It was 'orrible.
The mud was vile 🙁
Must get mud tyres and a slightly more XC race orientated bike me thinks.
Results are up. 24th for me. Pleased as I could barely keep the bike in a straight line!
Well done to everyone who took part. It would have been so easy to stay home and eat Sunday roast!
Got 16/7 in the 2 hr vets. Quite pleased with that! Wouldn't of wanted to do any more than the 3 I did.
I had roast Muntjac for supper- polished off the lot and seconds 😀
Jason - it just seemed a shame to have her get so close to the end of the lap and have to DNF while leading. It's a shame it is such a heavy bike with gearing that didn't suit her.
It was a pleasure by the way
Yep, that was a wet one...
Course held up pretty well considering but fair play to the 4 hr riders. I was done by 3 laps.
Close to the podium in the 2 hr race so looks like I'll be giving the other rounds a go, they can't all be that muddy, surely...
I did say that with the forecast, my preride report was going to be of no relevance. But if anyone made their tyre choice based on it - apologies!
Scale not a spark. All in black gore kit, not that you could tell as I was covered head to toe in mud.
Ah, just wondered if it was you I too'd and fro'd with for half the race. He may have been a vet....
I finished one place behind you.
Benji & Crosshair - great chatting to you both today - we all had a nice little race passing and re-passing each other multiple times through the race
Crosshair - how can you be so cheerful every time you came past me?
Benji - apologies about the lycra comments - pisstaking with a team mate who wears lycra at races 🙂
Quality day out today = probably the muddiest race i've ever done - proper race of attrition
Great course - even with the mud chucked in - the Gorrick guys pulled a blinder
Yep, the conditions were tough but considering it's late November, it wasn't to cold 🙂
Pretty pleased with my result - 28th from 50 starters
However, today i learnt that a Fatbike isn't the best option in [i]all[/i] situations - bloody good fun though 🙂
See you all in December
I enjoyed that. I did start to get very cold after about 3hrs though; so much so that my legs didn't really want to work. No way I could hold off a fast catching George at that point.
I thought the course was fun, the lap seem to pass quickly, even in the mud.
Low pressure in the rocket rons (18 psi) seem to be a good choice as I didn't really suffer for traction anywhere. in fact I probably would have preferred them to leave some of the worse bits in. They seemed to be the only places where I could take time out of George...
saying that, I still hope that next round is sunnier and dustier!
@Boltonjon- Oops sorry I spelled your name wrong earlier. I was cheery because this as my favourite hobby ever lol! And you're a total Ledge too- you're so perfect for that bike, I bet you have a Fatbike screensaver 😉 😀
Cheers Crosshair - i'll take that as a compliment 🙂
Or maybe even a suggestion that my 'less than smooth technique' is somewhat masked by the ability of being able to bounce up & over everything!!
One thing i do need is bigger mudguards!! The state of me today was ridiculous!
[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8626/15242412473_76c6f164ff.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8626/15242412473_76c6f164ff.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/pdVmc4 ]Brass Monkey Nov14[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/67749037@N02/ ]boltonjon[/url], on Flickr
Definitely a compliment! I was genuinely LOL'ing at how handy it was to follow your massive track 😀 I knew how close I was getting by how many people had ridden over your wheel marks 😉
I wonder how many #Svenness fans were shouting "COMMIT TO THE RUT!!" to themselves 😀
Or just me perhaps 😳
Ha ha - quality!! The banter between the competitors is what makes these events for me 🙂
Crosshair - how can you be so cheerful every time you came past me?
I don't know what you mean anyway, I'm never happy when I'm riding 😀 😳
[IMG] 
[/IMG]
some pics up on Kevin Sheldrake's flickr
[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinsheldrake/sets/72157647107205713/ ]https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinsheldrake/sets/72157647107205713/[/url]
I get why folk watermark photos, but I always think Kevin overdoes it a bit, I can barely tell who's in the photo, let alone if it's any good or not, must be doing himself a disservice 😕
There you go again Crosshair - grinning like the town idiot 🙂
That bit in the picture was just leaves until you rode through there 😀 
I'm now home and clean 🙂
Nice to see you today BoltonJon, no offence taken by the baggies/lycra comments. The noise that Puffin made coming down sponge bob was awesome. Did chuckle when you went for a roll in the mud in the car park.
Ran out of rear brake pads by the end of my second lap, and after four laps, the front brake was also out, whoops.
Crosshairs, you were not the only one thinking commit to the rut.
Pleased I went for Nic on front and Ron on the back, it was still slidey, but at least it was a bit more rideable.
Thanks as well to all the riders who asked if I was ok, when I was trying to get salty water and mud out of my eyes. The rain was washing all the salt out of the helmet pads into my eyes, couldn't see so had to stop.
I must confess to driving past and thinking 'rather them than me'. Good work on the fatty though Jon.
Rather stupidly did a full practice lap which gave me an idea of what was to come but took an hour 😯
Started in grand vets. Felt pretty strong until I got near hypothermic, changed, started my bonus 4th lap but had to bin it 20mins in with no rear brake and not able to touch the front. 9th in grand vets.
Strangely rather enjoyed it. Front tyre was a Continental Trail King which was amazing. Saw a few punctures - seemed to be Schwalbes.
Yeah I'd not do a full practice lap at any of them, irrespective of conditions!
Re punctures - there was a series of 3 metal things sticking up out of the ground just after you cross the fireroad after the singletrack following the bridge area. (not a great description). On lap 1 someone pointed it out - thank-you.
I did note that the kind fella who pointed it out was then booting it repeatedly to remove it. Only later did I think MOD land/ metal object.... 😯
I think that is where my wife ripped her tyre, she said it was about 2miles from the finish. A Specialized tyre in her case, but I am sure any tyre would have torn there.
Lou punctured on that little gully section where you went in and out of the small bombholes alongside what was the camping field at TORQ. In the TORQ race it was where you turned up the fireroad before the mattress climb.
I didn't see what caused it but it looked and sounded pretty terminal
Yeah I spotted those. An old iron fence I reckon. It was near the start of last years Autumn Classic 2 I think.
Twas a bit grim!
I bailed pretty early in my 2nd lap to save my dodgy Achilles (not to mention bike parts) - and don't regret it at all! Was hard enough pedalling downhill by then and was only going to get worse.
Big respect to all who persisted!
Saw a clip on FB this morning of the 2hr Vets winner standing in the heated marquee later, spilling tea all over himself as he was shivering so much 😯
Sounds grim.. I'm glad I never got round to entering!
I was laid up on the sofa, feeling ill, watching the Batman movies!
Could barely manage that - I don't think an hours trip to slog around a field for 5 hours would have sat well with me!
Well done those braver, stronger, and dafter than I!
DrP
I think you proved you can do it in the last BM series DrP - definitely not worth leaving your sick-bed!
So out of interest, what did everyone eat/drink?
I ate a kitkat, a Marsbar and the free gel (they were lush!) and drank 500ml of flat fat-coke diluted with 250ml of water.
I reckon if I'd made the fifth lap cut-off and had to ride for 4:50 then I'd have been cutting it a bit fine but otherwise it was about right.
2 Mule bars
3 Mule gels
4 bottles of Torq with a few drops of Elete water
I ate a kitkat, a Marsbar and the free gel (they were lush!) and drank 500ml of flat fat-coke diluted with 250ml of water.
And no additional water? Doesn't sound like much for 4 hours!
For 2 laps I drank 750ml of High 5 and a Torq gel. Quite honestly I'd probably have been ok not taking anything though!
3 x 750ml bottles of torq, but didn't finish any of them - so about 1.5l in total consumed.
and 3 torq gels and the freebee chocolate mule gel - tasty.
4 laps / 4:08
1 x 750ml SIS go
1 x 750ml water with electroyltes
3 SIS gels (1 before start)
handful of jelly babies.
I had a bottle of xtreme ready to go if I felt rubbish and needed a pep. Normally I would have stopped for another bottle but realised with my lap times I wasn't going to make the cutoff for a 5th so didn't bother.
Finished with a headache a sign I didn't drink enough
4.5 laps
3x partial 750ml Torq
1x torq energy bar
6x torq gels
Yep, just 750ml for the 4 hours. I wonder if my performance on lap 4 would have been better with more fluids as I found I did feel half a lap short on pace but i wouldn't say there were any specific dehydration signs.
I probably spat out 50ml of grit too 😉
I had a flapjack in my pocket too but didn't fancy it and it had disintegrated by the time I got home.
I didn't 'pit' at all, just ate whilst pushing up one of the hills. Again, I wonder if I'd have benefitted from a quick stop.
2 gels, a cereal bar and about 2.5 litres of water
Crosshair - your not the only one grinning like the village idiot!!
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7526/15680424328_73d3587008_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7526/15680424328_73d3587008_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/pTCgRA ]mudbath 2[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/67749037@N02/ ]boltonjon[/url], on Flickr
For my 4 laps:
About 500ml of Accelerade (a 750ml bottle but I didn't finish it)
About 500ml of High5 Energy Source
750ml of High 5 Extreme
A bottle of water on the last lap (didn't drink much of that)
3 gels I think
Half a Torq bar (I dropped the other half, and didn't fancy it once covered in mud)
Seemed about right for me.
For 4 laps:
250ml of water, bottle was filthy to drink from.
3 High 5 Banana blast gels
High 5 Energy bar, banana flavour.
I was more in need of brake pads than drink, rear was shot after 2laps, and fronts after 4.
5 clif gels (one per lap)
2 and half 600ml bottles (felt too cold to drink more...)
no stopping.
3 laps in 2:43. About 300ml of gatorade. That was it during the race. Just before the start I had one torq gel and a banana. Not enough to drink, but the bottle was grim.
I have to ask why everyone seemed to be running bottles not camelbaks ?
Camelbak for me
But then again, I was wearing baggies too 🙂
camelbaks are a pain for lap racing, yes bottles get sh@tty, but more likely to get half way round/just started a new lap with an empty camelback, and a pain carrying 2kg minimum round, for a few hours, plus it reminds you to take a drink each lap!
As Mr klein says. Hate using camelbacks. Only use mine 1 or 2 times a year if on a longer day rides. On lap type events where you can get a fresh one every lap it's not usually an issue. It's also easier to keep an eye on how much you're drinking.
I might use the Camelbak at the next round but I couldn't face it what with wearing a coat as well. Once or twice I was a bit toasty but for 75% of the race, it seemed the right choice.
I had Sealskin socks, overshoes and non-waterproof tights on and by the end I tipped half a pint of sewage out of each sock.
Boltonjon- great shot! I think Kevin needs a medal too for his pics in those conditions 😉
What kit were people wearing? I was struggling to decide at the start - but was pretty happy with what I chose
I got a bit cold on the exposed sections - but nothing uncomfortable - it was just a nice reminder to push harder 🙂
Long sleeved base layer & club jersey
3 year old 'splashproof' Endura shorts & standard liners
Winter riding boots with thick socks
Summer gloves
long sleeve mesh base
gore alp x soft shell
gore bibs
leg warmers
my lovely shimano mw81s with thermal socks
thin gore gloves
My feet were soaked on the start loop inside 60 seconds when I went through one of those massive puddles so the smug thought I was going to have drier feet than everyone else was shattered - should have just worn the normal shoes
Core was mostly fine, but by lap 4 both feet and hands had gone numb and I was very cold by the time I finished had trouble getting changed.
Saw a couple of nutters with their arms and legs out....
What kit were people wearing? I was struggling to decide at the start - but was pretty happy with what I chose
Not so relevant in the 2 hour, but I wore:
Shorts
knee warmers
Short sleeve jersey
arm warmers
gilet
long finger summer gloves
Woolie Boolie socks with regular shoes
Gilet was the only real concession to the wet, I'd have worn a bit more for 4 hours. Didn't get cold except in a couple of places where I was struggling to push as hard as I wanted due to being a shit rider/mechanical issues!
For me it was:
Compression base layer
Team top
Gillet
Arm-warmers
Lyrca bib shorts
leg warmers
Woolie Boolie socks
Summer shoes - at least they let the water out!
Windproof gloves
I went for the wet and warm approach rather than trying to stay dry. Also a good coating of warm up oil on my legs before the start.
I left a waterproof in the pits just in case I started to get cold.
Temperature wise I was fine during the race, it was only when I got home and was washing the bikes that I started shivering a bit. The drive home was too short to really warm up in the car.
I touched on it above but:
Northwave summer shoes
Sealskinz socks
Endura tights
Btwin budget overshoes
Btwin padded shorts
Btwin Short sleeved Jersey with key and phone in zipped pocket wrapped in carrier bags.
Cheapy waterproof coat from Halfords with gel and food in rear pocket.
Fleece snood- not sure why really it didn't do a lot!
Barbour Neoprene gloves ;D
Was never cold but once or twice I unzipped the coat to let a bit of steam out 😉
Bib 3/4s
Mesh vest
Long sleave jersey
Roadie lightweight waterproof
Softshell gloves
Merino socks.
Summer/regular shoes.
My legs and hands were cold from halfway, but my core was warm.
baselayer
arm warmers
team jersey
3/4 bibs (lightest weight I have)
team bibs shorts on top
waterproof socks
this was not enough...
well in fact it was fine for 3 hours but then I started to get seriously cold legs and struggled.
Tights, long sleeve roubaix jersey, coolmax socks, summer long finger gloves, thin roadie waterproof, specialized comp shoes, nicely comfortable for temperature.
Got lovely and warm in the car during a 4 hour drive home, how do people face the M25 everyday?
Roubaix 3/4 shorts
Thermal base layer
Winter thick jersey
Waterproof jacket
Thermal Inner gloves
Waterproof gloves
Woolie boolie socks
Overshoes
I started in waterproof 3/4 over shorts as well, but as these were a bit tight for racing I took them off after 2 laps.
In those conditions, it was about not getting cold and not giving up.
GB
Where are people keeping these extra bottles to swap over? Doing the next round and not sure how to manage it
There's a designated feed zone. This was on the field edge just before the finish but I it's sometimes afterwards. Depends on the course layout I think.
I use a little wooden table in the feed zone.
Wasn't planning on bringing furniture, this is getting serious now.
I've never perfected collecting bottles off a table without scattering all of them! I just stick them on the floor.
I've only got a box on the floor, but have seen some nifty bottle holders on metal pole type affairs going on. V neat as the bottles are at grab height. Looks like a fishing tackle shop collection of bits possibly.
I read somewhere about making a bracket at the handle end of a garden fork- just stick it in the ground 🙂
For my 3 laps (last half was running/pushing bike) I drunk nearly 2 bottles of Sponser long energy powder. Before the start 1 mule bar and 1 sponser energy liquid gel per lap. Also a shot of caffeine some time before start.
I wore a shimano windproof cap under helmet, maillot and bib shorts, Alp X 3.0 goretex shorts over the bibs, waterproof endura gloves (wet hands after 2 hours), sealskinz waterproof socks and a Mavic hc h20 waterproof jacket. Old summer shimano shoes and front and rear mudguards. Felt cold only when I completed 3rd lap after running for 20 minutes. My core was warm and dry throughout the race.
Last years designated feed zone....
a little wooden table in the feed zone
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7406/11387872066_a509598650_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7406/11387872066_a509598650_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/imiPBQ ]DSC01477[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/31852911@N07/ ]al4d[/url], on Flickr
a bracket at the handle end of a garden fork
[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3813/11387780365_6347eb71c3_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3813/11387780365_6347eb71c3_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/imimmM ]DSC01375[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/31852911@N07/ ]al4d[/url], on Flickr
Tinsel optional...nifty bottle holders on metal pole
[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5496/11387779605_8cc52340b0_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5496/11387779605_8cc52340b0_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/imim8F ]DSC01373[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/31852911@N07/ ]al4d[/url], on Flickr
😀
I saw that table on Sunday!
In two minds whether to do the next one or not!
Just stripped the 'pads' from my rear brake. Fragments of spring, one backing and shrapnel of the other were all that remained. Had just started on the piston 😯
That's my table!
Lots of useful info here, especially those bottle photos as I had no idea.
Yup all very useful, only my legs and the weather against me now! Need to buy a bottle cage to match the Fatty now.
nice , er bottle pics! 🙂
Obvs I need something bodged together and festooned with Christmas decorations. The box on the floor is clearly passé 😉
Pitch fork with bottle crate attached always looks a reasonable solution!
Did anyone else get ill after the event? Norovirus type ill? Wondering if it was all the crap that went in my mouth whilst drinking from filthy bottles?
No.
Hope you are over it now. There's plenty of more likely sources of chunder/shit bugs though (mostly children).
Both fine here too.
Bikes now back in working order. 2 pairs of brake pads on my bike. Wife's bike needed 2 sets of pads, new rear tyre and a new bottom bracket.
On the bottle front I have a bottle carrier I leave in the pits, I normally have a plastic crate that I leave a few spares in, and put the carrier on top. In the top picture above you can see my green box and carrier. As long as it is dry the free cardboard wine bottle carriers from supermarkets do the job. For longer races I take a table as it saves bending down to pick up the bottles.
Ding ding,round 2. Hopefully better conditions than last time, although it would be hard pushed to be worse. I lose track of the gorrick courses. Is tunnel hill the one with the big parking area and massive puddles?