Snowrun 2008 Report by Bob Mullins

The first Sunday in February & the Welsh Trail Riders held their annual opener to the time card season in the Crychan forest near Llandovery. The Snowrun is traditionally aimed at the Clubman rider & this year the aim connected squarely with his groin & left him a bit winded.

In the Championship class Ollie Moyce had traveled all the way from the Staplecross to experience the hardship of winter event in Wales. Jon Hinam will be competing in the BEC championship class for the first time this year & he was keen to get the season off to a flying start. Gethin Price & Andrew Edwards both relish the tough Welsh forestry going & Lee Jones was making a welcome return. 

The weather was perfect with cool temperatures & overcast skies but overnight rain had left the ground slippery. This year's course was more compact than usual with a higher number of laps required. The start was in the Top Quarry of North Crychan & after some zig zagging through the trees, the riders dropped down a 50 feet shale bank onto the Tirabad road. Clerk of the course - Paul "Gadget" Davies monitored their descent by listening to the increasing pitch of the groans as each rider impacted with the ditch at the base of the drop. When one rider let out a top C & Paul opened a second - less precipitous - line.  After crossing the cattle grid, the course climbed the stickfest that is the Cortina. Trevor Beck retired when he fell heavily onto a stump & injured a rib. The Cortina has always given the Sportsmen the opportunity to bond & form life long friendships with anyone who has suffered. This section was cut later.

The riders continued in small groups for safety down Stick Hill to 5 roads & up Scrach where a slick camber led to a climb that Bob Perring used in one of his Classics. The steam & smoke left many veterans nostalgic for the leisurely pace of train travel in the Fifties. Andrew Keyte & Gareth Hopkins  are too young to remember the Fifties so they were left nostalgically remembering their piston rings. Before his engine expired Gareth set the 4th fastest test time of the day in any class.

For those with the power to continue, a couple of drops led to the Snowrun Quarry & a thrashing filled 10th row off the Dead End road before crossing the stream at Bob's Stick & climbing to Check 1 on the road to the Sand Quarry. The test was around the cambers, roots & climbs behind the Holiday Cottage.

The inward stage was easier going with a sight seeing tour along Cemetery Hill, around the Castle, over Trout Hill, down the Ruts with no name & the Whoopty Woos, up the Swimbath, along Geriants, around Cwm Cadoran & down Super Mario before exiting the Crychan at the Pucnic site. The course then crossed the Tirabad road & returned to the finish through some big holes in the sunken road of Cefn Ludlow.

On his 3rd lap Ollie Moyce crashed spectacularly on the climb out of Scrach & sustained a suspected broken ankle. Despite being in considerable pain he had the presence of mind to elevated the injury to minimise any soft tissue damage & to wait for assistance.

As the checks became quieter, the car park emptier & the skies darker - the organinsers decided to cut the last lap. Jon Hinam's first test time was the fastest of the day &  - although his subsequent tests were slower  - he maintained his margin to take the premier. Andrew Edwards was the runner up & Gethin Price was 3rd. Lee Jones retired with a mechanical breakdown.

Rheinallt Davies from Machynlleth was the Best Expert & KTMs Matt Walker from Northampton was the runner up. Mark Roberts from Wrexham was 3rd & Tom's dad Paul Sagar was 4th. Craig Bounds was 5th & - returning to competition - Keith Horsnell was 6th. Neil Williams won the Veterans from Leo Cordingley - a member of the IOM Sheepskull Enduro Riders. As usual the Veterans had the highest percentage of finishers. 

It was a tough day for the Clubman with 50% retirements but several riders did stay clean. David Lloyd-Jones won the class with a test time that would not have been out of place in the Expert class. As the closing marshals loaded up, the heavens opened. If you finished "Well done", if you didn't, there's always next year. Results

A Father's Tale by John Davies

Video: available from Frank Morgan, Malvern Lodge, Howey, LLANDRINDOD WELLS, Powys, LD1 5RE. Tel: 01597 822642

Goggles I picked up 2 pairs of goggles on the closing lap & Sean Davies has a 3rd pair. Let me know if you think they are yours & I will try & re-unite you.

Postscript Oliver Moyce's ankle was not fractured but there was severe bleeding in both sides of the ankle joint. Hopefully he will be Ok to ride at the Muntjac.

Previous Snowruns