Ard Rock 'elp!

Its a superb event, you'll have a great time. A lot depends on your own experience of course, but I'd describe the tracks as similar to challenging red trail centre routes. Pretty easy if you ride chilled, but challenging to ride at race pace. There's always a few big crashes, but I think a lot of that is people getting caught up with the race bug and just overdoing it. Best advice for that if you're unfamiliar with that region is to do some of the practice sessions to get a feel for it. 

It's a pretty big day, expect 5-7 hours out and it get quite remote out towards stage 4 and 5. 

There is a water fountain at the pub after S2 and a bowser after s4. Means you don't need a hydration pack, I take 2 bottles and make sure I drain then fill them to the brim at each. 

Conversely, there's not a lot of feed options - just a snack table after s4. Take more snacks than you think you'll need. 

It's a big remote area where the weather can be changeable. The wind can be especially fierce and it's mainly exposed the whole way. Obviously dress for the weather, but unless it's absolutely cracking the flags and no wind, I will always take a light packable jacket just to keep the chill off if you need to stop.

Make sure you can support yourself with mechanicals, punctures in particular. The tech support in the main event area is excellent but very limited on course, so expect to have to do it yourself.

Enjoy it!

Two pints at the pub makes the tarmac climb after more agreeable.

Decent strength tyre casing, certainly on the rear. That you can face pedalling for hours.

Or be prepared to ease off slightly after the rocky gully. Stage 4?
There has been a kind fellow with a track pump waiting for victims to assist.

I’ve flatted there twice, just before it opens out to the wide track.

Do not dawdle if your start time is later. The sweepers will catch you. If you then have a mechanical you can’t fix in a reasonable time, your race will be cut short.

Echo the above really. It's a great day out on the bike, I've done the sport 6 times I think, last year was the first one I've missed by choice for a while. 

Some of the stages are pretty steep and rough, but it's all manageable and the idea of the sport is it's more chilled out so you shouldn't feel under pressure about holding faster riders up. 

I've flatted in the same spot as James. The only time I've actually crashed was a pedal strike that tipped me otb on stage 3. I also remember hitting a divot on one of the fast grassy descents on the last stage which bottomed out my fork and nearly sent me flying. Just be ready for stuff like that coz the trails aren't manicured.

Other than that, like Dan says it's a big day out. The transitions can be very long, but if you've not ridden there before then it's all just one big enjoyable ride. There's always loads of other riders knocking about. 

I've done a couple of the really muddy ones, that can be bloody hard work, but it ends up feeling like a shared challenge just to get round along with everyone else. 

And the pint you have when you get back to the arena will be bloody awesome.

I was expecting to be doing it on an e-bike for the first time this year, but circumstances have put me back on a normal bike. That's going to be a shock to the system. 

Weather!

Take a good look at forecasts and have gear with you that will cover you for whatever might happen.  

Like others have said, it's remote at some ends of the course, very open and quite barren.

Awesome cheers all - some good stuff there I hadn't thought about (good to know about the water stations, and good point about the sweepers too - some of our group are, erm, not optimally fit shall we say, so we'll have to see how that goes. Not that I'm super fit or anything, but we're talking 'not ridden an MTB since last Ard Rock' levels of fitness'). 

Current tyres are Assegai MaxxGrip/DHR2 MaxTerra both in EXO+ and tubeless, which is about as much as I can handle pedalling any kind of distance. I'll probably up the pressure a bit, especially in the rear. 

I've got pretty much everything I need tools-wise on the bike, plus one bottle. Then I'll have a couple of bottles (or possibly a bladder) in a bum bag, plus plenty of snacks. I'm always the one who's overprepared for everything tbh.