The 10 Under the Ben race has become a staple on the Scottish race calendar with this year’s race once again attracting hundreds of competitors to smash the laps in at Fort William’s Nevis Range trails, catch all the action direct from the Event organiser:
Wow! What a weekend. Who would have believed it? 2016 was the 12th time that the No Fuss Events team had delivered 10 Under the Ben, and with numbers in the high hundreds taking part over the weekend it’s fair to say that the event is as popular today as it was in year one.
Frazer Coupland partner at No Fuss Events said “It certainly one of the big days in our calendar, over the 12 years around 10000 riders have taken part in 10 Under the Ben, furthering the areas reputation as one of the best mountain bike destinations in Scotland.”
The race format hasn’t changed since day one, as many laps of the approximate 10-mile lap in 10 hours, participants can ride as solo, pairs, trios or quads. This year the participant demographic was, 148 solo riders, 101 pairs, 52 trios and 24 quads. Spook Munro from No Fuss Events said “The biggest change that bwe have witnessed over the years is the number of riders choosing to ride in the solo or pair category, moving away from the bigger teams. This makes the course a wee bit busier, that said there is a good trail network that can cope without too much of a problem.”
Grieg Brown who knows this race well and is a multiple event winner took the solo male category with and impressive 11 laps, Fiona Innes RAF CC took the solo ladies with eight laps. It was the Outdoor Capital of the UKs home grown team The Glencroft Rabble who set the overall biggest lap tally for the day, banging in 12 sub one hour laps.
The recent spell of dry weather gave the organizers the opportunity to vary the route choices a little from previous years, the ongoing trail improvement and building work at Nevis Range was appreciated by all riders with many comments like “Best year ever” “Great course” and some participants even reporting that they enjoyed the new climbs. The good weather held for the best part of the day and the breeze kept the infamous midge population at bay. It was in the final hour that the riders were tested with a biblical downpour, that didn’t dampen any spirits, all riders were happy to receive the laps times and retire to compare lap times, exchange stories and relax in the Pinemartin restaurant.
10 Under the Ben definitely brings out the best in people and it is the race with a big reputation when it comes to camaraderie, one racer said “I couldn’t believe how many of my fellow racers stopped to offer me assistance when I punctured on lap three. Its been an amazing day and it’s the best mountain bike endurance race in the UK”. The team at No Fuss agreed that they couldn’t argue with that.
Having now passed the mid point of 2016 the next big mountain bike race is the Tour de Ben Nevis, the mountain bike race that takes mountain biking back to the mountains. Once described as “The thinking mans (or woman’s) mountain bike race where all round fitness, strength, power, skill, determination is all bound together with a little bit of strategy and tactics.”
For further details and info on all No Fuss Events please check the website at nofussevents.co.uk.
You can contact No Fuss at info@nofussevents.co.uk
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Words: No Fuss Events Photos: Richard Petrie
