New forest Hampshire - The Big Bike Bash
The first Big Bike Bash held this last weekend was for anyone that was there a pretty special event. This is a new mountain bike event held in the New Forest, Hampshire near Southampton. It offers something new for those who have traipsed the mountain bike event calendar as well as bringing in a completely new market of families and kids.
It is diversity and it's all encompassing nature that will brand the Big Bike Bash. There really is something for everyone. A brave recipe that could lead to nothing great for anyone but is somehow pulled off to really make each event work suprisingly really well. We have tough races for the xc whippet, fun runs for old gits like me, lake jumps, wheelie competitions, trackstand competitions, Tyre drag racing, Early rider under 6 year old races on bikes with no pedals or brakes and loads more.
Nick the organiser is a guy full of vitallity, warmth and humour. Qualities he, his family and his team of volunteers managed to enthuse and brand naturally into the personality of the whole event.
It's excellent value for money being £40 for the weekend including camping and kids under 12 go for a penny. There are also dead cheap tickets if you a spectator again making it really accesible for families. The money goes to UK Youth which is a great charity that run the activity centre where the event is hosted. NB this centre and the trails we raced on are open all year for biking, climbing, camping and so on.
So we got there Friday night to make the most of the weekend. Tent pitched we rode the course as a pre runner to the next day of fu nand action. It is a neat xc course. The terrain is not hilly but it's tight twists, loose terrain and small gradient overall make it a challenge. We then chilled out listlening to the DJ in the main arena eating a reasonably well earned burger.
The next morning I was up early to help the Nick and the Big Bike Bash folk set up. It was that type of event where people just wanted to get involved. Nicks warmth creates a nice blurring between punter and organiser. I raced the xc fun run and came 7th out of 20 odd which I was reasonably happy with. Two laps and I was knackered mind. I then moved over for the real race whippets.
So many events going on at once I was looking forward to doing some marshalling in the afternoon but Lee (mint sauce) had a bit of an accident on his bike doing some pretty extreme moves like.. wait for it.. what do you call it .. oh yes.. PEDALLING... hmhhh
The very lovely first aid girl came down to check him out. She took his beer off him, took one look at his slightly deformed looking foot and sent us off to casualty. Lee asked me to comment how Bournemouth hospital has the most beautiful nurses and doctors in the country.
Luckily despite being quite swollen and wierd looking it was just a sprain. Lee one a T shirt for the first injury of the event. Back with crutches to the Big bike Bash and time for live music. Again I think this is quite novel for mountain bike events. Must have been 7 bands and they had the crowd in a frenzy (well there was about 20 of us very drunk in the front in a frenzy as the night turned to early morn..including some wierd guy waving crutches in the air). Great music and an amazing beer tent awash with local ale. You are not apparently obliged to taste every single one of the beers on tap...but it does help and it is great value for money (as is the food).
So you come as a family put your kids to bed, fight over who stays and your other half goes off and has a party. The arena field is far enough away you cant really hear the music where you are camping.
Next morning very hungover I raced in the short xc it's a knockout race and dismally got knocked out on lap one. Oh! how my friends cheered me.
Must mention the sponsors. Not who they are specifically but more the amount of them and pedigree. This meant two things. One the trade is behind this event and two the prizes are brilliant. Loads and loads of prizes from bikes to hats, to kids early rider trikes, to neat lights and loads more.
There is something wonderful about watching little kids ride incessantly up and down a field from morning t'ill dusk racing their siblings or their new found friends. Teenagers in there hordes practising wheelies and trackstands and doing some pretty impressive tricks thrown in. Families are where this event fills a new gap and so opening up the sport to new generations to come.
I have so many favourite moments and frankly just seeing so many kids from 3 to 18 riding was one. My top two though are the early rider race. Seeing these little 3 - 6 year olds take to their bikes with no pedals or brakes and race was hilarious on one hand and so super cute. The other was the Lake jump sponsored and saved for near destruction and loss by Simon from Green Oil and I think the photo's speak for themselves.
Nick who spent a lot of his time running around sorting everything out whilst still finding time to fire a high powered water pistol (in a take no prisoner kind of way) at anybody racing made this something iBikeride will definently be back for. Fun, Fun fun.
"Big Bike Bash 2, Big Bike Bash 2, Big Bike Bash 2" .. I can hear the chant picking up volume even now.
See the Big Bike Bash Photo Gallery here
Big Bike Bash website
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