Flanrou "Ribinou" - Wacky Races

Dick Dastardly on a Di2 cx rocket.  Rufus Ruffcut on a Scapel with Tunder Birts. Peter Perfect on an S-Works hardtail.  Prof Pat Pending on a full-sus 29er with road tyres.  Lazy Luke on a rigid with knobblies.  A field full of characters on every manner of machine.

Who has made the right decisions?  100km of gravel, grass, peat, tarmac and bog will sort us out.  

This was the second edition of the South West’s greatest, maddest race.  The Ribinou starts at the heart of cycling on the Somerset levels – Sweet’s Café.  The map looks insane, looping and zig-zaging like a drugged ant but the genius behind this stupidity is that it includes 20 “Sectors” – droves and bergs (it’s definitely not all flat).  Rumour had spread after last year’s opener and the field had swollen with riders from far and wide.

After a frantic start and sprint to the first sector by the time we hit the tarmac again I was in a group of 5.   For the rest of the 100km went flat out like a deranged chain-gang.  Dropped after a tumble, regroup, elastic breaking on a Berg, regroup, pulling away through the long grass, regroup.  The Wacky Race nature meant that each machine had its strengths and weaknesses.  Dick Dastardly, got away, pressing his advantage after an impressive shoulder and run across a section of muddy woodland in Sector 7 “Puriton Woods” (which had given Rufus and his wider tyres a chance to get back on) at 28km.  We glimpsed him now and again, but his superior engine allowed him to keep us at bay.  Lazy Luke went out the back, too much knob.  Rufus peeled again.  I sat on Peter Perfect (surely he’d  blow soon).

After re-grouping at the 60km feed we shot off harem scarem over some of the fastest gravel droves.  And then came the Bergs.  Again Dick showed his class, stamping on his pedals up the 20% kick of Sector 12 “Brownsberg”,  leaving us spinning in his wake.  Just Prof Pat Pending and Peter Perfect.  Experience vs youth (he’s the son of my often team-mate!).  We tussled until the “end of level baddy” – Sector 20 the “Barnardsberg” a straight up gravel climb.  The gap opened inexorably and there was no getting it back for me, even on the final tarmac descent and upwind mile back to Sweet’s café.

When it comes to planning, organisation and execution there was nothing wacky about the Ribinou.  Website, gpx, signage, venue were all top-notch.  Demo-bikes, full Shimano support on-site and team car – rolling like a pro.  The Ribinou is a singularity in bike racing, there is no right bike to ride in the race, but only one way to ride it – flat out, with a big cheesy grin.  Roll on next year’s Ribinou, and look out for the “Omloop” - a chance to sucker a few of your roady mates into something they might regret. Thanks to all involved, organisers for putting on a day so stupid you’d never do it yourself and riders for making it a hard/chilled/fun day out.

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