bikerdan – Member
Team of 3 here, was 5 up until a week ago. Never ridden it or any other 24hr race before. Any tips on what to take?
The usual, really. A smattering of spares, clothing for all eventualities although it will be perhaps too warm to wear waterproofs even if it does rain.
Can be chilly on the night laps. I sometimes wear arm warmers and thin leggings on the night laps.
Decent lights and a back-up of some sort. Most people just use their helmet light as their back-up. Oh, and remember the chargers!
Camping-wise…..decent tent and awning/canopy, chairs, lights/head torches to see what you are doing at night.
There’s food on site as well as a shop selling bike stuff and somewhere will be doing repairs if needed. Also jet wash facilities.
Locks. Do not assume that everyone is ‘biking buddies’ and it’s safe to leave your bike unlocked and unattended. Quite a few cases of gangs going round bike events hand-picking fancy bikes and whipping them away in a van.
Wellies. Might not need them, but after the rain a couple of years ago wellies are mandatory for me to stick in the car…..!
The atmosphere before and during the race is great. Plenty of encouragement through the start/finish camping area and it’s nice to come back at 1am after a hard lap and stand watching the jazz singer.
There’s a mix of recreational rider and racer, but it works nicely. People are 99% polite and it’s a very pleasant place to ride.