It was ENORMOUS...

Over 200 singlespeeders, their friends and supporters turned up to compete (if that's 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 men's champion, Jay 'Hollywood' Henderson came off his bike while pre-riding his bike and hurt his shoulder bad enough to go to hospital. Fortunately, he'd not broken anything and made it back from hospital to see the end of the party at 3am.

The next day, 165 racers lined up in glorious, scorching sunshine, for the unconventional Le Man style start. While race organiser Chipps Chippendale was giving out the few rules, marshalls behind him quietly moved everyone's 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 (two blokes ran to their tandem) 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 on 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 women's 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 didn't 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 year's race. Where that will be (the tattoo AND the race) is yet to be decided...

The Top Tens
Men
1. Jeff Wherlock - (Bristol, UK) - 1hr 34min 15sec
2. Andy Boyd @ 2.20
3. Joe Hayward @5.50
4. Sylvain Garde (France) @ 9.10
5. Matt Ward @10.00
6. Rob Hinsdill (USA)
7. Fraser Malloch
8. Fred Salmon
9. Warren Scott Douglas
10. Nick Boyd

Women
1. Alison Rushton (UK) - 1.04.20
2. Maria Bowers
3. Elena Sansiveri (Sweden?)
4. Karen Burt
5. Sara Randle
6. Sarah Murrin
7. Sky Yager (USA)
8. Soph Gilbert
9. Sarah Topping
10. Ash Mainland