Hi druidh,

No, not ironic – I actually hadn’t considered the people who have the countryside as their workplace at all – I was on about ‘recreational’ types who are there in their leisure time.

Good point though! I was up in the Peak yesterday. On the way from Hope Cross to Blackley Hey I saw a load of large-ish, broken-up plastic boxes on the track. “Bloody motorcyclists” I though to myself. On closer inspection, they were empty boxes of insect repellent for livestock (I think).

I am chastened! 😳

“Shame our pro cycling hero’s don’t lead by example. Have you seen the amount of bottles being lobbed out of the peloton in TdF, ToB etc… “

and you try finding one:-)

…and I thought this thread was going to be about the marshall who was saying it was 4 miles to the 50 mile feed stop when it was just around the corner!

She didn’t fool me !

Just want to say a big thank you to all the mashalls yesterday – all really supportive.

I did have a moment of panic around that point 2nd time around, I.e about 98 miles. The sudden paranoid realisation that you’d done this section before – had you taken a wrong turn ? Were you heading back over the border ? Would trio25 overtake you yet again ? But then another smiling mashall appears and points you in the right direction with the promise that it was downhill to the finish

I did have a moment of panic around that point 2nd time around, I.e about 98 miles. The sudden paranoid realisation that you’d done this section before – had you taken a wrong turn ?

snap!

Also, as previously mentioned ‘2.5 miles, all downhill to the finish’

LIES! =)

Some of it is Racing Culture – if the pro’ s do it – others will consider it acceptable. So need the pro’s to be better role models.
Some of it is British TOWN Culture – throw it away cos “the council workers” will pick it up – except we don’t have them in the countryside. Need to educate everyone not to throw litter Anywhere.
Organisers DO have resonsibility as well as racers to keep event area litter free.
When in did Kielder marathon they had big dumpy bags for empty water bottles a certain distance after the water stations-easy.
Gel wrappers are bad ( not quick to collect if you are picking litter) and the rip tear off tops are even worse. Manufacturers need to sort this – like drinks cans when ring pulls were a litter problem ( remember )
Need to establish drop zones and have littering penalties, Marshall points usually have litter bins.

Follow the country code – simples ( eek )

Some of it is Racing Culture – if the pro’ s do it – others will consider it acceptable. So need the pro’s to be better role models.

Pro’s are different tho, we need to use common sense and no when it is and isn’t acceptable. Pro’s throw their wheels away when they puncture to get new ones, good luck following that example

Lazy Bastrads

Put the price of cycling up.

Then the underclass wont be able to afford to take part in our sport, and the trails will be litter free once again.

It’s not that hard to eat a gel then stick the used wrapper up your short leg, assuming of course you are a hardcore lycra racer 😉
It’s my absolute hate to see people chucking litter. Or dogs sh1tting everywhere, i caught a bloke last week who was on his MTB with his 2 dogs, he was ahead and his dogs were dumping all over the track, i bagged it and caught him on the next climb and handed it to him with a cheery “You forgot this”. I bl00dy know him as well and he rides round there all the time. He was somewhat sheepish.

gee – Member
It really annoys me too. I’ve watched a bit more racing than usual this year and I’ve seen a load of riders doing it, usually those who think they are better than they are and also Junior riders. Plus gimpy MTBers in skinsuits with no pockets. In one enduro this year I was riding in a group with a junior rider who threw a gel wrapper on the floor. I stopped, picked it up, caught the group up again and gave it back to him with some choice advice. Of all the little niggles when racing, this and rudeness really annoys me.

GB

Brilliant, bet his face was a picture!

Have you seen the amount of bottles being lobbed out of the peloton in TdF, ToB etc…

assumed these get picked up by fans, no?

I’ve found gel wrappers and an empty can of gin & tonic on the SDW, I’ll chuck litter in my bag when I can, it’s very disappointing though, don’t get me started on dogs eggs.

Thought this might of been about people thieving from drop bags.

Thanks to whoever helped themselves to my brand new innertube and C02 canister from my 50 mile drop bag. I had my full name and race number in red and massive font on paper inside the clear bag with both showing outside on both sides so absolutely no chance of someone doing it accidently. 👿

On the gel wrappers front I didnt see many, 6-12 at the most. Certainly not enough to suggest it was anything other than accidental.

Would trio25 overtake you yet again ?

No I didn’t get you again 😉

So we need to devise something that’s slow-release energy and doesn’t create litter whilst out on the trails?

Welcome to the world of the fructose suppository – if inserted pre-race there’d be no litter. It would also, no doubt, break down some barriers around the start areas if everyone started dropping their undercrackers and looking around furtively.

Just a thought.

I really think most people try hard not to drop gel wrappers and it should be emphasised in briefings. If people are spotted doing it on purpose we all need to be like George and embarrass the culprits – the only way….

I nearly died when I was told 4 miles to feed 1 and then said a few choice words when discovering it was not all downhill to the finish, but survived!

I did the 100 and didn’t see too many gel wrappers, probably 3 or 4 so not too bad, though seeing any at all is a bit annoying but I’m guessing and hoping that they were mistakes. Brilliant event and organisation. Thanks to marshalls, mechanics and other helpers at the stops who were all great and gave us lots of encouragement. I’ll be back next year looking to better my time, great day! 🙂

I hope all of you that saw them, picked them up? Probably not I’ll wager 😉

If everyone picked a little bit of litter up and took it home, there’d be no problem. People tend to litter when they see litter, so keeping on top of it will help and may even prevent littering in the first place.

I hope all of you that saw them, picked them up? Probably not I’ll wager

Nope, my pockets were full of the white marker tape that had been carelessly tied around some many of trees…. 😉

As above, I just stick them up the leg of my shorts.

Stops your pockets getting sticky.

I’d be interested to find out if the wrappers were on the trail centre bits of the course, or the forest roads which won’t get much use outside of the race.

Chris were you one the Tail end Charlies? If so thanks very much for taking the tape off the trees it made tidying up the next day much easier.

I hope all of you that saw them, picked them up? Probably not I’ll wager

Yup all 1 of them.

Chris were you one the Tail end Charlies? If so thanks very much for taking the tape off the trees it made tidying up the next day much easier.

No, I was joking. See my earlier post about having a panic that I might have gone wrong at 98 miles and be heading back across the border !!!

Ah! Sorry missed that one.