn’t shown up.  There would be no “I wanna dance with somebody” and no “My name is not Susan” for the Lycra Army to enjoy whilst sucking down their energy gels.  What a Muckin’ Catastrophe!  It was a very stressful few minutes until someone in my dream seemed to invent the I-Pod.  Tunes a Go-Go!!

Moving swiftly on to all things Muckmedden.

Loads of i’s have been crossed and t’s have been dotted lately, in order to avoid as many Muck-ups as possible on race day.  After some rider feedback from Mock-Medden, a tweak has been made to rider changeovers if you’re part of a Tag-Team.

There will now be the option to changeover riders after every Loop, but between Lap 1 Blue Loop and Lap 2 Red Loop, teams will swap riders by the skills loop instead of the regular changeover area.  This is to avoid 2-way traffic going up and down to the timing mats and crashing into each other.  Confused?  Aye me too, but it’s pretty simple when you see it written down.  I’ve put an example below of how the teams categories will work on the day to hopefully clear up any confusion.

Note:

The Blue Loop on lap one and the Red Loop on lap two will be classed as a single stage as riders will not cross the timing mats between these two loops.   

Here are some examples of how it could work for a trio:

Scenario 1 – This scenario would mean each rider gets to ride 2 different loops each during the race.

Rider 1 – Red loop  (Stage 1) – *Followed by rider changeover in Tagging Bay*

Rider 2 – White Loop (Stage 2) – *Followed by rider changeover in Tagging Bay*

Rider 3 – Blue Loop  (Joint stage 3) – *Followed by rider changeover at Skills Loop*

Rider 2 – Red Loop (Joint stage 3) – *Followed by rider changeover in Tagging Bay*

Rider 3 – White Loop (Stage 4) – *Followed by rider changeover in Tagging Bay*

Rider 1 – Blue Loop (Stage 5) – *Race Finish*

Time taken to complete both laps will be counted as – (Stage 6)

Scenario 2 – This scenario would mean each rider sticks to their own loop if they feel they’re more comfortable with one particular section of the course.

Rider 1 – Red loop  (Stage 1) – *Followed by rider changeover in Tagging Bay*

Rider 2 – White Loop (Stage 2) – *Followed by rider changeover in Tagging Bay*

Rider 3 – Blue Loop (Joint stage 3) – *Followed by rider changeover at Skills Loop*

Rider 1 – Red Loop (Joint stage 3) – *Followed by rider changeover in Tagging Bay*

Rider 2 – White Loop (Stage 4) – *Followed by rider changeover in Tagging Bay*

Rider 3 – Blue Loop (Stage 5) – *Finish*

Time taken to complete both laps will be counted as – (Stage 6)

Scenario 3 – This third scenario would mean each rider does two loops back to back, and gets to ride two separate loops during the race.

Rider 1 – Red loop  (Stage 1) and White Loop (Stage 2) – *Followed by rider changeover in Tagging Bay*

Rider 2 – Blue Loop and Red Loop (Joint Stage 3) – * Followed by rider changeover in Tagging Bay*

Rider 3 – White Loop (Stage 4) and Blue Loop (Stage 5) – *Race Finish*

Time taken to complete both laps will be counted as – (Stage 6)

Teams may swap riders after Loop Stages as they wish, depending on team tactics.

There you go, I told you it was simple.