Cheers, that’s the plan… will give us a chance to scope out the start/finish area etc. too

Yeah, and if you are really dedicated you can practice change overs 😆

Pit faff is where many loose their time. Some simple maths:

Maximum Laps
Assume 10 mph, 10 mile laps, 1 hour per lap for 24 hours total 24 laps.

5 min per lap in pit sees something like 100 – 120 mins in the pit!

So most laps that you can do is 22.

Aim to have eveything ready and look at a F1 style pit change 🙂

Pit faff is where many loose their time. Some simple maths:

Maximum Laps
Assume 10 mph, 10 mile laps, 1 hour per lap for 24 hours total 24 laps.

5 min per lap in pit sees something like 100 – 120 mins in the pit!

So most laps that you can do is 22.

Aim to have eveything ready and look at a F1 style pit change

How can it take five minutes for someone to hand over a baton, get on their bike and ride off for a lap? You’re just getting confused with watching F1 car racing 😉

In real life people occasionally screw up and arrive late for a changeover, which loses time, but mostly, some riders are just faster than others.

What is there to actually ‘change-over’ – is it just a timing transmitter key? Or did I miss the bit about having to swap bikes/clothing etc.. 😆

I’d suggest you just wing it with the changeovers.

One of the funniest things for me is when someone comes flying into the handover area shouting for their mate, who isn’t there and said person get more and more frustrated, louder and louder, angrier and angrier.
Mate usually strolls up at some point not realising.

You might not do as well but you will ensure a lot more people smile.

On a more constructive note:
We did try walkie talkies one year which were OK.
We now do what Pawsy suggests – We estimate about an hour for the first lap and get to handover after 55 mins. We then get a feel for how fast we are each lapping and adjust accordingly – always on the side of getting there early. You only really lose a minute max in handover if that (quick few words then new rider heads off to get their bike)

Some people have boards that you write on the handover time, which is useful if you remember to take note of it. When you’re lapping in 1hr 10 mins and it’s now 2.35 am and the last chap went out 25 mins ago – it’s not easy to work out what time you need to leave to get to handover in time.

BWD nope thats my solo experience. People waste time in the solo pit. And you’re right I remember at least two events where I waited around in early in the hours of the morning for a no show team member before having to crack on for another lap. Once I did the first lap and the next guy didn’t show on handover for lap 2 🙁 Hence I no longer do teams. A race can be won or lost on the transition.

Also consider not doing 1 lap but 2 or more. Slowing down to change over and accelerating up accounts for a large amount of lost time. I base my number of solo laps on the water fuel I can sensible carry. Short course like Bristol 4 laps makes sense not every lap of 23 – 27 mins.

I’ve not read all the bumf above, Mayhem was my first 24 solo last year, I didn’t train specifically for it, it was a late decision to do it solo when I found a spot come up. I only rode 4-6 hrs rides every couple of weeks with plenty of shorter XC rides in between. About 2 months before I did bash out the SDW in sub 10hrs with some friends but that was it.
Most important thing IMO is don’t stop, Mr Page told me that and he was right, if I’d stopped I would have never started again. I kept all my pits to less than 5mins apart form one when I changed shorts and had a good feed (it was still less than 10mins) but still all added up to over 1.30hr stopped in 24hrs and 17 laps.
Know what to eat and what’s right for you, I tried to stay on natural food until I was bored of eating at about 18hrs then had to resort to bars and gels. I drank flat coke and water as well as energy drink, stay on 1 thing to long and it ruins my stomach not what wanted 12hrs in.
After 12hrs which most could ride for it’s about mental strength and keep eating and drinking. On the pushing bit Mayhem had more climbing last year than any other year I’ve done it, I picked 2 very short bits (top of kenda and top of the bloody long climb we usually come down can’t remember the name)to push on after about 10hrs a. cause I had stupid geraing on the 29er smallest being 30-36 at the time and b. to stretch the legs out a bit and to be honest I was walking faster than most people rode it.

There were plenty of people snubbing the fact that I’d never raced a 12hr event before and should do several of them first etc etc, I still haven’t raced a 12hr but for record came 7th at Mayhem last year.
I won’t solo mayhhem again because I do agree there are better courses for a 24 solo, but the atmosphere was great.

BWD nope thats my solo experience.

Ah,okay, I thought you were talking tea, my mistake. Solo yeah, roll in, change bottle, grab bars/food/worrever, smile nicely, roll out. I can’t be arsed with carrying more than one bottle though, so I come in every lap. Best strategy for me is to have a table trackside with bottles/food/bits just sat there. You don’t even need to get off the bike.

Don’t crash into a tree racing at Kirroughtree two weeks before a 24-hour solo, so as you can’t actually hold onto the bars in the early hours of the morning and have to stop, wolf a bunch of ibuprofen, wait for the swelling/pain to go down and then go back out. Bad strategy :-/