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The course is finished and ready, trimmed and blown as well as drainage in place, just in case, 🙂 You may all think I'm talking utter rubbish but seriously very little mud on the course ! Yes ha!
After riding Gorrick 100 at Swinley during a similar period of miserable weather on mud-x which were a bonus for all of 20 metres of the course, I've just put Ralphs on for Sunday.
Bike looks all summery now. Thank you!
I don't do my@rsebook but did I see a reference to one Webber, M of Aylesbury participating?If so, we'll need to make sure he doesn't have another crash as I don't want Teflonso winning the F1.
Old photo from about 4yrs ago! Get with it Pants!
I'm sure he just uses the photo of himself so he can reminisce about what it was like to be able to ride a bike fast and be 2 stone lighter 😀
What no mud!? Sod that I'm off to Essex to trash and drivetrain...
Not to do the National you're not...
I know got the email about 3mins after posting!
Good for you though Pants - the National is postponed if you'd not heard, so you'll now get a deluge of fast riders!
umming and arrhing about doing this, enjoyed racing there before (brass monkeys) - any update on conditions? (just fancy riding my bike and perhaps destroying myself - not my bike!)
What about the field where the parking is...
Parking field had some damp bits but was fine a course of days ago.
GB
any pics of the course? is it like longmoor i.e. sandy and humpy?
It's best described as splashy... Firm under the puddles mainly. A couple of short squishy bits but it's all perfectly rideable. The less puddly sections dried out a lot in the couple of hours I was up there and it's sunny now. The wettest bits will be wet tomorrow and there are some massive splashy puddles but no slog and NO PUSHING!!!
The course is sandy and humpy, yes.
sandy, humpy AND splashy?! 😯 I'll be in heaven then 😀
(also some rooty?)
Yes, some rooty, some splashy, but all ok. And no walking unless you have weak legs, poor skills or just ''Are not quite tough enough"!
So who going..?
If you weren't there you really missed out! Sunshine, firm and drying trails, no pushing, nice swoopy buts... Fantastic race and the venue is just one huge sponge - the heavy rain from the previous days just disappeared.
Ah well, gave it a miss and did a 100mile road ride instead. Shame, but given it had rained for the entire week I didn't want to chance it. Hope those who entered had a blast!
It was awsome. On Ralphs and they were fine albeit at a pretty low pressure.
The course was a lot better than I expected, a bit muddy in places but all rideable if you had the legs for the climbs which unfortunately I didn't after the first couple of laps.
Seemed pretty quiet so I guess lots of people stayed away because of the recent weather.
that was haaaaard. but good work on the course guys. 8)
shame only really good riders turned up 😳
Thanks. Both sons and myself really enjoyed it. And to cap it all, I made the podium (alright - third among three in the 2hr singlespeed, despite only completing one of three laps due to a crank falling off 😳 ).
Son1 managed two laps, and Son2 finished the fun race.
Great event and the course drained nicely - there was some interesting bits in the mud mind - but it made it more exciting!
I'm thoroughly broken though - 6 hour solo - why on earth did i do it??
Thank you to all who turned up and raced to those who stayed away for fear of mud, you missed a good un! The Sun God was again good to us again!
Porridgepot is always kind when it's been raining, a dam good all weather course with plenty Singletrack, which you had a good mix of today with plenty missed out too.
It seems that it was enjoyable but tough for all!
Were You Tough Enough?
Cheers 🙂
Pants - well done on putting on the event and chapeau to the riders. Looks like you were blessed with a window in the weather as drizzle set in again this morning. Perhaps next time!
Were you all buzzed by the Vulcan and the Red Arrows. Sounds like the Vulcan took off again this morning (around 08:30) and that was from many miles away!
The Vulcan was flying afterwards, but the Red Arrows and the Typhoons were out there - I missed a turn off the fireroad because I was watching them! 😳
Great event, course help up well under the circumstances, shame the entries were down, but unsurprising I guess! Now I just need to do some more riding to get fit again!
I must go and try that area - its hard to find bits of Surrey that are holding up against this rain. Punchbowl is ok and the sandy areas arguably better. But most BWs are gloopy bogs and Pitch Hill almost a right off.
So as my first proper solo MTB event since 1997 I can safely say I [b]wasn't[/b] tough enough!
Tried to keep up with my mate on the first lap but gave up after 15 mins and instead tried to concentrate on not falling off too much (limited success) and not getting in too many people's way (fair to middling effort).
Wimped out on many of the climbs and also decided to have a chat with my photographist colleague Mr Swarbrick on my final lap.
Glad to have made the trip and it was a good eye opener for the importance of practising singletrack, plus riding your (MTB) bike on a regular basis; - two things I singularly lack!
Cheers to ACU et al 8)
P.S big props to the sado masochist on the rigid single speed. I was shot to bits on my CF hardtail with gears!
P.S big props to the sado masochist on the rigid single speed. I was shot to bits on my CF hardtail with gears!
There were several of those, notably Gee who not only won the 4-hour SS category, but also (comfortably) the normal 4-hour category too! Unfair!
No gears + no suspension + no big repair bills when it's muddy = WIN!
Gee - I didn't think I would say this before this summer (sic) but you have a point. Repair bills are doing my head in this year as is the sound of mud and sand in my cogs etc. Just glad I held off buying a new bike!
Gee
you clearly have a rubber skeleton and like riding too much, judging by your Strava feed 😆 8)
You went past me on the last steep firetrack road at a hell of a rate of nots - i don't think i could ride down it that quickly!!
Well done Gee - an epic result!
I felt almost tough enough for 2 laps, then there was a loud cracking noise from my bike - thought swingarm had snapped. Had actually picked up a slow puncture which didn't seal (sealant dried up - ooops) - and noise was a tyre burp which could be heard about 50 m away.........
struggled around a couple more laps pumping tyre up now and again, nearly put a tube in but didn't have a tool to get the collar off the tubeless valve. Not feeling tough at all at that point
no idea how the top guys maintain that sort of speed - 'specially the ones without gears
Well done to everyone that raced at the weekend, my team mates phil and rory got the top spot in the 6 hour, as well as dean and derek who took 3rd. Great ride from them all! PMR@cing is a name you should all be seeing a lot more of 😛
As others have said, hats off to Pants and the team for creating a great, rideable course in a summer worse than most winters.
Chapeau again to Gee for conclusively beating me in the 4hr singlespeed, although I don't think I was ever going to worry him too much.
Finally thanks to all the fellow riders who made the effort to enter and turn up and give the event a really good atmosphere. Hope the aches and pains aren't too bad today.
@All-On-Black 😀 Trophies are ordered and getting done!
@Straightliner, cheers, it's easy to sort out a route on PP Hill in the wet, It's a shame that peeps don't realise how good PP Hill is as an all weather course.
Agreed thanks to those who did turn up and make the day.
Lets have another event next month!!!!
Go on Pants!! 😀
LoL you have the Gorrick 12-12 for that! 🙂
Slightly OT question
I've no point of reference on this colour coding of trails based upon (technical) difficulty.
Did any of Sunday's trails have a grading and if so what were they? - I'm just curious as what to expect of any future trail centre trips.
I went to Afan back in 05 but don't recall it being colour coded?
Cheers
I think Afan has a few coloured sections now, but the blacks are only black due to the size of the rocks - if tackled at a sensible speed, they are not dangerous - its not too steep
However, they are much more fun to attack at full pelt - makes it all worth while 😆
I would say that the steep parts of the AYTE course might have been counted as a red in sections if it was at a trail centre
Pretty sure there is no trail grading at Porridgepot Hill, or any of the other MOD land they permit people to hold races on!
None of that lap would be considered difficult - a couple of good Singletrack descents but nothing particularly challenging. The thing that makes those courses fun is trying to ride them fast, more than the elation of managing to ride a lap without mincing (like at Kirroughtree, for example...).
GB
Cheers fellas
I wasn't fazed by any of the course other than as Gee points out, trying to do it at more than (my) snails pace. You could have got into a good old state if you'd bolxed up some of the descents / bombholes but isn't that what adrenalin is for?
pants - do you mind me asking which bit of PPHill you were on? I guess the evidence is still clear on the ground once you have located the start. As suggested by the grading comments above, I am intrigued about the technical challenges required to race these kinds of events and it would be good to have little potter to see what kind of terrain is involved. Were you NW of Deepcut only or were you also S of the railway and B3012. I really need to explore the area.
None of that lap would be considered difficult - a couple of good Singletrack descents but nothing particularly challenging
Well my 11yo found it pretty challenging (AYT6578.jpg). The mud also made for some intersting (forced) lines. He had a great time, despite the usual falls (many). He's ridden Afan in some grim conditions already this year. Son2 cruised around without issue in the two hour race. But I can't find and shots of him 🙁