[Closed] Glentress Seven anyone?

(not sure if we still have to do the bump thing but just in case, bump)

I think last/only time I did it, you had a kerfuffle of some description and missed it on the day? 2018.

I'd do it in a team but it's a bit dull for me solo (as I know the terrain and am not fit enough for get a result I'd be pleased about).

Good luck and enjoy

Me!

Doing it as a pair with Tyred Jr (amazed he agreed to it) which I think puts us in Male Pair Under 75.

He's done it before, I haven't. Looking forward to it as I haven't raced MTB for ages. Keen to see if I can put in a faster lap than him!

Yep - 3rd time racing it
first time solo though.

The chnage to the pits and packing everthing has certainly changed what i was going to take and how i was going to be supported

The new section looks like it pretty much follows the main blue loop in the skills area... Bit of a throwback to early years that- lots of good options in there. And though I might miss the swoop through the field at the end, I won't miss the horrible grass climb back out.

I am basically just praying for good weather though, being restricted in how much pits stuff you can have is going to be a lot less fun for teams if it rains. The pit boxes thing has "potential chaos" written all over it, hopefully they can make it work.

Mate of mine just spotted that the rider notes contradict themselves, it says you can't have a pit/support crew due to covid but elsewhere it recommends it. Pretty clear that the "recommend" is cut-and-paste from previous years but could cause confusion

cynic-al
Full Member

I think last/only time I did it, you had a kerfuffle of some description and missed it on the day? 2018.

Yah, on paper a technical issue, but really a depression thing. Only year I've missed.

I've read it that way as well - no people spectating / extra people - but we recomend you have a support crew. Errrr.
We're staying the pods at the camp site - which i've had booked since 2019 as I was hoping to leave all my big spares in the van as racing solo with only my family as supporting / watching at some points means there is no quick way to fix something major.

Although with a slightly shorter lap with less climbing should make it fun - the first climb out of the pits was a slog

I'm in as a team of two, this is our 2019 entry that has been bumped twice due to injury then the obvious.

I was looking forward to it but the pit changes seem a massive faff and if the weather is bad it will be little fun, there was a point last night I was for ditching the whole thing as I couldn't be arsed with it but will probably go ahead and just be grumpy. No complaints at the Tweedlove guys, doing a great job in difficult circumstances and it's the best they could do, just me being a prima donna.

Mate is staying for the weekend at the huts down the bottom so we had intended to have a nice relaxed place to chill and rest between laps there, but that's now out the window with the move to the top of the hill!

We’re staying the pods at the camp site – which i’ve had booked since 2019 as I was hoping to leave all my big spares in the van as racing solo with only my family as supporting / watching at some points means there is no quick way to fix something major.

As above, we are similar as mate is staying for the weekend. What I can't make out from the notes is whether this would still be ok, other than adding a couple of minutes onto a lap time is there any reason why you couldn't come off the course at the bottom to access your kit in the van for something major? It says strictly no access to the lodges but presumably this means for others, rather than preventing you from accessing your own car or your own accommodation for the weekend?

I'm doing it in the over-50 solo class. Last rode it in 2017 and 2015 and loved it but couldn't make it back till now for various reasons.
Training was going well till about 3 months ago when I tore my shoulder, so I haven't had as much bike time as I'd have liked. Did a test 122 mile road ride 2 weeks ago and it held up well, but 7 hours hanging on downhill and pulling uphill will be a whole different ball game. Ah well, I'll soon find out..!

I tried to book a pod as they're great for using as a pit when the race passed right past them, but they were all booked. I'm guessing they'll be getting a few cancellations now.

Just praying I don't get a big mechanical issue as there's no way of nipping to the van or carting a load of stuff to a pod this year.

i'm guessing i can potter to the pods from the corner of the course... but its just time.

No arguiment with their decission - it must be hell to sort out stuff at the moment.

Just me been a meh about it at the moment.

lets see what an extra year can do for me

Oh and hopefully the weather will hold.

Lots of sympathy for anyone in the lodges, that'd be the perfect spot in a normal year. Especially for a team, was always jealous riding past people's setups.

tenacious_doug
Free Member

It says strictly no access to the lodges

Actually "strictly no access to the lodges facilities"- I'd take that to mean the toilets, water, etc rather than being definitely about riders accessing their own lodge? Though I suppose it's a pretty unfair advantage when everyone else is restricted to their pits and their box.

(I think it'd probably all round out overall? I mean, yes it's an advantage but it's far enough off the route to lose a load of time so anything that makes it worth doing is a race-wrecker anyway. More or less just means people can keep riding and having fun after a big problem which might have knocked them out- but they're still out of competition)

But it's only an extra minute to the car park as well.

From all my planning leading up to this... I'm now starting to come to terms with it.

Roll on 7hrs of sunshine

Actually “strictly no access to the lodges facilities”- I’d take that to mean the toilets, water, etc rather than being definitely about riders accessing their own lodge? Though I suppose it’s a pretty unfair advantage when everyone else is restricted to their pits and their box.

Ah, maybe, that would make more sense.

I’m guessing they’ll be getting a few cancellations now.

I guess it is still useful to be sleeping just round the corner from registration if you end up being allocated a sign on slot at 7:30am! Going to make for a very long day if not.

I am marshalling at this event. If you want some personal encouragement post up your race number and some pertinent biographical facts. Or non-facts. I don't mind.

I'll be there in a pair. It seemed like a good idea at the time, after entering our respective daughters in the under 7's on Sunday 😂.
I've ridden very little of Glentress in recent years, but guess a hardtail will be preferable to a 150mm bouncy bike?

Just so everyone knows
The tweed side caravan park is closed till Monday
I’m on it now but can only stay with no facilities and environment health are coming tomorrow to test everyone on site

No access to anyone else till Monday

Anyone who had this booked for this weekend will need to sort something else out

I’d go hardtail! You’ll gain more on the climbs than you will on the descents! Trying to overtake on the descents becomes hard when there’s a train of 20 folk in front!

Hels and her heckling XC spreadsheet

ceept
Full Member

I’ve ridden very little of Glentress in recent years, but guess a hardtail will be preferable to a 150mm bouncy bike?

The route uses surprisingly little of the trail centre so you're not at a disadvantage there... I've done it on everything from a rigid xc bike to a fatbike to a big 29er enduro #rig and always enjoyed it but overall, hardtail with reasonably quick tyres is best imo. But there'll be people doing it on allsorts, it's a really fun route and it does work on just about anything.

Yup second hardtail over trail/enduro bike.

I was down to do solo until a month ago now in a pair and looking forward to it where as had I been solo I would be stressed out; not sure I would fancy "super" solo, used to race super solo ie no support, but it is definitely harder.

I am also glad I live down the road feel for people who need to stay somewhere with the above issues and Rosetta campsite closed for all 2021.

Thanks all, I'll take the hardtail. I need all the help I can get on the climb, and probably stuck in a queue on the descents anyway 🙂.

Gotta say that's one thing I've never found too bad, I probably spent more time frustrated in a queue in 3 laps of 10 Under The Ben than I have in a decade of GT7s... Not sure why that is but it's just never felt as crowded, I think the basic competence level is maybe a bit better?

It'll be interesting to see how the new route and staggered starts change the first lap though- previously it's been a case of "make as much progress as you can on the road before the first singletrack" and most especially "get to the top on the first lap as fast as you can" because the tunnel of love's probably the hardest section for most riders, and was also literally the first time you pointed a wheel downwards. Chaos. But now it looks like we might possibly do the skills area bit first? And the staggered start will spread the crowd out more. que sera sera, I'm in the second last wave so I doubt there's much I can do about it.

Also, pro tip, if you see someone in a triathlon top ahead of you on a climb, pass them before the descent at all costs. I'm not saying they're all shit, inconsiderate, and hard to pass, but, literally every one I've ever had in front of me was.

I am heading there - I think I did it in 2011 & 2012 the last time. Remember the course was very XC but good fun if you can get a clear descent without some dainty XC racer without a dropper slowing you down!

Going to be a bit of a faf not being able to register on the Friday evening. Hope the hotel can do me a full Scottish breakfast early. Food of fat athletes.

@tenatious_doug - same here. I read the format and the rules and immediately thought "poke it".

I have since decided I am grumpy and just need to live with the changes out there to be Covid compliant. Or live in a miserable wee solo bubble in the hills around Aberdeenshire...

Also, pro tip, if you see someone in a triathlon top ahead of you on a climb, pass them before the descent at all costs. I’m not saying they’re all shit, inconsiderate, and hard to pass, but, literally every one I’ve ever had in front of me was.

I won't be wearing a Tri top but doubt I will holding anyone up on a decent...but hoping generally this is true so when I actually get to race an off road Tri I can make up some spots!😉

I am not sure how staggered the start is, when I reread it it sounded more like groups will be separated and distanced at the start but we pretty much roll off together, also being in the last but one wave I can see quite a slow first lap unless I can somehow do a Pidcock... unlikely!

but hoping generally this is true so when I actually get to race an off road Tri I can make up some spots!😉

good luck with that... My experience of th CAT and the Craggy Island Triathlon is that they are much more populated with hardy adventurous types than dentists.

The only really annoying bit from hold ups perspective is tunnel of love becasue if the person infron tof you stops AND DOESN'T DIVE OUT THE WAY* you're quite likely to have to stop aswell and thats you pushing if you are running spds.

*whats with that? If i crash /get off and push/ accidentally dismount I focus on dragging myself to the side with all haste then worry about injuries and getting restarted.

Right - so the email has come with more information.

So solo riders who are not under 18 or vulnerable can't have a support crew 🙁

SportScotland’s Guidance is that there should be no spectators at events or competitions and Support Crews are not allowed except to support children/young people under 18 or vulnerable persons. So for this race we must work within these guidelines.

Thats a proper race.

Whats the position on small boys pumping the bellows to fix your frame mid race?

7:40 registration time! Still some upside to having a team mate staying the weekend in forest lodges, would definitely not fancy having to get down from Edinburgh for 7:40 then having 2 hours to hang around for race start.

I'm in again, solo, carried over from last year's entry. Think this is my 10th one. Feeling the least fit than I have felt at any point in the last 18 months!

Also, pro tip, if you see someone in a triathlon top ahead of you on a climb, pass them before the descent at all costs. I’m not saying they’re all shit, inconsiderate, and hard to pass, but, literally every one I’ve ever had in front of me was.

I've done GT7 5 times and agree, the only way if on any of the descents is a shout of "rider!".

Yup even living down the road 7:40 registration seems unpleasant! I am not sure I can even go home in between as all I would do would stress about getting back!...Maybe I will cycle really really slowly to the race briefing to kill two hours.

And on the above "Pro tip" here is a "not pro but super experienced, makes time going down and used to be very good at endurance racing tip": Don't stress about being held up, it's seven hours, if you find yourself behind a rider going slowly downhill, just use the time to cruise and recover, you will save just as much time in the long run doing this than stressing out about it.
Sure ask to get past when they can allow it but bare in mind if your not that confident in going down it can be pretty stressful and often your on your line and stopping or pulling to the side only adds to that fear/stress. They may well be at their limit and just need to get to a safe spot to do so. Yes there will be some who push past you and then slam on the brakes but they are few and far between. Be cool and kind and relaxed it will pay off in the end.

Looking at the waves - the pairs are starting after all the solo's

I wonder how big a gap they are giving between the waves. i'd have throught 30 seconds to a minute

I'm a solo - so it will be nice to have semi clear track... but those poor buggers certainly the fast pairs / trios will have a lot of riders to wriggle through, where as they would normally got out in front and the race would have settled into its natural line out before the single track.

Registration time of 8.40... and staying in the pods.
63L box full of the finest refined sugar and engergy gels.

What was the final decent with all the roots was always tricky to pass people without been too much of a dick.. it got a narrow in places and with a hardtail and full seatpost made the more off piste line choices a non starter.

Good luck everyone

8.10am registration for me. Could've done with a lie-in after a 7 hour drive from Suffolk the day before lol.

Solo number 180 in orange/blue kit. Good luck everyone, fingers crossed for a dry one.

501C with green fairy wings for Reasons, on a grey Solarismax. Clearly red wave is where the cool kids are.

One of my teammates is taking the hit for the 7.40am registration, thank god... (I can see the logic that led to it but giving the same people both the shittest registration times and the shittest starting position's not nice.)

Mystic Northwind predicts: arguments about course cutting in the pits.

Wasn't there fisticuffs 2 years ago?

Essential race prep

[img] [/img]

I can see the logic that led to it but giving the same people both the shittest registration times and the shittest starting position’s not nice

Yup not ideal, but on the upside (for me)my usual pre race nerves, which mainly surround the start should hopefully be calmed. There will be little point starting hard, a nice roll out behind everyone else. I am actually quite looking forward to trying to move up rather than pressure to keep position. Saying that I am sure there will be lots of fast people starting in the lower waves.
I shall be on my carbon Honzo with my custom "Be more dog" jersey with drawings of my dog on...it's less twee and a lot cooler than I make it sound...well maybe...

They've reversed the daft rule about "team captain is the first person named on your entry and your captain must take the first lap" if anyone was worried about that. We were just going to ignore it.

Thanks Northwind. So were we 🙂

They’ve reversed the daft rule about “team captain is the first person named on your entry and your captain must take the first lap” if anyone was worried about that. We were just going to ignore it.

I never even knew that was a rule.
Makes note to ensure @Northwind gets a time penalty before the race even starts 🙂

Hardly necessary, I am my own time penalty.

Besides, Rachel's the first rider on the registration, therefore captain, therefore no matter what I do it's her fault.

I've done it the last 5 times solo but not this year and quite glad of it tbh (I can still feel whats left of my wrists aching just thinking about the final descent).

What are the course changes this year compared to the usual tried and trusted out of interest?

Wasn’t there fisticuffs 2 years ago?

In 2019 I turned a corner to find 2 clowns squaring up to each other in middle of the trail.

TWEEDLOVE.COM "https://tweedlove.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/GT721_Riders-Notes_F.pdf"

the final decsent is there- but instead of coming through the bottom field then climbing out from the camping site - it just cuts through to the red trail oand starts to head back towards go-ape.

They have also added some loops near the top buzzard nest car park

TPBiker, where exactly was that on the course?

In my wisdom it was a good idea to enter it solo. First time doing it so not sure what to expect. I just plan on turning the pedals until I get bored or until I’m done. Only an hours drive away so don’t have to get up too early which is a bonus.

Yeah, people think solo is for heroes and for some it is but for me it just means I can worry about my own riding, not think about transitions or when I'll get to ride and when I won't, no pressure of letting other people down... I fell into it by accident, when a teammate dropped out after 2 laps and I just went, hmm, guess I'm a solo now...

Fun to be in a team again mind but I really like it as a solo.

Shit the bed, I just looked at the weather forecast and it said pissing rain in the morning, 30 degrees by mid afternoon. Apparently there's a Peebles in Wisconsin

Apparently there’s a Peebles in Wisconsin

Yep, sometimes I forget that too.

Get a bit of excitement that I can get outside.

Well that was cracking. Despite my grumbles about the setup I think being based at Buzzards worked really well. I actually think it made for a better balanced course than being something of a big climb and big descent before. I missed the fun of the last grassy slalom but I don't actually think it's worth it for the horrible grassy slog back up, and the skills loop addition instead was actually pretty fun. Oh and being able to have everyone with pit space was great.

I felt for you all whilst out running in the pissing rain.

I say "felt" more laughed internally.

Any punch ups?

Yeah, I thought it worked out great. I am honestly amazed at how well the box thing worked. I think Neil might be too 🙂 Still would have been more of a thing had the weather been worse but there were a lot of advantages to it, the pits are so much better. I did find it physically tougher than previous years, not sure why- seemed to just expend a lot more energy. First lap was a lot more queue-y for me than a normal year but that's purely because of the waves, not the new layout.

We accidentally took 3rd in mixed trios. Yes I know it's about the least competitive class, I don't care, I has a plank!

Out of interest northwind...

How many mixed trios were there...

Well done!
I really liked the altered course, the grassy climb is horrible and liked the detour via the skills loop better than going up the red skills path.

I quite enjoyed the first lap too even if in hindsight I burnt too many matches trying to move up through the field.

Best gt7 I've done so far . Agree with everyone who preferred the course to the previous one , I did not miss that grass climb at all . Also it was just really nice to be at an event with people and it feeling right .

joshvegas
Free Member

How many mixed trios were there…

6 or 7 I think?

5 Mixed Trios participated.

As somebody who spent most of the day around the pits area, it was noticeably more relaxed than the chaos that usually occurs. I suspect that was more to do with the pits being far more spread out, and not having an endless stream of riders crowding in to a pretty contained transition area.

Yep, have to agree with everyone else.. pits were a huge improvement, transitions were a much chiller affair, so much so that I had my teammate roll up while I was still sat enjoying a sarnie.!

Also thought the course changes worked really well.. the little extra wiggle in the skills loop was great fun, I found it really got you into the right mindset for the lap.. and less climbing before hitting the Tunnel meant there seemed to be fewer people dropping into it breathing out their ears and hanging onto the brakes the whole way down, I also found myself enjoying the Cardie Hill descent much more as, with it being halfway into the lap you've still got enough energy to do more than just hang on.. seemed like a lot fewer people mincing down.. got held up on a couple of laps but nothing too aggravating.  even the climbing back didn't seem so bad.

Being setup at the very end of the pit meant having to ride all the way through the pits and round the cruel little extra loop around the jump park was a bit of a shock to the system the first lap out. And there was a lot of confused riders coming into the transition very confused about where to go and who switches rides before dibbing and who does it after dibbing..  but, overall, tiny little teething issues and I hope they keep the format in the future, definitely a big improvement.

#EDIT : Does anyone know if the 2 big crashes at the bombhole are ok.? First one looked pretty serious as I went past with EMT's and a lot of medical gear spread out...

I agree the box thing work amazingly well.

I felt the course was harder. Not sure why but my back felt I more than before. Some sections were just bumpy on a hardtail.

And although it was not sunny, it did not rain to much.

Glad I was solo though and not fighting off midges for hours.

Photos are slowly been processed

https://www.rootsandrain.com/event8635/2021-jun-19-tweedlove-pirelli-glentress-7-glentress/photos/

The climb up and wee traverse into the freeride was horrible, especially on the first lap if you were in the back half of the pits so were about to change over... I'd killed myself on the cardie climb thinking it was the end. And no real tradeoff, if they keep the same general shape of lap I hope they find a way to take us to the top and then down through the freeride like in the earlier years. Even if it means just grinding up the push-up path, it'd end the lap with a bang, I definitely ended all of mine with a whimper. (and if they brought us round the edge of the pits through the woods, much like in the last few years, it'd stop that "pits split in half" thing).

The dibber station needed signage really or a marshall whose whole job was saying "dibbers ready" just before it for the first couple of laps. It's too easy for the marshalls at the posts to get caught up, that happened to me on first lap- I rode straight through because they were both helping another rider and there was so much else going on in the area that the dibber stations just weren't really visible... And if I can miss them then anyone can I reckon.

Little things though, and both things they haven't had to worry about with the old format. I reckon that's about all I can grumble about and that's a pretty high compliment! The staggered start wasn't good, but if that's what's needed to run the race then it's worth it. The end time change definitely caused some grumbles though, didn't affect us.

(I, uh, may have stupidly suggested we recommission the dog section descent from way way back, it can link back into the blue return and then to zoom or bust or the essentials. But I'd forgotten how horrendous the climb back out is)

Having 2 whole years between races and not having any trailfairy time in the runup definitely affected the actual trails. Not in a bad way, just different. The skills area loop was a nice bit of variety. Probably being a little later in the year made things a little more overgrown too, like the long grass in the horse trail where it's usually effortless to overtake.

The end time change passed me off.

I may have vented to the poor lady on the finish. I may have been slightly broken

Been solo I had no idea it was no longer 5.20 as their info had said.
And they let me out on another lap without telling me.

Never mind.. It would have no difference to my position anyway.
And I'm pleased for doing the 9 (8 recorded) laps.

I thought that was ace - the crate-shuttle worked way better than anyone probably expected, and the atmosphere was great. Weather was kind in the end.

The pits being up the hill balanced the lap out much more IMO and meant you didn't have people staking everything on the final descent. Felt like once you were onto the Cardie hill climb you could gas it all the way up to the pits, for me that's a much better way to end the lap than descending down through the field. A climb as a reward, it's the way forward.

Did it as a pair with Tyred jr, expected him to put in faster laps than me but he didn't. 🙂 Life in the old dog yet. Just outside the top 10, no pocket money for him this week.

I'd be pretty pissed off if I'd been caught by the end time change. Not entirely sure why it's not just set in stone? But the comms need fixing- tannoy announcements don't cut it, it's totally possible for a solo rider to just never be in the right place to hear it, even if they're listening out for it, which you're probably not. And the start/finish line marshalls can't really communicate it- takes too long, too many people, too much chance of delay or confusion, and they've got too much else to do.

Probably just needs a massive sign tbh. Scoreboard style numbers or a big whiteboard/chalkboard, "LAST LAP STARTS X, RACE ENDS Y". Somewhere that you see it every lap and know where to look.

(likewise the actual finish line/dibber station- just needs an unmissably big set of GET READY TO DIB and DIB HERE signs)

Full results are up here: https://www.sportident.co.uk/results/Tweedlove/2021/GT7/

(thanks MC!)

The last lap cut off is so weird, it's like it's a short track xc where lap number is decided once the race has started but it's not at all. As said it's possible for a solo rider to have no idea especially this year of no support, pretty mean.
I don't know why they don't say 5:20/5:30 or even just say 5pm. No Fuss races and the like where 10 hours and you had to be back before the 11th hour or something similar, simple and fixed from the start.
I would be so upset to get round in the previous allotted time to be told it didn't count solo or otherwise.
But otherwise a great event.

I too thought the new pits layout worked better. Later in the race, that previous grass climb out of the old pits killed you off before you'd even really started the lap.

The last part of the downhill at the far end of the lap before Go-Ape is a bit blown out now though; solo on a hardtail isn't fun down there after a few hours. Overall the organisers did a fantastic job considering everything they were up against, and I bet we'll never know the half of all the hoops they had to jump through.

Finished 10th in over-50 solo and was happy with that. Just the ride up to the start line is steeper and longer than anything I usually ride down in Suffolk haha. Had a too-long pit break 4 hours in, followed by a mechanical on the next lap that cost me time. Would've got another lap in if they'd kept to the 5.20 finish time but luckily I'd heard about the change to 5 and saved myself a wasted lap.

Had the usual experience of G7 - halfway through, the thoughts of "never again" start creeping in, then after a bath and food later I start thinking how good it was and what I'll do different next time! 🙂

Just looking at the timing, I'm quite happy that we were nowhere near getting 2nd in our class and about a million miles from getting 1st 🙂 No regrets, no "aargh if only we'd..."

In the end, the race was 7 hours, which is kind of what you'd expect from a 7 hour race, if it weren't for the fact that the previous years were longer and the notes said 7:20TBC. (I have results saved from a 2011 and 2015 for some reason and they both ran to 7:30)

So... yeah, anyone know why? There's got to be a reason for it but I haven't a clue what it could be... it seems just more sensible to say 7 hours is 7 hours. The "final lap cutoff" is mostly to stop there being loads of doomed people setting out... But that doesn't require a moving end time, if either is to move it seems more sensible to tweak the last lap start time.

Other timed races, eg the 'puffer, its first across the line after the clock stop. Even the kids races on Sunday were like that.

It doesn't really matter though, as long as it doesn't change mid-race.