Event review: Stilettos On Wheels

June 4, 2024

The forecast was for heavy rain, the sky was grey, the umbrellas were on standby…but that didn’t stop more than 60 women lining up on the start line for the first of Stilettos On Wheels mountain bike race of this year.

Stilettos-on-wheels-3 With almost double the number of riders in the event this year the competition was certainly fiercer, but with super friendly marshals, supporters and sponsors in the arena, and a mix of expert and novice racers on the course, Stilettos On Wheels managed to maintain the fun and supportive atmosphere which sustains its popularity.

The race was held at Rother Valley Country Park, in South Yorkshire, and featured a two and a four hour solo competition, as well as a four hour pairs race.

Especially designed for the event to include something challenging for all levels of rider, the course was 3.5miles long.

Stilettos-on-wheels-4 It began with a hill start out of the arena up a rocky road, to spread the riders out, and then followed a route up and down a hillocky, grassy field.

A field of enormous, shaggy Highland cattle watched disinterestedly (from across a hedge, of course) as riders pelted downhill towards them.

Then followed some fast singletrack through the woods with a few technical challenges thrown in for good measure, jumps and rollers and the like (all were avoidable for less confident riders).

But what goes down, must get back up, so a fun series of super-slippy-in-the-mud switchbacks came next.

More swoopy singletrack through the trees and then the course turned a sharp left out into the open and into the basin of an old quarry, which (obviously) led to a short sharp climb up to the top.

The track at the top was a complete mudfest, featuring a fun (!) mix of both claggy and sloppy mud and then it was on to a fireroad for a chance to put the pedal to the metal before another climb back into the woods and yet more singletrack, hurrah!

Before you knew it, you were back at the hillocky field and climbing up the other side towards the event arena. Another hillocky descent followed by a hairpin bend and another burn up a fireroad came next, before the final descent.

Stilettos-on-wheels-1 The rest of the course was fun and challenging in equal measures, but really the course designer (good job Emma Peasland) saved the best for last with this short speedy downhill – berms, jumps, swoops, whoops, a little bit of mud, some motivational on-course graffiti - it was brilliant.

All credit to Nick Howarth, Park Ranger, and Rother Valley Riders who do volunteer trail work at the park to maintain the bike trails and keep them so interesting!

The southern round of Stilettos On Wheels will be held at Stanmer Park, Brighton, on Saturday 7 September. Don’t miss it!

Event review: Stilettos On Wheels

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Event review: Stilettos On Wheels

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