[Closed] HTN 4

Woohoooo! My reputation remains intact! 🙂

The event has also reached a level where there's a large number of people who genuinely want to win (or at least get in the top 20) where in the past the entire field was there just for fun.

That makes my 2 top 11 finishes seem slightly less sparkly now 😥

That makes my 2 top 11 finishes seem slightly less sparkly now

I love you so much right now a bit of pee came out......

as a few people have alrady mentioned I released a couple of balloons yesterday to celebrate George's life.

Just thought I'd share them (although they are on the other thread as well).

Thanks to Andy for letting me release them at the start...

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the crowds were some of the most encouraging I've ever ridden past,

Sore legs this morning. Should have come to the après race drinks but just too tired to leave the house again, takeaway n a couple of beers in front of tv early night.

Thanks again fellas.

Despite my chain snapping at the white gate at the very start, I really enjoyed HtN4. Many thanks to Jason and Andrew for organising what is becoming a premier cycling event. Also thanks to the marshals, especially mr. Sparkle who got me back on track (literally) by sorting my chain issue.

Yes there were a couple of rude people but out of 300 or so there always will be in any arena. I had a tosser on a crosser bellowing "rider, rider RIDER". I said "what am I a bleedin' hologram?" What made it more ridiculous was the trail width at that point was very tight. If he'd been riding a Specialized Feeler Gauge then maybe....

Brilliant event. Again many thanks.

36th....quite pleased with that. 😀

Nice touch letting the balloons drift up into the sky over the start.

Top work Mark (Ninkynonk).

Well done fella.

Again the support was phenominal. People just kept popping up and asking if they could help. We had everything cleaned up by 2:45!

A few of my mates that didnt do the race yesterday wanted to sample some of the trails so we rode down there again this morning. Have to say that the place is spotless and you really wouldnt know that 300 or so people had been racing round yesterday morning. A real credit to the organisers and team of volunteers.

As above, I failed to make the evening drink - cream crackered and the bruises are darkening nicely!

Is there any video footage yet. There seemed to be quite a few riding with a GoPro?

7th senior and 17th overall on my singlespeed 🙂 quite chuffed with that!

If you've not already seen them i have photos of your pain and suffering at [url= http://www.chrismeadsphotography.zenfolio.com ]chrismeadsphoto[/url]

well done all

@CP, guessing it was your good self I was battling with for quite a bit of the race? I was the guy on the other singlespeed 🙂

Thanks to all the photographers. Lovely to relive it all - such great couple of hours.

However, I think the real winner was our dog. As we were standing chatting at the end, the catering company was scraping out the almost empty vats and generally tidying up.

One of the staff came over with a difficult question: Does your dog like beef?
Hmm, let me think about that. 😀

[quote=Harry_the_Spider ]I think this sums the day up nicely.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37805032@N03/8479273389/

To be fair, he did ride that bit succesfully at least once

[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8112/8478952271_c8dd3ccfcf.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8112/8478952271_c8dd3ccfcf.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/n_b_t/8478952271/ ]Hit The North 4[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/n_b_t/ ]Notoriously Bad Typist[/url], on Flickr

Did Guy Martin race? There is a picture of a bloke in hope kit that looks just like him.

Yup.

Nice bloke too, very polite.

yep

Just to crosslink threads, the results are available here

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/htn4-results

When do entries open for Hit the North 5?

Only 364 days to go.....

Christmas day, 6am.

How did Guy do? Just shows he really s into cycling.

results are here http://www.hitthenorth.net/blog/

I knew it would be a great event, that's why I was gutted when I thought I'd missed my chance to enter, and why I watched the website like a hawk on New Year's Day to get my entry in! I won't hang about with my entry for HTN5!
😀

Just finished cleaning the bike and kit from yesterday, so it's time to sit down and take a look at the photos and results... Fantastic event once again, a credit to all involved, as always. See you next year!

Had some more people ask me how I went on today. 'Yep, pretty well. First Head Marshal!' ;0)

Happy to do it again next year if required. Viva HtN.

nbt those are good shots of me! I think I did manage that drop twice

[img] https://picasaweb.google.com/115867557921985666080/HITTHENORTH2013# [/img]Some more pictures

https://picasaweb.google.com/115867557921985666080/HITTHENORTH2013#

Just found [url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/simplyphotographed/8479435736/in/set-72157632782090044 ]this[/url], if it had been side on it would have looked awesome, getting sideways, back end out, leaning into the corner, oppo lock, proper mbuk cover stuff. as it is i look like im about to fall off my bike, perspective is everything.

Not blaming photographer btw, pretty sure that was the lap where I overcooked it in a big way and only just held onto it.

@nbt There are a few of me that i would like but unless i'm being thick, and it could be argued that this is a regular occurrence (!) I cant see a file name against the pictures so that i can tell you which ones i want... 🙄

I think I got sideways at the bottom of the steep bit at the top of the bottom car park on every lap, possibly my favourite bit of the course. Hope someone got a photo.

+1 for the car park bit, apologies for the people at the bottom as everytime i got closer & closer to wiping them out

Really happy with my 139 placing. Many thanks to all the marshalls, volunteers, participants and organisers who all made HTN4 such a success - bring on HTN5 8)

[quote=hallz ]@nbt There are a few of me that i would like but unless i'm being thick, and it could be argued that this is a regular occurrence (!) I cant see a file name against the pictures so that i can tell you which ones i want...

Yes I was a bit of an idiot (no surprises there) and didn;t keep the original filenames. Mail me links to the pages you want and I'll track them down through exif data

Thanks for everyone's efforts yesterday. Bloody loved every second of it.
Anyone know who the photographer was taking pics about 2/3rds of the way down the trail centre bit probably about 11.00? I think/hope they got a shot of me taking off a jump behind a CX rider who took the flat bit.

@tthew - maybe its in here .html?sort=3&o=19

tthew, Sport Sunday and Super Brian (Jason's dad) were both there at about that time.

[url= http://s1287.beta.photobucket.com/user/htn4/library/#/user/htn4/library/?&_suid=136113334471608034018387176414 ]Super Brian [/url]

[url= http://www.sportsunday.co.uk/hit-the-north-2013 ]Sport Sunday[/url]

Really enjoyed marshalling yesterday, more so than riding. Glad I motivated you to keep going Solar Powered...

Massive well done to Andrew & Jason, thought it was another great event. Defo up for marshalling again next time.

Never realised screaming "You're not getting off the bike" & "Come on! You've worked all week for this" could be so much fun

Oooh, Super Brian got [url= ]photographic proof[/url] that I can get my wheels off the floor without subsequently ending up in A and E, splendid. Got to be at least 3" of air there. Gnarr. 😀

[quote=mintimperial ]Got to be at least 3" of air there. Gnarr.
Is that 3 imperial inches or 3 man inches?

edit: aw that's not you, that's Benji!

edit: aw that's not you, that's Benji!

Why I oughtta...

*shakes fists*

Some top marshalling by rockitman, from a very knackered number 44 😉

Cheers no 44. I am no longer disappointed in you if you didn't make the climb 🙂

I made it every time! Would probably have struggled without your "encouragement" mind 😉

rockitman - +1 on the top marshalling (along with all of the other marshals, of course!) - your shouts of "You're not getting off the bike" helped no end on my final lap. Ta.

Excellent camera work by all the photographers too!

I thought the marshalls were all superb and I'm sorry I didn't get chance to say thanks properly to you all but big thumbs up from me

quality event

rockitman were you at the top of the motorway bridge climb? Good work fella

( all the marshals were great too)

Yes that was I D0nk. Cheers 🙂

thanks to all the people who organised it and made it happen, no bull, it was udderly great and it was nice to meat lots of like minded people, a good herd if you will. Although it was chilly, it wasnt friesian and i had no beef with anyone overtaking, i know, i'm milking it know but ut have a Cotic BFe and it seemed like a good idea at the time...

Thanks for the pointers, that was definitely the jump where superbrian was stood, but a bit further down and looking back up the trail. I'll take a look through Sport Sunday,but wow, that's a lot of pictures! [img] [/img]

Haha rockitman thanks also!!

"comon you can ride from there..!!" as i was walking up the climb numerous times. Hah, thanks kept me going!

Hallz nice...meeting you :o(the guy on the genesis core stood beside you waiting for it all to start)

Naffrider - quite possibly! were you on the 29er? I was on the red inbred. Thought I had you, but you came from nowhere just at the end! Great race! Assume you were first ss?!

Also, I've not paid for my ticket - lucky number 13 as the original 'racer' is a very clumsy man - was meant to find you guys & donate 20quid so is there a way to get it to you PayPal or whatever or shall I donate 20quid to the Christie if that's ok?
banks - we'll still need to pay your insurance levy and per-rider charges to landowners so if it's all the same with you we'll collect that entry fee please. Can you drop me an email at jasonm AT jmc.it please. Ta.
(unless you acquired the entry from someone else who did pay, in which case I'll leave it up to you to pay him/her)

Mr clumsy man was already paid up & is quite happy for the money to go to charity, i made an attempt at the end but found the food tent. Can send the £20 to a charity of your choice..

Well, enjoyed that a lot more than I expected to! Thanks to all the organisers for putting on a really good event, hope you made plenty for your charities. Thanks also to all the marshalls for your your encouragement and abuse!
Regarding the comments about rude riders, personally I prefer it when someone shouts which side they will pass me, rather than just Rider! and I only had one example of someone barging past when there wasn't really space (and of course he was miles behind the riders in front, and miles in front of the riders behind) and at the water splash bit, someone shouting at me to get a hurry on whilst I'd slowed to let someone who was walking it to clear the exit so I could ride it, funnily enough he didn't then come past me that I know of!
All in all, a top event!
(Also had a little thought as the balloons went up at the start).

@CP, yeah, that was me =) I thought you had me too! Crawled my way back on last lap and then that climb after the tunnel seemed to suit me! Was great to battle with another SSer. Guess I was first SS, no idea tbh. Was fun regardless =)

It really was a great event - well done to everyone who made it happen.
Here's a quick edit of the first lap starting at the back with the 'Fat lads'-

I don't seem to be able to make the link work - sorry!

Thanks!

[quote=phil56 ]It really was a great event - well done to everyone who made it happen.
Here's a quick edit of the first lap starting at the back with the 'Fat lads'-

I don't seem to be able to make the link work - sorry!

take out the "s" from "https"?

<

Nice vid 🙂

good vid phil, what tunes?

How did the fat bikerists manage on the field of despair, we're they solemnly trudging through the mud like the rest of us losing the will to live or smugly floating over the top without a care in the world? 🙂

Any trail map for this place yet? 🙂

[quote=badllama ]Any trail map for this place yet?

they were handing them out at the Bury Ranger stand at the race!

Any trail map for this place yet?

There is a big one on a sign post in the car park.

badllama - Member
Any trail map for this place yet?

Pictuere here , enlarge and then print

https://picasaweb.google.com/115867557921985666080/HITTHENORTH2013#5845986783594769378

That's the footpath map.

This is the bike map.

http://www.bury.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=10872&p=0

This is the bike map.

riiiight so it's a figure of 8 not a loop, that did have me a little confused when I was exploring

yeah! the bit in the race is the first half(ish) of the trail; instead of diverting to the right up that steepish muddy climb to the field behind where the finish line was, you continue on until the trail gets back to the road, then ride up to the top of the hill where the start of the second "loop" goes off to your left (just down past the entrance to the kids' play area/car park). then that loops you round back to a similar area at the road (near the back end of the race car park from saturday) it's fun!

What a day out 🙂

5 years since the first winter race and still an ace event. Well done lads, as usual I'll be back for the next one.

Also..can we have the summer race back now?

*runs and hides*

Also..can we have the summer race back now?

no

[quote=Harry_the_Spider ]

>>Also..can we have the summer race back now?

no

Yay, Mrs NBT remains reigning champ (mixed teams). Along with teammate Binners, funnily enough he's not mentioned that fact that a reigning HTN champ finished in last place this year 😉

I'm afraid that its indicative of the way most things have been heading generally nbt. Has it really come to this?

It's a brave new world, binners

no

Cheers guys I'll give that a run this weekend coming 🙂
nbt I did not attend the race meet hence the question 😳

Also..can we have the summer race back now?
no

Ahh go on... you know you want to*

How can it possibly be any harder 😉

*this may be a lie.

very, very hard to sell tickets for a race in the summer. the 8 hour race we did a bit back made about £2.50 profit because only a quarter of the number of people we'd budgeted for actually paid to enter.

We learned (the hard and very stressful way) back then that the UK race calendar doesn't need another large cycle event in the summer. For organisers the potential for a financial kicking is quite high.

a bigger event in the winter though.....

A bigger winter event you say.... why that sounds perfectly good to me 🙂

Mancpuffer?

a bigger event in the winter though.....

What about spring or autumn? Bit more daylight, bit less liquid in the [s]Swamp[/s] Field of Despair? I'd definitely be up for a longer Hit The North though, whenever you do it.

A longer event in the winter, you say? Won't somebody think of the [s]children[/s] marshals??!!
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