Mrs Toast, pop by the beerbabe stand and say hi

We’re currently about 20 miles past the RAC tower…..

Nearly there then!
Matt and I are expecting a prime location thanks to your late night effect.
We should be there lunchtime tomorrow.

Half of Team Sumo are installed. Jump of doom and all. Unfortunately work commitments mean the other half will arrive tomorrow night after they’ve drunk all the free beer.

But feel free to laugh at us as you pass the Big Bike Bash tent

First year in as long as I can remember that we won’t be there – feels all wrong… Always a brilliant weekend

As for 2012, we can laugh about it now. Spent 20mins crawling around under the wrecked remains of a gazebo, searching for baby formula milk (definitely where she’d left it) at 3am in the worst of the storm, only to find out it was actually in the tent the whole time… Happy memories!

Hope the weather is decent, and fun is had by all. And for the nervous, we’ve had a few fairly novice riders over the years (me included), and they’ve always had a good time and enjoyed the course

Well, we arrived just after 11 and thanks to some rather selfish fencing off there is no trackside camping left, unless you venture up to the knee deep wet grass at the far end of the field (dunno why the whole field isn’t mowed).

Bit miffed to be honest, given there are areas approx 30m or so long that are taped off with only one tent in them at the mo.

Will investigate further in daylight and make some enquiries whether people need all that space, but some people are definitely taking the piss somewhat!

Sorry, richmars….reckon we’re out of luck.

Mrs Toast – it’s a handy course, no worries. If you really struggle there is a handy camp at the bottom of the last descent (with a huge cowbell to whallop) that’ll make you a cup cup of tea if you need.

I’m leathered at the campsite talking shite..

It’s 0213 and I can see trackside camping.

Saccades – Member
It’s 0213 and I can see trackside camping.

Where’s that, then….that isn’t already cordoned off…
Gonna go and investigate in a mo….

If it was me, if it’s not ‘official’ tape I’d just move it & set up. There’s no reserved camping according to the joining instructions.

mattbee – Member
If it was me, if it’s not ‘official’ tape I’d just move it & set up. There’s no reserved camping according to the joining instructions.

Yeah, we considered that, to be honest.
Found somewhere in the end….on the second loop at the far end of the field. In darkness last night it looked a bit too slopey, but was fine on closer inspection this morning…

I don’t know where you are looking but there’s about 1km of trackside left. I have an area marked of with my own tape as I’ve been on site creating the course for the last few days. I don’t use official tape as it cost Martyn money. My area isn’t massive, about 20m square but we have 4 teams rocking up today. I work hard to earn the privilege to set up slightly early and my friends appreciate it.
I don’t take the mick, caravans being parked parallel to the track don’t help, but please don’t move any tape, be it official or not. There is plenty of space trackside left. Don’t forget all that wet grass will be flat within a day.
Cheers

probably weeping in a bush whilst getting overtaken by unicyclists.

In my experience if you’re not doing this at some point then you’re not trying hard enough.

I don’t know where you are looking but there’s about 1km of trackside left. I have an area marked of with my own tape as I’ve been on site creating the course for the last few days. I don’t use official tape as it cost Martyn money. My area isn’t massive, about 20m square but we have 4 teams rocking up today. I work hard to earn the privilege to set up slightly early and my friends appreciate it.
I don’t take the mick, caravans being parked parallel to the track don’t help, but please don’t move any tape, be it official or not. There is plenty of space trackside left. Don’t forget all that wet grass will be flat within a day.

This.

I won’t be turning up until tomorrow morning so will have whatever is left, but don’t begrudge in the slightest those who have made the effort to get there early and pitch up. Wouldn’t think of moving their tape and just invading their space.

Wow. This is some BAD weather. I don’t think we can get the awning up in this wind let alone the bloody rain.

Ignore pictonroad, it’s wet but not like THAT year. I remember having to sweep water out from under my tent in the morning!

Mrs Toast we’ll keep an eye out for you and shout you on.

We decided on a 12hr team of 4 which includes a mum with a 5 month old, who will also be here.

Quite glad really!

Picton, are you on a different campsite or something? We had one heavy shower that lasted all of 15 mins, then just some drizzle, it’s not that bad!

Practice lap was a bit sloppy this afternoon but not awful, there were still some dry bits in the trees!

Good stuff amedias

I was on the road., it cleared by the time we got here. Had a BBQ and a beer under the enormous tree. Feeling better now.

I am hungover, dancing in a kilt in the rain was worth it though!

Nice to see the NWAlps represented!

Bit damp today 😆

I AM FILLED WITH REGRET!

Over a five hour drive to get here, sitting in a tent expressing with a breast pump while it hammers down, knowing that riding through thick mud is not my strong point (I don’t actually mind riding in the rain when the trails hold up, I’m a bit of a trail centre softie like that!).

Still going to try and get my two qualifying laps in though, I owe it to my son (who apparently slept through the night, although there’s the possibility Mr Toast is lying to stop me from worrying! :P)

I’m not sure if you did a lap yesterday Mrs Toast but it wasn’t actually that bad. The sections under the trees were still pretty dry in some places and no real thick mud.
Hopefully it’ll be the same today!

If I see you on the way round I’ll give you a shout 😀

The track was still perfectly rideable yesterday, if a little on the damp side. It’s a pretty fun course up the top in the single track.

Just finished my first lap, just under three hours.

MY PODIUM AWAITS!

Was spotted whilst riding, I’m sure that I looked the epitome of athleticism!

My word it is wet.

Just binned it off after three laps. Conditions deteriorated quite a lot in that time. Fantastic course though and such a great atmosphere – miles better than Mayhem (my only comparative) IMHO.

was talking to a nice chap called Tony who was doing well before he hit a tree – if he’s reading this hope you’re ok.

I had to stop every ten minutes to wipe my glasses, couldn’t see anything.

Had to wash my drive train in the river, did half a lap on 30×11, still smiling though

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End of lap one @pearlizumiuk #pichampionteam @smokestonebikes @wrensports @cranknutsuk @themudhugger #NWAlpsCConTour #fatbike #mtb #pivot2412 @twenteefour12

A post shared by Low Speed Adventurer (@rocketdoguk) on Jul 29, 2017 at 9:01am PDT

This is why I have full mudguards in winter rac s!!

DrP

DrP, I’ve got full mud guards and a fender thing on my fork.

It made a little difference to back splatter, but not sure it helped anywhere else.
2 laps and I was a grim mess…!

3 hours to go before I start my race.

Dozing whilst listening to the Celtic street cow bell.

Currently not raining, my ancient Vango force 10 is bone dry and toasty warm, my only worries are a drunken daft bet I’m about to lose (challenged a decent rider to a lap contest) getting mud in my eye (wearing contacts).

Looking forward to it.

Called it a day after the second lap, I came off a couple of times and got horrendous cramping several times (thanks to Catastic and the other chap who came to my aid and waved my legs about!)

I’ve had an awesome time though – a load of the course is amazing even in this weather, it would have been legendary in the dry! I’d prefer to do this in the wet than Mayhem in the dry, and I enjoyed it even more than Sleepless in the Saddle.

And everyone was incredibly polite and friendly, lots of encouragement (and help when I binned it on Cottage Return due to my poor line choice!). And lots of random chatting too.

Just a shame about the weather, there were only seven in my category and a bunch didn’t sign on!

Just waiting to give the 12 hour finishers their beer….not sure there’ll be many, rain is biblical atm

You’ll have to drink the unclaimed ones yourself! 🙂

Felt really sorry for the torch bearers who have just started. Still, due to stop raining in 3 hours 🙂

That was insane. I don’t think I’ve been outside in weather like that, let alone raced a bike for 12 hours. The track was like nothing I’ve seen. At times the mud was rolling downhill in avalanches.

Stuck out til midnight, ‘think’ I did 10 laps, lost count, rode the last 3 hours without a front brake and it was getting too dangerous. I resisted the urge to do the extra post 12am lap. I’ve had enough.

Guys are doing sterling work keeping the showers functional.

There really is no way to adequately describe to someone how bad it is out there right now. I counted heavy sheeting rain for 8 of the 12 hours, light rain for 3.5 and 30 minutes dry.

I can still see the lights of the proper 24hr maniacs going round from my bed. Chapeau doesn’t quite cover it.

I won’t be doing that again. 😯

(Cheers for the beer rocketdog)

This is why I have full mudguards in winter rac s!!

DrP

It would have been marginally better but this is way beyond mudguards…

You know I said it wouldn’t be biblical…. I’m sorry.
Just completed my 12hrs with an enforced 3hr break due to losing my back brake completely half way down cottage return. Front brake braking is not fun in this.
Pictonroad was that you I was talking to about better to lose front than rear ..riding through the tented area?
Sorted it after 3hrs. Id already git changed, but after another tinker managed to get a bit power so went back out in fresh kit.
Course was completely different once it was really wet. I enjoyed that last 4 hours..until the brake went again and then the gears, then snapped my chain…
Still had fun, still finished and got my beer. Think I did 9 laps in the 9 hours I was riding. -54-59 mins usually.

You know I said it wouldn’t be biblical…. I’m sorry.

😆

The one advantage of doing Mayhem 2012 was just being able to shrug and say, “Meh, seen worse!”

I’m really chuffed with myself for doing two laps, which sounds a bit pathetic (OK, so it is…), but given it took me 2 3/4 hours/over 3 hours per lap, was still a lot of effort! 😆

Seen this thing in the sky, can anyone ID it for me?

Fair play to all of you.
I live a few hundred metres up the road from Newnham and spent the night just listening to the rain lashing down.
This morning I went to drive down the road to get into the park and there’s a massive tree down blocking the road – I guess that tells you how bad the weather was.

All credit to all of you.
I was entered for 12 solo this year but couldn’t do it due to family commitments. Sort of feel like I dodged a bullet now.