The 1st Gear Cycles Rampage is a series of grass roots XC races based at the classic Checkendon course between Wallingford and Reading. Last weekend Billy Joe Whenman took the win in the first round, with riders enjoying the super fast Checkendon singletrack as it wound around beech woods and poppy fields under bright blue skies.

This was the first round of the relaunched Rampage Series, which is the first in the UK to be given British Cycling’s Category F “Short course XC” accreditation. What does that mean? It means that riders at the weekend found themselves doing up to 5 laps of a shorter 4km lap.

The blisteringly fast Checkendon singletrack made the racing an ultimate test of singletrack skills. One foot wrong and you’d loose a vital second. From the under 8’s (some of whom were even too young to ride a proper two-wheeled bike), through to the Pro-Elite’s, everyone walked away from the race smiling.

Chris Minter (pedalon.co.uk) and Billy Whenman (Whyte Bikes) battled for five hot laps in the elite race. In the final lap Billy managed to gain and hold a narrow 4 second lead on Minter. Other notable performances include Kate Culvert, who won the open race in her first ever MTB race.

It was also a first-ever-win for Ben Turgoose (1stgearcycles.com) in the sport race, whilst Hugo Humphreys made it a double header with wins in both the open and youth categories.

The 1st Gear Cycles Rampage Series continues on the 5 July at Checkendon, South Oxfordshire. It’s an ideal testing ground for those new to XC racing, particularly kids. However- as the weekend proved there’s some fast, fun and exciting racing to be had for more experienced riders.

Details and an entry form can be found at www.ratmbc.co.uk whilst photo’s from the weekend can be found here.

The Rampage Series is organised by SMBC, the team behind the 2009 National XC Champs and the SouthernXC Series. SMBC are grateful for support from 1st Gear Cycles.