So, who’s going?

I’m in a pair, on a rigid 1×8 Explosif. Might put some Rebas on, depending on the course. First event of the year, looking forward to it.

Yep, six of us are going up. 2 teams of 3 for 10 under the ben, then hoping to hit the red downhill the following day (does anyone know whether it will be open?)

Hoping for more favourable conditions than last time round. Cycling in 32 degrees heat was horrific.

Sounds like a good plan! I might do the same depending on weather and how heavy the legs are.

I’m coming from Glasgow and my teammate is coming from Aviemore so I’ll have an empty car – if anyone needs a lift up I’d be interested in splitting the petrol!

I’m doing the endurance dh so will be about- I’ll throw supportive abuse and/or rocks from the gondola if you like. Riding up hills? Madness I tells you.

I did the Ten Under The Ben last year and it was great, roasting hot to my demise, not good all that winter training in Scotland for it to be 32 degrees on the day of the race. NOt happy with my performance on the day.
It will be interesting to see how they do the 2 events on 1 weekend, how busy is the car park going to be. I hope everyone has a great time.

Should be mild and damp, perfect for midges 👿

I’m going to the enduro on the Sunday but theres been very little said about it. Hopefully its not just an afterthought.

There’s not been much about the XC event either this year. That’s why I posted. Maybe it’s just us 5.

There’s a group of us going up, maybe 5,6 or 7 not sure on exact numbers so haven’t entered teams yet. It was very warm last year but I loved it

Yeah… I’m not chancing it. I’ll have rainy kit and sunshine kit!

Also doing the enduro on the Sunday. Done 10 under four times now, twice at the start and twice a year or so back. Not really changed in that time, slight course tweaks, not all for the better. Hopefully the enduro will be a bit different. Fairly cheap anyway so worth a try. Was going to be a group of us but think its just myself and yokaiser now.

They’ve got a hundred entries for the enduro so far, which isn’t brilliant but not bad, and there’s 2 weeks to go. I reckon there’ll be a lot of on-the-day signups, I’ll probably chuck the ragley in the car just in case I can ride on the sunday but I’m not signing up in advance since last year I could barely walk!

340 for 10UTB, no idea what a big turnout looks like for that tbh but that feels low- there were about 500 soloists and pairs the last time I did it never mind trios and quads.

I guess the No Fuss Publicity Engine goes fully automatic once the bluegrass enduro is done and dusted.

Clubby – it’s my first 10. Generally, what was the course like the years you did it? Singletrack, rocky doubletrack, super techy?

I’ll be there, doing it as a pair with the OH. I shall be using my fatbike 😀

I’ll keep an eye out!

I’m doing the endurance DH, trying for double figures this year.

leelovesbikestoo – No too techy, there are some rocky bits but nothing major. Some rooty bits depending how they route the course, last time I did it they closed some bits off because they didn’t hold up to the rain. Most of the climbs are fire road apart from a couple of small sections of the WC course. Two river crossings or maybe none. Great atmosphere, reliable timing and free whisky when you hand in your timing chip. If you’ve never done it I’m sure you’ll love it.

Cheers clubby, sounds like a nice mix.

In a pair, on trusty Stumpjumper M2, mango yellow, you can’t miss it!

Phil_H – Member

I’m doing the endurance DH, trying for double figures this year.

The low turnout’s knackered my plan, I sneaked into the top 40 last year so all I was thinking is match or improve on that. But last I looked there are 46 entrants So I could say top 12 but I reckon there’ll be proportionally more good people/less dobbers than previous years, so that’s probably not going to happen…

So that means, I guess, I’m looking for 14 runs assuming no stoppages. It gets easier after the first 10, once the delirium sets in.

I’ll be on a blue 224 evo with white bits, say hello!

At the moment still heading up on my jack jones, so if anyone needs a lift from Glasgow/west of Scotland give me a shout, I’ll have an empty car!

what were female pair results ???

Terry, results link: http://lappedenduro.sportident.co.uk/home/event/publicresults.html?eventid=0a8f7572-6d09-4663-99a3-186ab8b48db6

looks like your missus (I assume in the Deeside Thistle team) came third, out of eight.
Kept hanging around transition at about the same time as our pair (senior vet) were lapping about the same times, give or take.. Good result.

aye got the results late last night

looked like a cracking day from what i saw and heard – gutted to be stuck down here 🙁

never mind – month off/ in france as of friday 😀

wahey!

I’ve not been for a few years (2009 was lat time IIRC) for various reasons. It was a demanding course, in a good way, loads of stuff left out and it was still lovely to ride, grins all round; weather wise – were very very lucky 🙂

Was half way down Nessie before I realised it, froze and immediately went off into the netting, thought all was OK until hit fire road, had smashed front shifter 🙁 and bashed knee… Rest of the event in middle ring (which was fine), got Nessie the next couple of laps OK, bottled it on the last …

Clean plates all round in the Indian restaurant in Fort William 🙂

AH, nessie back in the track, good stuff! Some folks wouldn’t have liked that, the rocks down to the saddlespan seemed a bit much for many when I was watching… (though wee Pete Scullion showboating down them was class)

All got a bit windy for the downhill… I showed my elite race skills by starting the race with no dibber, and having to leg it over to the car to get it after the first lap! Which after beasting myself on the climb, did not make a happy Northwind… That and a silly puncture later in the day taking a terrible overtaking line cost me the 14th run I was after, but then the track is a lot rougher this year so I’m still happy with that. 13th in seniors I think.

3 hardtails this year (one of ’em ended the race in hospital!), amazing performance from Rona Strivens from Diva Descent who officially isn’t even old enough to enter, but knocked out 10 laps to smash the women’s race… I was a bit unconnected from the top boys’ race but Tally from Uplift Scotland took it with a solid lead, Alastair MacLennan was flying but then flew into a tree stump (the 3 laps he completed were the fastest 3 of the race!).

Dark mutterings that the turnout was too low this year and that it might not run next year… Which would be a tremendous shame IMO, there’s nothing else like it anywhere and the atmosphere is just phenomenal, I found myself smiling so hard I was just about crying at the end, cheering the last riders down. Just perfect. Seems to me that with 150+ riders last year it should be possible to achieve that again. And I can’t see anyone else but No Fuss even attempting something so obviously absurd so hats off to ’em, they are legends.

Just getting rider things filter through on FB Northwind.

Al broke his shoulder just above the deer fence crossing, then rode down one handed, he said the steak pie and chips at the bottom post crash were brilliant.

Ali on HT crashed out up top on his 9th, no Jesse or me racing this year, sounds like a few other regular HT’ers didn’t make it. 2 of the HT’s are home builds 🙂 hopefully get this right “SWT bikes” on FB or is it STW, Ste will tell me off for getting wrong if i have, Mark Amer raced again on his home made susser.
Gutted i missed it, that and no MacAvalanche this year…..tempted by the Tour de Ben Nevis, but you need to be fit and have buns of steel for that 🙂

Mr V from Orange bagged a win in his class, so zip tie the swing arm for the ride up pays off 🙂

No idea on actual numbers. And yes the track seems to get rougher every year 🙂 be all that bedrock they keep digging down to.

Perhaps it’s now too early in race season and riders are doing other events.

What really kills me is the bit down through the woods above the fire road, it used to be relatively smooth and you could just have a wee rest and bowl down it, now it’s pretty damn choppy- not that it’s hard, it’s just that little extra bit of rough just when you could really do with some smooth 🙂 By my later laps I was threading the smooth bits and losing bags of time but that meant more braking so more sore fingers… Never did really work out a good way to do it, not good enough to do it smooth and fast, ah well.

Someone said they found Al at the side of the track down near the end of the woods (the awkward steppy rooty thing) I guess he had another fall there too. Still hung around for the prizewinning though, real class act (though he didn’t applaud anyone 😉 )

No Macavalanche? It’s still on their website, end of next month…

Yes Nessie was back didnt see much riding it everybody i seen was just missingvthe rocks and taking the straight line down or walking. The natural bit off cackle was good fun to ride.

Ah missed the MacAvalanche thing, thought it was chopped, perhaps a race in Scotland afterall, or maybe not depending on things.
Best have a look on Nofuss webber 🙂

Presume nessie was the bit that you had a choice of going left down the wee rocky bit (assume that was the chicken run though not that simple) or going straight down the 2 big steps? Mate had a nasty off at the bottom of the 2nd drop and ended up with part of the fence in his leg.

Thought the course was ok, 2nd half was good fun, first half was a bit of a drag. Other than that was good fun, but they really need to get more marshalls on the course, i thought some of the turns weren’t that obvious.

Also the singles winner should be tested for some potent drugs! Didn’t he come 4th overall, including all the different categories? The man is an absolute cycling machine. I think he needs his own category to be honest…

53 finishers this year, 103 finishers last year. The date clash with round 4 BDS series this year won’t have helped the entry numbers.

Really hope it runs again next year it was great fun. I managed 2 more runs than last year and only one off 🙂

Also the singles winner should be tested for some potent drugs! Didn’t he come 4th overall, including all the different categories? The man is an absolute cycling machine

and thats only cos on my 11th lap i took it easy and got overtaken by the teams that came 2nd and 3rd overall, but sometimes a chicken, rocket and mayo wrap needs some time to enjoy 🙂

10 Under the Ben – marshals were very few and far between, we were chatting about this this morning — used to be many more, not just the course directions – though that is helpful – but also in case of any offs or emergencies, used to be much better staffed..

Nessie, it’s all in the head, the usual run is round the left, is a bit off camber, the direct line is a new addition I think, didn’t seem that enticing really, it’s at the limit of my ability and bottle really.

Just home from today’s Enduro, Enduro and a wee bit disappointed with it. A 10 mile loop with only 4 timed sections ( 3 short but 1 longer thanks to big boring pedally section ). I know it was designed to take into account those that rode yesterday, but for us that didn’t they could have put in a bit more effort. Course marking and in stage marshalling was patchy at times, but a big thank you to the poor wee guy stuck in the howling gale and rain at the start of stage 2, hero of the day.

.. and Greig, well done mate — you probably lapped me a couple times I’m sure, distinct recall seeing a Dooely’s top disappearing past me at warp speed. Met you on Friday evening when with Roberta, our other pair team, top bloke though you’re wrong about single speeds. Actually, don’t go near a SS, you might be even quicker 🙂

Saw Raddogair from the gondola at one point, about 7 hours in and still motoring. Or maybe just showing off for the marshall on the bridge 😉

I took up a second bike to maybe do the enduro but decided against it after a sleepless night of cramps… Sounds like I didn’t miss too much 🙁 I think their stage plans had been quite disrupted by all the fallen trees, I hadn’t realised just much of a mess the forest was til I went for a look around.

Phil_H – Member

53 finishers this year, 103 finishers last year.

Aye, 120 entrants in advance last year, 49 this year I think, massive drop. It’s clashed with the nationals in previous years but I think maybe the BDS drew off more of the no fuss audience.

I was with clubby today at the enduro and felt a bit underwhelmed. The timed sections were really nice but the rest was rubbish. Only 10 miles and I’d guess 8 miles of that was fire road/path, compared to the HPE this was a big let down.