Joe checks in from his favourite bike race of the year.
Wow, Ard Rock 2018m what a weekend!
The weekend wasn’t just a great race… it was also a trade event, a mini festival and a chance to see loads of people. The amazing weather didn’t hurt either!
My favourite thing about Ard Rock, and events like Ard Rock, is getting to speak to so many people.
I met loads of folk that were keen to see our bikes in the flesh and a few that were totally new to what we do. They all got a good first-hand rendition of my views on compliance, material choice (why carbon is crap), geometry and sizing, suspension design, weight and… of course, tyre inserts!
The race team did well on track though a few issues (including getting lost!) ended Joe Finney and Dan Pardesi’s hopes for the weekend. Phil Camsell however managed to navigate and race much better. He rode a stormer, riding a Factory Murmur for the first time and taking 12th place in Senior and 19th fastest overall. Remember there’s no Elite category at Ard Rock, so the result is even more impressive!
I managed a good race myself, taking 13th place in the Sport Vetrans category. ‘Sport’ is a category for those unlucky enough not to be able to get a place on the main race, and made all the harder by not being able to practice.
Out on the trails I saw at least 8 riders on Starlings, all getting some pretty impressive results. The best that I spotted was Phil Sellors who took an excellent 14th place in Masters and was only 2 seconds off Neil Donoghue!
Thanks also to all of the Bike Industry folks who swung by over the weekend. Not least Dan Stanton who tried his best to sticker bomb by Custom Murmurs with Cotic Stickers!
Extra thanks go Vittoria Tyres who were on the pitch next to me and fitted up the race team with Goma and Martello tyres and the new inserts. Phil’s results showed that they worked great! Follow them at VittoriaTires.
And finally, many thanks to the stands around me who helped make the event even greater – not least @wonkywollies @deviatecycles and @ridgecarbonwheels
