Rosie Races the Gisburn HopeTechWomen Enduro.

HopeTechWomen put on their inaugural enduro at Gisburn Forest this weekend and a Foxhunt-beating amount of ladies turned up!

Our Rosie Holdsworth fired her Liv Hail into the car and braved the flooded roads to get to Gisburn Forest for the first HopeTechWomen Enduro. Here’s her race report.

Two hundred and twenty two women descended on a quiet corner of Lancashire this weekend for the inaugural HopeTechWomen Enduro at Gisburn forest. It’s an event I’ve been looking forward to for months. Having been on a couple of the HopeTechWomen rides I knew to expect a great atmosphere and some fab riding but the event surpassed all expectations.

Racing in Lancashire in October is almost guaranteed to be a damp affair and judging by the flooded roads on the way to the event, the race was going to be a wet one even by my soggy northern standards.

Immediately on arrival however, it was clear to see that a bit of rain and perpetual fog wasn’t going to dampen anyone’s spirits. Beaming grins abounded from those already soaked from a swim round the practice lap and the good folks manning registration.

I caught up with the relentlessly smiley event organiser and Hope’s brand manager Rachael Walker at registration. Rachael seemed to be as blown away and happy as the rest of us by the great turn out and positive atmosphere which was already apparent.

Quite often at races, registration is a mildly panicked and occasional grumpy carry on, and the bleak weather and saturated trails might dampen the mood at a typical race. This was not going to be a typical race! There was an excited buzz around the event HQ as soaked riders returned from practice and nervous racers on clean bikes set off for a quick recce.

I’d only left time for a scope of stages one and three of the course, not realising that stage two would be held on an entirely new section of trail – oops! A quick blast round the trail centre confirmed that any attempt at water-proofing myself had already failed. I’d been a bit miffed that the race was taking place entirely on existing trail centre red trail, rather than any sketchy lines through the woods.

However it was immediately apparent why organisers Hope and PMBA had chosen to do this; although strewn with pond-puddles the trails were holding up well, fresh cut woodland tracks would have created the sort of utter filthy carnage you just grin and bear rather than race.

Back to base for a quick refuel and a chat with the other riders. The atmosphere was pretty special with a massively diverse range of riders having turned out. From pro’s and World Champions through to first time racers and people on borrowed bikes, all chatting and mingling whilst hiding from the weather.

Start times were decided by the riders, with groups setting off at five minute intervals, but we were soon mixed up again and chatting our way up the climb to stage one on the Home Baked trail. By the time racing had started the rain had stopped, but there was no danger of the trail having dried out. The wooded trails of stage one were dark and misty and the roots were slick and sketchy.

The trail was really tight and twisty and I ended up the wrong side of a tree tangled in tape which was frustrating and time costly. Time to calm down and stop taking myself too seriously. The cheering and yelling from the marshals definitely helped and I started to loosen up and enjoy myself more, stopped trying to dodge puddles and accepted that there was no chance of maintaining dry feet.

The transition to the start of stage two was the longest of the day but was a good chance to have a natter and catch up with riding buddies I hadn’t seen for ages. Again I was struck by how many people had come from far and wide for the event. Stage two set off from the windswept summit of the trail centre at Whelpstones. The wait at the top could have been a dismally chilly one, but fortunately help was on hand in the form of Ros the marshal whose singing and enthusiasm levels kept everyone stoked for the descent to come.

This stage featured an unprecedented water obstacle in the form of an enormous axle deep puddle which sapped speed and strength and ensured a level playing field of saturation for all. Flowing corners and berms followed before the track joined a brand-new section of trail with more berms and lots of sharp dips and crests.

The loose gravel of the new trail almost caught me out on a couple of occasions with a few near miss front wheel wash outs. An unexpected mid-stage fire road gallop had me kicking myself that I’d not practised the stage and my jelly legs could barely support me by the time I reached the slippery bridge at the end of the stage.

A short sharp climb to the fire road to stage three was a bridge too far and I was off and walking in an attempt to retain some horsepower for the pedally stage to come.

The enthusiasm from riders, marshals and spectators had been high the whole way round, but the numbers of people gathered along stage three made for an electric atmosphere. Every rider got a massive cheer, the airhorns, cowbells and screeches were audible on pretty much the whole course.

Waiting at the start of the stage it was great to hear everyone getting massive cheers and some loud support the whole way down. My legs were in tatters after stage two, but the enthusiasm from the marshals stopped me from cruising and I was pleased to finish the stage without any of the mistakes of the previous two stages. Now to coast back to the café and top up the sugar levels.

Back at the café I was pleased but slightly disheartened to see that the crowds of earlier in the day had dissipated. Ah well, more hot chocolate for me! What I hadn’t realised was that this was because everyone was gathered outside for the podiums and prize giving. I was distracted when I returned my timing chip and hadn’t realised I’d finished second in my category – oops again!

Fortunately Rachael let me have a second pop at the podium and I was able to collect my prize and stand awkwardly on the 2nd spot as a shining example of how not to do it!

The event was hugely successful, managing to cater to seasoned racers and first timers alike. Hope and PMBA always manage to inject a laid-back atmosphere and the positive and supportive vibe was something everyone picked up on. It was a really special event that I was really happy to have been able to get along to.

Thanks to all the organisers, marshals, riders and support teams; here’s hoping it’s the first of many more to come.

Hats off to Hope and PMBA for putting together an amazing race and getting so many ladies from all over the country and of all abilities.

Full results can be found on Roots and Rain. For more on Hope Tech Women, head here.

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