All being well the Darwen film crew will be in attendance to record the event for YouTube consumption and to offer encouragement/advice/abuse as appropriate.

http://www.youtube.com/user/willfoxere2k7#p/u

Cool.

Will you be wanting a reserved parking spot for the fleet of Winnebagos, the director’s chair and a gazebo for your fluffer again?

Hell yes. You knows it.

Given my news, I'll not be racing at this one. I hope it's a good event though, enjoy

congratulations you two! I should look at this forum a bit more regularly, I'm behind with all the goss 😉

I got some more HTN practice this morning, by sliding 20-odd feet on my arse. Bloody black ice!

I fixeded my bike.

Going to give it a go for the first time
Which is best suited cross or hardtail?

I'm not going to make the big event ,as i've torn the muscle in my knee playing football ,so anyone want a free entry contact the organizers.

Hope you all have a good time.

Iain Rutherford

MikeWW – Member

Going to give it a go for the first time
Which is best suited cross or hardtail?

Anyone?

snorkel

pros and cons for CX or HT on that course… I would say if you have decent grippy tyres and brakes on the cx then go with that. I got round it easily on my cx but a couple of the longer descents when muddy will have you losing too much time if you are having to dismount….That said I bet a CX rider wins it again 🙂

Was that at last February's event Mr Eggbox? This year's course is 80% different.

Use the bike that you are best on. I'm not the most confident CX rider in the World and some bits scare the pants off me, but doing them on my FSR or Inbred is no problem at all.

The best rider will win whatever bike he is on.

"Was that at last February's event Mr Eggbox? This year's course is 80% different."

My view is based on the preview ride of this year's course.

Jolly good.

I think that a CX will win too as we have some fairly serious CX types attending.

Which is best suited cross or hardtail?

I am riding a HT with rigid forks and 26" CX tyres.

You'll spot me easily enough in a wheezing heap.

Think I'll give the CX a go then
Should be good fun although 2 hours will be tough
Too short to be classed as endurance and a bit far for an all out effort

500ft of climbing per lap so it should be tough 😀

500ft of climbing per lap

In which case, I'm bringing a motorbike. Didn't my entry specify a "no uphill" condition?

100ft of which is up steps!

100ft of which is up steps!

Riding in fell running trainers might pay off there then.

100ft of which is up steps!

I'll book the physio for Sunday to sort out my ruined back, then…

6 laps = 600ft of steps. Almost 2/3rd of the height of the Eiffel Tower with a bike on your back.

Mwa ha ha ha

Almost 2/3rd of the height of the Eiffel Tower with a bike on your back.

Is there not a famous building that's almost 2/3 of the height of the Eiffel Tower? Then, you could compare the steps to that.

😉

No.

Twice the height of this.

Three times the height of this.

205 times the average height of one of these.

and about 18000 times the height of one of these.

The Credit Lyonnaise Building has 45 floors and is 609 feet tall. I thank yew.

Are you aiming for THE ROOF or THE HAIR AND NAIL SALON FOR GAYERS ON THE 20TH?
😉

What's on the 10th floor? 😉

9000 cola cubes.

As we misread the GPS and have now realised that the course is 3km not 3 miles we predict that the winner will do 9 laps and the amount of carrying up steps will equal 1 x Eiffel Tower or 27000 cola cubes.

I'm doing it on a 5inch travel full sus… talk about wrong bike for the job! It'll be a laugh though. Won't it????

I *REALLY* hope I'm feeling better for the weekend!!

Warton, Oh yeah.

I ride at all the time on a full susser. The steps may be a bit of a pain if you can't get your shoulder through the frame but you will feel the benefit on the 3 downhill sections.

It'll be worth turning uo just to have Ed Oxley chasing you down the track shouting abuse and making noises with his didgeridoo.

If you haven't worked it out yet Hit the North is all about having a laugh and the bike race is a bonus. Not the other way round.

The height gain per lap is still in feet right? You didn't misread metres? 😉

Height gain per lap = 500ft (15240 cola cubes) of which 100ft is up steps (3048 cola cubes).

Course Layout.

Tricky, the western ridge favours a cx bike, but a MTB will do better on the approach to the summit.

Don't forget to fill your Camelbak™ with O2.

YGM BTW

YGM back.

Snow showers and barely above freezing. Ace 😈

we've had horizontal sleet today. Long may that continue!

I've dug out my ski gear for tomorrow's setting up. Brrrr.