Viewing 15 posts - 81 through 95 (of 95 total)
  • HONC – how hard?
  • nickdavies
    Full Member
    Anna-B
    Free Member

    Miss you Singletrackmind

    POSTED 1 HOUR AGO #
    singletrackmind – Member
    Miss you too Andy .

    Aw 🙁

    Andy
    Full Member

    😀 Miss you too AB.

    GrahamH – nail/head. Lucky today as weather dry. Two years ago was horrible. My take is that is the Cotswolds version of Hell of the North with bridlepath replacing cobbles. So Im not expecting majority off road.

    Cracking day today – rode round with a group with continuous banter – reminds me why this is always one of my favourite events 🙂

    mboy
    Free Member

    Woke up Saturday morning with the worst sickness bug in the world ever (seriously, I’m not lying!)… Spent all day Saturday sleeping it off, woke up this morning feeling slightly better, but not up to riding. Managed to talk my GF into doing it on her own though still… And she’s now glad I did!

    On her first go on an event of its type she was the second girl home (and in the first 20 overall) on the 50k route, coming in at just over 3hrs! Needless to say I was quite impressed to see her back so soon… And that was on 2.3″ Tractor tyres too cos I’d been in bed all day the day before.

    votchy
    Free Member

    Enjoyed my first HONC and will be back for another I’m sure, well organised, reasonably friendly atmosphere and thankfully nothing too difficult. Enjoyed the course, great views, horrible wind (mother nature, not me 😀 ), that last off road descent was quite interesting with it being wet. healing vibes to the guy that went down like a sack of spuds in front of me on the first down after the initial climb, heard he fractured his wrist.

    ironbrucove
    Full Member

    As a veteran of many HONCs I think I’ve finally struck the right balance, CX with discs and Clement LAS pumped up to 50ish psi. It ride fast on the road, and bounces about a bit on the rougher offroad bits (but it’s no 3 peaks is it really is it?). Should have taken a lot more to eat as I popped somewhere before Cleeve and didn’t get my second wind till the last bit of road.

    I thought the road/offroad was a good balance, missed last year, but the year before had a couple of seconds which were really sticky and I guess got trashed, whihc is never popualr after the event.

    I’m so glad it was a tailwind at the end, best finish I’ve had in a few years as well pipping 3 hrs for the 50.

    Next time I might even ride more before the event rather than the odd hour here and there.

    Bring on Colne Valley Challenge is May!

    votchy
    Free Member

    Just had a look at the official photography site, crikey, didn’t realize digital pics as downloads were that expensive (yes I know the equipment etc costs a lot) but still a lot of pennies.

    sig123
    Free Member

    Votchy you tight arse!

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    ironbrucove – Member
    As a veteran of many HONCs I think I’ve finally struck the right balance

    For a CX bike? How much road was there really and what did the MTBer’s think of it?

    ironbrucove
    Full Member

    All seemed like a similar amount to other years in terms of road vs off-road split. The off road bits were all tried a trusted sections used in previous years and as it was mostly bone dry after a fairly mild winter it all seems relatively smooth. I have admit that I prefer the clockwise route this year with a more gradual up hill start to spread everyone out, The wind was the bad bit in the second half but you knew it was coming if you thought about it. Didn’t hear anyone whinge but some admitted they should have brought their cx bike rather than their mtb. I once met a bloke who had ridden down frame Birmingham on his winter road bike with 20mm slick tyres and mudguards, ridden the 100k route then ridden home!

    iain65
    Free Member

    Kryton, I don’t think the MTBers give away that much now to the cross bikes if you are on a light 29er with skinny tyres. I ran the first half with a number of cross bikes and didn’t feel too disadvantaged being on an MTB, the mountain bike was certainly quicker on all the downhill sections, some of the road bits were problematic in not being able to get low and out the wind but still manageable. It seemed to be only in the second half where a few of the cross bikes pulled away – but that’s also probably because they were younger and fitter than me!

    The first two guys home in the 100 were on cross bikes, not sure about the third guy as I could not catch him, spending several miles about 300 meters behind him before the gap opened too far.

    grtdkad
    Full Member

    Andy has surely nailed the description of the event

    My take is that is the Cotswolds version of Hell of the North with bridlepath replacing cobbles. So Im not expecting majority off road

    The event is what it is – I’m sure it’s pretty disappointing for the organisers to hear the petty moaning and griping.

    I missed last year’s event but rode in 2013 which was a bog-fest in places with the number of riders trying to thread their way through. Really enjoyed the route this year – the road sections are (relatively) quickly dispatched and felt like a welcome break tbh. There were quite a few off-road sections which were properly fun – I will be back again next year…

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    The event is what it is – I’m sure it’s pretty disappointing for the organisers to hear the petty moaning and griping.

    Who’s moaning? It’s called “choice”. Personally I’d like to have a choice about how I spend my time specifically if it involves a 4-5h round trip and a day away from the family before I even start. I enjoyed last years event, but if it don’t want to ride 50/60k on the road with an MTB that’s my choice and has nothing to do with the event or its organisers.

    If you add something like BORS into the mix which is far less road and 20 minutes drive from me and had to choose between the two I’d rather choose that, but that’s my opinion.

    ps44
    Free Member

    Iain

    On a light 29er with skinny tyres

    I knew we’d get you converted. And I’ve told you about playing the age card ! Damn fine performance though.

    iain65
    Free Member

    Cheers Paul, cannot believe the difference in speed going from 26 to 29 inch wheels, should have done it years ago!

Viewing 15 posts - 81 through 95 (of 95 total)

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