The opening round of the 2018 British Cycling HSBC National Downhill Series is just over a month away and we’ve got everything you need to know about the race at Cwmcarn.
A revamped Cwmcarn will host the opening round of the 2018 British Cycling HSBC National Downhill Series. This will also be the first event run by the team behind the Welsh Gravity Enduro Series.
Below is everything you need to know about the race going down on the 7th and 8th of April.
It’s been a long old while since Cwmcarn hosted a national level downhill race. Last time the big boys came to this part of Wales to race, the top two spots were taken by the two Atherton brothers both on Giants.
In any case, fast forward a decade and we’ve got the opening round of the 2018 British Cycling HSBC National Downhill Series happening at Cwmcarn on April 7th and 8th.
Entries close on Sunday 1st April and the event is already 60% full. Enter here.
The Venue.
Getting to Cwmcarn by Car:
From junction 28 of the M4, follow the A467 heading north. You should see a sign for Cwmcarn Forest Drive at one of the roundabouts, turn right here, then after 150 yards or so, you’ll see another sign to turn left. Go up the lane over all the speed bumps, you can either pull into the main car park on the right.
STRICTLY NO PARKING AT THE VISITOR CENTRE.
For those of you using sat-nav, use NP11 7FA, this will take you close to the visitor centre, but some Satnavs will lead you to a side street just around the corner. Cwmcarn Forest Drive is well sign posted, so once you get close, just follow the signs.
By Train:
You can catch a train from Cardiff platform zero to Crosskeys, this is just around the corner from Cwmcarn, about 4-5 minutes on your bike.
The Track.
The race course, which may differ from the video above, sports a 1.9km length and a 250m drop. Cwmcarn is mostly man-made with a good all-weather surface. The course is mostly under the cover of trees beside the final run to the finish line over the freshly-tweaked jumps. Expect some high speeds at this race.
Race Schedule.
Friday 6th April.
08:00-23:00 Venue open
16:00-17:30 Commissaire course walk / inspection
18:00 Course open for on-foot inspection
15:00-20:00 Registration office open
23:00 Venue closed โ no access. Security on site from 20:00
Saturday 7th April.
07:00 Venue open. Course open for on-foot inspection
07:30-11:00 Registration office opens
09:00 1st Uplift
09:30 Training โ all categories EXCLUDING Elite / Expert
10:30 Training โ all categories
15:00 Full runs only
17:00 Training โ Expert / Elite and top 5 ranked Juniors
17:30 Last uplift
18:00 Course closed
18:15 Riders / Managers meeting
18:30 Course open for on-foot inspection
23:00 Venue closed. Security on site from 20:00
Sunday 8th April.
07:00 Venue open
08:15 1st uplift
08:30 Training โ All categories, full runs only
10:45-11:00 Training โ ELITE only
11:15 Seeding runs
14:00 Race runs
17:00 Presentation โ top 5 each class
19:00 Venue closed and cleared.
Race Runs.
Times will run as close to those published can be subject to change. Please listen for announcements on the day of the event.
There will be a 30 second gap between each rider on race runs, with the exception of the following:
Elite Women 1:00 minute gap between each rider
Elite Men 1:00 minute gap between each rider โ 20th to 11th
Elite Men 2:00 minute gap between each rider โ Top 10
Prize Giving.
Prize money is given to the top 5 positions in Elite Men and Women, as well as Junior Men and Women, with both Men and Women receiving equal prize money. Trophies are awarded to all top 5 positions in each category.
Riders must attend podiums in full race kit, and failure to attend the podium will see that rider forfeit their prize.
Spot prizes are also on offer from The Mountain Bike Chalet, who are giving away aย week’s holiday in their fully catered chalet in Les Arcs with a value of ยฃ439. East Coast Adventure are also giving away aย weekend for 2 people in their glamping pods in Rostrevor, in Northern Ireland with 2 days uplift, with a value of ยฃ400.
Tech Area.
Silverfish will be on hand to give Fox suspension help to anyone that needs some assistance dialling in their dampers.
Sprung Suspension will also be at Cwmcarn to offer a full range of suspension tweaking for a wide range of brands.
Stans No Tubes will be helping riders get their tubeless setups dialled or get folk topped up if their wind is leaking.
Team Leslie Bike Shop/Bikers Boutique will also be available to help patch up your broken race bikes to keep you rolling.
Team Wideopenmag will also be in the pit area, so come and say hello, check out our new race Nukeproof Pulse race bikes and see what the team are up to this year.
