Soggy Bottom XC Mountain Bike Series, Newnham Park, Plymouth
​2018 dates TBC

About the race

The racing will be held on a 5k (ish) lap with a fun mix of climbs, descents, singletrack, and Newnham loveliness.   Newnham Park is hilly, and we always reward your efforts with something fun on the way back down.

Under 18s, 10s and 12 race on a smaller circuit all visible from the race car park area.  Although shorter, their course will still include plenty of fun and challenging sections.

Who can take part?

Anyone can take part in the event.  You do not need to be a member of anything or hold a race licence of any sort.  This is a mountain bike event though, so you do need to have had some experience riding off road.

​The Soggy Bottom Series has something for everyone, so if you're a beginner, don't be put off by photos of lycra clad racing snakes - there are plenty of weekend warriors having a great time out there too.  There's a category for everyone from first timers, to seasoned racers.

About the start

  • The under 8s, 10s and 12s races start in the race arena.
  • The fun race starts in the race arena
  • The 12.30pm race has a mass start in one the large grassy fields (follow the 'To the Start' arrows).  There is no gridding, you just line up in one wide line and go on the B of Bang.  You will have around 400m of wide flat grass to get yourselves settled before hitting anything steep or narrow.  Please allow yourself about 5-10 mins to get over to the start line from the car park.

How many laps will I do?

Depending on conditions and category, racers will complete between 2-6 laps of the course.  Lap numbers for each category will be announced on the day, once we have checked ground conditions. The decision is based on how long a lap takes, and we follow guidance from the National Governing body regarding how long agegroup should race for.  See the latest category guidelines below.
Category
​Under 12 
Under 10
Under 8
Fun
​
Juvenile
Youth
Junior, senior, vet, grand vet
Race duration for the winner
25-30 mins
15-20 mins
​15-20 mins
​1 hour
Typical number of laps
girls (2) /  boys  (2)
girls (3) /  boys (3)
women (4) / men (5)

What if I get lapped?

In most cases, if you get lapped you just carry on until you have finished your race.
If you decide you want to stop, that's ok too.  You will still get a result and all your lap times for the laps you have completed.
For safety reasons, we may decide to stop riders going out to complete their last laps (for example if it is getting dark!).  If this happens, you will still get a result and times for all the laps you have completed.

Start times and entry fees

Registration opens: 0800
Course practice for race 1 and 2: 0830-9000
Course practice for race 3 and 4: 0930-1030 and 1130 - 1230
During your practice lap please keep away from any sections being used for racing at that time.
 Race 1 - 9am 
 Under 8 girls (born 2009 or later) 
 Under 8 boys (born 2009 or later)    
 Race 2 - 9.30am 
 Under 12 girls (born 2006 or 2005)      
 Under 12 boys (born 2006 or 2005)  
 Under 10 girls (born 2008 or 2007) 
 Under 10 boys (born 2008 or 2007) 
 Under 10s start 5 minutes after Under 12s.
 Race 3 - 10.30am 
 Fun male  (born 2003 or earlier) 
 Fun female (born 2003 or earlier)
 Race 4 - 12:30pm 
 Juvenile girls (born 2004 or 2003) 
 Juvenile boys (born 2004 or 2003) 
 Youth girls (born 2002 or 2001) 
 Youth boys (born 2002 or 2001)
 Junior boys (born 2000 or 1999)
 Junior girls (born 2000 or 1999) 
 Senior male (born 1998 -1978) 
 Senior female (born 1998 - 1978) 
 Vet male (born 1968-1977) 
 Vet female (born 1968-1977) 
 Grand Vet male (born 1967 or earlier)
 Grand Vet female (born 1967 or earlier)
Online / On day
  £4 / £5
  £4 / £5
  
  £4 / £5
  £4 / £5
  £4 / £5
  £4 / £5
​

  £16 / £18
  £16 / £18
  
  £13 / £15
  £13 / £15
  £13 / £15
  £13 / £15
  £19 / £21
  £19 / £21
  £19 / £21
  £19 / £21
  £19 / £21
  £19 / £21
  £19 / £21
  £19 / £21

Catering

There will be home-made hot food, hot and cold drinks,  and cakes available inside the registration portakabin.  

Facilities

Newnham Park is an amazing venue for mountain biking, with basic facilities for before and afterwards.  There are flushing loos and running water, a hardstanding car park, and an indoor area for registration.  

Results

We will have a paper copy of results on display before some of you have even finished racing, and they will be available online for you to analyse at some point during the evening after each race.

Prizes

  • Trophies to top 3 male and female riders in all categories from Juvenile age and above.
  • Rosettes to top 3 girls and boys in U8, U10 and U12s.
  • We are not going to present series prizes this year for the simple reason that the riders winning the series will inevitably already have been rewarded for their heroics in each of the races.  Instead we are going to ask our race commissaires to award 'Spirit of Soggy' prizes to riders they see doing something noteworthy.
Newnham Park is private land.  Access to the venue is only allowed on event day, and only riders who have entered the event will be allowed to ride on the track.
Newnham is a working estate and regularly booked by other users for activities such as horse riding, 4x4 rallys and clay pigeon shooting.  Access to the venue is only allowed on event day.