If I were a park, I’d like to be a park like bingham. I’d be Steep sided giving me beautiful views of the treasures of sheffield beyond my borders. I’d be divided up in to different pockets to secrete away activity. And on wet days my grass would turn in to the perfect racing surface to test riders drifting and paddling abilities to the limit… and beyond.
Once darkness descended I’d be so tempting that I’d entice racers out of their warm and comfortable homes to face the cold with only the promise of potential fleeting glory. They’d enjoy my delights in same way as the footballers putting down jumpers for goal posts. Their shouts and giggles would pierce my dank air bringing life to a normally silent and unused time. And when all was done, celebrations and commiserations complete, pints being sunk, all they would leave is a temporary brown streak through my lush green flora.
In two weeks, I’d barely remember they were here, but they’ll remember… and chat… and brag… and relive… for years to come. My name will be spoken fondly and repeatedly… I will live.
Round 1 of the inter dual series went down this week and did not disappoint. Possibly the slickest conditions in living memory proved to be a challenge to all and a differentiator to the winners.
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The opening long left crept its way though off camber in to up hill before slinging in around a couple of tress and back on the pedals. The transfer to the lower section proved crucial and set up for three back to back turns that left no back ends in a straight line. Those with poise and balance kept it together but no one kept it clean.
The big final was Will Swinden’s to win but an uncharacteristic mistake left him in the mud and Tim Pearson cackling in victory.
A massive turn out has set the season up beautifully and knuckles remain sore from so many fist bumps. All because… #dualrules. Massive thanks to Steph and Laura for keeping the timing running sweeeeet 👌. All Photos from the mighty Baybutt
Results
1 Timmy 2 Will Swinden
3 Joe Spivey
4 Dave Griffiths
5 Chris Pearson
6 Dave Camus
7 Sam Capper
8 Bex Baraona
9 Chris Lansley
10 Turtle
11 Chloe Taylor
12 Hannah Saville
13 Darren Ellis
14 Rich Baybutt
15 Dex
16 Nick Woffenden
17 Dan Thorpe
18 Rob Shaw
19 Nick Hamilton
20 Tom Davies
21 Alex Gunn
22 Sam turtle
23 John Horscroft
24 Kel Parkin
25 Giles Grover
This Saturday sees Sheffield City Centre set alight by torch light and two wheels, the Howard Street Dual returns for its 3rd Year. Bringing the excitement of head to head bike racing right in to the heart of the Outdoor City, taking mountain bikes out of the woods and down our streets to be cheered on by the assembled masses.
The invited riders represent the cream of the local crop including Sheffield’s own Legend Steve Peat, the current Howard Street Champion, as well as many riders from further afield. Brett Penfold, 2017 winner, is back and ready to challenge for the top spot, will he meet Peaty in the final again? German downhill champion, Nina Hoffmann, has flown in especially to race and challenge our lasses, who will fair better on the slick grass corners and steep wooden berms? The talented lads and lasses will put on an amazing show which will be as much fun to watch as it will to take part.
Racing starts at 5pm and will be streamed live on Youtube, presented by Anna Glowinski and Richard Cunynghame. Finals will be around 7pm with the fastest lads and lasses having two chances to make their mark, the fastest combined time taking the win.
On site commentary will be provided by the master, Toby Parodi, a top his tower backed up with beats from Redbulls sound system. With cow bells and noise makers lining the track, the racers will be cheered from top to bottom making it great fun for the whole family and the best hecklers in town. The course makes the most of what Sheffield Hallam University has to offer, starting on its doorstep and sending riders at high speed down Howard St to the train station.
Time
15:00
Course opens for practice
16:15
Seeding/Quali Runs Begin
17:00
Racing Begins
19:00
Finals begin
19:30
Race finishes – Prize giving
In true This is Sheffield style every one of the 60 racers will receive a prize. All our amazingly generous sponsors’ gifts will be piled up and the winners will get the honour of picking first. This year our prizes come from:
Hope Technology
Leighton Vans
Peaty’s Products
Cotic Bikes
Airdrop Bikes
5:10
HKT Products
Bike Track
Bike Rehab
Expert Bike repair
Go Outdoors
Like slalom ski racing, riders negotiate a series of gates pitting themselves against each other and the clock in a head to head knock out format. The course has a stack of great features sendable by the best and rollable by all. It starts down a long set of stairs before kicking left in to a set of four custom built rollers across hallam square. The best will double these up or manual through the whole set. This sets up the riders for a big wooden kicker up on to a unique set of downhill grass rollers with two tight flagged corners. The riders are then spat out on a set of stairs or a custom ramp straight in to Chaos corner, a hard 180 degree bermed corner through street furniture. The riders then face a series of flat grass corners which will test their cornering skills and speed. They are split by a wooden booter where the fast ones will be trying to keep it low and fast. After an awkward right hander the racers drop in to the FML fade, the final feature, a steep grassy bank which will accelerate them across the finishing line. For the best, this will be about 30 seconds.
It will be a great time to be in Sheffield with so much going on for the Outdoor City Festival; the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival, the Big Running Weekend and The Magnificent Seven anti-enduro road race on the Sunday, another great spectator sport if you like you riders in lycra. However, don’t forget to come and show us your love of two wheels and displays of amazing skill down on Howard street this Saturday.
Don’t call it a comeback… we’ve been here three years. Back for its 3rd year the Howard Street dual returns pitting European riders against the finest local talent.
Dual is the most exciting form of mountain bike racing, the head to head, shoulder to shoulder nature gets riders and spectators hearts racing. The knock out format see’s the fastest qualifiers meeting in the final rounds, always drawing the largest gasps.
The unique city centre location houses a course rammed full of testing terrain running from the Millennium Galleries down to the Train station. The mixture of wooden features and street furniture with slick off camber grass corners challenges riders in a way that rewards speed and skill but punishes mistakes harshly. Racing elbow to elbow forces mistakes and riders must keep their heads if they want to do well. Each round consists of two legs giving the racers a chance to make a mends or just more mistakes.
Sheffield is the Outdoor City and the Howard Street Dual is the jewel in the crown of the month long festival of the outdoors. Each year two thousand people have witnessed the racing either captivated by the spectacle as they passed by or in it for the long haul enjoying the local pubs’ and cafes’ supplies.
Sheffield’s finest Steve Peat and inaugural champion, Brett Penfold, have unfinished business. Last year’s nail biting finish saw Steve fall spectacularly on the last feature but manage to make up time on the second run in a breath taking display of skill and mathematics.
The race is about showcasing the excitement of mountain bike racing right in the heart of the city, educating the masses about what goes on normally tucked away in the woods or ont moors.
On Saturday 23rd March, 32 lads and 16 lasses from across disciplines will meet on Howard St to do battle. Racing begins at 5pm as darkness descends with finals from 6 and prizes at 7, hyped by Toby Parodi atop his tower through the Redbull sound system. Racing will be broadcast on the big screen for the assembled masses and streamed live on YouTube from 5pm presented by Anna Glowinski and Richard Cunynghame.
Racing amongst others will be Peaty, Ratboy with his 50:01 brethren Sam ‘Dave’ Hockenhull, Dual Champ Brett Penfold, German DH Champ Nina Hoffmann with European guests Fabio Schäfer and Jasper Jauch #BikesNotBrexit. However, we’ve left some race places open for other fast lads and lasses. So, if you’ve got a string of good results and you’re keen to race, get in touch with your roots and rain details: ThisiSheffield@gmail.com
This race is put on by This is Sheffield and made possible by Sheffield City Council, the most forward thinking mountain bike city in the land. There really is nothing quite like the excitement of dual racing: it entrances spectators from the uninitiated to the expert; challenges riders skills and ability to keep their cool and most importantly puts a massive grin on everyone’s face, just remember to bring your cowbell! #DualRules
Its here! Gamble by name, Gamble by nature. Sheffield’s own Steel City Media and his partner in crime, Creative Concept have put it all on the line to bring us the most amazing mountain bike film we’ve had in years.
Going back to basics, they’ve brought together the creme de la creme of the worlds DH racers and set them loose on locations all around the globe. With a keen eye and style this will be a visual treat for us all. However the biggest treat will undoubtedly be seeing the Steve Peat let loose on a custom track in Sheffield showing that he’s still got as much speed and style as he’s always had.
Today we race. The ultimate form of head to head mountain bike racing returns to Sheffield City Centre to celebrate the Outdoor City Weekender. The Howard Street Dual course will pitch the best riders against each other and the resulting spectacle will surprise and delight seasoned race fans, families of all ages and unsuspecting passers by. To enhance the drama this year we will be racing in the dark; once the sun goes down the course will be lit up making the elbow to elbow action even more entertaining.
Made possible by Sheffield City Council the riders will race from the top of Hallam Square, across the front from Sheffield Hallam university’s main building and on down to the bottom of Howard street. They must negotiate a series of features sendable by the best and rollable by all. It mixes man-made constructions with street furniture, flat grass corners and custom wooden features. Last year the finish fadeaway and infamous chaos corner claimed many riders winning ways.
Timetable
3:00 – Practice
4:15 – Qualification
5:00 – Racing
7:00 – Finals
Dual Slalom is a knockout race format, pitching riders against each other, literally duelling their way down the hill. The winner stays on and the fastest racers progress through to the finals and the glory.
In true This is Sheffield style, every rider who races will get a prize from our incredibly generous sponsors combined with a big cheer and all the glory. The fastest racers on the day will get to pick from the pile first. We have space for 32 lads and 16 lasses.
//Lads
//Lasses
1
Brett Penfold
1
Carrie Poole
2
Ben Moore
2
Anya Tolwinska
3
Steve Peat
3
Ellie Dewdney
4
Tim Pearson
4
Katy Sunter
5
Luke Meredith
5
Chloe Taylor
6
Sam Dale
6
Becci Skelton
7
Chris Pearson
7
Gabriele Gelgotaite
8
Sam Hockenhull
8
Abigale Lawton
9
William Swinden
9
Hanna Jonsson
10
Jake Monk
10
Megan Forman
11
Matt Hockenhull
11
Toni Fryer
12
Stephen Taylor
12
Hannah Saville
13
Michael Vickers
13
Nush Lee
14
Anthony Croft
14
Abigail Legge
15
Alistair Baron
15
Kelly-jayne Emmerson
16
Richard Baybutt
16
Rachael Crellin
17
David Camus
17
Hannah Tew
18
Josh Bryceland
19
Craig Evans
20
Jono Jones
21
James Swinden
22
Aiken Collinge
23
Josh Lewis
24
James Hughes
25
Nikki Whiles
26
Damian Groves
27
Jordan Gould
28
Andrew Devine
29
Gareth Jones
30
Chay Granby
31
Daniel Bateson
32
William Easey
33
Wes Fife
34
Joe Wallbridge
35
Jack Sprogis
36
Jack Drogan
Sponsors
Massive thank you’s to all these lovely people who made the race possible!
Hope Tech – Lights so we can see and Brakes Cotic – Score boards and untold hours of labour Leighton Vans – Cash prizes and pimp as race van Five Ten – Shoes for racers feet HKT Products – PIMPin Medals for the winners Peatys products – Unicorn Jizz and loam foam AM building Services – Those amazing berms, Alan built Them! Local Scaffold Service Ltd – For all your scaffolding needs, they erected Toby’s Tower Bike track – Moar Cowbells! Airdrop – Mudguards and Jerseys 18 Bikes – Only the finest prizes Go Outdoors – Calibre Bikes and paying for Lady Cannings! Expert bike repair – Keeping our bikes running smooth ALine mountain bike coaching – Coaching you better SHAFF – Tickets for any show
Sheffield will be a hive of activity during the Outdoor City weekender; from theSheffield adventure film festival, to theMagnificent 7 road anti-enduro and theClimbing works international festival. Dual racing is both spectacular and easy to follow, and will provide as much of a thrill for the spectators as it does the participants themselves. With cow-bells and noise-makers lining the track, the racers will be cheered from top to bottom making it great fun for the whole family and the best hecklers in town.
All the results for the race a published via google via the links below. They are updated every few minutes, the race timing is probably the one to watch!
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