Our newest team rider, 17 year old Ollie Hooper talks about his last race of the 2014 season after taking his best result to date!
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The 5th and final round of the 2014 UK Gravity Enduro Series was set in the spectacular surroundings of the Lake District. Before this race I had never ridden in the south Lakes before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I didn’t know was that some the best trails that I have ever ridden were just around the corner.
I arrived on Thursday morning in a campsite near the finish area which was a luxury for us as there were showers and toilets that didn’t smell and actually flushed! Myself and friend Joe Adsett soon made our way up to do some exploring and to see some of the trails.
We soon found our way to the top of stage 5 and rolled down into the dark and gloomy wood not really expecting much but as we exited the wood we were both buzzing from riding such a technical but flowy top section. We soon made our way down to the second half of the stage where we were hit by some flowy corners and small senders. As we dropped off the second fire road some small ruts caught you nicely and shot you from corner to corner which made it really easy to carry speed.
As we left we hoped the four other stages were as good as stage 5.
We woke up on Friday morning raring to go and soon made our way back up the first fire road climb which took us up to stage 1. Stage 1 consisted of loose ruts and corners which made it a constant struggle to stay clipped in and on the track. After the loose corner it dropped into a more freshly cut section with lots of different line choice going tight or wide into a few tight switch backs. The bottom of stage 1 was one of the hardest parts of the whole race for me as it was a trail sprint then up a grass field and down into the finish arena, so this was a part that I had to try and master for race day.
“Stage 2 for me was one of the best trails that I have ever ridden…”
Stage 2 for me was one of the best trails that I have ever ridden and my favourite stage of the whole race. The whole stage consisted of flowy corners and off camber roots which threw you off line and into exposed stumps. The whole trail for me flowed really well and it seemed that you didn’t need to put a pedal stroke in the whole way down.
We then made our way back up to stage 4 as stage 3 wasn’t open till Saturday as it’s a walkers’ path. The climb was quite long from stage 2 back up the hill but it took in some of the most spectacular views I have seen in a long time. After cycling around for about 30 mins trying to find stage 4 we finally found the start and made our way down into the tight twisty woods then down onto a short fire road sprint and back into some freshly cut grass corners which held you really well and made it easy to carry speed.
After a lovely burger and sitting around the fire in the evening I was ready for another day of riding and racing.
Saturday came along and seeding was the main focus of the day. We slowly made our way back up for seeding and I wanted to get down without making any mistakes, which would mean that I would finish lower down the ranking. One decision which I wish I didn’t make was wearing googles. Going into the first wooded section I could hardly see a thing but some how I managed to get out of the wooded section in one piece. I kept it clean and managed to come down to finish in 7th place which is my best seeding place so far this year so I was hoping to carry this into the next day of racing.
Racing quickly came along and we set off at 9:20 with a long days of racing awaited us. I was really happy with my racing as I some how managed to keep it clean and only made some small mistakes which cost me a few seconds on stage 4 where I had a OTB (over the bars – crash) on the top section.
After a hards days racing I was really happy to get 5th place and taking my best result of the year. I would like to say thank you to all the UK Gravity Enduro team who put on an amazing series and I’m looking forward to next season of racing all ready.
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