[Closed] Brighton Big Dog

Yep done the last 2 years & its great fun, a real riders course with a friendly relaxed atmosphere.

Loads of singletrack (I'd say about 65-70% of the lap) most of it descending but there is a surprising amount of climbing for an 8-9 mile lap.

Just got my entry in for the 12 hour solo. 😛

Both solo & pairs catagories sell out really quickly so don't delay if your intending on doing it 😉

Great race, just mind the Stanmer Tree of Doom.

really great race, laps around 8 miles maybe shorter, i lapped in around 40/42mins and came 5th so around 8miles i'd say, no major hills on the course other than the grassy climb out the arena and a few short steepish climbs, fast and flowing course with not as much traffic as say bikefest etc, i think i'll be back again next year 😀 oh and isn't it 6hrs?

I'm quite tempted. Brother in law is backing out of MM solo so would like something that I don't mind going to on my own. Please tell about the tree of doom?

If you guys are thinking of entering then be quick as its live on XC Racer now!!

Solo & Pairs always sell out although they have increased the number of places slightly this year 😛

Just confirming a bike then I'll be entering Retro pairs shortly!

I love this race 🙂

hmm rero is for the third year running restricted to pre 95 bikes... thats disapointing...

What was in last years race pack? Energy stuff?

Looking at the podium places for last years solos looks like I'll be going for the enjoyment!!

Just entered vets solo 6 hour. Won't be troubling the judges.

Actually one of the best organised, best courses, funnest atmospheres I've been at. beer on the finish line. after party on brighton beach. lots of freebies. A proper grass roots event, unlike many of the for-profit enduros going on these days.

if it rains, it makes Eastnor look easy.

Last year was bone dry and sooo much fun. Some great riding around Stanmer.

So yes. It's ace. Get entered 🙂

the 2011 race was probably the most chilled out and fun race that I've ever done with the huge added bonus of some super dry dusty trails and a huge amount of tight twisty fast singletrack. The whole event has a realy nice, friendly, grassroots racing vibe.

If its like that in 2012 it'll be awesome, if its like the quagmire 2010 race it'll be, er, interesting...

Go on, enter, you know it makes sense 😉

Booked in and looking forward to it!

Got to pop into town. Will book it on my return if there are still spaces

I've just booked myself and my brother in law in... mwahahahaha 😈

So what are these goodie bags? Looks like the mugs and t-shirts need to be bought separately so what else is there for the bag?!

I'm entered solo, fantastic event, a real trail riders course and super-chilled atmosphere.

Looking forward to re-acquainting myself with the Tree Of Doom ... Tee Hee 😉

what's the tree of doom?!

There are several!

What do you do in terms of liquids? A camelbak and bottle will only give me about 4hours worth so was wondering if there's an abiliity to leave bottles somewhere safe trackside so I can discard/pickup as required?

Taff - There's always plenty of trackside just after the start/finish area (and a good amount just before it, more than most races have in total!) for self pitting stashes and for pit crew to both hand bottles and heckle en-masse, probably while all swinging cats, so I wouldn't worry about space if I were you 😉

bigsi - 12hr solo???!!!

You mean 6hr solo surely, it being a 6hr event and all?

Yep bottles track side & you'll be fine as don't remember there being a solo pits. Could be wrong though :/

Thought I'd start early Rob to give myself a chance of getting enough laps in to trouble the top 10 😀

Cheers Rob & Si, will be self pitting so want to have a box of stuff in a convenient place. Quite excited (for someone whose probably going to be crap) if you can't tell! As well as Josh's video was reading your blogs... you make it sound a lot better than your average race

It's one of the classic XC races of the year! I've done the last three and will definitely be doing it in 2012. I'm just deciding whether I'm going to be up for a pair or a team before putting my entry in.

Here's the GPS trace from my Onederdog lap last year (one lap time trial, enter on the day, free tea and cake afterwards):
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/109214865

From memory the goodie bag had a couple of energy bars and a gel in it, a few lezyne patch kits, a bunch of brochures and a voucher for the evening drinks on Brighton sea front.

7 miles makes the 40-50minute laps more feasible for me. Was worried it was more like 8-10m which I would be about an hour so.

The onederdog looks pretty awesome too.

Retro pairs entered 🙂

I'll be there this year. Went last year to cheer on some friends who were racing.

See you then!

Solo's get a trackside parking space/area so you can sort out any faff's easily and get extra water/food/spares.

Tim (carpark bitch for the last 2 years)

Every year it's been on a different weekend and every one has clashed with our family holiday 🙁

They don't want your sort there Luke!

My sort being rubbish 😉

They dont call me 'Mobile Chicane' for nothing, Tim!

Yeap, they only let me in if I promise to organise the parking and DON'T ride a bike all day. I know my place.

Never ridden the course, never been for beers afterwards but will be there again next year if family allow and they want me.

Ace event, great atmosphere and cracking course.

Going to go up there at some point over the next few weeks/months to see what the course is like I reckon.

Wet and slippy at the moment.

personally, I'd avoid Stanmer 'til it dries out a bit or freezes - there's a lot of erosion of even some of the more robust bits of singletrack up there now.

Not going to do it in this weather. Don't really fancy the hour and a bit drive just to ride in the clag. Will wait for the weather to improve and the ground to dry out or as you say if it freezes although doubt we will have a frostd ecent enough to sort this clag out!!

I'm in for the 6hr solo...although whoever posted the 12hr gumpff has made me double check the event.

Trying to tag a group of mates in to enter a team with the promise of beers in Brighton.

Wouldn't mind seeing what's in store with the course if anyone fancies it one day?

I road through Stanmer at the weekend but stayed off most of the singletrack it's dried out a bit since I last rode it but I'd wait for a bit before planning anything.

look at the brightonmtb.org website - they do regular weekend rides there.

I did find this across the path at one point but otherwise recent storms seem to have just brought smaller stuff down.

[IMG] [/IMG]

I don't mind doing a lap with anyone of last years course once it dries out a bit. I know the area well & it'll be good training for this year, btw I'll not be going fast so you might have to wait for me 😳

It's always a pleasure riding Stanmer in the dry & after we've ridden the course i can show you some of the better trails 😆

Luke. We're up there this Saturday clearing some of the stuff & might make that in to a trail feature 😯 😈

I couldn't do the event last year but went the week after and the course markers were still up, nice loop, some fun techie rooty narrow bits, was pretty dry and very fast.

Great! Another tree based obstacle for me to mince my way over 😉

I'd be surprised if the rangers don't cut it up and move it - it's a fairly popular path with walkers and it's comprehensively blocked at the mo.

That tree is massive, here it is from the other side (if this links) when I found it on Saturday

Bigsi: It would be wonderful if you were clearing that twisty section to the left on the road hill if you turn left after the houses/tea room etc. There are about 3 bits where it was blocked. Was my first time up there since the BBD last year, slippy on west side but the east side mostly ok, cant wait to get back there when its dry again 🙂

[img] [/img]

that's the one - just after that steep little drop if you're coming down into the valley from the Upper Lodges end?

I meant to get a pic from that side but after climbing and carrying over it I just wanted to get on with riding 🙂

Checked it out for the first time last Sunday and it looks like it's going to be great - if it's dry it'll be pure fun, wet a bit more of a slog but still worth it. Really twisty tight bits of singletrack and a few technical bumps just to make it interesting. If anyone on the crew wants to make that fallen tree into a tabletop, go right ahead...

We've got a spare place on a team - two SHoreham lads, one whippet thin and fast rigid 29" type (not me) and one grumbling shit hill climber (me) if anyone's interested - locals in particular.

It's my first ever event, so I'm already nervous...

Thats the one wwaswas. Other than the ones I mentioned above, I only found one other fallen tree blockage which I can point you to if you want bigsi, not sure if I should do a direct link on here to the trail or not

It's my first ever event, so I'm already nervous...

Had a few trees down on my local routes but that's a beast.

Really looking forward to this event!

Any 4hr enduro's around that I can look at? Ideally around South Wales.

Actually, where's the best place to find Enduro's in general?

have a look on xcracer.com - most events get listed on there.

[url= http://www.xcracer.com/UK-Mountain-Bike-Event-Calendar.php ]XC Racer[/url] Have a gander here, fair few events in your area.

Cheers

Just found this thread. Have booked into the pairs with a local mate of mine who's marshalled there a couple of times. Very excited and slightly nervous at the same time as not raced since 1993!

Did a few laps last year and some idiot rode into the back of me as I was moving over to let him past. I came off the bike when the rear wheel physically popped out the frame and bent the rotor such that the wheel no longer went into the frame.

And he didn't stop.

Thanks a bunch. Cost me £30 in repairs, seriously who doesn't stop after a crash? I've got it on video if anyone fancies identifying him lol

Stick it You tube .
It wuzzant me 4 shure , i never overtake anybody
Not sure about this year , legging it to the BBB via Shoreham airshow traffic was RRRRRRRRRRRubbbishhhh

Bigsi: It would be wonderful if you were clearing that twisty section to the left on the road hill if you turn left after the houses/tea room etc. There are about 3 bits where it was blocked.

A few of us fixed those and made a nice little feature whilst bigsi was invoking a knee related excuse a couple of weekends back! 😉

Brilliant thanks! Hope to get back there as soon as my leg stops being ruined

What's it like at the moment? Is it drying out? Quite fancy a spin up there in a couple of weeks

How are the trails looking now? Looking at riding there on the weekend of the 17th if possible. Are the trails all easy enough to find?

The less well known trails are running well with some greasy sideways moments. Big Dog trails are suffering after the winter's traffic, really need some organised maintenance. Rain due this weekend...

Taff you won't find the trails unless accompanied try the Sussex Mtb site to see if any rides are happening when your about

I don't mean "organised maintenance" as in someone else should do it, just that the only way I can see the Big Dog trails riding well through the winter is by moving literally tons of chalky topsoil from the steep slopes onto the main runs through the flatter more clayey/leafy parts of the wood. If you skip those muddy rutted trails and visit after a dry spell you'll have a good ride.

I agree, the muddier Big Dog trails are pretty knackered in places after heavy use this winter, getting wider and rutted. Join a ride with SussexMTB or Brighton MTB to find the lesser used local trails (which are better than the Big Dog ones for the most part).