Open 5 North Pennines 16 Oct 2005

For this 3rd Open 5 event of the year, we travelled up to visit Mike and Sue in Harrogate and stay at Edmundbyers YHA, a great liitle place. We expected to meet other competitors but it was full of a group of charity cyclists doing the coast to coast ride.

So we reached the event in Blanchland pretty early. I was on my own as Jeff was in the Compass Sport Cup Final. Jean was on her new shiny mountain bike, which took a bit of fiddling to put back together after being dismantled in the car.

It was a great area. The course made use of some of the open access morland so there were a couple of cross country legs as well as the usual rights of way. I ran first, clearing the run in just over 2 hours which I think was the quickest of the day and thought it would leave me enough time to be close to clearing the bike as well.

Tried running with a waterbottle but no bumbag, just things stuffed in the back of a cycling jersey. This didn't work well though as had to keep picking up things that fell out! Cycling started ok. Nice tracks over the peaty tops - quicker riding than I expected. It was all going well right up to the time I just 'nipped' over to another nearby control deviating from my plan and found myself the wrong side of the moor for the next part. There was a great heather cycle/carry part to a central trig point but I was now forced to loop around the wrong way which would leave an extra off road climb to finish with.

Stuck with it and enjoyed the mix of forest rides and bridleways. Missed another point which I didn't notice on the folder map and forced to head home a little early. Couldn't find one control which probably wasn't on the feature on the map, but was probably in the right place as James is good with that. Anyway I couldn't find it and had to head home rather than searching. The way home was annoyingly past that extra control I had just 'nipped' to.

12.5 mins late. 6th on the male solos - looking at what might have been if I'd taken my planned route and been a bit more awake.. should have been in the prizes. Interestingly my score in the Male Pairs (if Jeff had been there) would have won it.

Jean was 5th lady with a very respectable score.

Event Results

Sleepmonsters Event Report

FURTHER PAGES

Competition Calendar

AR Results Summary

Current Training

Cambridge Adventure Race Group

2007
Bimbache Extrem, Spain

2006
The Full Monty
Bergson Winter Challenge
Spring Polaris Challenge
North Face Adventure Trophy Wilderness ARC
2-day ACE Race Lakes
Open 24 Yorkshire Dales
2-day ACE Race Wales
Nev-Dama Czech Race
2-day ACE Galloway
Autumn Polaris Challenge
Dynamic, South Downs
Rodings Rally

2005
Dynamic, North Downs
Karrimor (KIMM)
Open 5, N Pennines
2-day ACE Race Exmoor
Wilderness ARC, Scotland
Open 24, Lake District
Hebridean Challenge
2-day ACE Race, Lake District
Open 5, South Lakes
1-day ACE Race, Ashdown
2-day ACE Race, Wales
Spring Polaris Challenge
Open 5, Swaledale

2004
Karrimor (KIMM)

2003
Karrimor (KIMM)
Mountain Navigation Challange
Lowe Alpine MM
Wicklow Rogaine

2002
Scottish Island Peaks Race
Karrimor (KIMM)

2001
Open Country MM
Karrimor (KIMM)