Just got back from the best weekender, Mayhem rocks!!!! Did everyone enjoy it?
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Mayhem Was.....................Outstanding
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Posted 1 year ago #
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My feet hurt from standing up for hours and hours and hours and hours, but it was fun (and busy) and people came and bought stuff which pays my wages.
Posted 1 year ago # -
"Enjoy" is such a strong word!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Best one ever.
GB
Posted 1 year ago # -
great fun - the climbs
really enjoyed our adopted catering crew who kept us fed and watered - awesome
Posted 1 year ago # -
yeah, very good this year and quite a tough course in that there was very little scope for a rest..
Posted 1 year ago # -
I agree there was no where really to catch your breath at all!
Posted 1 year ago # -
when I got back from my first lap of the course the adjective I used was 'brutal'. Easily the hardest route they've given us - it would have been hell if it had rained. By the last couple of hours the changeover area was pretty quiet, so I'm guessing a lot of people found it too tough. And respect to the soloist who went through with 15 seconds remaining so he could get another lap in!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Loved it - and thankfully Pat's "deal with the devil" worked a treat with the weather!
Thanks to all of the organising team for yet another great weekend!
Posted 1 year ago # -
The only bit I didn't like was the new "singletrack" in the first bit of soggy woods - no flow and how was that still that boggy after a whole week of 20+ degrees and a tiny bit of rain???!! Nice to have some new bits though.
Posted 1 year ago # -
This was Friday Afternoon
Posted 1 year ago # -
"Right, Right, Right" oops I went left
The swoopy section before the steep road bit was great, and even the climbs were ok although they hurt me legs. Really enjoyed the whole thing. and its a much better course in the dry.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I missed you going Barrie
Good to see the 3 of you again
Posted 1 year ago # -
I wouldn't call it boggy - it reminded me of plasticine
But yeah - it was horrible
Posted 1 year ago # -
Really was how a 24hour endurance should be!
Posted 1 year ago # -
"Right, Right, Right" oops I went left
A lot of mute riders out there! No "on your left", "on your right", just all of a sudden they come barging past.Posted 1 year ago # -
Was great fun.
Even on my singlespeed...Posted 1 year ago # -
This pic summarises MM for me.......it was only taken because I was way less fit than I would've liked and couldn't resist stopping to just chill in the evening sun and grab a quick photo. Realised at that point getting up the hills was the least of my priorities when there was cracking singletrack, wonderful evening sunlight and great company - the hills could wait their turn!
Posted 1 year ago # -
This was my second Mayhem, and I cant wait for next year. I loved the course but I think the Kenda Climb should of been the big climb out from the Pond to the top if you know what I mean!!
We camped next to the "Jersey team' not sure if they read this but Top chaps!! We even enjoyed one of the Riders Birthday Cake!!
know starts the daily duty of the looking for picsPosted 1 year ago # -
oh forgot to say, well funny moment.. I was waiting for one of our riders and the lady next to me was waiting for 'Scoobydo' to arrive, the lady arrived in the pits and the 2 girls changed the suit over to the next rider, with that done she jumped on her bike and off she went, but not on her bike in fact she had jumped on completley the wrong bike and some other poor lady watch Scoobydo steal here bike!!!!! she managed to get all the way to the top of the Kenda climb before she noticed!!!!!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Best one I've done. Track was very tough but some very exhilariating sections. Liked the dusty descent; so long as you stuck to the right!!
Posted 1 year ago # -
apparently it was "boring"
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/a-few-pics-from-mayhem
Posted 1 year ago # -
A sunny Mayhem is a happy one. Everyone sempt in good spirits and the sun brought out the punters and punters better halves into the main arena...
which was nice.Hard really to compare courses as they have usually been guilty of giving me trench foot.
Your right about there not being many places to catch your breath though. It was either fast, twisty or a place not to loose your concentration. The new bit with the plasticine switch backy climb was very very energy sapping and the reward was an energy sapping switch back down hill that really didnt have a flow to it.. just break in - push hard out. Not sure that was fun, but it was testing.
Anyway - all good.
Banana!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Some great bits, but the climbs were brutal. I think it's aimed slightly above my fitness level, so my mission for next year is to get a lot fitter.
Posted 1 year ago # -
+1 for awesomeness
Although the section from Kenda Climb to 'Fireroad across field' which was horrid, horrid, sticky clay was not fun.
The Singletrack-woosh-a-tron was awesome however
Posted 1 year ago # -
popped my MM cherry on this one so I have nothing to compare it to.
I 'think' i enjoyed it, but I'm too buggerd to actually know. The route I thought was great, the singletrack (except the first 2 bits) was fast as hell.
Great event all in all and now I can see why people enjoy it.
The weather of course makes all the difference.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Cracking course but the rain of previous years really would have made it hell.
I'm not sure about the comments regarding the lack of "flow", I thought many of the descents were a great test of braking skills and bottle.
I did think that having a constricting section of singletrack (just after the Kenda climb) so early in the event was a bad call givenm that they have 12 years experience in organising it. I heard grumbles that that section was bypassed for the first lap but only after a huge queue had built up.
Also, wifey commented that there seemed to be less trade and exhibitor stands this year. Could that be a sign of harder times or have the pitch prices been put up?
Having the kids races in the main arena in the morning was good.Posted 1 year ago # -
I've done all the MMs at Eastnor, and that was best one by far.
Just goes to show how good those trails can be in good weather!!!
Glad the old gravel Kenda Klimb of old was now largely absent, although even the last little bit of gravel climb up to the ridge was a bit of a punisher.
Got on ok with the main climb and the new, short KK, but hated the new bit of singletrack in the woods. In the depths of night lap mutterings I even figured it would put off going back to Eastnor...
Anyway, who marked it out - a 5' midget on a 14" framed bike??? I would have needed a chainsaw to negotiate my 20" Anthem through the narrow right angled bends in those woods.
All the other bits were great, including the dusty descent
Posted 1 year ago # -
First proper attempt at solo'ing. It was brutal. Managed 9 laps and though I swore I wasn't sleeping I had to get my head down for a couple of hours at daybreak.
When I crossed the line I said never again. First thought this morning was "I need to get fitter so I'm better at it". We all know that this will just translate into the same pain but more laps...
+1 for the awesomeness. Had a brilliant weekend. The only improvement I have suggested is marshalling the solo camping area. Some teams invaded and chatted / shouted their way through Saturday night, keeping the missus awake. I was amused though when she said "They kept going on about how hard it was, how 'fatigued' they were and how one member didn't think he could manage a second lap. If it hadn't been so cold I would have got up and told them to MTFU".
Posted 1 year ago # -
Good event, Weirdly I found it harder this year than previous, and at the risk of being told to MTFU, I'm still coughing up eastnor dust!
very enjoyable though with great people and a friendlier atmosphere than previous years - suppose that's got something to do with the weather.
the new singletrack bit wasn't that enjoyable, but it was testing, which is what it's supposed to be, I ddin't think it was that narrow, and it beats the boring fire-road bimble that you could have done on a road bike that it replaced.
don't think I'd change anything, other than ask the organisers to ban Generators in the campsites - really, are they actually necessary for people to have a comfortable camping experience? did my head in!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Tough course but didn't enjoy the new woods section. Rest of the course was mixture of hard climbing and great sections some of which in previous years were mud. The dusty descent was fun in a "avoid the people falling off in front of you" way.
Was camping in solo area (as a soloist!!!) and as above was surprised by the number of teams there. Lots more camping available this year and the start of the long climb seemed to be quite a chilled and relaxed place to be.
Next to me someone had taped off their area but no tents up. People arrived and set up their tents in this area, including moving the course four feet over to give themselves more room even though they had more than enough space. Saturday dawns and someone else turns up and wonders what's happened to their taped off area?? Yes, the people had just taken the person taped off area !!!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Saturday dawns and someone else turns up and wonders what's happened to their taped off area?? Yes, the people had just taken the person taped off area !!!
wasn't really anyones area to start with though was it? first come first served IMO.
Posted 1 year ago # -
First mayhem for me, If you didn’t overtake me on the climbs you really should be ashamed of yourself …
Our team were all utterly under-prepared and under-trained, we had injuries (some more serious than others) and mechanicals, I think the excuses list is a good long one…Got chatting to a Unicyclist really nice chap, his first MM too, very impressed by them, not that I’d fancy it myself but you have to admire them I reckon…
My only minor complaint was about the singletrack/DH mincers, I’ll accept that these people were Waaaay fitter than me as they mostly overtook me on the way up, but bugger me they were slow when the track pointed down, there were a fair few riders who I re-took going down 3 or 4 times in a lap, having been passed by them on the ups, I’ll happily yield to a faster rider on a on a climb, but I was surprising how few would do the on the descents….
Loved the Sandy descent too, I was on a lap just as the light went, opted to do the sandy run rather than the chicken run, the glare from your helmet light off of the near white sand added an extra “snow blindness” style challenge….
I did really enjoy it and was planning the next attempt well before we left…
Great atmosphere and some bloody impressive racing, I will be back for another one…
But I need to train properly….Posted 1 year ago # -
my first mayhem too. loved the course - i found the plasticine wood section strangely enjoable, maybe because of the challenge. best section was the syncros singletrack down to the sharp left hander onto the straight forest track...so fast and flowy. the weather was great, dusty trails were superb - i even got to use my race kings for the first time ever!
had a few too many off's (almost 1 per lap) so i've had a dead leg to contend with ever since my first lap on saturday afternoon and also have a broken pop-loc to replace. a big thanks to the SRAM / Fisher Outdoor team for supplying me with a spare clamp for my shifter, which also took the brunt of one of my downtimes.
well done to rockitman & ron (and all the other soloists)...although you looked far too chirpy at the end of the race so i reckon you each had a couple of extra laps in you somewhere
one day i might entertain the thought of doing something stupid like that!
Posted 1 year ago # -
oh, and the sunset up by the pike (or whatever it was) was great!
Posted 1 year ago #
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