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Main
Date: 29 Apr 2007 21:08:41
From: Simon Brooke
Subject: There's me sitting on a rock, watching the world go by...
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What did I do today?
Sat on a rock, mostly.
The SXC was back at Dalbeattie after a two year absence, and seeing Willie
Montgomerie in his usual, evil fashion, had routed the race over Moyle
Hill the wrong way (between going down the Widowmaker and going over
Blueberry Hill - both of which the Forestry Commission don't think
suitable for adding to their official routes), someone had to sit and
watch that no-one went up the Moyle Hill singletrack the usual way. And
that person was me.
It seems to me that a lot of my involvement in cycling this year has been
odd things like that - yesterday I was tramping round the forest with tape
and direction signs, three weeks ago I was hurtling round Ayrshire in a
van with direction signs, and today I was sitting on a rock.
And let me tell you there are worse things to do than sit on a rock at the
top of Dalbeattie Forest when all the birch trees are bursting into
sparkling green. The sun blazed down, the light was clear, and I sat on my
rock, read a book, took some pictures, drank some coffee, ate some
sandwiches... very relaxing. I had to stop two (2) cyclists who'd missed
the warning signs, the tape, and the logs across the track ... but they
were both perfectly fine about it.
I didn't get my camera out in time to catch the Juvenile race, in which our
kids got (I believe) a 2nd, a 5th and an 8th, so I've no photos of them;
and, sitting on the same rock in the same place all day, I didn't get to
see anything of the racing in any of the exciting bits of the course.
Nevertheless, I did get a few good shots, and the pick of them are here:
http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/album/dalbeattie _sxc_2007/
--
simon@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; All in all you're just another hick in the mall
-- Drink C'lloid
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Date: 30 Apr 2007 23:38:16
From: Niall Wallace
Subject: Re: There's me sitting on a rock, watching the world go by...
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"Simon Brooke" <simon@jasmine.org.uk > wrote in message
news:9jafg4-l21.ln1@gododdin.internal.jasmine.org.uk...
> What did I do today?
>
> Sat on a rock, mostly.
>
> The SXC was back at Dalbeattie after a two year absence, and seeing Willie
> Montgomerie in his usual, evil fashion, had routed the race over Moyle
> Hill the wrong way (between going down the Widowmaker and going over
> Blueberry Hill - both of which the Forestry Commission don't think
> suitable for adding to their official routes), someone had to sit and
> watch that no-one went up the Moyle Hill singletrack the usual way. And
> that person was me.
Out of interest, are cycling events carried out with Freedom of Access
Exemptions being applied to the forest (as is done with motoring events for
reasons what should be obvious), are other powers in force that allow you to
stop access or is there nothing to stop them from basically saying nuh and
carrying on?
Niall
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Date: 01 May 2007 07:52:58
From: Simon Brooke
Subject: Re: There's me sitting on a rock, watching the world go by...
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in message <l8-dnRGXfotb8qvbnZ2dnUVZ8q-rnZ2d@bt.com >, Niall Wallace
('bigbadwolfie267@hotmail.com') wrote:
> "Simon Brooke" <simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote in message
> news:9jafg4-l21.ln1@gododdin.internal.jasmine.org.uk...
>> What did I do today?
>>
>> Sat on a rock, mostly.
>>
>> The SXC was back at Dalbeattie after a two year absence, and seeing
>> Willie Montgomerie in his usual, evil fashion, had routed the race over
>> Moyle Hill the wrong way (between going down the Widowmaker and going
>> over Blueberry Hill - both of which the Forestry Commission don't think
>> suitable for adding to their official routes), someone had to sit and
>> watch that no-one went up the Moyle Hill singletrack the usual way. And
>> that person was me.
>
> Out of interest, are cycling events carried out with Freedom of Access
> Exemptions being applied to the forest (as is done with motoring events
> for reasons what should be obvious), are other powers in force that allow
> you to stop access or is there nothing to stop them from basically saying
> nuh and carrying on?
AIUI (and I'm not on the SXC organising committee) there is nothing
whatever to stop them from saying 'nuh' and carrying on. The route is
agreed with the landowner (in this case the Forestry Commission), and
signs are put up saying that the race is on and that particular paths are
closed for the duration, but these signs have no legal force and may
actually be illegal. AIUI no application was made to the local authority
for a temporary derogation from the Land Reform Act, so people have (as
usual) the right to walk or ride wherever they damn well please...
Cyclists - and mountain bikers particularly - benefit so much from the Land
Reform Act that we can scarcely complain when it's inconvenient to us!
--
simon@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; how did we conclude that a fucking cartoon mouse is deserving
;; of 90+ years of protection, but a cure for cancer, only 14?
-- user 'Tackhead', in /. discussion of copyright law, 22/05/02
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Date: 01 May 2007 20:45:13
From: Niall Wallace
Subject: Re: There's me sitting on a rock, watching the world go by...
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"Simon Brooke" <simon@jasmine.org.uk > wrote in message
news:an4jg4-sqf.ln1@gododdin.internal.jasmine.org.uk...
> in message <l8-dnRGXfotb8qvbnZ2dnUVZ8q-rnZ2d@bt.com>, Niall Wallace
> ('bigbadwolfie267@hotmail.com') wrote:
>
>> "Simon Brooke" <simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote in message
>> news:9jafg4-l21.ln1@gododdin.internal.jasmine.org.uk...
>>> What did I do today?
>>>
>>> Sat on a rock, mostly.
>>>
>>> The SXC was back at Dalbeattie after a two year absence, and seeing
>>> Willie Montgomerie in his usual, evil fashion, had routed the race over
>>> Moyle Hill the wrong way (between going down the Widowmaker and going
>>> over Blueberry Hill - both of which the Forestry Commission don't think
>>> suitable for adding to their official routes), someone had to sit and
>>> watch that no-one went up the Moyle Hill singletrack the usual way. And
>>> that person was me.
>>
>> Out of interest, are cycling events carried out with Freedom of Access
>> Exemptions being applied to the forest (as is done with motoring events
>> for reasons what should be obvious), are other powers in force that allow
>> you to stop access or is there nothing to stop them from basically saying
>> nuh and carrying on?
>
> AIUI (and I'm not on the SXC organising committee) there is nothing
> whatever to stop them from saying 'nuh' and carrying on. The route is
> agreed with the landowner (in this case the Forestry Commission), and
> signs are put up saying that the race is on and that particular paths are
> closed for the duration, but these signs have no legal force and may
> actually be illegal. AIUI no application was made to the local authority
> for a temporary derogation from the Land Reform Act, so people have (as
> usual) the right to walk or ride wherever they damn well please...
>
> Cyclists - and mountain bikers particularly - benefit so much from the
> Land
> Reform Act that we can scarcely complain when it's inconvenient to us!
Was purley out of interest, the current charge by the FC for setting up the
exemption appears to be £105, which is almost nothing on a stage rally where
it costs 500 quid a mile for road use.
If the SXC (ive not made it to one of their events yet) is anything like the
race that over took me in GlenTress (2 loops of the red route and a run up
to the transmitter and back) the risk probably doesn't warrant the need for
this.
Niall
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Date: 02 May 2007 08:10:47
From: Simon Brooke
Subject: Re: There's me sitting on a rock, watching the world go by...
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in message <b4OdnRaOs4VUBarbRVnyhQA@bt.com >, Niall Wallace
('bigbadwolfie267@hotmail.com') wrote:
>
> "Simon Brooke" <simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote in message
> news:an4jg4-sqf.ln1@gododdin.internal.jasmine.org.uk...
>>
>> AIUI (and I'm not on the SXC organising committee) there is nothing
>> whatever to stop them from saying 'nuh' and carrying on. The route is
>> agreed with the landowner (in this case the Forestry Commission), and
>> signs are put up saying that the race is on and that particular paths
>> are closed for the duration, but these signs have no legal force and may
>> actually be illegal. AIUI no application was made to the local authority
>> for a temporary derogation from the Land Reform Act, so people have (as
>> usual) the right to walk or ride wherever they damn well please...
>>
>> Cyclists - and mountain bikers particularly - benefit so much from the
>> Land
>> Reform Act that we can scarcely complain when it's inconvenient to us!
>
> Was purley out of interest, the current charge by the FC for setting up
> the exemption appears to be £105, which is almost nothing on a stage
> rally where it costs 500 quid a mile for road use.
>
> If the SXC (ive not made it to one of their events yet) is anything like
> the race that over took me in GlenTress (2 loops of the red route and a
> run up to the transmitter and back) the risk probably doesn't warrant the
> need for this.
The SXC is run on 8-9Km laps, with the elite men doing either 4 or 5 laps
depending on the course. The course is typically partly 'red' grade and
partly natural, and the course designer we have locally, although a very
nice man, is also an evil sadist.
--
simon@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
... a mild, inoffensive sadist...
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Date: 02 May 2007 19:58:10
From: Niall Wallace
Subject: Re: There's me sitting on a rock, watching the world go by...
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"Simon Brooke" <simon@jasmine.org.uk > wrote in message
news:n4qlg4-jom.ln1@gododdin.internal.jasmine.org.uk...
> in message <b4OdnRaOs4VUBarbRVnyhQA@bt.com>, Niall Wallace
> ('bigbadwolfie267@hotmail.com') wrote:
>
>>
>> "Simon Brooke" <simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote in message
>> news:an4jg4-sqf.ln1@gododdin.internal.jasmine.org.uk...
>>>
>>> AIUI (and I'm not on the SXC organising committee) there is nothing
>>> whatever to stop them from saying 'nuh' and carrying on. The route is
>>> agreed with the landowner (in this case the Forestry Commission), and
>>> signs are put up saying that the race is on and that particular paths
>>> are closed for the duration, but these signs have no legal force and may
>>> actually be illegal. AIUI no application was made to the local authority
>>> for a temporary derogation from the Land Reform Act, so people have (as
>>> usual) the right to walk or ride wherever they damn well please...
>>>
>>> Cyclists - and mountain bikers particularly - benefit so much from the
>>> Land
>>> Reform Act that we can scarcely complain when it's inconvenient to us!
>>
>> Was purley out of interest, the current charge by the FC for setting up
>> the exemption appears to be 105, which is almost nothing on a stage
>> rally where it costs 500 quid a mile for road use.
>>
>> If the SXC (ive not made it to one of their events yet) is anything like
>> the race that over took me in GlenTress (2 loops of the red route and a
>> run up to the transmitter and back) the risk probably doesn't warrant the
>> need for this.
>
> The SXC is run on 8-9Km laps, with the elite men doing either 4 or 5 laps
> depending on the course. The course is typically partly 'red' grade and
> partly natural, and the course designer we have locally, although a very
> nice man, is also an evil sadist.
>
I was thikning more along the lines of the speed and risk of collisions with
oncomming traffic on whether or not applciation for closing the forest for
the day would be necessary. Highspeeds on singletrack down hill with
limited visibility is the only situation i can think of.
Are pedal cycles covered under the Road Traffic Act? Forests are public
places so if you took a motorbike into the forest you are legally bound to
one way systems and the bike would have to be road legal.
Niall
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Date: 02 May 2007 21:15:58
From: Simon Brooke
Subject: Re: There's me sitting on a rock, watching the world go by...
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in message <i9SdnXST27_eQqXbRVnyjgA@bt.com >, Niall Wallace
('bigbadwolfie267@hotmail.com') wrote:
> Are pedal cycles covered under the Road Traffic Act? Forests are public
> places so if you took a motorbike into the forest you are legally bound
> to one way systems and the bike would have to be road legal.
English law does not apply in Scotland. In Scotland you may take a bicycle
nearly anywhere, and, if not on road, it does not have to be road legal.
Nor is it legal to debar anyone from taking a bike anywhere. Yes, it would
have been very dangerous if a member of the public had taken a bike
the 'wrong' way up the section of singletrack I was sitting at the bottom
of, but they would have a legal right to do so, and I think we would have
had to stop the race.
But I am not on the committee and cannot speak on their behalf.
--
simon@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; When all else fails, read the distractions.
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Date: 03 May 2007 19:36:57
From: Niall Wallace
Subject: Re: There's me sitting on a rock, watching the world go by...
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"Simon Brooke" <simon@jasmine.org.uk > wrote in message
news:u48ng4-uvg.ln1@gododdin.internal.jasmine.org.uk...
> in message <i9SdnXST27_eQqXbRVnyjgA@bt.com>, Niall Wallace
> ('bigbadwolfie267@hotmail.com') wrote:
>
>> Are pedal cycles covered under the Road Traffic Act? Forests are public
>> places so if you took a motorbike into the forest you are legally bound
>> to one way systems and the bike would have to be road legal.
>
> English law does not apply in Scotland. In Scotland you may take a bicycle
> nearly anywhere, and, if not on road, it does not have to be road legal.
> Nor is it legal to debar anyone from taking a bike anywhere.
Road Traffic Act 1991 and 1988 are claiming to cover England, Wales and
Scotland on StatuteLaw.gov.uk
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Date: 02 May 2007 08:23:49
From: Curtis L. Russell
Subject: Re: There's me sitting on a rock, watching the world go by...
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On Wed, 02 May 2007 08:10:47 +0100, Simon Brooke
<simon@jasmine.org.uk > wrote:
>The SXC is run on 8-9Km laps, with the elite men doing either 4 or 5 laps
>depending on the course. The course is typically partly 'red' grade and
>partly natural, and the course designer we have locally, although a very
>nice man, is also an evil sadist.
Perhaps a perfectly nice masochist practicing the Golden Rule.
Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...
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Date: 01 May 2007 22:03:06
From: Don Whybrow
Subject: Re: There's me sitting on a rock, watching the world go by...
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Niall Wallace wrote:
> GlenTress (2 loops of the red route and a run up
> to the transmitter and back)
= 2 loops of the red and 1 of the black, or did you cut the black short.
When I tried it we chickened out at Deliverance and came down the easy way.
Top kudos to you though, I couldn't manage 2 of the red, the best I have
done is a red and a blue.
--
Don Whybrow
Sequi Bonum Non Time
"There is a wicked pretense that one has been informed. But no
such thing has truly occurred! A mere slogan, an empty litany.
No arguments are heard, no evidence is weighed. It isn't news at
all, only a source of amusement for idlers." (Gibson-Sterling,
The Difference Engine)
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Date: 02 May 2007 00:01:08
From: Niall Wallace
Subject: Re: There's me sitting on a rock, watching the world go by...
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"Don Whybrow" <don@fwhybrow.wanadoo.co.uk > wrote in message
news:59po8cF2lpmpiU1@mid.individual.net...
> Niall Wallace wrote:
>> GlenTress (2 loops of the red route and a run up to the transmitter and
>> back)
>
> = 2 loops of the red and 1 of the black, or did you cut the black short.
> When I tried it we chickened out at Deliverance and came down the easy
> way.
>
> Top kudos to you though, I couldn't manage 2 of the red, the best I have
> done is a red and a blue.
>
No should have made clearer I wasn't racing, I was out for a putter around,
with guys from work. 1 red and a wee bit of the blue that day. And the
other time i have been did the same. Except I didn't walk the singletrack up
the hill at the start the 2nd time.
Can putter round Laggan for as long as the day lasts but theres a lot more
gravity assistance there. (and mechanical assistance up the hill after you
get fed up of the fire trail) [due to closure of the bottom section of the
blue last time i was up there I was in raod mode and seeing how fast i could
get going down the fire track, ran out of gears, legh speed, gravity,
stupidity and wind resistance at 40kmh]
A mate was showing me the trails he knows of in Fetteresso, at the weekend.
still preffer playing in traffic over some of the trail "features"!
Niall
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Date: 30 Apr 2007 04:12:34
From: Rob Morley
Subject: Re: There's me sitting on a rock, watching the world go by...
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In article <9jafg4-l21.ln1@gododdin.internal.jasmine.org.uk >, Simon
Brooke
simon@jasmine.org.uk says...
> http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/album/dalbeattie _sxc_2007/
>
http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/album/dalbeattie%20_sxc_2007/
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