For me it was hearing some chap in the-wee-small-hours having a complete sense-of-humour failure at himself down that first really muddy downhill section…

"For ****'s sake!!! Just **** off!!!" echoing through the trees in the dark… that kept me grinning for a few hours.

haha. For me it was the chaps singing songs to riders just after the first singletrack section. Made me smile. Ow and trying to keep up with the yeti boys…

as i set off up the first grassy climb on my first lap on sunday (430am ish) i was in a right foul mood until my lights light up someone's glow-in-the-dark bangles hanging from under his seat looking like his ball sack. made me smile and completely changed my mood!

Postierich's Quote of the weekend… (well i think it was him!)

"Dont piss-off the soloist, he's likely to mug you and eat all you're food."

Loads of funny moments for me including the guys in the woods singing thats entertainment with modified lyrics and the ones heckling on the last climb before the arena near the horse jupms on the last lap.
Apologies also to the photographer who had to dive for cover as I slid towards him on the rooty downhill bit arse first.

A highlight for me was listening to the announcments from across the road at the dog-show: Saturday evening – "will all owners check they have all their dogs, we have a spare one' and on sunday "it's good to see the dogs wearing sunhats!"

Thanks to the various groups of supports around the course shouting/making noise/air horns – complete strangers but do help wring a little more from the legs. Last lap the airhorn bunch on top of that little climb were great.

The morning heckling on the final little climb up to the equestrian jumps/bombhole section was awesome on Sunday. Really lifted my spirits. I also enjoyed my night laps once I was out there.

my most entertaining moment was being stung on the bottom lip by a wasp that decided it wanted to crawl inside my beer can… i look like the elephant man…

you didn't say "good entertaining" just entertaining… i think watching me dance around trying to pull my bottom lip off might have been entertaining for other people though!

Damn the wasp problem was bad wasn't it! Martyntr's girls built an awesome trap using 2 bowls and tango. They must have caught and killed 20 odd over the weekend and it seemed to keep them at bay very well.

from my experince i can also recomend a half empty can of cheap lager as a particulalry fine wasp trap.

30 odd folk waiting at changeover.

Guy comes in through the timing tent riding a rigid steel frame fixed wheel with (I think) 29er wheels front and back, and to cap it off, Mary Bars. I kid you not.

Completely fails to manage the extremely technical wide turn on flat grass into the changeover area, slides over on to his arse.

30 of folk fall on the grass laughing at changeover. Sorry mate but it was funny !!

(and yes, I think he might have had a beard. Not judging, just observing)

As you JB, at the top of the first descent a chap's bike slips cue a fine string of choice expletives, the couple spectating at the top thought it was amusing too!

Hels – was it a big chap on a red singlespeed inbred with mary bars? – if so he kept that quiet!

Same chap's lights failed early on night lap – so he ran / walked round – one rider asked 'f***ing H**l mate, no lights – are you using the "force" to get round!'

It wasn't a singlespeed it was an actual fixie, and I vaguely recall it being a light brown oatmeal type color. So your friend is safe !

One of the "follow the doggers" out on the first lap heard bells behind him and was getting peeeved off that whoever it was would not pass,3 miles in he realised some pranksters had zip tied a childrens bell rattle underneath his saddle. 😀

Flying down the side of the track along the back of the first woods, across the dirt track just before the gravel road, middle of the night, front wheel slid. I flew the width of the track, landed on my feet on the verge and carried on into a dive forward roll, ending upsidedown in the ditch. It was a good job i had a helmet light on to find my way back out!
Thanks for all the abuse/encouragement from everyone, Postierich with the little ones tambourine he had 'borrowed' on the last grassy climb.The guys in bluebell woods near the jump on sat were also very vocal.
Finally to whoever thought it would be good to remove most of the mud from the site and replace it with putty!!!

Rik
23 painfull laps
4th solo
1 very sore arse
😯

Harry going to the toilets at about 8 on Sunday morning – gets back to the tents after about 45 minutes having falling asleep in the toilets.

Postierich eventually got a bit over excited with the tambourine and broke it!

My missus described laughed herself into a comma last night when she saw the perfect saddle-shaped bruise/burn on my arse!

This was my first 24 solo…
21 laps
7th solo – much to my surprise!!

Loughborough Heckling Squad say thanks for the comments 🙂 That was us in Catton Wood during the night with my friend Ed on guitar, only had a few songs but I really enjoyed singing, and hope everyone liked our renditions of Wonderwall, Good Riddance, That's Entertainment etc.

We also had the spot by the jump in some woods on Saturday (before the bit going beside the road towards the arena). Egging people on and getting them to jump it. It was great to see people getting airborne and rewarding them with a massive cheer, one guy flicked his rear wheel out so far he was nearly going sideways. LEGEND!!! Plenty of others playing up to it and doing wheelies, taking the corner like a hip jump etc. Very entertaining.

Loads of good banter going from riders, the old forks and cowbells seemed to get people going!!

Rode the 'glory' lap flat out on my ss and when I reached the last climb up to the horse jumps thought I would see how far I could get and get off on walk. As I got further up the climb the crowd could see me struggling to turn the gear and cheered me on. Couldn't walk could I? Made it to the top, just, thanks all.

Eth3er and Foxychick getting the crowd up the final climb to the whoops to sing me happy birthday on my last lap so I had to make sure I rode the climb.

about 23:50hrs into the race seeing someone rather forcefully handing over the team wrist band near the toilets, after giving up finding their rider in the change over area. neither seemed best pleased 😉

For me it was when one of the Salsa riders decided to silently barge past me on the single track at 3am (I was solo) and again with a lady rider in front and ended up getting tangled up in the bushes and over the bars, couldn't help but snigger as I passed!

Did anyone hear the Salsa rider going off at his changeover when no-one was there too meet him? The air was blue and we were falling about laughing watching from a safe distance. I think his mates must have left him out there to see what interesting colours his head would go before he exploded.

ps Hope you liked your new Tifosi glasses mrsflash – birthday pressie from all of us in the Kenda tent 🙂

Yes thanks mudpup, they're pretty good. Decent case too 🙂 Very kind of you!

Jimmy mentioned that little tussle with the lady – he realised he was at fault. One cock up out of 1000s ain't bad.

GB