Stockport World Series Round 2: Berwyn Bike Park

The Stockport World Series is exactly the kind of race series UK downhill needs more of. It started out at Farmer John’s MTB Park and has now grown into a four-round series across different UK venues, including Berwyn and Revs. No race licence needed, no massive barrier to entry - just a proper grassroots race with a good mix of riders, from people still finding their feet with racing through to pro riders. That’s what makes it work. Everyone is there for their own race, whether that means chasing a podium, beating a mate, or just getting down clean and having a good weekend. The atmosphere was spot on: riders pushing hard, plenty of support trackside, and the usual mix of nerves, heckling and post-run chat that makes grassroots racing what it is.

The photos

A quick note on the way I shoot and post race images - I’m not trying to upload every single frame from the weekend. For me, there’s a balance between getting plenty of riders covered and not filling the gallery with repeats. If there are two or three frames from a burst that each bring something different, I’ll include them. What I try to avoid is uploading 10 or 12 near-identical shots of the same rider from the same pass-by just to make the gallery look bigger. Every image I post gets selected properly and given a light edit before it goes online. Nothing too heavy, but enough to make sure the photo looks how I want it to look.

The images I post on Instagram aren’t polished-up highlights that look better than the files people actually receive. They’re a fair reflection of what you get when you buy one. What you see on Instagram is what you get - the same edit, the same finish and the same level of care, just with the odd crop to suit Instagram.

I also shot some images on practice day, which had a completely different feel to race day. The riding was a bit looser, people were less focused on outright speed, and there was more room for style and messing about with lines. It gave the photos a different vibe, and I’ve put those together in a separate practice gallery. Follow the links below to view the photos, you can also view my race day photos on Roots & Rain.