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yep some of those tracks were harsh enough on a hardtail, must have been boneshakers on a crosser.
Nice to meet you guys.
Applying muscle relaxant now 😉
you too aP. "muscle relaxant" = beer I presume 😀
great fun - busy in places but really interesting route. I thought the signage was excellent. My ride was however compromised when my front shifter refused to drop down from the big chainring, after much trail side shouting etc it eventually decided to drop down!
So, if anyone has a fix for a front XTR m970 shifter which refuses to drop down drop me an email! If not if anyone has one to sell.... drop me an email!
probably just a dodgy cable?
It was great, although I'd disagree with the signage comment. If we'd not had a GPS with us I think we'd have gone wrong several times. One sign in particular was way off the trail and at knee level obscured by the undergrowth. That didn't detract from a great event though 😀
We had a single speeder and a 1x9-er in our trio but at least we knew what we were letting ourselves in for! I thought the route was really good with the really tough bits halfway round so you had no option but to get on with it. The return leg was a bit flatter and more road oriented (thankfully).
Good to meet you AP. I was glad of the full suss for some of those tracks, not so much on the road sections.
I think that the signs were just that bit too close to the actual turn - but then if you put loads up you end up having 4 or 5 teams spending 12 hours signing the day before. Admittedly I did end up in Chesham at one point 😳
Muscle relaxant appears to be working - nearly time for curry and a hot bath.
The cross bike was a tad overgeared for some of the hills and a bit harsh on the washboard sections - overall good though.
Was nice to put some faces to names. Waves to all.
I would agree the signposting was bad in places. You can see I did an extra 3 mile loop trying to get back on track!
[url] http://connect.garmin.com/activity/85856355 [/url]
Good fun though but feels like I've been kicked in the Goolies!
MM
Great day and dry trails. Was a pleasure to ride 132km route. Thank to organisers and helpers
Pawsy Bear+1
I thought it was all pretty good. We got around the long route in 7:20, and legs are feeling it a bit now. It seemed to be the long route extension that had the decent hills in, the way there and back were fairly rolling. I agree about the signing, I think we missed three turns, and added a couple of miles onto the overall distance.
Food stops were good, I was very glad to see the 2nd one.
Thankful I wasn't on a CX bike, it was bumpy enough with front suspension!
I had a lovely chat with two guys just near the finish where you all came off Old Shire Lane......they seemed to enjoy it. Cracking weather for it 🙂
Thanks WDMBC for a lovely chilled day out, signing can be a little discrete - but better that way than some dorks messing with it & sending you on a fools errand as happened to us last year 🙄 even gained some bragging rights over my mate after me & my brothers sibling rivalry got the better of him soon after the first food station 😆
Twas a good days riding - finished the mid length route in just under 6 hours - half an hour shorter than was aiming for. Having found it difficult navigating last year I dug out my old garmin and used that this year and was much easier. Found a lot of people struggling on the map / instructions / signage alone. In many places there is enough, but I find it is in the places where you have to keep on going there isnt enough, or in towns, where it is fighting with other signage.
I think maybe a pre sign just to warn people of complicated turns or ones that come up on you suddenly.
Very well organised and cheerfully run event. Looking forward to next year although probably wont be doing 132 km - thats just a step too far!
How did everyone do ?
I managed the 132km in 7.21hrs actual riding time according to comp, but 7.40 overall from start to finish by watch.
Seemed to stick with same group of people once we'd sorted some navigation errors at the 10 mile mark !
Great route with some nice scenery and fast singletrack.
Bakes - sorry, thought the email would be automatically added to profile when I signed up - hope you found a place.
6 hrs 37 moving time for the 132km route on the singlespeed. Forced to hammer up the climbs!
Thats good going.
What were you on ?
I saw a Pompy, Roadrat and a couple of others running singlespeedI can't remember.
I've a singlspeed Pompy as well and when following this chap yesterday was thinking how I'd attack the climbs rather than drop a gear and pace it.
And whilst i was doing that thinking I lost him ............
pedalhead, I think we leaped frogged you a few times between the the two feed stops. You were going well up the hills on the singlespeed.
Nice. Did the 132km in about 8.5 hours (neglected to bring any kind of timing device other than my phone, which ran out of juice towards the end).
Single-spad it, which was fun, but a bit spinny on the roads. But it's not like I didn't know that would happen 🙂
Loved the flapjack! And the cake - surely that ought to be banned by the ICU?
Great day, well done West Drayton MBC. Terrific route and very, very nice atmosphere at the start/end and on the way round.
132km on a mtb is long, long way, middle section around the Ridgeway was brutal, was begging to see the 2nd food station. After that the last 40km was nice and rolling as we came off the Chilterns and back towards town. I just blew a load of money on a 100mm carbon susser, been trying to justify the purchase, was exactly the right bike for this. Respect to the singlespeeders, them hills was steep. CX looked painful, glad I didnt.
WDMBC seem like a good bunch, got room for a small one?
Good cup of tea at the end!!
Mate and I did the 102Km - have had 2 road sportives and an offroad enurance event sportives in as many weeks and were both tired at the med/lng cut off so decided to do justice to the med loop instead. 5 hours 45 min for the 102 km we felt was respectable. Sprinted the last 3km out the saddle 😉
Thanks WDMBC 🙂
What were you on ?
I was on a Singular Pegasus w/ Lefty.
pedalhead, I think we leaped frogged you a few times between the the two feed stops. You were going well up the hills on the singlespeed.
cheers yeah we were pretty much hanging with the same group until the 2nd puncture. Felt good up most of the hills, though a couple were just too steep & became a walk/trot. What were you riding Jason? Being a bit geeky, I tend to check out all the bikes when riding events like this 🙂
Cracking event.
Thanks to the guys in a top banana jersey who gave me a spare gear cable, I wasn't looking forward to reminding myself why I gave up singlespeeding.
No thanks to the DoE girl who turned round and sacked me with her rucksack knocking me off 3 k from the end (thanks to all the riders who stopped to see if I was ok). Sore this morning!
Sorry I didn't have a spare cable - I did shout you when I can past 🙁
Great day out, bloody tiring though! Just going to get my knee checked out, lovely hole in it thanks to gravel getting jammed in my cleat:) Did my own 120k route, wasn't up for the 132k, the 102k was a little short, so I got lost a few times.
What were you riding Jason?
I was on black and white carbon Scott Scale, with gold Crank Bros wheels. I was riding with my wife, who was on an On-One Whippet.
Hey Jason
Our group was riding with you till the 102/132 split. Was admiring your wheels... wondered what they were.
Nice Carbon Whippet too.
First time I've done one of these events so did the 84k...which ended up being 90k due to the challenging signposting near Hyde Heath and then post 38? where you came hooning down a tarmac hill and should have turned left...luckily the other ride joined at that point and we guessed we had missed the marker.
Masses of fun, great atmosphere, Hi to Darren, The two Marks/c/s and Steve... No shamed in being wooped by a couple of chicks...honest!
Knees where shot yesterday...back in the gym tonightand back on the roadie tomorrow :o)
See you next year :o)