Has anyone done it if so whats it like. I was supposed to be doing it in a team of 4 but a few riders have bailed/ not answering their phones so its just the 2 of us at the moment.
My main concern is the fitness as I can easily do 2hr enduro races and feel tired after them. So stetching to 6hrs may be a bit too much

not too hard really

do 2 laps each at a time, maybe 3 at night if you feel you need more rest.

take it steady and pray to almighty god that it's dry

Did it last year as my first solo 12 hour race and it wa a bl00dy nightmare due to the rain, managed 2 laps before my mind got the better of me and i gave up 😳 .

IMO Thetford is quite a physical place to ride in that its mostly singletrack where you are working the bike and as there are no real hills there's not much chance for respite from the pedaling.

If it's dry it will be great but if its wet I'm going home early….. again 😉

See you there 😛

depends massivly on the whether. Last year was cr@p the course is no fun in the rain. It will be cold whilst you wait for you team mate. Take some form of heater or make friends with someone who has a patio heater and its alot more enjoyable.

I am not doing it this year. First time in 6ish years though 🙁

Like said above, if it's wet, you'll need to keep warm when not riding. I did it solo last year in the rain and I felt sorry for the people waiting to ride. At least I was warm (plus a bit wet).

plus a bit wet

Understatement of the year 😉

I did pairs last year. Good fun IMHO. It always rains when I do these types of races so I don't really know any different.

Thetford is flat with the occasional bombhole so being knackered depends on how fast you want to pedal round rather than getting knackered climbing up hills.

depends if you slack off half way round, eh Mike? 😉

Pairs can be the hardest after solo I reckon, no one to take up the slack, no time to chat, you're just either handing over or waiting, can be real lonely if there's no one else about.

still some places left for this year Nick

8)

do 2 laps each at a time, maybe 3 at night if you feel you need more rest.

considering it's the Dusk 2 Dawn, isn't most of it 'at night'? 😉

just take it easy, eat lots, drink lots, keep warm. I did it in a trio last yr and we managed until 6am until the thought of a few hrs sleep in our cars became too much!

As said – people think Thetford is easy as it's 'flat'. The problem is you are pedalling ALL the time, so it gets pretty tiring. Just potter round & you'll be fine.

nah, night is 11pm to 6am 🙂

I'll go if it's not raining…

what do you reckon the chances of that are?

Dan

Don't freak out if you end up doing it as a pair but I'm sure the rest of the guys will sort themselves out. Just take it easy…. remember you tend to go off too fast. As it will be your first loooong race, forget the big ring, at least for the first half of the race, it will ensure you ride well within your limits. By 6 hours you will have some idea of how much stamina you have so you can ride accordingly. Don't forget, it isn't a 2 hour blast so don't ride it that way and most of all…. have fun. Oh yes, and ignore people blatting past at warp speed, don't try and chase them down, ride your own ride.

IMO solo is easier (mentally) than pairs but I have told you that already. Keep a look out for Richard (E), he'll be in a big Claas caravan with Kurt and Chris (he of the little beard). I'm sure they'll make you a cup of tea if you get cold!

It will rain.

Clic24 2007 -> my first solo event = first time it rained at Clic24

Mayhem 2008 -> first Mayhem = torrential rain

D2D 2008 -> first pairs race = first time it rained at D2D

I'll be there this year therefore it is a foregone conclusion!

IMHO pairs is harder than solo if you're really trying. I was more tired after pairs 12hr than half my 24 solo by far. On your own there's no pressure of meeting people, handovers etc and you can just plug away at your own speed.

I've done pairs at D2D a few times, single lap each first then 2 double's and that'll be about your lot to be honest. This way gives you a bit of time to sleep, charge lights etc. Remember to eat, drink and sleep if you can and it'll be fine. I'm really hoping it's not too wet tho, i missed last years but it didn't sound fun.

Totally agree with steve, mentally solo is harder, but physically pairs is harder, you go fast, then stop, then go fast etc, solo you just plod on!

I did it as a pair last year and it was pretty tough, but mainly because the conditions were rubbish! We did single laps the whole time, keeps you fresher I reckon so you can put in faster laps, but does give you less rest time.

Doing it with the same chap this year, aim to move a bit higher on the podium 🙂

"not too hard really"

i must have been doing it wrong then. 🙂

as above, it's not the racing that's the hard bit, it's the trying to stay warm and fed in-between times.
even if you're warm whilst out on the course you can freeze to death during the 'off' laps, take ALL your warm clothes, and then some more, and a big hat, and a sleeping bag to snuggle into while you have some tea and a little bit of food.
and take a big baggy warm jacket that you don't mind getting dirty to wear whilst waiting in the hand-over area, and leave a few pounds in the pockets so the in-coming rider can pick up some tea/food from the catering tent on the way back to base camp.

as for the racing bit, take it easier than full-on race-pace and you'll be fine, and make sure your partner has the same aims as you, do you want to race or just get round?

depending on your lap times you can decide whether to do single laps or doubles, if it's fast there just isn't enough time to recover/eat/mend bikes if you do singles.
but if you do doubles there's always the chance that you'll die halfway round the second lap, or your lights will die. that's all part of the fun.

does your race partner have a Bongo with a huge awning? that's a great help

and draft people on the fireroads

The course held up pretty well last year given that it lashed it down for the entire race! No issues with clogging bikes, no problems with wheels jamming!

Remember SITS 2006 and compare…

GB