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It's going to be dry and fast 🙂
Looking forward to it! Looks set to be hot, so make sure you pack the water!
Looking forward to fast & dry conditions, especially after last year's mud!
Entry going spare if anyone wants - see my other post. Mail in profile.
pretty muchIt is the Cotswolds however , I am sure there will be at least one patch of our special "dust" somewhere
I have been told the very end might be quite special.
After much fuss fitting tubeless Cx tyres I am tempted to chuck the 30mm tubeless road tyres on. Used road tyre previously in dry years.
Just back from putting signs up on part of the route.
Its dry out there, a few damp patches and the odd puddle, otherwise just dust.
How does the route fare this year grahamh? More road or off road? If you had the choice of 29er HT or CX bike, which would you chose this year?
It's about 50/50, what you should be worried about is the amount of climbing
😆
I'm guessing the climbing can only be 50/50!
what you should be worried about is the amount of climbing
Done 35-40km on the full sus bike @ Staunton the last 3 weekends... Between 1200-1400m of climbing (on a 32lb bike with slow rolling tyres!) each weekend.
Considering I've only got time for the 50k tomorrow, I'm more worried about getting beat up on a CX bike or not! 😉
I rode over the 100k course on Thursday, there were still a few puddles but conditions were as good as I've ever seen, apart from the horrible last section where instead of ending on a grin inducing descent down Cleave the route goes through a series of fields and gates, up a leg breaking climb, along a properly muddy track and down a small descent - very odd choice for the last section..
Should be good fun though, lovely weather here today. I've also got the pleasure of riding with 5 other team mates who will probably rip my legs of. If you see an old bloke hanging on the back of a fast moving group in bright orange kit, that's me!
Ah well , it's the HONC .
It's not meant to be easy .
It's not a race .
It's not an MTB event .
Heading over in a few minutes.
Enjoy everyone!
i suppose i better get up, meant to marshalling and tail ending.
Just a polite reminder, if a gate says please shut it, can you please shut it.
Sat in the car at the moment having got here twenty minutes ago (setting off at five to be here). How quick is the pace to ensure you can do the 100km? I'd love to but think I'll be pushed to do the 50. Either way weather looks great and I'm very excited.
No cut offs as far as I know , so as long as you can average say 10km per hr for 10hrs you wil be fine ( thats only 6.2mph , which considering its 50% tarmac will be easy - unless you have serious mechanical)
Good fun today and the course had dried up nicely from when I went over it on Thursday. Bit of family success also, my wife was first women back in the 50k, my son was first junior and 4th back in the 50k, I managed to drag myself round to 5th in the 100k and my slightly (a lot!!) quicker team mate nearly went under 4 hours to be first rider back in the 100k. Just about to crack open a beer and fire up the barby!
Hope everyone else had good fun and no one got hurt anywhere. Thanks again to the organisers for great organisation, signage was also good and nice they could also arrange the weather to be so good!
I had a great day, conditions were prime. Cramped massively in both legs about 5k from the end annoyingly. But cracking day none the less. Got some nukelear sheep shit stuck to my frame I cannot shift.
No cut offs as far as I know , so as long as you can average say 10km per hr for 10hrs you wil be fine ( thats only 6.2mph , which considering its 50% tarmac will be easy - unless you have serious mechanical)
Not strictly true, the long route was closed at about 2pm and all riders sent back on the short route.
Tough day on the cross bike being dry!
Normally take my 29er hardtail which would have excelled today!
Never mind,come back with sore knees,neck and back!
All good fun!
Great event!
Max
Also on a CX, felt massively smug on road but hard work on the downs...you earn them with the amount of climbing but couldn't relax as much as on the MTB.
What a great event though. I was super slow but did the 100, weather helped but best signage of any event I've been too and marshalls / volunteers who were really chatty and really enthusiastic. Most of the people riding were in good spirits too, not too competitive. Fantastic.
They could rename it Hills of the North Cotswolds though. Those climbs... 😆
My everything hurts. Dragged myself around it but having been on the bike about 3 times so far this year can't say I really felt the love after about 40k.. so I snuck onto the 50k after the lunch stop and got about 80k in. Back in 6 hours, slow but steady! Cracking weather though, and kudos to the guys and girls that all help put it on.
Brill day, the descents on the GT Grade were not the most enjoyable!
Fab day - I agree with above marshalls were all brilliant. 29er hardtail was definitely the way forward - must have been hard work on a cx bike. My first ride for a while so was chuffed to get round in a reasonable time.
I got to say it was good fun picking off the cx bikes on the more rugged descents. Especially after getting hammered by them on the road sections
Great day. Harder going on the cx even with 700x40s as the ground was so hard. Last one in on the 100k 😳
Great day, only did the 50 cos recurring knee injury is stopping from pushing too hard (and also meant I had to get off and push up that sod of a final climb which cost me about 5 minutes I reckon!). Sooooooo glad I didn't bother with the CX bike, just fitted some faaaaast tyres to 29er full sus instead. Lost out a bit on the climbs, but then I always do anyway, was oddly quick on the flats (even compared to the CX bikes!) and murdered people left right and centre on the descents... First time ever I recorded 50mph on a Mountain Bike today, and I recorded over 45mph on at least 3 occasions (including off road!) too...
So yeah, CX bike for sale, and it won't be getting replaced. HONC from now on is a case of watch the weather the week(s) before, if it's good then turn up with 29er full sus, if it's crap then just don't bother turning up.
Bit of house keeping, did any one one here loose a Garmin gps unit?
One was handed in and we would like to reunite it with its owner.
Event photos now live
[url] http://uksp.photoshelter.com/gallery-collection/2017-04-09-HONC/C00009lVaKOqRK9k [/url]