Angela Coates: The IXS Glencoe MacAvalanche was truly epic, we had one hell of a great time up there! Had to take our bikes to the top of the mountain via two chairlifts and then push a futher 250 metres through the snowline leaving them all lined up. After that it was a walk back down the rugged mountainside!
Phew!
The race brief was at 1pm after that we all got a helicopter to the top, it wasn't a Chinook unfortunately but a smaller one fitting 5 passengers in, I managed to bag the front seat and it was ace! The racing kicked off at 3.30 that afternoon and we had to run 100 metres up a steep bit of the hillside to the bikes. Once away the first part of the course was all snow covered, it was old and slushy, real hard to ride through and everyone was crashing all over the place.
Further down I rode over one guy (so sorry!) and crashed just after so decided to run with the bike, this was a bit faster until I got onto the dry ground. All the way down the track was kind of marked out with poles although it was really hard to see. I seemed to be in a massive panic the whole way down as it was pure pandemonium, which probably didn't help as I was trying to get past people and then someone else would crash right in front of you... total carnage all over!!
Towards the middle of the run it was a pure pedal fest, the downhill bike wasn't great for this but I tried my hardest to get through the soft flat ground. A bit of gradient came and then there were huge big bogs to deal with, each of them trying to swallow you up. I was trying to watch where other people were going and to not follow them if they were crashing, hahaha! It was just absolutely crazy, and so much fun!
I crossed the finish line in 2nd place, just behind Orange Bike’s Hannah Barnes, hoorah! Took me just over 17 minutes and it was probably the hardest race I have ever done. It wasn't the technical terrain, just the length of the track and trying to pedal a downhill bike across bog land which was such incredibly hard work.
I think I'd do it again but more than likely on a shorter travel bike. I had a look at the DH track whilst I was at Glencoe as well, some of the new bits look mega. Should be a good race!! Just hope the weather holds out!
I’m absolutely stoked! :)
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