Ok so I'm entering this and going for 5 laps / 50 miles as I'm not sure I can do 70. It will be my first event this long does anyone have tips on what water/food I should bring with me and if you have a strategy for keeping yourself topped up during the race?

Does everyone carry everything they need or just dump it by the start?

Dump at start and refill every lap.

Big water bottle will likely see you through a lap, so a big bottle with your tipple of choice, energy gel and a bar in your back pocket, maybe with a few jelly babies. Then just keep plodding on and refilling your pockets as necessary each lap.

I'm planning on taking my camelbak with a few spares in it so can carry a few bits and pieces with me.

So you don't follow anything religious like eating an energy gel every 20mins whether you need it or not (it says on the packet 3 an hour I think)

One flapjack packed with fruit and sugar per lap! Drink often. Dried mango / wine gums and jelly babies in your pockets 🙂

You'll be going through a lot of gels if you take one every 20 minutes for 50 miles, suggest that would ruin your stomach! I reckon even 2 a lap would probably be excessive!

How much of a challenge is 50 miles for you? Is your normal ride 40 miles, or have you never done more than 15? Only you know how much it's likely to affect you really, just make sure you eat little and often, before you're hungry!

Better to overfuel than under. If you run out it's horrible, if you end up with energy to spare you can go faster on your last lap. I try to do a large bottle of energy drink per hour, plus a gel and a bar of some sort (Mule or just an elevenses for variation), and then have a break every couple of laps for a bit more water and a stretch (and a ginsters last year!)

Try and avoid carrying a big bag of spares. 5 or 6 hours with that extra weight on your back and shoulders if you don't have to? A tool, a tube and a pump, maybe a chain tool / powerlink should do. Or a slime filling emergency canister like this:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/zefal/sealant-spray-ec019743

You can always effect a proper repair at the end of the lap if you have to.

400 kcal per hour is the max most people can absorb.

I prefer 'normal' foods like flapjack and sweets, gels just give me stomach cramp and taste nasty.

Make-up some flapjack to this recipie

enough veg oil to cover the base of a very big pan (40g ish)

250g oats
150g chopped dried fruit (stick it in a blender with a dash of water to mash it itno tiny bits)
3tbs syrup
sugar if you want it extra sweet.

warm the oil (not hot or it will turn to a horible treakle mess) and sugar and syrup, stir to a paste and stir in the oats, transfer to rectangular cake tin should eb about 3/4" and bake at 150-160degC for 30-40min.

A mars bar sized chunk is arround 250kcal, so 4x half mars bar sized lumps per lap and your laughing. Start eating 2 bits an hour about 2 hours before the start to boost sugar levels for the inevitable first lap exuberance.

5 hours / 35 miles is reasonably comfortable for me so I thought 50 would be a good challenge was tempted by 70 but never done close to that distance so thought I would go for that next time.

Tools wise I've got my collection slimmed down the only unneccesary thing I carry is a set of masterlink pliers for taking off powerlinks. I know I shouldn't need them but I have had a few experiences now of trying to sort jammed/snapped chains when tired and it takes me forever to get the links off.

I prefer to use a camelbak rather than a bottle – anyone used energy drink in a bladder?

don't eat/ drink stuff you've never eaten before.

orange squash is a good alternative to energy drink but easier on the stomach – no electrolytes though so throw a couple of bottles of lucuzade/ powerade (not fizzy!) in the mix.

flapjacks & cake bars taste better than energy bars imo.

get your spares in a saddlebag and your water in a bottle.

don't eat/ drink stuff you've never eaten before.

Yep you'll be fine with energy drink in a Camelbak!

All you really need is tube/pump/multi-tool/Power Link (I personally don't carry a tube (run tubeless) or a Power Link), lighter is faster when it comes to carrying crap!

Slightly ot: can you enter on the day ?

(I personally don't carry a tube (run tubeless) or a Power Link

Nick – And when I see you sat at the side of the track with a split tyre and/or broken chain, laughter will be heard!

And no, I won't be lending you mine.

On the website it says you can enter on the day but there might be big queues.

Thanks for the advice. Say hi to a chap on a black duster looking a bit knackered 🙂

Gin and a cold kebab.

donner kebab xl chilli garlic and pickled chilli peppers washed down with a four pack of special brew the night before. On the day, jumbo breakfast roll in the morning, then a 24 multipack of walkers five per lap apart from the last when you can pep yourself up with a snickers and a double voddy red bull. Post race make sure you replenish your stocks and repair with your muscles with good solid protein my personal choice is mcdonalds or bk. Dont forget the cheap fizzy pop for each lap its essential, get the fizziest you can and that with the most artificial colours.

damn you captain flash hart i took ages to type that and you pipped me to it!

Brevity is clarity, my dear chap.

😉

aha! But the devil is in the detail!

Nick – And when I see you sat at the side of the track with a split tyre and/or broken chain, laughter will be heard!

If I split my tyre then a tube is fairly irrelevant! I do carry a chain tool, so I can still fix the chain, I ought to get a Power Link really though!

A meat feast pizza in the morning, snack till the race begins. Jelly Babies, plenty of fluids with electolytes and some energy bars and you will be sorted. I'm doing 3 laps and going to try and break the under 3 hours time. So good luck to all you riding. Please say hello if you see a tall chap in a Heinz Baken Bean shirt riding a 5Spot.

Have fun

So should I do 3 laps or 4… I've done 3 for the last 4 years, maybe I should do 4 this year!

I'm tempted to do four too, but find that after three I've had enough.

I tend to find 3 a bit short, shorter than some XC races, which slightly defeats the purpose! I think I'll go 4 for a change!