No Fuss Events: Relentless 24: 2009

What's it like to take part in a 24 hour Enduro?

So I've finally got round to editing the footage we took at Relentless 24 last year... only six months on... We had such a good time at the event and I thought I might as well post the finished video on here. Relentless 24 is run by No Fuss Events and takes place in October at the Nevis Range track at Fort William. This is the home of the infamous black downhill course (with gondola access), the World Cup XC course and numerous other brilliant trails made up of great technical climbs, fantastic single-track and tons of linking fire roads. The Relentless takes place partly on the World Cup course, partly on the Witches Trail and also on other bits and bobs linking it all together.

I raced as one half of a pair, you can choose from solo, pairs or quads in a team and one member of the team can be on course at any one time, so you just keep one person on the track for as much of the 24 hours of the race as you possibly can... Sadly I didn't have the technology to video whilst riding at that time so there's no footage of the track itself, which was pretty technical and after a while very muddy and very slippery.

This is definitely an event we'll be doing again, although possibly as a team of four. In a pair, you really don't get as much time between laps as you might wish you could have whereas in a four you'd get a few hours between each 10 mile lap...

I'll be posting about the races I'm considering taking part in during 2010 at a later date, but for now, here's Relentless 24 2009.

click here to go to the video...

Just Get Out There...

I've been really enjoying my local trails lately. It's easier for me to do that than it might be for some others, living as I do in the Highlands, but even so, I've been enjoying riding locally more than I ever have before.
It's easy to get into a rut on your local trails, riding the same old routes. You get to the stage where you can ride around with your eyes shut... that log there, that stream, that hill, oh look, I'm home.
Lately though, I've become an explorer. To get the most from the trails closest to you you have to be adventerous.
We spend so much time and money traveling around the country in search of great riding. Glentress, Golspie, Fort William... A little bit of thought can bring you great rides like these so much closer to home.
I've recently found some amazing trails in my local woods that have been made by the logging machines. The chaotic trail left by these machines is as technical as half the stuff you find at a distant trail centre, it goes on for miles and it's right on the door step. Best of all, if I get bored of any one of these tracks there's always another just around the bend.
And why stick to the trails anyway? If SnowBoarders have the most fun going off piste why can't we? try going off the trail and down through the trees. As long as you have the right equipment, with a bit of care for yourself and the environment you can have a total blast. Isn't that what freeride is all about?