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So I've sent in an entry to do MM as a soloist... bit of a spur of the moment decision, but what the hey, I need a challenge to focus on and force me to get fit and fabulous again! Have never done anything like it before, but I used to do triathlons and long-distance swimming etc in my younger days (10 years ago), so I do have a good fitness base to get back to. For a start, I need to drop around 10kg which should be achievable over the next few months one would hope!
So, how does one prepare for riding round and round a course for 24hrs? What sort of training schedule do folk undertake? Not looking to win the thing, but would like to put in a respectable performance 😆
And how does it work this 24hr lark? I assume people don't just ride for 24hrs non-stop, they take breaks yes? Do people sleep, or fuel themselves on caffeine (coffee/red bull etc)? If you're riding solo, what happens if you have no 'pit crew'? Can you link up with someone else or something?
I'm sure I'll have a thousand more questions, but this'll do for now 😆 Appreciate any and all advice that can be given, thanks 8)
google John Stamstad, read, cry. 😉
People do ride for 24hr pretty much non-stop if they want a top ten place.
Stop only to eat, and do this every other lap.
Training? Ride, ride, ride. Get 12-15 hrs a week in, keep fuelled up during the event and you'll breeze it.
I assume people don't just ride for 24hrs non-stop, they take breaks yes?
The fast ones don't take breaks, no.
You need to be doing lots of long, steady rides. You've not really chosen the right time of year to decide to do this! Basically just ride your bike as much as you possibly can between now and then!
Maybe have a search - there has been a few threads on this recently.
I have done two 24 hr solos aiming and failing to reach a top half of the pack finish.
At the top end of the field the guys and gals will ride 20+ hours of the 24 - even up to 22 hrs. sleeping is a sure fire way of loosing a load of places. If you have no pit crew there is normally a corner of the event centre where you can lay out gear and so on to pick up between laps. Pit crew are handy for sure even for summer events.
Training - others will know better than me - I just tried to ride loads of miles at a faster pace than usual for a few months beforehand.
Its mainly mental IMO and comfort on the bike is key
You first need to decide if you're going to do a real 24 hour stint, or a faux one where you spend 8 hours sleeping, 8 hours eating and recovering from cycling and 8 hours bimbling but claim you've ridden for 24.
If you're aiming for the former see John Stamstad, for the latter see Greggs 🙂
some good tips here. i can never search it that well though.
At the top end of the field the guys and gals will ride 20+ hours of the 24 - even up to 22 hrs
The top guys ride >23.5 hrs, there's no way in hell you're gonna do well if you only ride for 22 hours!
I assume people don't just ride for 24hrs non-stop,
Errr some people do, well almost non stop. IIRC Matt Page did 25 laps last year 😯
ya, the search is a bit pants at the moment...
You first need to decide if you're going to do a real 24 hour stint
I'd like to give it a proper shot, I guess the one of the absolute musts is to pace yourself right? And to keep the calories & fluids going in as well. At Mountain Mayhem, just how far would a 'top half of the pack' soloist ride in the 24hrs (check the results I guess)?
I need to look into a pit crew I think... would be nice to have some support, trying to convince my wife but she's not sounding too keen right now 😆
The distance depends entirely on the conditions. I seem to recall that when Gee of these parts did it in the dry in 2006, coming 3rd, he did over 200 miles.
In the wet, it'll quite possibly be half that.
However, in the dry, more people stick at it, so the results are closer. If the weather's crap and you stick it out you're more likely to do well.
2 bikes is a good thing. Pit crew is a must IMO, even your dad/brother/girlfriend, just someone to mix water bottles and give you food every lap. Take things you can eat on the bike, needs to be stuff you like the taste of, no point in taking energy bars if they make you feel sick. If you like Haribo, use that!
I have heard of said event being a potential mudfest... the longest I've ever ridden in a day was 200km, just jumped on my bike and rode up the highway till I reached the next town (this was in Australia 😉 ) Couldn't sit down for a few days after that one, sooo saddlesore!
Matt Page did 26 laps in 24 hours. To make the top 50% you would have needed to do 12 laps.
Get a pit crew. It will be a lot harder, motivationally and physically, without them.
Two pairs of shorts and lots of chamois cream are you friends!
Get a pit crew. It will be a lot harder, motivationally and physically, without them
Can you potentially link up with another soloist or two, or a team even, to form/share a pit crew?
Pit crew is not a must - especially at a summer event. Womans winner at strathpuffer was supersolo - no support - and she arrived on her bike towing a trailer with her tent on it. Now that is hard as nails.
Pit crew does make stuff easier for sure.
Pacing yourself is absolutely key at the actual event - you are not in the same race as the fast teams of four.
Other riders aren't exactly going to make good pit crew, looking out for themselves and what not!
There's no restrictions on who you take! You can find a hobo in Ledbury and share him with 50 other soloists, or you can take the whole of Chelsea's support staff to yourself!
Womans winner at strathpuffer was supersolo
Not being harsh, but Strathpuffer is much more low key, Mayhem is attended by more of the big boys. I would say if you want to do well, pit crew is a must. If nothing else it's someone to make you go out again, rather than just thinking 'oh sod it, I'll just stop for a bit'.
MM might be in June but that by no means makes it a summer event.
You can get pit support from whoever you like.
Never done a 24 but I've done arlight over 12 hours with one pair of shorts and a lot of assos cream.
BTW if you are gong there to race rather than take part you need a pit crew. This will be especially true if the weather turns bad.
Doing MM solo without support would IMO be a soul destroying experience. The course is not exciting and riding round and round in circles can be mind numbing. The reason for doing it is the festival nature and camaradery...not easy to enjoy these things if you are trying to fill your own bottles, trudge to the cafe etc etc.
Doing the Bontrager 24-solo (my first) and I'm going down with spare bike, mechanic and two feeders/motivators. The one thing everyone has been stressing to me is the pit crew will have earned whatever result you get as much as you have...
Based on last years Bontrager, it would appear that actually riding non-stop is a top 15, maybe top 10 finish. AFter that you start seeing big gaps in the time sheets.
njee - have you been to the puffer?
Ok, a bit more detail
FOOD: You need to eat all the time, but you don't know what you will want so take a shedload: sweet stuff, savoury stuff, plus pepto bismol to help you keep it down. Chow down frequently, but don't use it as an excuse to loiter, you can accumulate several hours of downtime that way really easily.
KIT: If it's dry, it's easy, just change shorts every 4-6 hours and re-slather your bits liberally with arse lard. If wet, more often. Mudguard and / or waterproof shorts to keep grit out from where it shouldn't be.
ATTITUDE: Think happy thoughts, talk to everyone out on the course. Set smaller and smaller objectives. And NEVER think about the stupid enormity of what you've let yourself in for.
sorry i never put my link in it's here.
everyone knows that winning the puffer is really easy! 🙄
Ride your bike. Lots.
figured as much 🙂 I'm not too interested in a really technical approach to this, but am trying to figure out a general plan to make the most of the next 106 days...
preparation of all equipment wheter it's clothes, bike, food is key.
I changed from a one bottle & camelbak (normal riding) to 2 bottles for the race and it caused me all sorts of annoyance. in the end i rode with one bottle and a camelbak halfway through! I was also changing the gear (SS) when i should have been at race briefing.
not well executed. obviously ride your bike lots but get all your kit etc ready the weekend before so in your final rest week you end up resting not panicking!
good luck.
psychle - in terms of training now [i] which I think you're getting at here - a broad spectrum of training will help. From intervals on the turbo at home (I love www.thesufferfest.com Fight Club or Descending Spiral - awesome workouts for £6 each and they ROCK); long road rides for 3 - 6 hours, long MTB rides for 4 - 7 hours + and lots of hill work when tired for fun. Do some short XC races for the hell of it - these things when combined with plenty of rest will build endurance, strength and power. I also build up with events like the HONC, Gorrick 100, Bristol Bike Fest 12 hour etc.
njee - have you been to the puffer?
Yep, I was the sole pit crew for a 4-man team in 2008 thanks, so I'm very aware of what it's like.
I stand by my comment, that saying the winner of the solo women at the Puffer did x, ergo the solo mens race at Mayhem's just the same, is like comparing apples and pears! Mayhem is a much more professional event, less grass roots. Not saying that makes it easier/harder necessarily.
Agree with doing lots of long events in the interim, as I recall you're London based, the Gorrick 100 is a good one, there's also a Bucks Off Road Sportive which is 120km or something.
cheers for the 2 events mentioned njee, I'll give them a go 🙂
njee20 - Member
"njee - have you been to the puffer?"
Yep, I was the sole pit crew for a 4-man team in 2008 thanks, so I'm very aware of what it's like.
😆 😆 😆
I've never changed so many brake pads in 24 hours, infact I've not changed that many in 24 months!
I did Strathpuffer as my first 24 hr solo and have done it twice. To be honest it was a much better event to do as a solo because at least it was a fun course and you have something to look forward to each lap. The hardest motivation for MM or Sleepless must just be the fact you will be bored to tears after 4 laps and have another 20 hours to go.
In the meantime, just pick a hard ride and do it lots.