REPORT ON THE RAF CYCLING CLUB MOUNTAIN BIKE CHAMPIONSHIPS, DEEPCUT ON 28 SEP 08

The 2008 RAF Mountain Bike Championships, incorporating the final round of the Combined Services Cross Country Series and the Inter-Services Cross Country Standalone Championships was another success story for the RAF Cycling Club.

 Under the guidance of RAF Champs Manager SGT Mick Cutler, RAF personnel assisted by 2 Royal Marines designed and built a challenging but fun 4.5 kilometre mountain bike race course. This excellent facility was enjoyed by riders of all abilities during the two days of racing on the Deepcut training area near Camberley, Surrey.

 The fully marked course proved to be a hit with the 10 personnel who decided to attempt to ride the course at night in a time trial.  The fastest lap was completed in 24 minutes by SAC Paul Cooke on a singlespeed bike, setting the precedence for the cross country and endurance race held on the following day.

 Race day was blessed with warm sunny weather and a turnout of some 40 riders graced the wondrous trails of Deepcut for the cross country race, blasting around the twisty single track with an aim of glory for 2008.  A good portion of these riders shifted down a gear to become endurance riders once the cross country laps had been calculated.  These hardy riders went on to complete some 80 laps between them during the 4 hours of riding, a great credit to them despite the heat in the forested sections.

 To round the day off, Pete Humphries and Lou Robbins were crowned as RAF Champions, with Paul Cooke being declared the singlespeed Champion.

 Once the celebrations were over, the RAF Champs Manager ensured that the course was taken down, returning the area to peace and tranquillity with as little impact on the environment as possible.