me and my pal are entering one next weekend . What are they like?. has anyone any tips?

Get a map board or bodge together some way of displaying a map on your handlebars so you can navigate as you ride.
Take a watch and make sure you make a note of the time when you set off.

Try to estimate how far you will be able to ride and plan a route accordingly. i.e. if you can average 7mph then you might expect to cover a route of 21miles in a 3 hour event. Knowing this means you have a chance to plan your optimum route to collect as many points as possible.

Try to keep moving. Avoid stopping to check the map, eat, drink etc. Aim to do all of this on the move or when you are stopped at a checkpoint anyway.

Try to plan a route that has some options in the second half of it so that you can extend or shorten depending on how you are doing. This might just be a case of doing your route clockwise rather than anticlockwise or vice versa in order to ensure that there are options in the latter half of your ride.

If you are entering as a pair remember that you are a team and work together to do well and have fun. Share the navigating so you are less likely to make mistakes, keep communicating, the stronger rider should avoid dropping the weaker rider on climbs as it will dishearten them. Rather ride with them as the company will encourage them to do better.

Have fun and enjoy riding on new trails – I have never done a TQ where I didn’t end up riding a trail I didn’t know about.

Chat to other riders after the event to discuss routes and tactics.

Mapboard

Almost always take the shortest route rather than trying to be clever and taking a longer route that will be ‘faster’

Ride steady early on and don’t blow. Speed up later if you can.

Plan an route which can easily be changed if you’re well up or down on your plan.

Re Clubber’s point about shortest route: Yes, unfortunately it can often mean riding on roads even if there is a bridelway option. It can be a bit gutting to ride your MTB on roads when there are perfectly good tracks nearby but roads have the advantage of being predictable and fast.

Learn to read a map well and always trust your map and compass 🙂

but roads have the advantage of being predictable and fast.

Not always ime… I found that out when the flat road we picked turned out to be miles of undulations that slowed us right down.

True – but what can look like a wonderful bridleway on a map can turn into miles of featureless bog which is very hard to cross with any kind of speed 🙂

Dont get lost.

Dont be late back.

always make one more sandwich than you think you need

Don’t get over ambitious for a first event. Forget trying for the high value check points (CP from herein) IMHO. Create a “local” loop with a good selection of low score CP and go for it.

OR

Make the highest value CP your first port of call and then create a route that brings you back to HQ in as close to a straight/easy line as possible picking up CPs.

And where possible and if you can remember it when you are out of breath, try to leave your bike pointing in the direction that you will be heading for your next CP. If a flag/dibber is off the track leave your bike with your mate on the track rather than both of you hacking through under growth with your bikes.

At this time of year the road is a good option. If you can read a map surely you can tell just how undulating it is? Obviously if it looks 2x as far as the bridleway then maybe the road isn’t the best option. However if you know the area well you may know that the bridleway is in good condition so will be almost as fast as a slightly longer road section. If the bridleway/track is known to you and known to be totally wrecked at present then even a 2x longer road section could be a better option.

Don’t think of it as mountain biking in the Trail centre/Rad style, think of it in the way that a lot of mountainbiking was in the early days (well in the exploring type, not the XC racing type).

Have fun, and don’t worry about stopping to eat. Better than bonking and I imagine that you possibly aren’t looking to win your first event. I’ve always enjoyed the ones I have done and they have opened areas up to me that I knew but not as well as I thought.

Lots of good advice but Ill add my 5p worth.

Always check the map before committing to a big climb or decent.
Straight line is often not the best. Use the law of thirds. If its a third further to go around then go around but play to your strengths.

Try to know where you are going next before you get to each control, try to flow through keeping moving.

I have a list of all the mapboards currently available on my blog http://www.stodgell.co.uk/?page_id=2067 including a template for a home made job.

Lots of past event maps with routes on my blog, just scroll back through the past few months and you will find them.

If you want any specific advice pm me. Trailquests (read mountain bike orienteering) do vary from organiser to organiser so its important to know which one you are doing do give any more detailed advice….

also look at http://www.bmbo.org.uk

How did it go?

My tip:- Take a water proof pen – spend 2 minutes writing the score of each checkpoint on your map before setting off.

Things have moved on – all the info you need is usually printed on the map now.
Lesson from my event attempt today – don’t judge time by looking at the elapsed time on your speedo. Thought I had 20+ minutes left today, with a few miles to finish and was debating whether to try an extra loop. Glanced at my watch and time was up – the damn things stops timing when you stop pedalling. Cue a very uncomfortable sprint to finish. In our local events, you lose all your points after 15 minutes. Just made it, but too many penalties. I can smile about it now……

Boxelder, that’s normal practice with MTQ.
You get the map with just the CPs marked on it and as long as you want to plan a route.
After you have clocked out, you get the score sheet with the CP values and detailed locations. Your three hours is ticking away now, so marking the CP values on the waterproof map cover with a CD marker pen saves time.

Occasionally, MTQ will make unmarked maps of the area available at the start, so you can familiarise yourself with the area without being able to plan a route, then give a you a fully marked map after you have clocked out.
I believe BMBO normally use this method.

I wrote a short guide to trailquesting on my training log a while ago.
http://www.veganfitness.net/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=9189&p=341751&#p341751

We’re more professional in the north.
😉

Well I have done 3 now.all I can say is what a good way to pack some fast miles into your legs.i have enjoyed everyone so far.everyone has been very friendly.thanks cross cumbria cyclists