Dirty Reiver 2023

It's.....going. Mainly on Zwift but as the weather and daylight improves, mileage (if not intensity) will pick up. Did a local 40 mile loop yesterday with nearly 5,000 ft of hills crammed in - so about half the climbing of the 200km route. Felt good. Just need to keep progressing and get a couple of lumpy 100 milers in the tank and it'll be fine.

When does the finalised route get published?

Well done guys 😀

I did my first century the other week but it was half outdoor, half zwift 🤣
Next one planned for Saturday.

I also did 3hrs on the Plain on Thursday to get some gravel under the tyres.

Averaging 10h a week for the year so it’s just a case of keeping up with the endurance I think.

I've upped my training hours by quite a bit & have started using the Xert app as a training tool. It seems good, but early days & not without it's problems - mainly connectivity gremlins.

I did an 80km road loop yesterday with 550m or so of climbing, which to be honest was harder than I expected it to be and has got me a little bit apprehensive. I've entered the 130km route, so I am sure I will get round but don't want to suffer the whole way. I need to try & fit in steady long distances each weekend I think, to get my legs into that mode. I am aiming towards more 'endurance' type efforts on the turbo trainer, but they don't have the duration to really give me that time in the saddle that I think I need.

Current bike choice will be my Rigid 26er Inbred which I realise won't be ideal but is the most suitable bike I have.
I am looking to sort out a Camino through the b2w scheme (been meaning to do it for a while now) and have just had an e-mail from them asking for a few more details so they can send a quote through.
So, hopefully I'll be doing on a Camino.

8 weeks to go... Hows it going?

I've knocked out a 90 mile gravel ride, and a 90 mile road in last couple of weekends. Hoping to do a 60 mile reliability ride this weekend, which should be a bit of a smash up with the fast crowd.

Feel like training is going well, but I won't be confident until I've done a 100 mile hilly gravel ride in the Peak. Hopefully in the next month...

Looking forward to seeing the revised Reiver route, so we know what we are in for.

Doing okay. I’m not peaking for it this year- just ‘training through’ so it will be quite different.
Last year I started in mid March and did 100,110 and 125 mile rides on consecutive weeks ending two weeks beforehand.

This year, I’ll probably just stick to one century a month as I’ve been doing (unless the weather is particularly nice).

After the zwift/outdoor combo mentioned above I’ve since done a groupride/solo combo century.
That was a really rewarding session as I did a heck of a lot of work on the group ride, then pressed on for 30 miles solo at around 200w.

I’ve also been building up my weekly tempo rides. They’re way above the intensity of DR of course but are a really potent use of 2-3hrs.

Sadly I’m not losing any weight so I doubt my time will change significantly regardless 🤣🤣

I'm being consistent, using the the turbo a couple of times a week and getting out on the bike at least once a week, just wish the weather would warm up a bit so that long rides are more enjoyable. I'm sure i'll manage the distance, but i doubt that it'll be quick, but i'm going for the experience rather than a time I can brag about😁

Quite 😎
That’s why I did it non-stop last year. I needed a niche I could feel good at 🤣🤣

Training is going OK, until I look at what everyone else seems to be doing. Then it seems woefully inadequate.
Longest ride recently is just over 80km, so realise that I need to get a few more longer rides in. I'm only doing the 130km distance, so feel that I will get round one way or another.
I think my issue will be fatigue from the hills, but there's only so much time I can spend on training so it is, what it is.

I'm not fussed about the time I do it in; I just want to enjoy the event. I imagine I'll be stopping for some pics etc. so it's never gonna be a quick time.

Need to go through kit choices & workout whether I need a new bag or anything, as well as getting the compulsory kit ordered.

Training is going OK, until I look at what everyone else seems to be doing. Then it seems woefully inadequate.

I'm only doing so much training because I'm in for the 200km. I've never ridden 200km on or off road, so want to make sure I'm prepped!! I'm just thankful that the weather has been so dry, so the long miles haven't been too miserable.

At one point I was perhaps taking it a bit lightly- done the 200 once before so did not have the 😧
Think I’ve sorted myself out now - up to 8-10 hours a week and feeling stronger
Got a few races/events planned between now and then to help prep
Also put di2 on my gravel bike which is lovely

8 weeks then? Did a 150km ride on road this weekend. I suppose Cumbrian roads are quite gravelly but I was on the road bike. I know I've got the mileage in the legs and felt OK on some legsnapper hills in the last 20 km but I worry about the accumulation of fatique the heavier bike, gravel and the number of hills will cause.I need to sort my nutrition strategy and might change my tyres from a rather agirculural WTB Sendero to something a bit faster rolling like as a Resolute. Any good alternative suggestions?

I've a 120km Lake District gravel ride planned which I will use as a test ride of the bike/gear and will probably get another long road ride in. Other than that, it's about cramming the hills into training rides.

work has been mental so training, is certainly not where I would like, but never mind, at the worst I shall compromise and drop for 29x3.00 rubber to maybe 2.8 just to make the inevitable endless mosh wondering why I have an aversion to gears up some of the hills a bit more joyful.

I may also trim my beard a bit to reduce drag 🙂

Got 45k in the other day, think i need to up this level of training!!

@slowpuncheur re tyres - last time I used Pirelli cinturato 45mm - the version that looks like a tractor tyre. I thought they were perfect so naturally I’ve changed them 🙄
They were very comfy and I bombed down the descents. Felt fast rolling too.

I’ve gone for Conti terraspeed 40mm - as apparently they are the fastest. Come up a lot smaller. Roll well. Lighter which may help with all the climbing. Fine on the canals of Brum. Not as good going rapidly downhill off-road in the Cotswold’s last weekend but still OK. No cuts to this point either. Avoiding punctures is probably more important than speed.

I used 38mm Pathfinder Pro’s the first year, 42mm Pathfinder Pro’s in ‘22 and I have a set of new 47mm Pathfinder Pro’s ready to go on for this year 🤣🤣

Unless I do do it on my mtb as originally planned.

Hopefully I’ll do a like for like gravel V MTB comparison on Salisbury Plain soon and finally make up my mind 😀

A pattern appears to be emerging @Crosshair:) Are you going wider for comfort reasons? I'm running 650B wheels so would only have the choice of 47mm's anyway. They look a good option with the central strip for speed and width for relative comfort/low pressures. Did you find you had enough traction with them on the steep climbs?

To be honest, I didn’t notice a huge difference between the 38’s and 42’s so hopefully the 47’s will be a good leap forward in being able to run lower pressure for grip, comfort and still having plenty of air on board 🤣

No problem with grip even on fairly muddy trails as the strip just kind of sinks in and the side tread grips.
But for DR they felt perfect.

As mentioned elsewhere- I still think my Mtb suspension is worth the weight penalty for such a long day in the saddle but I will just check both to be sure 😀

I got around to fitting one of the 47mm pathfinders the other day. Left the 42 on the front. It was quite good but can’t say I noticed any difference for better or worse.
It wasn’t especially draggy or noisy or too bouncy and seemed to give good grip.
It got a massive thorn in it though which luckily sealed when I pulled it out at home 🤣
When the weather cheers up I’ll get some proper gravel underneath them.

Another block (Base 3) ended today so I did my monthly century ride. Noodled to town at 13.7mph with my mate, did the 50 mile group ride at 20.2mph and then did 42 miles solo at 19.8mph. So gutted as had I ridden at 20mph to the meet, I’d have gotten my first 5hr century.
I must get around to having a crack solo as I think I could do it now on the right course.

I was lucky with the increasing winds too- it really suited the route I planned and meant the last 1h06 mins flew by at 23mph 🤣

Not really that good Gravel Training mind you as it was easy, short, high inertia pedal strokes rather than the relentless, long, torquey circles needed to ride round Kielder on draggy gravel with mental headwinds 🤣

I’m still within a lb of my weight on the first of January despite doing 10,000kcals of training most weeks 🙄🤣

as a first timer I am torn between my cross bike with 38mm tyres or my fast XC bike.

On the cross bike I have road gearing lowest is 34x32 or a dinner plate 30x50 on the Mtb.

Training is going ok, not amazing but managing longish rides most weeks as well as trainer sessions but work is getting in the way a fair bit. On Sunday I did a 100k sportive on the cross bike with chunk tyres in just over 4 hours and felt pretty good at the end. Biggest concern will be figuring out camping when I get there!

Anyone in the Dorking area fancy a long training ride on Friday 24th March? It would be good to meet some folks doing the Reiver.

I am planning to ride from Dorking down to Shoreham and back on the 22 cycle route then Downlinks. It's about 95 miles but only 3500ft climbing. Targeting approx 8 hours so steady pace at Z2 with low Z3 on ascents, with a couple of short stops for an espresso and water refill.

Anyone in the area will know the Downslink is pretty dull but good for long gravel sections.

@slowboydickie sent you a PM (I think!)

Got it thanks Bazz. I'll send my mobile to organise better.

Biggest concern will be figuring out camping when I get there!

What's your concern - that you've not booked, or that you don't know how to camp?

Not been able to book anything. Lots of people say there is camping on-site so just turn up but until you see it yourself you never know!

I felt the same way last year as i had not booked anything.

I felt there was defiantly a lack of organised information about the forestry "turn up and park", just what i had gathered from asking similar questions above.

But there was plenty of room... If you are not in a camper with facilities - try and stay in the lower of the 2 fields they put on as its closer to the toilets.
The top field is a 5 - 10 minute walk down the hill to the toilets and the field is not that flat.

Two weeks of training left! How goes it?

We knocked out a 92 mile gravel ride with 2000m+ of climbing yesterday, so feeling almost ready... Would like to knock out a gravel century with nearer 3000m climbing next weekend.

Only averaged 13.5mph yesterday, but we had some pretty slow techy downhills to contend with, and an extremely busy Monsal trail which was very start/stop.

Some days I feel happy with training and the next day I have a wibble and worry I haven't done enough.
I'll get round but it won't necessarily be pretty. The hills will be my downfall. Currently debating swapping the 40t ring for a 38t just for this event.

This time last year I progressed through a 100 mile road ride to a 110 mile road ride to a 124 mile road and gravel ride but instead, this year I've just stuck to monthly centuries.
Yesterday the locals decided to do one but it turned a little bit hot and spicy at times.
Including noodling to my mate's (who was late up) it was 19.3mph for 103 miles. My power was 257w average at 151bpm average.
Last year, my average HR for DR was 144bpm so at a guess, that's about 230/240w I can hope to hold for the duration this time around (if I fuel properly). That's about 55w up on last year and all thanks to my Z2 program over the winter.

I do plan on doing a solo road century this Sunday to check but I can't see any merit in doing a crazy 7+ hour ride this close to the event- I'd rather keep my fitness score high by training right up to it rather than having to do a long taper to see off the ill-effects of a longer day.

Had a couple of good rides over the past month, just to check out position and contact points on a new bike. Worst comes to the worst it will be a grim death march into headwind from satan himself, but even then it's still just dicking about on bikes, which is a fun thing to do.

I very nearly contemplated using a bike that would be actually suitable, Drop bars, gears, big rubber, then gave myself a slap and have chosen something suitably stupid, just make the hills that bit more grim and the few flat bits that bit more frustratingly spinny

If you see an elderly tattooed gentleman crying into his beard on the climbs, give him a cheery wave 🙂

Interesting video from DJ. Unbound isn’t as hilly as DR but there’s potentially 30 -60 minutes of saving here I reckon!

Not watched it ^^^ but do they report that a barrel bar bag and bum bag make you extra aero?!

Hmm, so i supposed to be doing the 130km DR on the 22nd, however, a long term back injury means my (flat) 30 mile ride yesterday was my first none e-bike ride for about 4 months. It felt like id never ridden a bike before it was that tough. So whats the odds i can get fit enough to complete it in the space of under 3 weeks?? Some serious miles may be needed over the BH weekend....

Training has mainly consisted of indoor sessions as work and weather has been getting in the way but now I have watched the video I am not so worried. Aero socks, USWE pack and riding on the drops will give me a 30w ftp bump so happy days!

Have managed to drop a few Kg since xmas and according to Trainerroad FTP is still going up so things seem to be trending in the right direction. Feel like I am in a similar position as when I started the bike Transalp last year but am safe in the knowledge I won't have to contend with 35degrees on the event. A bit nervous but should get round.

Bike has just had a full strip down and should be able to get out a couple of times this next 2 weeks. just to give it a proper shake down.

@stumpy01 YES!!! 🤣🤣 Well not the bar bag but the bum bag does 😱

Route GPX files are now up on the Dirty Reiver website

This was our training ride from the weekend... I'm not Dan, but the other bloke.

Nice one 👍🏻 I watched that yesterday 😃

Dan is annoyingly good on the gravel bike. I was hoping he was gonna struggle 🙂

Yeah! I was impressed with his 299w 2h reliability ride too 🤩

just loading up the route and the elevation looks very low at only 2400m and the route is less than 200km.

Anyone else finding similar in Garmin Connect?

I've got 196km and 2880m on Komoot.

Strava is giving 122.7 miles and 12500’ I think 🧐

https://www.strava.com/routes/3078085483868699322

I downloaded the route from strava and put it in Garmin and it cuts the elevation. Really odd!

After watching the aero gains video I was thinking about doing away with my bar bag but the info provided says number has to be on display out front so that will shelter the bar bag so no additional losses!

It would be interesting to see their CdA data applied to the DR course. My hunch is that the greater amount of climbing means that the slower speeds will make aero slightly less important V the Unbound course which is obvs longer and flatter.

I still can't decide which bike to ride. The second bottle cage and easier tool-storage is probably leaning me back to the Diverge at the moment even though I 'know' the full-sus xc bike will be less fatiguing.

Switching from a strategy of not stopping at all, to one of stopping at every rest-stop, makes it seem almost easy 🤣 I'm pretty sure I can do 2.5hrs on one 750ml bottle and a soft-flask full of sugar (making the Diverge bike choice less important). Would just have to pack enough spare sugar to top them up each time.

I'm doing it with a lighter mate this year and I'm already having mixed emotions about that. On the one hand, it will be nice to share the driving and have his camper to sleep in. But on the other, I really do enjoy being by myself 🤣
And on the ride, he will be bored and find it easy at my climbing pace. Even mid/high tempo for me is only 3.1w/kg which means he'll be riding at 220w (his mid Z2) and I'll be doing 300! Over 12500' of climbing, that's a big difference in energy expenditure.

Once again, I find myself approaching a DR wishing I hadn't bothered training and had just starved myself instead 🤣

I'm in two minds what to do about feed stops. I'd love to skip the first feed station, but 103km is a long way to get on two bottles.

Ride with GPS gives me 2930m of climbing

In a similar situation to you @crosshair. If I ride with Dan from the video above, he can murder me on the flat, but I'll be waiting for him on every hill. So I'm pretty sure we'll end up splitting up. I'm in group of 5 though, so hoping at least a couple of us can stick together.

Yeah it's tricky. I have no doubt he'll be happy to have a wee stop at the top and wait for me, or pacing himself alongside me- but that will make me feel worse 🤣

On our century last Sunday, he was flagging a bit and he nearly bailed out onto the backroads. Then we hit a drag of a climb and he ended up in the light-guy group up the road 🤣 I was gutted as I knew I was fresher but couldn't muster up the power to close the gap.

Last years DR was annoying with the crosswinds too as I couldn't unleash the full amount of potential energy on the descents. I was basically dragging myself up massive hills just to create the impetus to wear out brake pads 🤣
And of course, the route is miraculously devoid of any flat sections whatsoever 🤣

The first feed stop usually looks really busy with all the short course traffic too- I must have a think about that and perhaps take a 'disposable' bottle in my jersey to at least get to #2.

Can I ask how tight people would say is too tight for clearance.

Been running 35/38's on my cross bike and was planning on using it but on Friday I was out and got a big cut on one. My local shop had no stock but did have a pair old Vittoria terrine dry in the spare box which they kindly gave me to try. They seem to be coming up a bit bigger than the old tyres and there is maybe 1mm spare.

Am I asking for trouble having such tight clearance? If the wheel goes at all out of true I could be in trouble trying to get it rolling!

Have tried posting a pic but have never figured out how to do it with this site

I guess the danger is a stone jamming and damaging the frame or fork. Or any kind of mud if it’s remotely wet.

that's my thought,
are 35mm on the lower limit of width for comfort?

I mean I guess that’s up to you 😀

I can’t say I found it harder going on 38’s than 42’s but that probably means I could have run the 42’s at a lower pressure.

its more understanding the terrain/surfaces.

I rode the SDW a few years ago on 35mm tyres and I felt like I had been kicked the full 100 miles so want to avoid that feeling!