A bit late in the day I know! Been for quick ride tonight with a Camelback and hated it.
Will 1 bottle on the frame and 1 in the back pocket be enough?
Can I actually refill at the water stop or is just a quick gulp?
Will I just lose my bottles!
Advice appreciated as I have no support.

Water stop is a ruse to get you off the bike to walk the bit of bridleway you’re not allowed to ride (not allowed to race on bridleway).

Can you carry your bike with bottle in back pocket?

Two bottles – depends on the weather. Which is looking unsettlingly clement.

I have been thinking about stashing a couple at the bottom of Pen y Ghent lane as we also don’t have support.

Bottom of Penyghent lane is bridleway and the race is over that ?

A bit late in the day I know! Been for quick ride tonight with a Camelback and hated it.
Will 1 bottle on the frame and 1 in the back pocket be enough?
Can I actually refill at the water stop or is just a quick gulp?
Will I just lose my bottles!
Advice appreciated as I have no support.

Beg, borrow or steal a small, low profile Camelbak, like they used to be when they first came out. Unless you are happy riding at full gas for 4 hours with maybe two bottles.

More novices questions: I could really do with a trace of the route on a OS 1:50 000 base. Can anyone point me to one? Even if the route is scribbled on and sent as pdf etc would be really useful.

Yes, not sure how that works – might be some kind of other access equivalent to bridleway, though, which is slightly different. Sorry not an expert!

I could really do with a trace of the route on a OS 1:50 000 base.

Trust me, it will make no difference at all.
Follow the others, try not to puncture.

Sorry, mugsys_m8 .Maybe someone else can help? All I can say is that there’ll be nearly 700 people out and even I didn’t get lost last year…

A bit late in the day I know! Been for quick ride tonight with a Camelback and hated it.
Will 1 bottle on the frame and 1 in the back pocket be enough?
Can I actually refill at the water stop or is just a quick gulp?
Will I just lose my bottles!
Advice appreciated as I have no support.

I did it last year with 1L but it was cold. I lost my bottle out of my cage and I saw enough lying around that other people were losing them too. Risky in a back pocket.

Unless it is scorching I am planning on carrying 1.5L or two large bottle in a racing Camelbak. I found the cage made it hard to carry the bike.

Thanks all. The maps not for me. It’s more for Mrs Mugsy. We have a bit of a looking at a map addiction in our family.

Anyway. Off to finish the Uncle John rebuild and then pack it up ready for the big orange bird to fly it over tonight. We’ll be camping on Saturday night. I’ll be wearing mostly (to start with) white and red kit of Velo Club de La Biévre.

Thanks for the advice, going to put the cage on and have a quick test of carrying. 2 x 750m bottles is still quite a bit of liquid. Crossjunkie says there is water at bottom of Whernside, and a guy lurking up PYG, so probably going to risk it.
This has just tipped me over the edge 🙂 http://3pcx.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/the-final-10.html

I was going to watch, but now have to drive to london for work instead.

Far from happy.

🙁

Completed 3 and DNF’d 1. Not doing it this year due to a backwards sliding level of fitness and bike time. In fact I’m actually looking forward to spectating and seeing the how quick the boy racers go. Will spectate on PYG I reckon as you get to see the grimaces going up and the grins coming down. Weather looks like its going to be a complete contrast to last year, you lucky lot 🙂

any advice on parking for racers in the event?
is it nearby?

any advice on parking for racers in the event?
is it nearby?

🙄

Go to the website for the race.

Read everything on it.

ah cheers, i printed the pdf but only got the first page.

See you all tomorrow! Despite ManFlu ™ for the past three days there is no way in HELL I am missing a dry and dusty Peaks.

5th time round. Bottle in a cage on seat-tube. Support so can refill. Tubs. Finally, discs. This will be fun*.

Anyone who’s doing it for the first time. Simon Fell is longer than it looks at first 🙂 Once it is over, the descent is worth it.

*may be a lie.

good luck all! go claim your glory!!!

Good luck to all racing today! Very jealous ….

Good luck every one no mincing down Penyghent ,even though you will have no brakes and arm pump !!!

that was dead good. very impressed. well done all, especially those that won it.

Rode out from Leyland with 3 mates to go and watch some of it. Cracking day (bit windy though!)

Good day out – first time I’ve really watched it properly (while supporting a mate). Normally I’m the one suffering all day, was interesting to see everyone else suffering for a change!

Oh we suffered all right, we suffered so you didn’t have to. I feel like I’ve been through the tumble drier today, too tired to sleep last night of that makes any sense. Slightly dwindling level of fitness means I have to wonder if I can raise myself for another year …ask me again in July when we’ve all forgotten 🙂

Well I got round in 5:28 in 499th. Fantastic event, met some great people.
Went over the bars at top of the first climb, pesky drainage channels!
PYG, I was just looking at the ground, forcing every step, but got there in the end.
Landcruisers, no punctures or mechanicals.
Do I want to do again, yes!
Lighter bike, lower gearing, less crap in my pockets and more training for 2014.

What a cracking day yesterday. It was my first time and I got through it without any punctures or mechanicals.
Granted I probably minced my way down the hills to avoid puncturing.
Finished in 224th with a time of 4.23.19. We’ll chuffed with that.

Simon I passed you on the road section before pyg. I was on the F65x in Velo club moulin kit.

Ps. How mental was the wind coming off Whernside?

Simon I passed you on the road section before pyg. I was on the F65x in Velo club moulin kit.

Ah, that was you! Excellent finishing time, well done 🙂

My first time at the 3 Peaks, but only as a marshal on PYG. Very impressed by the whole event, and full credit to everyone who got round the course. Definitely planning on riding next year.

I am a little perplexed by SOME of the people there to provide support to THEIR rider. Having a spare bike, wheels, or food & drink at strategic points must be helpful, but I saw several support people getting in the way. Like the guy with 2 wheels strapped to his back riding his MTB up (and then down) PYG in between the race competitors – one of the competitors was pretty pissed off and pushed him off the track. It must be hard enough to ride a CX bike on that lane without having people who shouldn’t be there in the way.

One of the race organisers also told be of some support people riding through the finish area getting in the way of the timing recorders.

Is it always like this?

I put a selection up on the Ilkley Cycling club facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/IlkleyCyclingClub/
if you can see it. Either that or you’ll just have to wait like everyone else for the publication.
Very inspiring just trying to not find the cash to buy one myself, it looked so wrong it must be right.

or this
http://www.flickr.com/photos/103764873@N04/

Is it always like this?

What, total carnage? Pretty much. 😉

The thing with the Peaks is that to support “properly” you either need several people or a car. So anyone with a car is trying to negotiate narrow lanes, park, run up to meeting/vantage point, repeat and the traffic that it generates is horrendous. You don’t really notice it riding but for me trying to navigate that lot on a bike was…interesting. I decided against going up PyG as it was quite busy by then with riders going up and down but yes, there were people just ambling up, dogs on leads, wheels in hand, pushing a spare bike. It’s a sort of organised chaos.

It’s difficult to manage – they’re public paths and roads so you can’t really legislate against their use. Having said that, some common sense wouldn’t go amiss from some of the support crews…

loads of links to pictures on the 3 peaks blog site (google it).

Bit windy on top but there was no rain which made it nice. Start was chaotic as always. Set off at the 3.5-4h group and must have past about 50 riders (most massively out of breath) before we hit the offroad. Still all good natured, met some nice people, had a few battles up and down Pen y ghent and came in at 4h01m (no. 142, 100th position just behind the winning woman). I have amazing respect for people who can get round that in under 4h it is a tough day.

Roll on 2014 and a sub 4h.

Arms, back, legs, hands are feeling it today. Didn’t crash or puncture which was my aim. I knew I could get round fast enough as long as I didn’t do anything stupid.

Thanks to all for coming and making it the event that it is.

mikey-simmo – are you happy for us to link to your photo set from the race website?

First time for me at the event too (as a marshal). Great event, nice bunch of people.

Wouldnt the event be much better if you were limited to what ever you can carry ie no 2nd/3rd/4th/5th (I beleive 7 is the record!??!?! bikes) and no wheel changes.

Surely then the more skilled rider who can manage the terrain and their bike would do better?

If you marshalled then thankyou. Makes the event possible and I imagine most people are pretty exhausted when they pass so just thrust a dibber at you and get on with it.

I personally think there should be some emphasis on solo efforts but then in CX you have spare bikes and wheels so this is what it is about for some.

I did it solo. Carried everything I might need. I did get a handful of Haribo from my wife who was watching on Pen Y Ghent.

MK II A smoothly run event imho. Well done.

Yep – big shoes to fill, job well done Mark and team!

Wouldnt the event be much better if you were limited to what ever you can carry ie no 2nd/3rd/4th/5th (I beleive 7 is the record!??!?! bikes) and no wheel changes.

I was 3rd yesterday, I rode the same bike and wheels from start to finish and had 1 supporter (who wasn’t halfway up the hills in the way) so it can be done 😉

Wow. Is the word that comes to mind. It was my first time and I pretty much smiled the whole way around (apart form the bits where I minced…).
I diecided I would be happy with finishing it, but depp down I thought beating 5hrs would make me super happy. well it worked out great in that I loved it and got a time of just under 5hrs 10. So it’s an excuse to do it again next year!

Seriously I loved it! Simonside was a giggle, the final carry up to Ingleborough was hard in the wind, the descent was hard for me, the road sections I seemed to fly compared to others, Whernside was a plod but not a struggle, found some descending skills on Whernside descent. Pen-y-Ghent was admittedly a grind and I started slipping backwards.

Well done to all, thanks to all the marshals and volunteers and least of all the new organisers.

Dan

Blazin-saddles … 3rd … on one bike … Respect 8)