EWS Adventure 2022

[Norm]

I think your team manager needs to step it up a notch... @Norm , you there?

Yeah, I'm on it. I sent her some bagpipes via FedEx this morning.

 

[Bluepony421]

Let us know what it's like practicing! If it truly is one run and done! Can't wait to cheer you on at the EWS events in the states.

 

[muddybike]

Drive to a nearby town and secured some waterproof walking shoes. Window shopped around town, grabbed lunch then back to the venue to walk the course w dry feet. The rain stopped too, so it was a slippery but pleasant hike all the way up stage 1 (&6)

took the bike to a local bike shop and got the wheel reseated. Then I rode around town on some really secluded and pretty bike paths until it started raining again.

Got cleaned up back at the hotel & grabbed dinner in town- fish & chips to die for. Work had an emergency that I sorted out pretty quickly. The seeding list is published- but I thought they used the pro stage race on Saturday for that- maybe they make order adjustments? No idea.

 

[muddybike]

 

[muddybike]

Stage 1 seems pretty reasonable. I’m told the most challenging features are on the other side of the valley- course is really spread out- have to ride to a totally different town for half the stages. No motorized transfers whatsoever/anywhere. Apparently the trees are really close together on some of the other stages- people crash catching their bars- last year one of the women pro riders broke her pinky and they made her pull out of the race as she really mangled it.

 

[w_b]

Great pix!

 

[Kaleidopete]

Stage 1 seems pretty reasonable. I’m told the most challenging features are on the other side of the valley- course is really spread out- have to ride to a totally different town for half the stages. No motorized transfers whatsoever/anywhere. Apparently the trees are really close together on some of the other stages- people crash catching their bars- last year one of the women pro riders broke her pinky and they made her pull out of the race as she really mangled it.

Time to trim 1 inch of each bar end!

 

[UtahJoe]

I expected to see this with a nation of bag pipers

 

[muddybike]

Did a quick ride this morning on some trails near my hotel. More like hiking trails but good to shake out my legs and bike.

 

[muddybike]

It started raining again so I headed back to the hotel to clean up. When the rain let up

I went to this super old Abbey and gawked, grabbed lunch at a cafe and then wandered around the town of Melrose for a while. Jet lag hit me hard today. I’m glad I’ve got a few more days to adjust.

 

[ChrisG]

Looks wonderful!

 

[muddybike]

the narrowest road yet. This is a 2 way street. It’s just barely the width of my car. There are little “pull off” areas for when traffic has to pass in opposite directions. And the speed limit is 60mph. I mean- you would die. I was lucky enough to not cross paths w another vehicle, but man these roads are narrow.

 

[Zaskar]

I’m heading to Tweed Valley, Scotland for the Enduro World Series race #1. This was a lofty goal I didn’t think would actually happen- the series is qualified entry only. As unreal as this feels, here I am, standing in line with some rather awkward luggage, waiting for the British airways check in counter to open.

View attachment 185632

The race itself is next sat and Sunday, but I’ll do my best to post updates along the way.

Dr DiFelice is smiling Good luck!

 

[UtahJoe]

It started raining again so I headed back to the hotel to clean up. When the rain let up View attachment 185843View attachment 185844View attachment 185845View attachment 185846View attachment 185847View attachment 185848View attachment 185849View attachment 185850View attachment 185851I went to this super old Abbey and gawked, grabbed lunch at a cafe and then wandered around the town of Melrose for a while. Jet lag hit me hard today. I’m glad I’ve got a few more days to adjust.

So this lead me down a rabbit hole of reading about the Melrose Abbey....very interesting stuff.

so as i read, the english literally burned the abbey down bc the scots wouldnt allow this 2 year old girl (Mary queen of scots) to get married to Henry VIII's son....Seems reasonable.

 

[JDurk]

So this lead me down a rabbit hole of reading about the Melrose Abbey....very interesting stuff.

so as i read, the english literally burned the abbey down bc the scots wouldnt allow this 2 year old girl (Mary queen of scots) to get married to Henry VIII's son....Seems reasonable.

Visiting Edinburgh castle, there's a whole history lesson about the English/Scottish thing.

 

[GTCHAMPION1]

the narrowest road yet. This is a 2 way street. It’s just barely the width of my car. There are little “pull off” areas for when traffic has to pass in opposite directions. And the speed limit is 60mph. I mean- you would die. I was lucky enough to not cross paths w another vehicle, but man these roads are narrow. View attachment 185852

The road was made for those Mini Morris 🙃

 

[Mitch]

Good luck Kris!
Pictures are great.
And most of all, Have Fun!

 

[muddybike]

Thursday- e bikes are racing today. I headed to the “other side of the valley” to walk some of the terrain/stages over there. it’s pretty confusing to have the stages so spread out - the entrance to these stages is a couple miles away from the race venue- so it’s good I found them and figured out the trails a bit.

 

[muddybike]

Then I headed to the venue to wander and wait for registration to open.

 

[muddybike]

Lots of vendor tents and team tents setup now- it’s got a mini sea otter vibe. The stage is pretty legit and man, everyone is getting called up to start the race through the stage- good lord that’s going to be nerve wracking if we have to do that.

I sampled some haggis- surprisingly good. Like seasoned ground beef.