Page 47 - The Bugle Autumn 2016 Issue 12

at 21% average gradient. Only 3 members of the team made the nal climb with two Did Not Finishes (no names!), one navigation issue and WO2 Jones taking the honour of reaching the summit rst.
With the memories of Bugle Berg still fresh in the team’s mind; we were well prepared for the Army Cycling Road Race Series which took place all over the country hosted by different Corps. The development team performed especially well. Notable performances by LCpl Bodley who gained promotion to the A league with consistent top 10’s throughout the series riding without team support until his last race. The remainder of the development team working for Cpl Churchill and earning him promotion to the B league with LCpl’s Spriggs and Gaston getting in the top ten at the last event. Maj Hunt won the Infantry road race hosted by IBS on Sennybridge training area riding away from a strong bunch to a comfortable solo win.
LCpl Spriggs, ISTAR Platoon
Nordic Skiing
The camp started positively with a big snowfall on the opening weekend. This enabled the camp to get up and running and a relentless pace of training was established straight away. An average training day started with a team run through snow covered trails at 0700 followed by ski technique and race training for three hours after breakfast. With a two hour break for lunch the afternoons were mostly spent doing ski/biathlon shooting combinations. Then would come an hour or so of ski waxing, a ski speci c session in the gym and nally followed by a team meeting and dinner. The team made dramatic improvements as the weeks progressed and only experienced one minor setback. When Rfn Stockings’ deep rooted affection for alpine skiing bubbled over one morning when he managed to nd the only relatively dangerous downhill slope in Bessans and came off second best to the rocky side of mountain at the bottom. A quick concussion induced nap and a few stitches later he was as good as new.
The Infantry Championships saw the team nishing third overall with an impressive second in the 4 X 7.5km Biathlon Team Relay. LCpl Hillier received a Chief of Race award for showing outstanding sel ess commitment during one of the races when he came to the aid of a fellow competitor who had broken a ski and Lt Fellows and LCpl Wood took away numerous top novice nishes.
The Divisional races brought a change in location and step up in competition but with a good level of tness and ever improving technique the novice team nished tenth overall which meant achieving their goal of securing the Battalion’s rst quali cation to the Army Championships.
The competition also triple hatted as the Tri Service and British National Championships and the opportunity of competing against ex Olympians, current GB development athletes and units with long standing experience at such a high level was one the 1 Ri es team relished. After a tough set of races on a demanding World Cup circuit, in Ruhpolding Germany, the team nished 16th overall. The highlight of the racing was undoubtedly the Military Patrol Race in which the team tackled 30kms, two shoots and a stretcher race split over two days. They nished tenth and were proud to be the top Infantry Unit in that discipline. Top novice awards were again awarded to Lt Fellows, LCpl Wood and Rfn Young in the nal prize giving. As a result of their strong performances in the junior novice division LCpl Wood and Rfn Young caught the eyes of the Army’s Biathlon Development Squad selectors and both were included in the athletes chosen for further summer training.
Overall with a predominantly novice team, 1 Ri es showed that a good level of tness, strong work ethic and competitive spirit can make up for a lack of ski experience and lead to success. The Battalion has now built a reputation as one of the best Infantry units for Nordic Skiing which being a sport that tests an individual’s ability to cover ground and shoot accurately under pressure is impressive. We look forward to taking part again at the end of this year, with our sights now set for far higher achievements. Lieutenant Joe Fellows
ONLY 3 MEMBERS OF THE TEAM MADE THE FINAL CLIMB WITH TWO DID NOT FINISHES (NO NAMES!),
THE RIFLES
FIRST BATTALION 45