Success for the RNRM team at the RAF Mountain Bike Champs

The Royal Navy and Royal Marines’ Cycling Association had a very successful weekend at the RAF Mountain Bike Championships, with 5 of its riders placing in the top 10 in the cross country race as well as taking 1st place in the downhill event.

This year the RAF Champs took place on the Longmoor Training Area in Hampshire over the weekend of 9/10 October 2009. The action-packed weekend saw a downhill race, a night race, a cross country race and an enduro. The downhill was emphatically won by Lance Corporal Glen Preece on the Saturday, who also turned his hand to the cross country race on the Sunday, gaining a superb 8th place. The other successful riders in the cross country were Major Andy Plewes RM (2nd), Major Steve McCulley RM (3rd), Major Si Rogers RM (5th), Warrant Officer Nobby Clark RN (6th) and Warrant Officer Jimmy Knibbs RN (12th). Jimmy would have probably placed higher up the field, however he arrived late, literally just making it to the start line before the race was off!

The course was approximately 5 miles in length and made up of a mixture of undulating terrain, firetrack, wooded sections and a couple of interesting descents. Although only 3 laps, it made for a testing 65 – 90 minutes’ racing. The race also doubled up as the final round (of 10) of the Combined Services’ Series. Full results to follow, however the Navy has provisionally taken 1st (Lance Corporal Ben Deakin) and 2nd (Lance Corporal Glen Preece) in the downhill series, and 2nd (Major Andy Plewes) and 3rd (Major Steve McCulley) in the cross country series.

This success is a result of significant personal commitment throughout the whole season. The relatively new downhill series saw some very tight racing between the Navy’s top two boys who saw off their main challengers from the RAF, and the cross country results reflected a very tight season-long battle. Steve’s very strong final result saw him catapult himself from 5th place in the series into the medals, and Andy’s overall series’ placing was decided in the final 200 meters of the race in a ‘winner takes all scenario’; throughout the race Andy and Corporal Dan Lewis of the RAF (the eventual race and Combined Services’ winner) were separated by no more that 2 bike lengths!