Just checked the forecast – dry all the way if you believe the bbc. should be spot on.

you can pack away the mud tyres 🙂

I had a quick recce today too. Looked ok to me.

One thing though….Brighton are at home on Saturday and the stadium over the road from the park. And Shed loads of people use the woods as a cut through on matchdays (although I think they’ve put parking restrictions in Coldean this year which may limit it).

Could make for an interesting 2-3pm and 5-5.30pm section of the race

Don’t worry about the Albion, Lewes are the number one team in Sussex 😉

five days to go – what’s your final prep / tyre choice / bike / clothing.

Final prep: Train right through as didn’t do enough when i should have. Go in a bit tired and hope the legs hold out.

Tyres: Rubena Kratos front and rear. Very nice indeed.

Bike: Niner Air Nine – scandium

Lycra top, baggy shorts.

Food: Energy drink, gels, bananas and jaffa cakes, block shock things.

It’s raining but the rest of the week look good.

That said the bbc said we would miss the rain that is now hitting my window. 😐

Final prep: The rest of my training consists of reading this thread.

Tyres: Nobby Nics both ends, fit & forget.

Bike: Canfield Yelli Screamy, or perhaps my Salsa Selma if I come over all “**** it let’s bin the gears”.

Lycra team top, baggy lycra shorts.

Food: Werthers and Nurofen.

Best bit of training you can do – if you’re local – is learning to get up the new climb right at the start. Im referring to the steep chalky climb, right after the bomb hole section. I reckon it will be mayhem on that climb, especially first lap, so being able to ride it quickly I think will be a real advantage. Not sure i’ll be quick after 5 or 6 hours though.

Jesus – that is a b****!!!. Why on earth would they start on that – other than to give the crowd a good laugh.

Shit worried about that already.

Mattig – we didn’t cover that one off. sounds like the course has been reworked more than i thought.

matt, lycra and gears?? You are not the man I thought you were…

The new route runs up the old way but then follows fire round round to the left (rather than turn right at that big tree) to bring you up to the singletrack entrance on the left. Down there, thru the bombhole, traverse across then turn right up the steep climb.

So basically if you don’t get in a good position before that left turn into the singletrack you’re stuck until the top of the steep climb as nowhere really to pass. Get caught behind someone slow or having a mechanical and it will be hard to recover. Stop on that hill and you’re walking.

Should make the start much more of a challenge but very tough.

The route is quite different to previous years!

hmmm – just showed a small group round the old course.

assume most of the elements are similar just re-worked with a few add ons.

anyone want to show me the new course thursday night at 7.00.

Mattig – we didn’t cover that one off. sounds like the course has been reworked more than i thought.

no biggie, it’s just a hill, what could possibly go wrong?

You are not the man I thought you were…

I frequently find that myself.

this years route according to Strava;

http://app.strava.com/segments/4680449

That chalky climb is going to be a real pain even if it’s dry.

Being both pragmatic and unfit I suspect I’ll be walking some if not all of it if it’s wet and also some if not all of it if it’s dry. Glad I’ve decided to do it on a lightish bike with a triple chainset, they’re so much easier to push.

Rode bits of the course yesterday on Geax Suagaro’s (sp?) and it was fine. Been a shower this morning but if the week stays dry it’ll all be fine – even the perma puddles were dry.

I’m entering solo, I’ll be the wheezing mess on a green on-one Scandal 29er.

I think I can run up that climb quicker than I can ride it! Not convinced about the new route, seems to miss out a lot of the good descents and has some downhill fireroad bits from my quick Strava check. Riding it tomorrow night so will see how it is…

has some downhill fireroad bits from my quick Strava check.

booooooo

what do we not want? downhill fire road
when do we not want it? not never

mind you there is one of our number that relishes the up and over the top and down fireroad bit at CYB

why do I get so nervous about races?

It’s only monday and I need a nervous poo.

Descents on fire roads?? Don’t like the sound of that personally and that climb at the start will be tough. I’ve only ever gone down it very quickly.

Best to reserve judgement until race day. Perhaps arrive early to get a lap in so you know what to expect. The organisers know their stuff so I’m sure it will be a good course.

Best to reserve judgement until race day. Perhaps arrive early to get a lap in so you know what to expect. The organisers know their stuff so I’m sure it will be a good course.

Double post. Damn phone!

yeah no way they will change it for the worse. nervous too.

just got a sore throat today. bang on schedule.

Proper course map just published on news page of Big Dog website.

That climb at the start will make the first lap horrendous, it’s one you’d never knowingly choose to ride up, I can see some major hold ups there 😡

Hoping to get out for a ride round Stanmer on Thursday evening, other than that I’ve not been on the bike for two weeks.

…wishing I’d not entered 6hr solo
…wishing I’d not removed the granny ring

Oh well, bring it on. I’m sure the course will still be good, those guys know what they’re doing.

…and it looks like there’s no climb up Badgers this year 🙂

Paceman x

Ok so this new brutal start climb – bad enough that SS is no hinderance because a lot of the gearies will be pushing too?

mattig. thats about right. its a chain breaker.

paceman. see you thursday. big dog reccy or brighton mtb?

Lovely sunshine darn souf! 🙂

Think the weather gods are on our side this time round.

Not sure about the course director though thinking about that new climb near the start.

No badgers though – that’s a shocker.

It mentions a drop about half way in on the new course – anyone been down it?

Like the look of those T-shirts.

It mentions a drop about half way in on the new course – anyone been down it?

It’s in the vicinity of the rooty drop down onto the fireroad, which you reach via the chalky gap and off-camber trail just down from the middle car park.

Sounds like the Stanmer Wall drop Darkcyan 😈

See you Thursday, can’t wait to get back on the pedals after two week hiatus.

Was a bit sketchy last night over wet roots, fun none the less.
On 29er Nobby Nic front and Ignitor rear.

Fingers crossed it’ll dry out over the next four days.

Everyone

We’ve been out and cleared a couple of new bits to avoid the ‘fall-line’ descent which is an annual accident black spot, the rest of the route uses existing trails, just linked in a new way. For the new trail there are two options, high and low, and as you’d expect both are tricky, its a mtb event after all. This years route doesn’t go north of the tarmac road that runs from Upper Lodges to Stanmer Village and does not include the ‘Badgers’ climb. However, it does have some serious climbing in the first 1/3. I’ve cleared 99% of all the trails on both sides of Stanmer and personally I find this years route a killer.

Bar width and tyre choice…..high rollers and 720mm here, if you look at it you will hit it!

Weather looks great.

Enjoy the day.

Alex & Nick

Also, cleared a long and lovely flowing new bit of ST which was going to be included but it includes a couple of very tight technical bits, (a couple of very steep bits and some scary off camber hairpins) so it was vetoed. This section will become a future classic for locals, until the Starva numpties sanitise it!

See you there.

Cheers

Also, cleared a long and lovely flowing new bit of ST which was going to be included but it includes a couple of very tight technical bits, (a couple of very steep bits and some scary off camber hairpins) so it was vetoed. This section will become a future classic for locals, until the Starva numpties sanitise it!

Whereabouts is this section, it sounds great?

Thanks in advance for all your hard work, it should be a great day as always,

Paceman

I should stop reading about this event.

I get more nervous every time I think about it.

Had a quick look at the new killer climb in the first third. If you dont know its the vertical chalk wall going into the sky.

Its a bit damp, very steep (unclassified in road parlance)with a f******* great big rut in the middle.

First attempt failed about one third up, second cleared it just sitting on the nose of my saddle and peddling like a clown. It will be a classic for the spectators and the pub afterwards but not sure i would classify if as fun to ride. Never thought i would miss badgers climb but this is worse.

As paceman commented no one ever does this climb in a normal stanmer ride.

you never know it may become a classic.

Nice and sunny – should be dry for saturday.

If you stand up in today’s conditions it will spin out, may change as it drys out

It tickles me that the course has been changed to use the climb that our local host didn’t bother to show us because, obviously, nobody would run a race up that!

(It’s cool Nick, ‘s funny is all).

Maybe we need pics!

was annoyed i didnt have my phone.

if anyone is riding it tale a pic and post.

Mike you must show me the new trail that’s been cut from Big Dog. Very curious.

I’ll be riding it in about an hour’s time – well I say riding, I’ll probably be on foot!

Mike where is the fall line descent – the stanmer wall (steep sharp descent after chalky gap) wasnt in it last year so not sure which bit you mean. is it the bit down to the bottom of badgers?