I’ll be there – hoping for no rain – weather looks a bit changeable.
Riding solo, on a white Stumpy FSR – hard tyres, suspension locked out.
Looking to start early doors with minimal stops.

Currently deliberating how much to wear given that it will be chilly in the morning but will warm up, and might rain.
I really want to ride without a back-pack but given that I’m on my own and can’t share tools around and that I’ll be 75 miles from home I think I need to.
Decisions, decisions.

Mate and three of his mates are doing it, he’ll be on a grey FSR too.. one of the lads, depending on how much they raise, will be doing it naked..

I pledged a tenner… 😉

I’ll also be there on a white stumpy fsr. 3 of us looking to start early as also. Backpack for food, tube and tools

good to hear – lots of chat about CX bikes – glad I’m not the only one on a full susser!

I’ve got a cx bike but my bro and mate are on mtb so I’d just be hanging round for them. Plus it’s a charity ride so should be enjoyable first off. Although their cheating me by using their hardtails and not their fs bikes! Just gonna lock the shock and brain out. Might take my dropper off though!

I’m doing it. Riding my blinged up 150mm FS trail bike. I say “blinged up”, it’s very black and gold. A mate of mine describes it as “looking like I’ve crashed into Elizabeth Dukes and things have stuck to it”.

Starting at 7am hopefully with 4 others riding a mix of hardtails, full sus and 29ers.

Think I’ll be taking my Gore Phantom jacket, zip off sleeves being very handy for tomorrow’s weather.

Good luck with the 7am start – first start is 7.30 according to the site! 🙂

I’ll be doing it with my brother and mate although we’ll have to wait for my brother because he’s doing it on a stumpy instead of his cx bike. 😆

Good luck with the 7am start – first start is 7.30 according to the site!

I have been told otherwise but wasn’t happy about the early start as it was!!! Will look into this asap and thanks for the heads up!!

Cheers

No problem. Gives an extra half hour in bed!!!

I can’t make it i’m afraid but 2 of my brothers and my mate are doing it. One of them is on an FS instead of his CX bike though so the others will probs be waiting for him. 😉

Good. (And you haven’t got any mates………. 🙂 )

Gives an extra half hour in bed!!!

That is very welcome I promise you. Was looking at getting a 5.30 train up from Brighton!

I seem to be getting abuse from my bro’s for not doing it on my cx. Might be a last minute change of plan.
Ekul- you broken that norco yet?!

the BHF site says registration opens at 06:45 with starts every 10 minutes from 07:30 until 09:00.
I hope 2,000 people don’t all turn up at 06:45!

This also confused me last year…there IS no formal registration process. You basically turn up, queue up, then you leave.

All you CX boys better watch out for my awesome mtb skillz…

really? I guess ordinarily people might have registered on the day but this year there aren’t enough places.

2 of us doing it, Black Blur LT and White/Gold Trek EX8 getting up there for 6.45 and hoping to get gone pretty sharpish when the gates open.

Weather looks fine to me, no rain anyway.

will it be well waymarked? I’ll be taking my map and will hopefully have it uploaded on Garmin (which will probably be useless without maps), but don’t want to be looking at those all the time…

I’m heading down early as well 😉 Doing it on a FS Cube AMS 100. Looking forward to it, especially as the weather is looking near on perfect conditions.

I reckon it’ll be rammed at 6.45 and empty by 7.45!!!

Im there! on a canyon strive full susser with 160mm travel!

overkill yes, only bike yes, good cause yes! Just hope I make it.

usually ride flats but thinking SPD for peddle efficiency? what are others riding/advise? I usually ride flats on the trails so not used to spd on trails but guessing there is more flat and uphill than down and nothing too gnarly?

I’m riding a Cotic Soul. My ride buddy is taking his cross bike (this could be genius or stupid? :?)

Hoping to be out by 8am.

Stick to what you usually ride. You don’t want to get 10 miles in and realise the spd’s are hurting your knees etc etc

Yep, me and three others – 1 zesty and some specialized’s – all fs’s.

Early doors start to allow enough time to finish!

Weather like today would be amazing. Good luck all 😉

11 of my riding buddies doing it – sadly I’m in Buenos Aires so can’t make it. They are all on FS, wearing team shirts with Half Union Jack, half South Africa flag.

I did it last year and am doing it again tomorrow.
I’ve had a chest infection/man flu style crap for two weeks so I’m hoping I’ll be ok.
Leaving Watford at 5:30!
Erghhh.

Im rockin a green BFE and plenty of snacks give me a come on “Big Trev” when you all pass the fat lad ,have fun i- will ?

how did people get on?
I set off with the second tranche and despite going the wrong way twice, managed to clear most people after about 30 miles by putting a bit of effort in. dug deep on the Downs Link to make it interesting then nearly died on Beeding Hill at the end – what a horrible horrible climb.
finished at 13:20 after just over six hours with a couple of stops for food and water.
really chuffed with the time as I was putting out a higher heart rate than normal (150rpm, zone 4.1) for the whole time which I’ve never experienced before… and the fact that I raised over £1,200.

ride here – http://www.strava.com/activities/83911150

Where did you get lost? I rode the route 30mins ahead of you all, added a few arrows but it was all there then.

GB

Good day out. 8 hrs 18 mins for our group. By far the furthest i have ridden. I had some difficult moments but managed to pull through to the end and I’m quite pleased with myself!

Well done Brakes. Great time. Thanks to Gee for the route marking. Best organised event I have ridden.

Where did you get lost?

I ended up in the grounds of Ham House somehow, but managed to work my way out and round.
And then just missed a left turn in suburbia after about 15 miles or so because I wasn’t paying attention and had to double back when I reached a junction with no signs.
My stupid fault, not yours. 😀

Well that was a little bit tough. Good weather and not much mud, so pretty ideal conditions. I almost had a heart attack when I realised I’d not yet put the cleats on my new shoes! Had to ask about 100 people if anyone had one before someone suggested the bike hire guy who had one set left woohoo! Set off at 8, and apart from an encounter with a bunch of thorns had a good run. Props to the couple of guys I saw riding it on single speed fat bikes. Massage was so good at the end almost fell asleep :-). Ended up crossing the line in 6 hrs 5 min.

6hrs 45 here, including 2 punctures, within 2 miles, so I guess about 6hrs 20 in total. The 2 punctures were demoralising so close together, but what can you do.

It was a good event again this year, shame about the bike thefts, but hopefully they’ll do something about that next year.

what bike thefts?

Typo. Theft..sorry. Well, at least only one that I know of… maybe more. I witnessed some hoodied bloke run off with a nice specialized at the finish line, he ran off with it, hopped on it and was away before I could catch him. Police couldn’t do much.

I asked the BHF to announce to everyone over the tannoy to keep an eye on their bikes, but they didn’t as far as I know. There was a bike theft last year as well.

People finish, put their bikes down and turn their backs, and some little scrote rides off on their bike. 🙁

I’ve emailed the BHF and said that next year they should put a warning in their info pack to not leave your bike unnatended at the event.

Shame.

This was last years.

that sucks! there were only about 5 people around when I finished and we were all watching each other’s bikes whilst we went to the loo or for food. it’s a very open area where you finish – wonder if it was an opportunist.

When we finished it was bedlam, there were bikes and people everywhere, an easy steal for the little toe rag. The only reason I noticed him was because he wasn’t dressed like he’d just done 76 miles.

When i finsihed the very shouty man on the PA was reminding people every couple of minutes. I finsihed at about 5ish so there were plenty of people aropund in the mizzle!

Discovered changing your elixir pads the morning of the ride may result in a draggy back brake that you do not notice until the end! Wondered why i struggled getting a rhythm on the downs link!!(that is my official excuse and i am sticking to it!)

Oh good! At least they listened to me. The message must have got through to the guy on the PA after we left.

Draggy anything is bad on the downslink, it’s mind numbingly dull. 🙂

there was some security on this year to keep an eye out, after last years bike theft, but I guess with 3,000 bikes coming and going… 🙁

Changing Avid pads is a ‘mare at the best of times. I almost enjoy the first bike of the Downs Link, but then it does drag on. Chasing and weaving between riders helps.