Watch the clock
Trail Break's Martin triumphs over damp laptop adversity
Left: Fast finishing. Right: Dib for the win
Left: Aaaaand relax. Right: On the map
Left: Tandemonium. Right: Water cooler rocketry
Ale and hearty
Listen to the band
Trail Break has been running the Big Wight Festival for, we think, thirteen years now. Everyone we know who's been has raved about its splendour, and after many years on The List the opportunity to actually go along and see what's what finally arose this year. Big Wight is based on the eponymous island, so for most people it's a ferry ride to get there (although there's a healthy islander contingent too). The event HQ is at a proper campsite, with toilets, showers, electric hook-ups, a pool and all sorts of other useful amenities, which certainly makes for a comfortable stay. It's also just a short, traffic-free ride (or slightly longer walk) to Shanklin if you want to go to the beach. Well, it'd be rude not to.
If it's competition you crave, then the two-day navigator race is for you. With seven hours on Saturday and five on Sunday to visit as many checkpoints as possible, there was plenty of scope to cover big distances - the top riders knocked out over 120 miles over the two days, no mean feat somewhere as hilly as the Island. It was close at the top, too, with the leading three riders being separated by just a few points.
Of course, plenty of people were taking it somewhat less seriously, and the Navigator Lite event, including additional tea shop checkpoints, catered for those who just wanted to nod slightly in the direction of competition while still getting a bit of map reading in.
Also on offer were 40, 60 and hefty 100km trail rides of the traditional "follow the arrows" format, ideal for getting a guaranteed decent ride without having to think too hard about navigation. And no need to worry about traffic, either. Compared to often-crowded mass-start enduros you'll find a Trail Break ride a somewhat different experience. You can set off any time within a two-hour window in the morning, which spreads the participants out and pretty much guarantees no congestion.
In the spirit of hopeless optimism, we embarked on the 100km ride on Sunday, but a later-than planned start and frankly feeble average speed caused a rethink at the point where the 60km route forked off. The choice between getting back to the campsite mid-afterroon and sitting in the sun with a beer or two, or slogging round the extra 40km and getting back the wrong side of teatime really didn't take too much consideration. The 60km ride certainly didn't lack for quality (or hills), covering the downs to the south of the island with some lovely vistas from the ridges before sweeping inland, looping round to a final high point (and an ice cream van) on Brading Down before zipping back to base.
With riders doing different events and setting off at different times, there was a relaxed feel to the arena in the afternoon. Early starters on the five-hour navigator race started arriving back around 3pm, while some hardy souls who took on the 100km trail ride rolled in around 7pm. Pretty much everybody arriving back headed straight for the marquee for refreshments before lounging around in the sun for the telling of tall tales.
It's the evening entertainment that really sets Big Wight apart, though. You just don't get sideshows like the awesomely slapstick "adventure race" - a what-could-possibly-go-wrong melée of brim-full tubs of water, flying tyres, knotted inner tubes, miniature tandems and beer - or track-pump assisted bottle rockets anywhere else.
And of course there's the music. Live bands at bike events isn't a new or unique thing, but Trail Break definitely know how to pick 'em. Saturday's Bikini Beach Band offered up a riotous selection of top tunes as refracted through a surf guitar lens, while Sunday's Hanging Baskets are a Big Wight institution and rightly so, for they do indeed rock hugely.
It's difficult to say just what it is that gives Big Wight its unique atmosphere, but we think it's probably the sheer inclusivity of it all. The choice of events attracts everyone from potterers to powerhouses, the venue makes taking the family along actually a good idea and everyone kicks back in the evening. No wonder it's been going for so long, and long may it continue...
Find out more about Big Wight and other events at www.trailbreak.co.uk.
