So who's going? I'm heading out next Monday.
Forecast looks like it may well be a repeat of last year, good job I bought those mud spikes just in case!
It can't be as bad as last year, good luck mate.
If it is as bad as last year mud spikes will be totally useless!
All tyres were useless last year for "that" section!
26" wheels in 650b frame is a good shout!
Swampthing 2.5 front/minion rear worked very well for me! Rode the whole lot, dont think I fell once <extremely chuffed smiley> 😛
For your sake I hope its better weather. It would be a blast in the dry I'm sure
Falling was not the problem. Getting wheels to go round was the issue!
I'm going, so it's pretty much guaranteed to pish doon.
But I'll still be sticking to good old high rollers regardless of the conditions 🙂
I'll be running 26" wheels in 26" frame, but with 650b forks so I'm in with a chance!
Me!
Perhaps I should order a rear axle conversion kit so that I can run 650B drop-outs. I'm going with a Vigilante up front and Minion in the back most likely.
Really hope it's hot and dry.
It's 100% guaranteed to be dry as I've decided to give it a miss this year.
I'm in (with mc up there ^)
Forecast does look like it will be a bit wet at some point, but I've seen 4 slightly different forecasts on 4 different sites now, only consistency between them was some rain in the afternoons just a question of how much
I'll be there, at this rate on a steel hardtail.
Bit of rain is fine, hopefully will be nothing like last years mudbath, but the Alps had a very wet summer last year, think it's been much drier so far
Have fun everyone, rather jealous myself !
I will be there, first time for me, there for a week before too
I'm in, setting off Tuesday after work. Just debating tyre choice at the moment!
Good luck to all, hopefully not too much going into the Doc's Ferrari fund.
Reckon this thread needs pics and race numbers so you know if your about to run over a fellow STW'r
Top tip - NSFW http://www.youswear.com/ learn some new words in common euro languages
Jealous really
Team of three ladies going on Monday, mrs rickmeister and two more coming over on Saturday from the UK.
Chalet booked in adh for the week...
Anyone know where to find a blank doctor's note? I've got mine but matey I'm going with hasn't!
I/we think it can be bought or dealt with on the day...
If you have a BC race licence then you do not need a doctors note. If not then just a basic note from your GP stating that you are fit to compete. Or just pay the couple of € fee and not bother with a note.
I think the [b]"Insurance daily MULTISPORT"[/b] replaces the need for a docs note does it not?
good luck
Anyone know where to find a blank doctor's note? I've got mine but matey I'm going with hasn't!
Can't you just knock one up using yours and the website for his docs?
I'm going to have to get creative since I've got the flu and had to cancel my appointment (the irony!)
I wrote him one up in word, using mine as a template, just hope they don't look too similar!
Had to pay 25 quid for my note, a single typed line !!
What exact information is given on these notes? If anyone could send a pic of theirs to justwoody92 AT hotmail DOT com that'd be ace.
It's for research purposes of course.
just pay the day insurance or get BC membership. Think dog tag covered it when I was last there if you had the full cover.
I've got the day insurance from the mega, but then thought about it and given the little to no info given about it and the stories I've heard about bad organisation, plus the fact the site is useless I went for dogtag as well, If I need to make a claim that'll be the best £45 I've ever spent!
It did say you don't need a note with the insurance but I don't trust the site and would rather have one tbh just in case it was a typo or something
Just finishing loading the wagon, quite excited right now!
So, how did everyone do?
1:16, 109th in challengers. Got a bad start on the snow and was a bit frustrating being stuck behind people walking down stuff but seized every opportunity to overtake and absolutely loved it! Got back at 5am this morning, not enjoying work today....
I took a hardtail got 2 punctures in the quali and ended up in the affinity. Went to Grenoble bought a Lapierre zesty then got a puncture in the race followed by a broken seat post which left me limping in 1h40. Turned out to be an expensive trip. Them braking bumps are something else.
Dual plys sprocker?
I was running dual plies with DH tubes with a bit more pressure than usual and didn't get a single puncture all week!
Wheels weighed a tonne but worth it I think
Had a steady qualifier, a bit frustrated by a rider who took all the overtaking lines holding me up until he ran out of talent at the new bus stops by the road, letting me go.
Went from near the front of the challengers to pretty much the back when everybody on the left side including myself slid off the side of the ski slope.
Did lots of waiting for people walking technical bits on the rocks, managed to pass quite a few on the climb out of Alp Duez. I had a clearish run down Bravery and fun passing in the woods, a time 1.27 in the end. I should probably have been more aggressive after the snow but at the end of the day it was fun and I'm injury free.
I ran a Chunky monkey tubeless on the front and a Magic Mary on the back with a DH Tube after it was clear a Smorg wouldn't cut it on the back (a flat every 100 yards and walk into alp duez to buy a tyre in practice).
[url= https://www.rootsandrain.com/rider69220/carl-peachey/results/ ]I got a podium[/url]!!
[img] 
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...albeit in the Megavalanche Amateurs. 4th overall, 3rd in the Masters cat with a time of 58:33.
After a great start from the 4th row in my quali I was gunning for a top ten finish - aiming to get into the main race with the pros. Rolled my (tubeless) tyre off the rim at the bottom of the grassy zig zags and ended up finishing around 76th, which stuck me on the front row of the 3rd race, so not an entirely bad place to be.
Not a bad start in the main race either; even with 5 stacks on the snow I was in 2nd place - one of which I lost after another crash on the traverse and another place on the slog over the brow.
Wanted to get down in under an hour in whichever race I ended up racing in, so happy days. Would've liked to have ridden in the main race, but can't really complain at coming home with a big ass Megavalanche medal!
good work peachos!
cheers mate!
great week - defo recommended.
I got lucky and had a clean and reasonably quick qualifier ending up in the second to last row of the main race.
I got a rubbish start and had a couple of silly crashes due to over excitement and fatigue on the top rocky section. Ended up taking it steady, soaking up the atmos and being polite and cheery to everyone who I passed and was passed by 1hr 17min. Collared for an interview at the finish which was nice and completed the epic feeling!
Great event, amazing weather and good craic with mates and other riders, well chuffed for first Mega and the whole trip was a 40th present from a couple of good buddies!
Wow! A Mega medal! I would be well chuffed with that 🙂
Well done
superfi, back next year for the good weather?
Mrs Rickmeister did it and as a 53 yr old, rode a 2004 Orange 5 brilliantly.
Stand out performance was the woman that completed it on a Trek hardtail with 80mm travel forks.....
Stand out performance was the woman that completed it on a Trek hardtail with 80mm travel forks.....
Watching the women come through on the Saturday, one of them shouted that she'd broken her collarbone on the glacier. This was on the brow before dropping into Oz and with no sign of stopping her run. Nails!
rickmeister - Member
Mrs Rickmeister did it and as a 53 yr old, rode a 2004 Orange 5 brilliantly.
Hi Rick, just twigged who you are, nice to meet you at the finish of the quali run. Do you have the photos you took of me, Moray and Ben?
Cheers
Wow well done Peachos!
Well done to everyone else that completed.
Iain, yes, they are all uploaded to flikr and downloadable, ping me a mail via this forum and I'll send you a link...
Btw, another woman ran her bike in to finish the race from quite a way up after puncturing and destroying the mech and chain...
Sure there are similar heroic stories from the men's events...
It's pretty brutal.
Congratulations peachos that's f'in brilliant.
I raced the amateurs and my 'heroic' story ended with me running with the bike for the last section as I smashed my bike up 🙂 Front wheel, rear mech. Also my gear shifter broke from a crash on the glacier in the first 10 mins!
First time doing the Mega and I was aiming for around 1.20. I got 1.49 which I was happy with given that I ran with the bike for 20 mins +. Btw I don't recommend trying to get down the last narrow section pushing your bike - I got clipped a bunch of times, but there's no way I wasn't crossing the line.
Here's my edit from the week -