Welcome to the 2010 Nutcracker Mountain Bike Cross Country Series - 6 British Cycling Ranking Races in the North East of England.

Nutcracker Round 1 , Camp Hill 4th April 2010

Camp Hill - Round 1 of the 2010 Nutcracker MTB XC Series

The inaugural race of the 2010 Nutcracker XC MTB series took place in the grounds of the Camp Hill estate (near Bedale in North Yorkshire) on a purpose built course.

The course had been specially design for the Nutcracker 1 race and was looking excellent right up till Good Friday. The heavens opened and we had rain for two solid days. Despite the fast draining land, Sunday loomed and the course had held onto just enough moisture to provide the perfect blend of sticky mud and gunk that clogs up everything.

Riding conditions were hard and a true test of character as sections became almost unrideable and at times it was quicker to run with the bike. Despite this adversity smiles abounded (along with 1000 yard stares), the sun shone and a good day was had by most.

With around 200 competitors the turnout for the first race was astounding and more than we had dared to hope for. We really appreciated the support of all who turned up on the day and in particular the marshals who made the event possible.

So all in all we hope everybody had a positive image of the series and our hopes and ambitions for the coming races were realised.

James' race report

130 people pre-entered into the inaugural round of the new and long-awaited Nutcracker Northern XC MTB Series, with a further 60 entries on the day, bringing the total number of entries to just shy of 200. Not bad for event 1!

Riders began turning up at 0730 keen to sign-on and test ride the 4.5 miles course, designed specifically by Technical Director Adey Dent. With more of an emphasis on natural terrain, rather than man-made singletrack and fire tracks, the course suited those riders with a higher level of aerobic fitness and high cadence stamina as there were no “rest” areas anywhere on the course. Unfortunately, the weather had taken its toll on the terrain and what, 2 weeks before, had been a bone-dry and almost dusty course turned very wet and sticky after 2 weeks of relentless precipitation.

Racing began at 1000 with the Senior Novice, Youth and Juvenile category. Only a handful of competitors chose to race in the novice category, which would complete 2 laps of the course over the duration of around 1hr 15mins. Youths would also complete 2 laps and Juveniles and ladies 1 lap. The Novice category was won by Richmond Cycling Club’s Matthew Wilkinson. “What a fantastic race! It’s my first ever attempt at competitive cycling and I was dubious as to whether I’d be any good. I just chose my gear and settled into a nice cadence. Conditions were tough – but they could’ve been worse and to be honest, I was expecting worse. I was a bit demoralized when I was passed by a young whippet who looked like he was about 12 years old, but felt better afterwards when I was told that he currently stood within the top 5 ranked Youth riders in the country! I’ll definitely be back for Nutcracker 2 at Aske – can’t wait!” commented Mathew following his first ever race and victory. First time racer Sarah Rose was first Novice lady over the line and, despite her multiple punctures whilst on the course, she reported of a fantastic experience, which she hoped to repeat at other events in the series. The Youth category was won by Jack Humphreys with a superb average lap time of around 25 minutes. There were also a handful of Juvenile competitors and the category was won by Robert Armstrong.

Rumour had it beforehand that National Cyclocross Champion Paul Oldham fancied a ride – and it turned out to be true! Both Paul Oldham and Dave Collins of Hope Factory Racing were on the start line for race 2 at 1130. As the siren sounded the start of the Experts and Elites categories, they both pulled away from the rest of the field almost from the line. By mid-race and about lap 3 (after 13 miles) they had managed to build a gap of almost 10 minutes on their nearest competitors and that was after stopping nearly every lap to wash the mud from their bikes in a small lake adjacent to the course! After lap 4, Collins was dropped by Oldham, presumably having spent longer washing his bike in the lake, and Paul put the hammer down to pull away by several minutes by the finish. Final result in the Elite category: Paul Oldham, from Dave Collins, both of Hope Factory Racing, followed shortly after by Nic Smith. 1st Elite lady home was Kate Potter with no such luck for local Northallerton-based Jessie Roberts following her recent streak of victories in the University championships and other events. Expert category was won by Niall Frost from James Williams in 2nd place and Tom Bell in 3rd.

By far and away the biggest turnout was for race 3, with over 120 riders jostling for position on the start line. Due to the difficult course conditions, British Cycling commissaire Pete Sutton made the call to reduce the race distance for some of the categories, in light of the longer than anticipated lap times that had been recorded by the experts and elites earlier in the day. Categories on the start line at 1400 were Juniors, Senior Sport, Masters, Veterans and Grand Veterans. A good race was had by all, despite the less than desirable course conditions. Junior and Master men completed 4 laps, whilst everybody else completed 3.

Entry is now open for Nutcracker 2 at Aske and we promise less mud and more hills.