Michael Powell riding for Sherwood Pines/Polaris Apparel wins Vet category at last weekends G2 Revolver.

Mick completed 18 laps taking 11hrs 19mins at last Saturdays 12 hr night ride epic at Sherwood Pines in Nottinghamshire to take 1st in Veterans and 2nd overall.
Mick said about his race –

"You'd like to think with me being local I'd have an advantage but they always seem to find trails that I don't know when we race here. It was hard work, especially as I've never raced at night before. That was pretty scary. It was tough and I nearly climbed off at 11 laps but my friend kept me going. I'm not sure I want to do any more. I think I'll stick to the National Marathon series instead. I've never known dawn to be such a welcome sight. On the first lap everyone set off like absolute lunatics, I just couldn't believe it. It was pretty close out there between us, well apart from the guy that won it he was absolutely flying".

The course was 12km with a good mixture of singletrack, fireroad climbs and flat out fireroad descents. The previous days rain had left the course in a Topgear style Mildly Moist state, but the previous bad weather held until a very light almost mist like shower of rain greeted the riders to a deep orange dawn.

The Pines/Polaris club members also had an entrant, with two teams in the team of 4 category.

A dog fight between the two teams soon ensued with no one wanting to be beaten by their fellow clubmen. A crash and a knocked head put paid to one team member and soon after an ongoing chest infection put paid to another, leaving Fatboy Racing Team A with only two riders for a large chunk of the night.
Team B weren’t without their obstacles throughout the night either a snapped chain losing them the lead (7th overall) in the Pines club race off and putting them half a lap behind with half the night to go.
Unfortunately for team B there was no stopping the grinding relentlessness of Carter and Metcalfe who soon overtook Darren Clarke of team B, whose red rear light had been like a rag to a bull for Carter, giving him something to focus on in the early hours of the morning.

I found the hardest part of this event not to be the racing, but the on off nature of the team event. You’d be nice and warm at 3am, wrapped up, then strip off at the rough ETA of your changeover man and get cold because you’re 5 minutes early, then ride for 40 minutes, red hot, then back and wrap up again and await you turn once more, eat and drink, pee, energy gel, pee, strip off, get cold, pee, ride.

Again well done to Mick, much respect for basically riding offroad from the shop to Bristol

Overall a good event which if it makes a return I urge you have a go at, just so you say you can.