We have been into Dalby many times now, yet the forest stills yeilds new tracks, quite amazing really. Because of the recent bad weather, I ditched the Speedblasters on Sunday in favour of something a bit more knobbly.
The points distribution on the map was quite unexpected, and it was a real challenge to string a good route together. Control 26 looked like a definite candidate to be left out. It was up a hill across the valley and with nothing else of any worth nearby, I steered well clear. There were some good points around the visitors centre, although on confusing tracks, and also a good route along the SW of the map.
I chose to start with no. 28 which turned out to be a nightmare. I got very tangled up with all the Foot O people walking back to the start field and it took a whole 15 mins plus to get to 28. If this wasn't bad enough, the short cut tracks thru to 18 didn't exist and I had to go up the hill, the long way round by the top. Getting only 50 points in almost half an hour didn't look like a very good start to me, and from here on I always felt like I was playing catch up.
You had to keep alert with all the tracks around the visitors centre, but the points did start coming thick and fast. I was pleasantly suprised by how dry some tracks were, but the one up to 22 made the fitting of a Fire Mud Pro well worthwhile. I was able to ride every bit of the way up here, without a single dab, despite it being very wet and sloppy. I went round by Seive Dale to get to 16, but this turned out to be the hard way as everyone else was running up a path from the Stoneclose turn in. I rode down here and it was steep, but short. There was no let up in the climb up to 21, then a quick blast down the road to 29. It looked a long way, and was into the wind, but despite fumbling about trying to get the map turned over, it was still possible in under 10 mins. No. 19 didn't work and I had even more fun riding down the steep hill this year as I did last time. The rear tyre was pretty much acting like a drag plough. Even though the bike ran away with me briefly at one point, I seemed to bounce luckily off all the roots and I got down without a single dab.
I knew the climb up to 25 was bad and then it went very dark under the trees to 10. I was running out of time by the time I reached 20, so left 30 and made straight to 27. Just squeezed in 24 before heading straight to the finish via 8 and 2, more headwind!
The course was a real challenge, well laid out and hard to find a good route. Steve Kendall and John Neaves had made good use of what they had to work with. It was nice to beat Gary T and Liam C, I was getting a bit concerned after coming 3rd to them at Malham Show yesterday, but the main man at Dalby was yet again Andy Conn. In a league of his own, he attained a score well clear of anyone else, and this must put him in good stead for the World Championships in Australia.
DA