Race Day One takes riders on a trip down the valley from Peebles to Innerleithen and the incredible collection of trails there. Riders will get a good warm-up with a 12km spin down the Tweed Cycle Path, before a tough climb to the event's first racing stage.
Race Day One takes riders on a trip down the valley from Peebles to Innerleithen and the incredible collection of trails there. Riders will get a good warm-up with a 12km spin down the Tweed Cycle Path, before a tough climb to the event's first racing stage.
Race Day One takes riders on a trip down the valley from Peebles to Innerleithen and the incredible collection of trails there. Riders will get a good warm-up with a 12km spin down the Tweed Cycle Path, before a tough climb to the event's first racing stage.
The final stage of the day for E1 and E2 riders, and an
Innerleithen Classic. Superb, established downhill and enduro
trails all linked up to give a great descent with a massive injection of speed and flow, and a few gnarly surprises thrown into the mix. Sweet riding to end the day - then its a warm- down ride back upstream to Peebles. Job done for day one! 12 11 10 9 8 13 14 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 STAGE 2 Go! End! Go! End! Go! End! STAGE 4 STAGE 3 Go! TOSTAGE 4 End! STAGE 1 TOSTAGE 2 TOSTAGE 3 & 4 E2 To event HQ E1 caberston &traquair The stage that gets the whole race started. Starting fromhigh on Priesthope Hill, with some steep sections and a very steep chute off the road midway through, this stage also features a lung- busting tough climb between sections of tech singletrack. Back up the hill to one of the toughest stages in the race. After a fast, open start youre in the woods and things soon get interesting. Really steep, loose rock, slippy roots, off-camber tight turns - this is a technical challenge with crashing an almost inevitable penalty for getting it even a wee bit wrong! Well worth it if you can get up there to watch! If you liked stage two, youll love this! After a mandatory timing check, and a short rest/neutral service break in Walkerburn (behind the Caberston Cafe), the E1s have a big climb up to Minch Moor. The stage starts easily but winds up to take on one of the most continuously steep and tight trails in the valley. Pushing the limits here is risky - its STEEP! E2 riders do not ride this stage. Race Day One takes riders on a trip down the valley from Peebles to Innerleithen and the incredible collection of trails there. Riders will get a good warm-up with a 12km spin down the Tweed Cycle Path, before a tough climb to the events first racing stage. The racing on the first two stages sets the tone quickly - steep, tight and technical. Few riders will find it easy. DAY 1 H O T
S P O T S
2.2 km 3 0 5 m
1.5 km
2 7 5 m
2.81 km
2 7 8 m
1.75 km
3 3 0 m
Descent: 305m Distance: 2.2km STAGE 1: G-FORCE STAGE 2: JAWBURN STAGE 3: TOTAL SPACER E1 RACERS ONLY STAGE 4: INNERS FACE AROUND INNERLEITHEN Saturday 31 May E1: approx 50km/1400m ascent, E2: 43km/920m Stage Sponsor: MARIN BIKES Descent: 275m Distance: 1.5km Stage Sponsor: HOPE Descent: 278m Distance: 2.81km Stage Sponsor: MALOJA Descent: 330m Distance: 1.75km From high on Priesthope Hill, into some slippery rooty terrain, and steep sections. Exciting drop down to fire road. Tough uphill sprint before dropping down an uber steep chute. Into another tech section with a scree traverse and water crossing. Stage two - not one to get complacent on. Its one of the hardest trails in the valley. The top part of the stage is Jawbone (you might spot said jawbone up in a tree). The second part of stage two - Walk or Burn - is less steep but has a lot of awkward, tight turns and not much room for overtaking. Great tech riding but not made easier if its wet! Mandatory time check-in for E1 riders. Also a neutral service station, and Caberston Cafe. Over the river, E1 and E2 will split, E1s to Minch Moor and their extra stage, E2 direct to Plora Rig. Minch Moor summit - a high and exposed start to stage 3, with wide open turns and a pedal to keep the speed up. More hard work on a wet traverse interspersed with tech sections. Drop off to off camber root section - good place to watch the action! Continues on natural singletrack, not easy at speed. One of the steepest trails in the valley, this one has a reputation! A steady run might give a better result than getting too ambitious - which can easily lead to riders getting hung up in the trees (maybe literally). Plora Rig is the start for all the DH trails at Inners. Stage heads down Inners classics. Steep drop in off road to Cresta run, Gold run, Deerhunter and a mix-up of fine enduro and DH trails winding down the face of Plora Rig - lots of great spectator spots up for grabs. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
STAGE 2 STAGE 3 EVENT VILLAGE & EXPO STAGE 1 STAGE 4 TOSTAGE 4 TOSTAGE 3 TOSTAGE 2 To mandatory timing check after Stage 3 TIMING CHECK Go! Go! Go! Go! End! End! End! End! ZOOM OR BUST 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 GE 1 A TTA S 1 2 3 Go! End! 4 5 Go! Go! 6 GE 2 A TTA S OS T T S GE 2 A TTA OS GE 4 A TTA Go! 14 77 8 ZOOM OR BUST 16 17 15 E 9 End! End! 18 19 20 T S End! GE 3 A TTA Go! End! 10 11 12 GE 3 A TTA OS T Go! 9 GE 3 EVENT VILLA End! GE & EXPO EVENT VILLA 20 OS T GE 4 A TTA OS 13 tage 3 S er timing check aft ory t o manda TTo 11 TIMING CHECK TIMING CHECK glentress Race Day Two. All riders have to complete all four stages, all of which are within Glentress Forest - often voted Britains top trail centre. The stages feature some long descents, a big variety of trails and surfaces, and plenty of opportunity for spectators to get great views of the race and some epic panoramas. Gives a good flavour of what Glentress is all about. DAY 2 H O T
S P O T S
2.85 km 3 0 4 m
STAGE 1: MAST O ZORRO STAGE 2: REVELATION STAGE 4: LANG WHANG AROUND PEEBLES Sunday 1 June All riders (E1 & E2): approx 37km / 1500m A big climb up to the very top of the forest will get legs going again. Then its fast, rough and open, flat corners then into the woods. Tight switchbacks, a bus-stop lane and then two sections of woodsy trail. Nice riding! Descent: 304m Distance: 2.85km
3.7 km 3 4 7 m
Back up towards the top of the hill, for a big stage of classic Glentress riding. Getting steeper in the middle, this stage is all about keeping speed up, with a little uphill but plenty of chance to pedal, but not made easier by the rocky trail surface lower down. Expect high speeds and loads of flow. Stage Sponsor: ENVE Descent: 347m Distance: 3.7km
1.2 km 1 8 4 m
The shortest stage of the race, leading down to the heart of Glentress, and easy access for spectators. Fast and rooty, then rocky, then tight tech and steep to finish. Mandatory timing stop for E1s after this stage. Action guaranteed on the last steeps. Descent: 184m Distance: 1.2km
3.8 km 3 3 7 m
The big exit. A long stage, with some sweet trails, a short climb, warp speed open section, fire road pedalling and twisty woodland trails - so a bit of everything. It starts near the top and finishes at the edge of town - great to ride and for spectators too! Stage Sponsor: HAGLOFS Descent: 337m Distance: 3.8km Fast open turns on the Mustard Snake. Good sightlines of the riders starting out. Fast flat corners. From Peebles you can see a giant Z cut into the hillside - known as Zorro to locals. Tight swithchbacks follow a super fast rocky gully. Sauchiehall Street - stay in the bus lane for the fast track in and out of small trees and some fun bank riding. Newly cut, steep singletrack dirt with some cheeky root drops and then a lung-busting sprint on fire road to final section. Some big ol pine trees and a beautiful old singetrack weaving beneath the canopy - features a cheeky stream crossing too. Start of stage two is a rocky pedal before diving under the prayer flags for a fast flowy descent. Revelation - a prelude to Deliverance, one of the most popular descents in the forest. Steep, fasty, twisty dirt, then onto a full speed rocky track. Deliverence - part of the famous Black trail in Glentress. Its downhill, but itll take energy to keep the wheels going fast. After Deliverence, you need Redemption to get back up to the top. Doon the dyke, twisty rooty fun. More scree and rock in this section, officially named The Bitch - plenty of good viewpoints for some steep fast and loose action. A steep finish - tech riding in mixed woods down to the road - very easy access for spectators. Mandatory timing check at the Gateway building above the Peel cafe.. See the big names close up as they check in for their timing check and break. Superb views over the valley as the trail heads down a ridge - great photo opps and the chance to watch riders over long open track sections. Known as Ho Chi Min, this used to be a dark damp tunnel of trail. Now its wide-open flat-out dirt motorway - expect scary-fast speeds down here. Fly-off road crossing to straight line descent, followed by fire road sprint. Zoom or Bust - very popular hand built trail with a heap of roots and some speed sapping tight turns. Sharp, steep climb to a mega fast fire road to final natural singletrack. A short climb but itll hurt. From the old fort down to Janets Brae, this is one of the most enjoyable bits of trail in the area. Finishing so close to town, this stage provides a great chance to see the racing up close. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 STAGE 3: STICKSNSTANES
F R E E SPECTATORS E N T R Y RIDER SHUTTLES DROP OFF AREAS GLENTRESS STAGES: No vehicles permitted higher than Buzzards Nest parking area. Drop-off/parking zone is at this car park. WALKERBURN: Possible alternative drop-off/pick-up points. Drop off only at Caberston Cafe customers car park INNERLEITHEN STAGES: Drop-off/parking possible at Traquair forest trailhead, and Leithen Rd car park. Please note: NO PARKING is possible in the Innerleithen Golf Club area (north of Innerleithen on Leithen Road) TRAQUAIR TRAILHEAD LEITHENROAD CARPARK BUZZARDS NEST CARPARK CABERSTON CAFE AREA INFORMATION GLENTRESS TRAILS CADEMUIR TRAILS CABERSTON TRAILS TRAQUAIR TRAILS TWEEDLOVE EWS EXPO TWEED VALLEY CYCLING PATH Main link between Peebles and Innerleithen THE TWEED VALLEY is now a major UK mountain bike destination. Covering over 1800 square miles of countryside it contains an abundance of world class trail centre riding and excellent natural trails. The new Sustrans cycle path linking Peebles & Innerleithen will form the main artery for racers moving between the towns and is a great way for spectators to get around too. PEEBLES IS THE hub of all things EWS. Sitting on the banks of the River Tweed in the heart of the Tweed Valley its just 45 minutes from Edinburgh. Peebles is packed with things to do, places to eat, and has several supermarkets and bike shops to gather supplies. Parking is available around town as shown on the map. PEEBLES TOWN CENTRE TWEED VALLEY P P P P P P Tweedlove EWS EXPO Expo/tech vehicles only Registration and pre race info Where is the event village? The event will start and finish at the Event HQ, at Tweed Green in Peebles. Registration, the Race Office, media centre, pits and expo will all be here. Where can I park? Car parking in Peebles Edinburgh Road Car Park EH45 8AY and Haylodge Car Park, Neidpath Road EH45 8NN are the advised parking for event entrants. These are a short distance from the event village - please be advised that there will be no parking at Tweed Green. There is extensive free parking on many side streets around town, but please park responsibly and courteously. Where do I register and collect my race plate and timing chip? Registration is on Friday 30th May at Race Office, Tweed Green. 10am 8pm Your number board will include a space to fill in your emergency contact and other important information. Please complete this info, it could make a big difference in the case of an accident. Do I need to bring my race license to registration? You do not need a license to ride in this event, nor do you need to prove fitness to ride. We do strongly recommend that all riders have their own insurance covering them for competitive events. Riders will be asked to sign a waiver on registration confirming they are fit to ride a strenuous course and taking responsibility for their actions on the course. Where/when will the athlete briefing be? Attendance at the rider briefing is compulsory, it will be held at 6pm on Friday 30th May at Tweed Green. How are racers seeded? Racers are seeded according to their rank in the series so far and their rank in the EWS 2013. Riders with EMBA membership are ranked above those without. Riders without previous ranking are seeded randomly. E2 riders are not seeded and can choose a start time (first come first served) when they register at the Race Office. Where and when will the start list be published? Start Lists will be posted during registration at the Race Office, on Tweed Green on Friday 30th May. event faqs SUNDAY 25 MAY Course map released MONDAY 26 - TUESDAY 27 MAY Entire course closed for marking until Wednedsay 10am strictly no riding the course, walking permitted. WEDNESDAY 28 MAY 2014 10am Unmarshalled practice starts FRIDAY 30 MAY 2014 10am-8pm Race Registration 6pm Riders Briefing 8pm Unmarshalled practice ends 9am-5.30pm Expo Open SATURDAY 31 MAY 8.30am start Raceday 1 Start and finish at Tweed Green, Peebles town centre 8.30am-6pm Event Village & Expo open SUNDAY 01 JUNE 8.30am start Raceday 2 Start and finish at Tweed Green, Peebles town centre 8.30am-7pm Event Village & Expo open 6pm approx PRIZEGIVING Schedule Course info What trails are being used? We hope to show a good variety of trails in the Tweed Valley, and each area used has its own style of riding. There are trails in Caberston, Traquair and Glentress forests. Day One is based around Innerleithen, Day Two is all within Glentress Forest. Access to the different areas will feature the use of the Tweed Cycleway, a traffic-free path which follows the River Tweed between Peebles and Innerleithen. What will the trails be like? Riding will vary from fast and flowy to tight, steep and technical, but we hope you agree its all about quality riding. Trails in the forest can often feature roots and narrow, tree lined trails. Riders should adjust their speed accordingly and ride safely. How much climbing will there be? Since there is no uplift, riders will need to deal with a significant amount of distance and climbing to cover the course over the two days of racing. This will include around 3000m of climbing for E1 riders, a little less for E2. What protection do I need to wear during the race? Helmets are compulsory at all times during the race and while practicing the course. Full-face helmets are encouraged but not essential. Anyone witnessed racing without a helmet (including the transitions/climbs) will be penalized or disqualified. Knee pads are also compulsory on the special stages, elbow pads, back plates and full finger gloves are recommended but not essential. What will the intervals be between riders? Start intervals Day 1 all riders will have start intervals of 30 seconds. Day 2 top 30 women and top 30 men will have intervals of 30 seconds, all other entrants 20 seconds. What time checks are there? All riders overall start and finish times will be recorded, and for E1s only there are mandatory time checks (with results uploaded to EWS website) after stage two on Day One, and Stage Three on Day Two. Where will the feed stations be? Feed stations will be located at the top of various transition stages, and elsewhere around the course where it is felt to be beneficial. These will be marked on a map at the Race Office on Friday 30 May. All riders may use the feed stations. If I have an accident what should I do? If you have an accident during the race, alert a marshal as quickly as you can, they will assist you. Please be aware that other racers may be close behind you, please get off the track if you can. On steep, narrow trails its very important to make sure the track is cleared as quickly as possible if you come off your bike. Please look out for each other and alert the next marshal you pass of any accident you have seen on course. Can I transfer my entry to another rider/can I get a refund? Even if you are unable to attend, unfortunately its not possible to give your place to another rider, or to refund your entry fee. Course Map Release, Practice and Shuttling When will the course be released? The course map will be released on Sunday 25th May at 9pm Where can I see it when it is released? The course map will be posted online and sent out in an email link to all riders. The course map will also be published in an event guide which will be available from Alpine Bikes shop at Glentress Peel centre and Innerleithen High Street from Monday afternoon, 26th May. When will the course be open for practice? On Monday 26th May and Tuesday 27th May you may walk on the official trails, but riding is NOT permitted on the trails while the trails are being marked on these days. Please be aware that TweedLove course markers will be on the route and course marking will not be complete, access may be restricted while marking is taking place. The course is open for official practice from: Wednesday 28th May 10am until Friday 30th May at 8pm There will be no marshals on the course during practice and you are responsible for your own safety while riding the trails. What are the rules about uplift? Can I get a lift to the top of the trails to practice the event? Any means of assistance to the top of trails (shuttling) is not permitted in this round of the EWS and will result in penalties and disqualification. However, DURING PRACTICE DAYS ONLY, driving between race areas is allowed on public roads, therefore reducing the distance to be ridden on practice days. At Glentress forest, you are permitted to use the main access road up to Buzzards nest car park. No access is allowed through gates on forestry commission land whether locked or unlocked. On race days, no vehicle assistance is permitted whatsoever. On Race Day One, riders must ride from Peebles Event Start to Innerleithen area stages by using the Tweed Cycleway path. Marshals will check riders passage. On all public roads and forest roads, vehicles must obey all traffic speed restriction signs and drive carefully and courteously. Please respect local residents and the fact that normal day to day life will be going on throughout the community here. Other events We hope you can attend some of the other TweedLove festival events. There is a great, relaxed Dual Slalom race the day after the EWS race, and dont forget the afterparty on Sunday night in Peebles. TweedLove Bike Festival is all about riding bikes and good times - we hope you enjoy the riding and your visit to the Tweed Valley. Good luck and have a great race! Outside of race time In the event of an emergency when riding in the valley, please dial 999 (request police, then Mountain Rescue). We recommend that you download a grid reference/gps app to your phone and carry a map to make locating you easier and faster. E1 vs. E2 What is the difference between E1 and E2? E2 riders will ride one less trail on Saturday 31st May, the course will therefore be slightly shorter for E2s on Day One. On Day Two both E1 and E2 rider will ride the same course. E2 riders dont have designated start times for each trail but they do have an overall time limit for the day. E2 riders will also have an overall start time, and can ride with friends as long as they finish within this time limit. They will be notified of stage opening and closing times, so must ride the stages within these periods. Which set of rules apply to E2? The E2 race is not run officially under EMBA rules, but in general the EMBA rules will apply to E2s, except on transition/start times. E2s equipment is marked in the same way as E1s. E2s are not seeded, do not qualify for EMBA points, but they can accept food or assistance outwith the official zones. Timing checks during race days do not apply to E2 riders, but they will be given their results at the end of the day when they return to Race HQ for their overall time check. What is the difference in distance/climbing between E1 and E2? E1 Day 1 4 stages with 1400m climbing, 50km approximate distance. E1 Day 2 4 stages with 1500m climbing, 37km approximate distance. E2 Day 1 3 stages with 900m climbing, 43km approximate distance. Day 2 4 stages with 1500m climbing, 37km approximate distance. Post race info If I have a claim or protest, how do I report it? All protests should be addressed to the Event Race Office in person within 15 minutes of provisional results posted each day. The race office is on Tweedgreen, Peebles. Race Director: Neil Dalgleish Assistant Race Director: Dawn Johnstone Where and when will results be posted? Results update on Saturday 31st May at end of Stage 2. End of day results posted in race office on Tweed Green. Results update on Sunday 1st June at end of Stage 3. End of day results posted in race office on Tweed Green. All results (E1 and E2) available online from EWS or TweedLove website as soon as possible after the event. Printed A3 versions of these maps and more info will be available from Alpine Bikes, Glentress & Innerleithen, and Bespoke Bikes in Peebles from Monday 26 May (afternoon). Also from Race Office, Tweed Green, from Thursday.