Pivot TwentyFour 12 2018

British summer time has been great so far this year. That was until the annual Pivot TwentyFour 12 hiatus, where winter dutifully resumes for the weekend. After last years washout i think everyone was looking forward to a sunny weekend of bikes and racing in the beautiful Newnham Park. But of course it wasn't to be...

A quick good luck cuddle with my nephew before the the start.

This year I broke solo tradition, and paired up with good friend and local ripper Rich Long for the 12hr race. We have been riding and racing together for years, but this was our first time teaming up. Rich has been lighting up the local and national MTB scene all year, so I knew he was on good form. I was just hoping my diesel legs would deliver some respectable lap times to not let the side down!

With the weather looking threatening but generally OK for the Saturday, I took to the start line at 12pm to lead out the field in the freshly delivered LDLR British Champs jersey. Straight into  a double lap smash fest, but no traffic and the trails were running oh so good! With the first stint done the baton was handed to Rich for another two lap stint. An approach we stuck to throughout the race, and seemingly worked well ticking off the laps matching each others pace bar a few seconds for the full 12 hours!

Back into the camp ground on the opening lap. Photo Credit: Michael Travers

Things were hotting up in the 12hr solo race too, with only a few minutes separating the top five deep into the race. It was hard to watch, as I had loads of friends racing, all of which could have easily delivered the goods. With a late burn up from endurance racing virgin Seb Lloyd in second rapidly catching the flying on form Chris Noble it was all to play for in the last hour. It finally settled with Chris taking the goods from Seb, and a stellar gutsy ride from Matt Jones in third. Tense viewing for someone who doesn't usually see the solo racing from those side of the tapes!

Rich tapping out the laps like clockwork. Photo Credit: Michael Travers

Come 23:30 our race was pretty much done. Rich was heading out on the final lap to seal our lap and 15 minute advantage over second place. It was here when the weather finally broke, deciding to deliver the past two months worth of rainfall on Plymouth over the next 6 hours. With the course now resembling a river, and gale force winds bringing trees down on course, the race organisers took the difficult, yet wise decision to stop the race at 07:30 on Sunday morning on safety concerns. This must have been a hard pill to swallow, especially for the 24hr Solo's, but in hindsight was the wisest option.

Night time falls, and rain along with it... Photo Credit: Rich Long

So that was the 2018 Pivot TwentyFour 12. Two years in a row a washout, but still a fantastic event with a brilliant atmosphere. Next year WILL be dry.......
A big thanks to the the new organisers of this event for their heroic efforts in the dramatic conditions. Not an easy first year, but an excellent job was done!