Every December, enthusiastic mountain bike riders descend on a small disused quarry at the base of Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah for the most challenging race of the season – the Awafi MTB Festival. Every year, a different format is chosen to keep the race new and interesting.
Now in its third year, the goal of the Awafi MTB Festival this December was to give all the riders in the GCC a chance to take part and win on a new course that featured cross country, obstacles and technical riding.
For that reason, race organizers decided to randomly pair riders of different abilities for the 40km race. The pairs had to alternate laps and tag each other in the changeover zone to start their next lap for the entire race.
This gave the race the most unpredictable, closest and surprising results possible. It also ensured that everyone of all abilities could compete for the main prizes.
As each team rode four alternating laps, the distance was achievable but challenging and the race never stopped. Every rider had the chance to race right up until the finish line and put on a good show.
Race organizer Michelle Guerin says that the biggest challenge was convincing people that random pairing would actually work.“Questions came in thick and fast when we announced the plan,” she said. “‘What if I don’t like the person I get picked with?’, ‘What if I’m not fast enough for them?’ ‘Can they do seven laps and I will only do one?’ they asked.”
“But it worked brilliantly,” Guerin said. “We were very happy with how it worked out.”
No one could guess who would win as the pairings were based on luck of the draw – which was done by the riders just before the race started. Riders were initially sorted into Strong, Intermediate and Social hats and then riders chose their respective pairs. A strong rider got to choose from the social hat, a social rider got to choose from the strong hat and an intermediate one got to choose another intermediate rider. This format meant that all pairs were potentially of a consistent overall speed.
The race took place at a disused quarry site, formerly used for building the Jebel Jais road. It was transformed into a mountain bike racing circuit with help from the RAK Economic Development and Public Works department.
Using as much of the natural terrain as possible, the course this year was designed by Guerin and XC Racer Tom Little. It was intended to be challenging for expert riders, yet manageable for social riders who would find they improved their ability as they repeated each lap.
The Awafi MTB Festival kicked off with a social race for off-road beginners.
Using part of the main course, 11 beginner riders had a fun race over three laps of 2.2km with gravel track, wadi rollers and turns. It was never about winning but about giving racing a go without been intimidated by a technical course and the pressure of faster riders around.
Following the beginners ride, was the main 40km race of the day.
Not all riders were required to pair up. It was possible to attempt eight laps of the course as individuals and these solo riders started off first, followed by the pairs race.
As they rounded the first corner, the technical element of the course kicked in with a loose gravel climb, tree roots and a shrubby wadi bed to overcome .Around the tree and back down the other side of the wadi before negotiating tight short S-bends and heading towards the edge of the quarry bowl. A climb up the side of the bowl on single track and around disused wells proving challenging for all riders regardless of ability. As they traversed across to the centre of the bowl, riders experienced wadi beds with twists and turns to challenge their bike handling skills.
The course weaved in and out of boulders, around the perimeter of the kids’ course and across a fine gravel hill before descending back down into the carpark. As the trail bedded in, riders created ruts and holes which kept the course challenging lap after lap.
Pairs competed on the same course just after the solos and completed alternate laps with all riders finishing the 40km course within 40 minutes of each other. Each finishing place averaged less than a minute apart.
Ultimately 60 pairs of riders went home very happy with prize money sponsored by RAK Tourism for completing their eight laps with, in most cases, a complete stranger.
Following the conclusion of the main race, the encore was reserved for the smallest riders –children between 5 and 11 years old, all raced over 2 or 3 laps (depending on bike wheel size) of a section of the main course. All 150 adult pairs and solo riders cheered the kids on in their race.
Mountain biking’s equivalent to the Shetland Grand National was the most fun race of the day and a fitting end to the festival and fun atmosphere of the day.
The question now is… Awafi MTB Festival 2016 – what new format will be used?
Sponsors:
RAK Economic Development
RAK Public Works
Awafi Festival
RAK Tourism
Beginner’s race was sponsored by The Cycle Hub and Outdoor UAE
Direct Trading gave away a Jamis Bicycle as a lucky spot prize
Sport in Life gave away GU nutrition to all riders
Pairs Winners (sponsored by RAK Tourism):
1 – Santosh Tripathy / Etienne Schultz
2 – Ferdinand Pablo / Danielle French
3 – Gary Flint / Kenneth Bico
Solo Winners (sponsored by The Off Road Company (TORC)):
1 – Elton Horner
2 – Sebastian Ziemke
3 – Glenn Luxem
Solo Women’s Race (sponsored by Wolfi’s Bike Shop)
1 – Johanna Rossouw
2 – Elenis Caseres
