Aidens National Downhill Story 2023

Aiden Swaby is an extremely tallented Bike rider and is racing for Team Otec Bikes in the Under 18s National Downhill Championships this year. We are all wishing him luck while he rips up some of the nations most famous downhill tracks.

He is also being sponsored by local business NOBA Event WIFI 

THANK YOU!

Fort William Downhill 2023 - By Aiden Swaby

The weekend started with a trackwalk. I quickly found out why it is considered the most physical track on the World Cup Tour. Fast and rocky I thought the track suited my riding style. Even though the top section was great, my favorite was definitely the motorway section at the bottom of the track.

Over the weekend I broke some stuff as well. The bikes take a beating on a track that rough. Two broken chainrings and a chain guide is all that got damaged. Luckily I didn't break any wheels though. I will be giving my bike a thorough check over this week.

My dog Roxy came as well, she loved all the new smells!

My Race Run: Out of the gate I felt fresh. Riding the corners smoothly. As I came off the long boardwalk into the rock garden | had a lot more speed than in my seeding run. I got off line and was forced to riders right. Along with the added speed I had to unclip to avoid going over the top of the berm. This cost me significant time as I had come to a stop on a section that is difficult to get going again on.

Overall the weekend was a massive success. Surviving that track without crashing is a win in itself. I also learned a lot about my bike setup. After five minutes of descending I was physically drained and I found my bike needed a few tweeks. I never knew a few degrees of lever angle or a couple clicks of compression made such a difference!