Two mixed teams and two solo riders for Team JMC had a brilliant weekend at Mountain Mayhem – the largest 24 hour mountain bike race in the UK. Instead of the rain, cold and high winds that have plagued this race in the past few years, this time the weather was hot, sunny and the 7 mile course was very dry and dusty. Of the two teams, one completed 15 laps and the other team finished in 5th place overall (3rd in the mixed vets category) with a stunning 35 laps.
Dave Powell, riding in the 24 hour solo category completed 30 laps which placed him 5th, while Jason Miles won the solo race with 33 laps!
“I was pushed all the way to the end by 2nd-placed Richard Dunnett and I think there was only 4 or 5 minutes in it, so it was very close racing especially considering the distance. I’ve wanted to win this race for years so I’m going to sit down for a few days now and take it easy. Meeting Princess Anne at the presentation was a nice surprise” said Jason after the race.
Member of the 15-lap team, Rachael Eaton: “I decided to have another go at Mayhem after my initial attempt at the 2012 mud bath! I was part of the ‘relaxed’ team and just wanted to have a go at a few laps as I hadn’t been on my mountain bike for almost a year. The weather forecast this time was quite the opposite though so was looking forward to it. I really enjoyed doing a couple of laps with the team but certainly think my forte lies in supporting rather than riding!”
Lee Eaton, member of the 35-lap team: “I got handed a short straw to do the run at Mayhem, Just tried to keep up with Jason and Dave, all went quite smoothly on the laps through Saturday. Then around midnight had a big off down the fast grass section which catapulted me through the air landing in the grass looking at the stars. After a few minutes I got to my feet a bit winded but had to giggle to myself as I rode into the darkness. The JMC team were immense, all doing the same amount of laps and securing a 3rd place finish in cat. A Stunning weekend had by all!”
Andrew Burgess, also a member of the 35 lap team: “Finally we got the Mountain Mayhem that we have all been hoping for after many years of miserable muddiness – hot weather and dry trails. Nice for racing but even better for camping in. This year myself, Phil, Andy, Lee and Jacqui entered a mixed vets team with an ambition of getting into the top 10 in our ‘not so niche anymore’ category. In the end we managed 7 laps each, close on 250 miles of riding, and ended up 3rd in category! A brilliant result. Highlights for me were amazing performances from Jason and Dave in what was an epically hard solo competition, great camaraderie with a top bunch of team mates all of whom pushed themselves as hard as they could and coming home with a bike that only needed a light dusting and a tent that didn’t need to be unpacked, jetwashed and dried out.“
