Single Speed World Championships 2001
Bristol U.K.

June 5th, 2001 was the SSWC 2K+1 in Bristol U.K.  Despite an invite from Rob to join he and Carrie as they made the trek across the pond I sat on my couch at home while the "elite?" of singlespeed mountain biking wooped it up in Jolly-Old-England.  In hind sight this was one of the poorest decision I ever made.  Luckily there are some pretty good accounts of the event which I shamelessly plagiarize below, plus a first-hand account by Rob himself.

Read more about SSWC2K+1 at the following sites:
DirtRag - story by Wakeman Massey
The Outcast - story by race promoter Chipps Chippendale (copied below)
John Atkins SS Page - story by John himself (copied below) + lots of photos

graphic courtsy of The Outcast

Singlespeed World Championships 2001 by Chipps Chippindale

It was ENORMOUS...
Over 200 singlespeeders, their friends and supporters turned up to compete  if that¹s the right word) in the Singlespeed World Championships this weekend.  Riders from across the globe came to race impractical bikes,  with only one gear on them, around a steep and challenging circuit in South Wales. There were competitors from all over the UK, the USA (Boston, Seattle, Minneapolis, Los Angeles and San Francisco), Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, France, Australia and New Zealand.

The event started in Bristol on Friday (June 1st) as everyone met at the first pre-race party. Not your average glass of buck's fizz and canapes, but a party worthy of an end-of-season bash. They even drank the Porthouse Club in Bristol dry of all its beer. On Saturday, the whole convoy then moved on to South Wales to the Afan Argoed Country Park, near Port Talbot, site of the  9feet.com trail that made up the race course.  Once again, the beer flowed and the loud music played.  Unfortunately, the defending men¹s champion, Jay "Hollywood"  Henderson came off his bike while pre-riding his bike and hurt his shoulder bad enough to go to hospital. Fortunately, he¹d not broken anything and made it back from hospital to see the end of the party at 3am.  

 
  photo courtesy of DirtRag                                                              photo courtesy of The Outcast
 
The next day, 165 racers lined up in glorious, scorching sunshine, for the unconventional Lemans style event. While race organiser Chipps Chippendale was giving out the few rules, marshalls behind him quietly moved everyone¹s bikes around from where they lay.  The signal to start the race was when Chipps opened a can of beer, drained it and crushed the empty can above his head. This then led to one of the most chaotic, colourful and cheerful race scenes anyone had ever seen. A huge cheer went up and everyone ran to find their bikes and set out on the start of the first of two ten mile laps.  The difference in speed between the fastest and slowest was  large. The leading riders ripped round the course at  international race pace, while the slowest rider took a book with him to read while he smoked his cigarettes top of the first climb.

The men's race was won by Bristol local, Jeff Wherlock ­ already a past UK singlespeed champ and the current European Silver medallist. The women¹s race was won by Alison Rushton, a pro racer ­ though on the day very much in the relaxed and hungover style of a true singlespeeder.  The prize presentation then followed. Everyone sat happily on the grass in the afternoon sunshine and cheered just about everything. There was a huge amount of prizes ­ however, in most cases, all the big prizes went to riders outside the top ten.  There were prizes for Thinnest Singlespeeder, Best Crash, Fattest Singlespeeder (with Sumo fight for the title), most vomitings in the race (four ­ and the guy still came seventh).  There was a new Bianchi frame awarded to the guy most in need of a new bike, there were prizes for "Best Male Legs" (awarded by the top ten women), Pimpiest Bike and most Hungover.  The winners didn¹t get more than their commemorative USE Alien Beer because their prize is to follow in the next week ­ a mandatory winners tattoo and an invitation to defend it at next year¹s race.  Where that will be (the tattoo AND the race) is yet to be decided?   Chipps

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SS2K+1 Bristol by John Atkins

Myself, Becca and Jez went down to Bristol on the Friday afternoon with a van full of bikes, beer and stuff to sell, oh and more beer (see where this is going?) The trip down to Bristol was       uneventful apart from the interesting one-way system and Jez catching "white van rage" after only minutes in the driving seat. We pulled up to Mud Dock at @ 4pm in time to sign in, down a couple on San Miguel's and relax. The mood was very relaxed with only a couple of funny looks from office workers who dropped in for a drink on the way home. Soon enough it was time to check in to the Travelodge and get ready for the evening entertainment.  Having walked past the pub twice we finally found it hidden behind some scaffolding. We (single-speeders) had taken over the top two levels of the club with many fine beers and a buffet. Let the drinking commence...and it did! food was stuffed down at @9pm followed by more beer. At 10pm THE CANADIANS arrived....why the capitals?  Well if you had met them you would know! The had cycled, on S/S, from Gatwick in a day and a half, walked straight in to the bar and ordered a beer......and then proceeded to burp all weekend!  and boy were they loud burps!

The night degenerated (if possible) into more drinking, watching Mud Cows 3 and more beer! It was also a chance to catch up with old friends from other races (hello Hurl, Wakeman, Chris, Dr John, Fraser, Chevil, Uncle Nick, Maria, and all the others we talked crap to....you remember...we don't!) We left the party at a disappointing 12 o/c and headed back to Travelodge.

SATURDAY.  The next day dawned way too early, the transition into wakefulness helped by tea, coffee and kids TV. We checked out just before 11, to find a very weary looking Chipps in the lobby...he left a lot later than us. A trip to Mud Dock for more liquid caffeine and then to another cafe for an all day breakfast. We killed time walking around the market before heading back to Mud Dock to wait for Austin+co to show up and help with the lifts to Wales.  The most surreal part of the weekend happened in Simsbury's, @ 10 miles from the race site, walking round we bumped into a dozen different s/s all shopping in between the middle aged couples and OAP's  and looking slightly out of place in Cars-r-coffins shirts and cleated shoes!  

The campsite was on a bit of a slope but tents were erected and the general consensus was that if you were drunk enough you wouldn't notice sleeping at an angle.  B-B-Q's were lit, food cooked and beers opened. It was a great relaxed atmosphere with people sitting round talking in the evening sun. Once the sun went down the DJ started up and the party got going. The DJ announced the last song at 12.30am! too early, and sure enough half an hour later the music was going again. About this time the derby started...in the marquee! A bike derby involves riding round in circles and attempting to knock off or run in to other competitors. A big shout to Chevil Kenivil who failed to notice that in the UK we run our brake levers the other way round so spent the night trying to skid round corners with the front brake! (oh and a big Mullet hair cut!!) This went on until 3am when the beer was exhausted and people started to drift off to their tents (except THE CANADIANS who announced loudly "Get up, its time to race!")

SUNDAY.  Sunday turned up early along with 2 million midges! The race was on to cook breakfast before you were eaten alive your self! The remainder of our finely tuned race team in the shape of Gordon and Dave turned up at 8.30 in plenty of time for the start and opened their first beer soon after. Sunday morning was spent setting up our stand (pasting table) and talking to people and selling stuff.  

We drifted over to the start area at 11.45am  in time for another beer (thanks Chipps) We were read the rules (1. No gears, 2. win=tattoo 3. 2laps) The start consisted of a 60m dash to your bikes after the starting signal, which was Chipps downing a beer and crushing the can over his head. I dashed for my bike....no, where my bike had been until it was moved! I found my bike and headed off mid pack. Half way up the first climb I found Gordon talking to Hurl, it turns out Gordon had snapped his chain and needed a chain tool and spare links which I had. We fixed his chain, re-set his wheel and headed off, now in last or all most last place. Gordon was angry because he had been in the top 10 up the climb....not bad for a jump kid in his first race! His anger gave him enough energy to move up to 106th at the finish! The course was 10 miles long, with a load of climbing on fireroads, but all the descents were on single track that tested all the riders reactions. I caught up with Austin on the second hill and we  rode around together, Austin's fitness and 5 year brake from racing and my beer consumption meant we only rode 1 lap but did allow us to get photos of Dave and Gordon crossing the line. In the time I had done one lap (@ 1hr 20min) the 1st and 2nd place had done two! But we weren't there to win, just ride and have fun...which we did!   Dave Bennet had done well as he is too fit for his own good and wins local time trials, but a crash and nasty elbow injury put him down the field, although he still finished 64th!  The prize giving was scheduled for @ 3pm, still with riders finishing! A list of the top 10 riders is below but here are a few of the other "awards" given out.  

Fattest single-speeder, thinnest single-speeder (I was in the top 3 or 4 for that, only really beaten by Tymo and Mike "skeletor" from Spot Bikes, most naked single-speeder, best legs (as voted by the top 10 ladies).....and lots of other silly reasons for giving out stuff. Next year it looks like it will be in Mexico or Canada so get saving!    

THANKS TO: 
Chipps, Biff and all the organizers, helpers, trail builders, caterers, DJ's and support staff.
Every one who turned up.  
Austin, Dave and Gordon for racing in our team colours.....you did us proud.  
The event sponsors for the prizes and free goodies (why our Crumpler bag was given to "most naked single-speeder" is still a mystery!).
To all the nice people who talked to us and drank beer with us, Sofa King for a sweet top, surly boys for the T-shirts,  Ballbreaker for giving Becca a beer because her Vodka had run out, the two blokes who derby'ed me even though I was just spectating! Mike "Kid" Reimer for the Star Trek info, Dan for the great tunes..... HEY! THANKS EVERYONE

If Single Speed Mountain bikers are a fringe element of the mountain bike world, then I must be a fringe element of the Single Speed world.  After all I am none of the following: tattooed, body pierced, endowed with facial hair, under the age of 30, single, employed in some segment of the bicycle industry.  Regardless, when I found out the Single Speed World Championship 2001 (SSWC 2K +1) was to be held near Bristol England, my wife and I decided to attend.

The SSWC 2K in Minneapolis the year before had been a pleasant, and enjoyable experience.  And despite some minor destruction at the host bar, there had not been any arrests or fights.  So for this year’s event we hoped for at least as good a time as last year, now that we kind of knew what to expect.  You may read some other reports about excessive drinking, general slovinous behavior, and social outcastism.  But I am here to report I saw none of this.  Only a bunch of bikers having as much fun as they could with out being too much nuisance.

But let’s get to the race itself. The race venue in Wales was a county park curiously named Afan Argoed.  180 to 200 single speeders had signed up to do the race.  The course was 20+ miles (who uses a computer?), sort of two lap affair.  Let me explain. The first 3 miles had long climb of 1700 feet on a jeep trail.  Most guys with 2:1 gearing were suffering badly, so I was thankful for my 30 x 19 gears.  This was followed by a real good assortment of downhill single track on rocks, mud, tree roots, sand, woods so deep you had to take off the Oakleys to see, rocky drop-offs, downhill switch backs, and one stream crossing.  All of this was interspersed with some more sections of up hill ski and jeep trails.  Some of this required walking for the slackers I was riding with.

I was beginning to think the race was really one super long circuit, that the organizers had just told us it was two laps to do a number on our heads.  (This kind of tomfoolery is not unheard of in single speed events).  Suddenly I realized we were back at the top of the initial 3-mile climb.  The first 2-1/2 miles of jeep trail had been replaced with single track.  How cool is that?  The first three miles was used to sort us out.  A major departure from last year’s race where there was a major bottleneck 100 yards from the start.

The race was won in 1:34, not bad for 20 miles with a few thousand feet of climbing, at least half of the distance on single track.  And only one gear.  I was very happy with a mid-pack finish, considering two stops to view the scenery, and my non-aggressive riding.  More than once I heard “Mind if I squeeze by Mate?”  “Sure, no problem” “Cheers!”

I jolly good time was had by all.

Absolutely no information is available on SSWC 2K+2.  But you may check www.gearsaregay.com in the coming months.  Rumor has it there will be a gathering of simple bicycles in one of the far western provinces of Canada some time next summer.

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