Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 84 total)
  • The HONC gods are smiling
  • IHN
    Full Member

    I’ve never done a HONC in anything other than lovely weather and it looks like the trend is set to continue:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2633860

    Here’s to pink knees 🙂

    clubber
    Free Member

    God I’ve done it in some awful weather (though none as bad as my first one in 1998…)

    Have fun – it’s bound to be another great day’s riding.

    pedalhead
    Free Member

    yup I’ve been keeping an eye on the forecast too. Bit breezy but otherwise should be ace. Definitely a lot better than it was looking a couple of days ago!

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

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    GaryLake
    Free Member

    So is it actually way marked these days? Haven’t done it since 2008

    peteimpreza
    Full Member

    Its going to be a bit cooler than last year as well !!

    And yes it is way marked these days.

    dirtbiker100
    Free Member

    Got a mild cold and am expecting to spin my legs a lot on the flat sections of road with my 1×9 gearing. Ummm think that’s the only two excuses I’ve got at the moment.
    What kind of time is alright for the 100km?

    pedalhead
    Free Member

    pah, that’s 8 gears more than many of us 😉

    Timewise, honc is all about cake stops & bimbling imho but 10+ mph average is easy enough on that course I guess.

    grahamh
    Free Member

    What kind of time is alright for the 100km?

    Try and aim to get back before me 8)

    hugor
    Free Member

    that’s the only two excuses I’ve got at the moment.

    I figure its silly to approach this any differently to any other Sunday ride even if it is a bit longer.
    I will be doing it with a hangover.

    ampthill
    Full Member

    Are you expecting dry trails? (thinking tyres)

    Are the trails still open to the public. I’m doing a ride from Snowshill tomorrow

    mattsccm
    Free Member

    I have no intention of taking seriously any event that is making me start about the time that I normally get up on a Sunday. Factor in the drive from the FoD and turning pedals will be a success. I was hoping for torrential rain so i had an excuse for the 30 miler. Hmm

    rOcKeTdOg
    Full Member

    At least 3 people i know have dropped out last minute and there have been loads of entries for sale on here this week, do they know something the rest of you don’t?

    bigfooter
    Free Member

    Yep, forecast showing sun with <5% chance of rain and wind speeds of 5-9mph. Ideal conditions.
    I was up there Tuesday and the trails were pretty soggy after the heavy rain showers over the last week. Will defo be taking the mudguards! Last year was bone dry.

    oldgit
    Free Member

    Who remembers when it snowed? It was driving snow/sleet. I remember being with a group of riders huddled behind a dry stone wall. The snow turned to ice in my helmets vents, proper mental brain freeze.

    monsteryeti
    Free Member

    I live @ at the bottom of Cleeve Hill, was up there on Tueday night and rode some of the planned course. Mudguards are essential i would say…. Parts of the Cleeve side and definately on the Postlip descent will be v.wet.

    IMO no need for mud tyres though unless you are riding at the back of the pack….!

    Bet the local Ladies have been up making cakes for the past few nights for you all at Guiting Power. Enjoy and have a great ride.

    clubber
    Free Member

    sod the snow oldgit. my first experience was so wet and muddy you had to keep pedalling to roll downhill. was told I should take about 4 to 4.5 hrs but it took just over 6 because of the conditions and I was only 15 mins behind the ‘winner’.

    Still love the event and always try to do it.

    amt27
    Free Member

    weather forecast didn’t say there would be a headwind in any direction you cycled

    mattsccm
    Free Member

    I thought it was only for me.

    dirtbiker100
    Free Member

    I dunno I felt some lovely tail winds but yeah the headwinds were a bit nasty. The other thing that was nasty was that descent through the ploughed field, not sure how far through the ride it was, before the food stop? God I’m glad I had front suspension I wouldn’t have wanted to ride down there on a cross bike!
    I was 6:20/100km on a mildly skinny tyred cotic soul. How about everyone else?

    ps44
    Free Member

    Well I loved that. 100K in about 5h40 which is a normal sort of time for me (I’ve taken anything from 5h to 6h30 over the years as it’s so conditions dependent). Very much enjoyed my new rear shock with lockout.

    mattmbk
    Free Member

    The descent through the ploughed field was indeed horrific on a cross bike, shook my computer pick up off and gave me a back spasm. Almost shook my head off, really hard on the arms. Last muddy descent to the main road was a little exciting on skinny tyres as well. Tougher ride than I expected but enjoyed it.

    GaryLake
    Free Member

    Massively disappointed with 6hrs 10mins (was aiming for 5), was absolutely flying and then at 40km, nothing, just popped. Was then a long old afternoon slog.

    As an afternoon’s riding, it was lovely and a thoroughly enjoyable event!

    hugor
    Free Member

    Fantastic event and extremely well organised.
    The ploughed field was great fun but the vibrations almost shook my hands off the bars – and that was with a 5inch FS 29er!
    Wonder how the dude on the unicycle went there!!! Full respect to him.
    By the time that lovely singletrack came at the end I waas over it frankly and craved for some easy road miles.
    Weather held up very well and the tracks rode firm and fast.
    1820m elevation is a PB for me by a long shot.

    theredchili
    Free Member

    Well, I did the 50k on my 21 year old Fat Chance , single speed – took 3 hrs 35 mins , may try the single speed on the 100K next year !

    grahamh
    Free Member

    The uni guy did the short route, got back just before 5.30, to a big round of applause.

    iain65
    Free Member

    ‘The descent through the ploughed field was indeed horrific on a cross bike’

    If it’s any consolation it was bad enough on a hardtail! Could not the believe the downhill bit thru the field was harder on the legs than the uphill before!

    Cleeve was also hard due to lack of signs (maybe just my sense of direction!), got the right route in the end but wasted a load of time, 5 1/2 hours total for 100km which I pleased with.

    dirtbiker100
    Free Member

    Any ideas on what time the leaders got back in? I realise its not a race!

    hugor
    Free Member

    The fastest on Strava got in at 4:49.
    Very Humbling 🙁

    hugor
    Free Member


    amt27
    Free Member

    The fastest on Strava got in at 4:49.

    t’was me, pretty (very) sure I wasn’t first tho, lol

    hh45
    Free Member

    I must have done HONC 6 times and never wet. It was pretty much bone dry today despite rain earlier in the week. Didn’t like the cold wind though.

    Why do they bother with check points if its not a race and they wont publish times? As long as you have paid (as evidenced by the sticker on helmet) what is the problem. And as 99% is Public RoW what is there to worry about. Very odd.

    I also made it 1,820 metres of climbing and took 5:30.

    clubber
    Free Member

    The checkpoints are a throwback to its audax type roots.

    boltonjon
    Full Member

    Great day out and my first sun burn of the year 😀

    The descent through the field was brilliant, as was the final blast down the the main road

    The dude in the unicycle – outstanding!!

    brilliant cakes and i’m on a banana overdose!

    Great organisation too 😀

    pedalhead
    Free Member

    yep enjoyed that. Pretty much dry trails, sunshine, great views as far as the Malverns and beyond. Those bumpy fields were mental on a rigid 29er with 40psi in the tyres. I can only imagine what they must have been like on a cross bike. I was the chap on the Ti singlespeed with frame bag. Who was it riding that lovely Salsa El Mariachi with the mango hubs & Titec bars? Looked spot on that one.

    mcboo
    Free Member

    You know sometimes you know you are just for a bad day at the office? That was me…..wearing the wrong clothes, puncture before I got out of the castle, never warmed up, miserable git all day. Managed to miss a turn so ended up standing beside a sign saying “GCHQ” then compounded my mistake by thinking best just to go down into Cheltenham town and ride along the road to Winchcombe……bit of a bump to get over I hadnt figured on.

    Good event, we drove up from London, will do so again.

    pedalhead
    Free Member

    Oh dear Mcboo! Still, could be worse. Did anyone see that poor fella spewing at the top of the first climb? Heavy night I’m guessing 🙂

    timmytwowheels
    Free Member

    Fantastic days riding, paying for it this morning!

    Unicycle guy was amazing.

    hugor
    Free Member

    That Salsa was riding along with me for quite a while. Beautiful bike. Must have dropped his chain at least 4 times!
    In fact I think I saw at least 10 bikes with dropped chains and almost all were singlespeeds.
    A couple of guys managed to get punctures within a couple of miles from the start which was all road! 😆

    wingnuts
    Full Member

    Not done it for a few years, I rode the first 10 or so, but while most were in great weather I must have been on the same one as Oldgit. Snow and bitter cold on the tops. Frightened to leave the stops in case of hyperthermia! None of this namby-pamby bare leg stuff.

    IHN
    Full Member

    Well, a sociable 50km on my purple-forked, mid-90’s Marin Frankenbike was indeed an excellent way to spend a Sunday. Despite two punctures and my unplanned dismount on the final descent (I’ve got a scabby ankle this morning)

    Mcboo – think we saw you on the road over Cleeve Hill from Cheltenham when we were driving back. All three of us had a simultaneous sharp intake of breath and exlaimed ‘ooh, unlucky…’.

    I’d be surprised if you were the only ones, the route marking by the butterly farm on the top of the hill wasn’t great, the sneaky right-hander was catching a lot of people out.

    Excellent day though, well done to all the organisers

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 84 total)

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