Online Feature: The iXS MacAvalanche

We lined up at the bottom of the slope, ready for the helicopter containing Stu from MTBCut, our flying filmer, and Michael from Orange who’d been snapping away all day to get in position. There was a bit of jostling and some people had decided that they’d rather not run from the bottom of the hill and lined up on the side, making their run that bit easier. Not really within the spirit of the event – but as Fraser had pointed out in the briefing when asked about how strictly rules would be enforced, if people were to take advantage of the relaxed organisation, the only people they were cheating were themselves. And, technically, everyone else.

Still, the big names of Rowan Sorrell (who was competing with a broken little finger and thanks to his strapping had a single finger left to hold onto the bars with) and Joe Barnes et al lined up down the bottom with their honour intact.

The horn sounded and all that was out of the window. Scrambling up a grassy slope it was keep going or get squashed, pushing people in front upright only to be pushed back down in turn. It now turned out I’d left my bike as far from the start line as possible, so a lengthy snow run meant I was well back at the start.

Grabbing bike I set off down the incredibly slushy snow. After a couple of failed (and painful) attempts to hop on the saddle and ride on the snow I decided it was best to run and made up a bit of ground in the carnage. People were falling left right and centre, with the people managing to ride creating ruts that others fell into before the inevitable pile up as momentum was lost.

The taste of metal had already risen in my mouth as I gasped for breath in a full face helmet. Finally the snow running slog stopped and it was on to dry land – or more accurately, wet rock – and I managed to get on the bike and skirted round a few more riders and they slowed down into the first rocky section. Lines half remembered from the course walk pass by in a blur and when I do manage to hold the line I’m pushed wide by other riders.

[premiervideo src=”extras/media/2011/05/MacAvRace.m4v” height=”272″ width=”480″]

Thanks to Ben from Cycle:Recycle for the in-race video footage….

By the time we’re clear of the snow and into the heather bashing for real I still haven’t got my survival head off and my race head on. I find myself queueing politely behind other riders before I realise that this is technically a race and I should at least attempt to get by. The fact that there’s no real trail makes this harder and I end up touching bars with other riders, almost running into them and they into me as we run out of momentum hitting the deep sided gullies on the pedally traverse.

Those who say money can’t buy speed were proved decisively wrong on this more pedally section, as nigh on £300 of Rock Shox Reverb uppy downy post means I can sit down for a while and pile on the power while those on bigger bikes do their best disjointed up-down sprinting and I arrive into the next section of heather bash feeling alright. Post returned to the slammed position, I get off the brakes and try and haul in the next group, passing a few stragglers who are playing it a bit safer on the high speed descent. I make some seriously ill advised hucks over rock filled dips in the tussocks but my luck remains.

Despite battling it out in the middle of the field the mist has descended and I feel like every place counts. Each rider passed spurs me on to get my head down, keep my fingers off the brakes and PEDAL! There’s something about people attempting to outrun each other that brings out something a little bit primeval in us. Possibly something to do with not wanting to be the last one in the pack – or ‘dinner’ as whatever was chasing would have called the stragglers.

Dinner was the last thing on my mind but certainly trying to escape my stomach as we hit the pedally fireroad section from the bottom of the Cliffhanger lift to the top of the first chair. The riders I’m with are more evenly paced and we’re all sprinting. I spot someone in an outfit I remember from the start line and make it my next target to focus on to try and get past. He’s on a full on downhill bike but he’s giving it plenty on this sprint section. I’m not envious of the extra travel now. The dropper post comes to my aid, I raise my seatpost and sit down and slowly draw by. Luxury. Another fast loose corner brings us to the top of the downhill course and I’m glad I was here for the icy preview as I can just about remember what’s coming up.

A quick and clean pass around someone on the top berm, then I try and squash the jumps but find myself forced onto a kicker I’d meant to avoid. I mentally wince as I land – a puncture would be galling now – but the only sound I hear is my ragged breath rather than hissing air. We move back off the downhill track and it’s time to pedal again. A horrible flat section broken up by muddy ruts across the trail that suck all the momentum from you. It’s here I see another top I recognise – a red Cycle:Recycle T-shirt worn by Ben S. My legs are starting to burn and every time I feel like I’m gaining we hit a muddy section and it’s back to square one as he pulls away from me.

We catch a few more stragglers – mostly people on big bikes who must be suffering quite badly by now – then it’s the final heather plummet, turning off the track and down the wide, tussock covered gully. If you try and jump or launch a section to clear a particularly lumpy bit then you seemed to land going faster into an even lumpier bit. Exhilarating, edge of control riding, leaning back behind the forks and hoping you didn’t hit anything hard enough to throw you over.

Inevitably, that’s just what happened, having passed the red Cycle:Recycle T shirt by sticking low on the slope as we came into towards the end of the steep. As the ground in front of me dropped away, and tussock was replaced with a scar of loose rock I realised why he was riding high. Time went a bit slow, my head decided for me that I couldn’t try and huck it out, down went the front of the bike and time sped back up as I tumbled head over heel, thankfully being chucked clear of the rocks. All that effort to pass riders and they rode past me as I cartwheeled.

I sprang up, a little bit surprised that nothing hurt (thank you 661) grabbed my bike, wrapped the bars and leapt on, mashing the pedals with the kind of idiotic fury a large dose of adrenaline tends to provide. The helicopter, the sound of which was ever present throughout the event, became deafeningly loud and it seemed as if it was hovering just above my shoulder. The noise was that intense that I forget

With the last lift station within sight – and therefore finish line – there was another flatter section of broken ground, with stepped tussock, slimy mud and small gullies of water cleaned rock. Line choice was out of the window as was any real control. It was hang on, point, hope and pedal. As we all search for the lines in a mess of mud and tracks I can see I’m passing people but how many passed me?

Into the very final muddy corner we came in three abreast, all trying make our knackered bodies sprint for the line, head down, panting and the taste of metal returning to my mouth. Your body can find a surprising amount of energy when it knows that in a few short seconds it can rest.

As we gave the last drops of energy down the straight, I couldn’t outsprint the guy on the trailbike but we both drew away from the person putting in a truly Herculean effort to overcome the drag of his downhill bike. Another harsh landing as I tried and failed to clear the deep diagonal gully that crossed the flat, grassy finish section and then it was across the line to pant deeply and desperately tear off the now claustrophobic helmet. Someone points at my rear tyre and it seems my pinch-paranoia in the gullies was well founded – it’s totally flat.

All around the line were people in varying states of exhaustion. You could have a good guess at their finish position by how breathless they still were. George from Cycle:Recycle was sat down looking quite red and vacant and I spotted Rowan Sorrell looking quite pale and drawn although still managing a smile, although when he holding his his broken finger up it looked rather tender and must have been excruciatingly painful. It was only later when I took my helmet off that I noticed the amount of mud on it – I must have head-surfed for a decent distance during my crash…

With the business of racing over, the atmosphere was incredibly convivial – lots of people excitedly recounting their stories, laughing and joking in the way only people who’ve shared a common experience and exhilaration can. It was an amazing experience and a massive amount of fun; a proper raw riding experience – with a helicopter. What could be better?

Big thanks to all the crew at No Fuss Events for coming up with such a brilliant idea and putting it into practise, Pete Scullion and the guys from iXS Protection and Hotlines UK who helped make the event happen, all at Glencoe Mountain Resort for letting a load of bikers ‘romp across the tundra’. Michael Bonney of Orange Mountain Bikes also graciously provided some the pictures in this article. Also a big thanks to Extra UK, who provided the Intense Tracer 2 I rode – a perfect bike for spanking down big mountains and then pedalling your guts out on.

I ended up in 33rd place, which I was happy with given my mediocre start, but to put it into perspective Rowan came in at 30th, only a single finger on his right hand holding onto the bars. Although Fraser remained tight lipped on whether it’d be run next year, I really hope it is – everyone needs to experience this little bit of this madness in their life…

In the end, victory was taken by local MTBcut.tv/ Orange rider Joe Barnes with Neil Donoghue riding for Oneplanet Adventure in second, his return to racing continuing nicely. Redbull’s Danny MacAskill was third, proving his status as a highly skilled all-rounder – if his ability to backflip off trees had left you in any doubt. Taking fourth place and being the fastest Vet on the hill was Nukeproof’s Alastair MacLennan.

In the female race Hannah Barnes took victory, also riding for MTBCut.tv/Orange. Here’s the MTBCut.tv edit of the event…