UKMTBTRI Dalby Duathlon

Keen to support local events a few of the bears thought we would enter the Dalby Duathlon on Sunday 16th October. This was a run-bike-run event set mainly around the World Cup MTB course with a little of the old black route thrown in to stretch things out a little. The run course was 2.5k long and the bike was 7.5k long. The format for the day was a 1 lap run a 4 lap bike and then a 3 lap run to finish.

You could enter the race as either solo or a team (1 runner & 1 biker) and in total we entered 3 male solos (Joe, Morgan & Richard) and 2 teams (1 male pair – Paul & George & 1 mixed pair – Me & Kay)

Not that I’m competitive you understand, but I had reckied the bike course on Saturday from the map on the website. So I had an understanding of where it was going and how technical it was going to be, but as there were no course markers out at this point I couldn’t tell whether all the features on the route were going to be included. The was no run course on the website so Kay was going to have to run it blind, but usually these event have lots of tape/arrows and marshals to keep everyone on the right track.

Having competed in a duathlon before we had some idea of what we were letting ourselves in for, and knowing Dalby as we all do, thought we stood a reasonable chance in the standings. Instructions from the website were pretty straight forward – registration before 09:30, bike racking before 0945, race starts at 1000.

Registration was a relaxed affair with no signing on as such just a tick you were here and as Kay & I were a team I though we would get a baton to change in transition, but we didn’t?

Just before 1000 a race briefing was called with the usual explanations of safety procedures, first aid arrangements, race etiquette & course format…..which had now change to a 2 lap run, 4 lap bike and a 2 lap run - we were offered no explanation of this only that the was a fallen tree down over the run course, which I presume shortened it? I thought it strange that the organisers did not know this as they should have inspected the course before the event and most of the tree fall in Dalby has been down since before last Christmas!

Eventually the runners were called to the start line and the race was underway. Paul finished the first run in the top 5 and gave George a really good start on the bike as he did not have to change in transition and he was first out on the bike. The solo bears made a good show finishing in the top half of the field and Kay finished the first run towards the back of the field.

All the rest of the bears were on the bike course before I could get a start and George had about 8 minutes on me so I was off like a rocket! Passing quite a few of the riders on the course through the first lap (especially on the old red route climb from the lake) I made it to the top of the last descent back to Worry Gill and the marshal told me I was in 21st place. In the last quarter of the first lap I manage to catch and pass all the other bears on the course except George who was still out in front.

The lap was basically as I had reckied but they had put both of the World Cup technical sections in the lap before Worry Gill. Marshalling on these points was good and the rest of the course had turn arrows at all the junctions.

On the 2nd lap at the top of the last descent the marshal told me I was now in 6th place! “not bad from 21st” I said and now I was on the hunt for the leaders. I managed to catch and pass George just before the end of the 2nd lap so the leaders couldn’t be far ahead but thought it strange that George was in 5th place at this point. (later I was to learn that he had made an error at the bottom of Worry Gill and turned up Medusa’s climb instead of heading for the old red route climb as there was no marshal or straight on arrow at this point. As the race briefing had said we were racing on the World Cup course, George naturally turned up here as that climb is on the World Cup course! This must have lost him at least 4 or 5 mins on the leaders).

Lap 3 passed and I was now lapping the back markers and eventually I came up to what I thought were the leaders. I finished the last lap and made it to transition in 3rd place as there were only 2 other bikes on the racks! I thought it strange I had not caught the leaders at the pace I was racing at, but nearly last to 3rd ain’t bad!! I had given Kay as big an advantage as I could manage and now it was all up to her where we finished, so, no pressure then!

I have to say that as events go I was not entirely impressed. Registration was a very relaxed affair. The briefing whilst adequate could have been a lot better and not just relying on last years route knowledge, first aid was questionable as I did not see any identifiable establishments on site. The marshalling, whilst good in some places was very lacking in others. On the 2nd techy section before Worry Gill after the first lap the marshal pointing us up the climb had gone. It was witnessed that some competitors were missing this section out altogether and just rolling round the fire road - whilst the marshals returned to the start were heard to say “they know where they are going now”!!!. This is not only poor sportsmanship but you have to ask yourself how safe it would be in the event of an accident. Marshalls at potential accident points, rock drop offs and the bottom of descents etc would have been nice to see. Also a bit more course marking would have made the bike a little clearer. The timing of the race also left a lot to be desired - staff were heard to be not sure of how many laps on the bike competitors had done and when the race was finished we were told there would only be a total time for the race, not lap times or even a run/bike split, and this was due to lack or resources. When the results were eventually published the link on the site was broken and after waiting until the end Monday sure enough only a total time for the race was published. Prize giving was a bit of a lack lustre affair - with prices for first, second & third in the solos (third place in the women’s category was still on the course when the “ceremony” began) only a prize for first was awarded in the team category….and then only one goody bag was presented.

Despite all this we bears managed a good show in a field 60 or so strong.:-

George and Paul came first in the team category and despite my best efforts on the bike Kay & I finished in second a (5th & 6th overall)

In the solos Morgan finished 9th, Joe 18th & Richard 20th.

Unfortunately our good results taste a little sour by a poorly run event and I would have to say…………UKMTBTRI…..…at £30 an entry….…more like UKMTBTRI-HARDER if you ask me!!

Mike