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I'll be knocking about all over but peddling on a felt 29r with enve finishing kit, blue wheel decals. Say hi!
Thanks Tang.... Keep the pictures and updates coming!
I'm well excited. Missed last year's with a knee op.
As above keep the updates coming.
Today, new bits. Also previous good bits:
Lakeside
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PS Lots of horse flies
^^^ nice pic, love that section...
Think I'll fit my mud tyres to my Alfine geared hardtail......
Has gatcombe had the torrential rain overnight?
No rain last night, couple of heavy showers yesterday. Nice this morning.
Sounds promising
Maps / layout etc are on mayhem website
Thanks tang. It's not been too bad up here in Leeds but I was worried by the tales of woe on R4 this morning.... soft southerners
Well I'm convinced .... The Thunderburt stays 😈
It's been wet today but forecast looks good for race! Fingers crossed. It will be wet in the woods...
Forecast seems to predict showers up until Friday evening, which doesn't give much time to dry out. And it's not going to be hot/sunny enough for anything to dry much.
I've packed my 2.0" Dirty Dans and a pot of Sudocrem (I'm doing solo, so will need my nappy changing a lot)
I'm currently on Thunder Burts too, but picked up a new pair of Bonty Mud Xs on my way home today. Hopefully just an insurance policy - but it was a bit tasty at the first edition at Gatcombe the other year.
Better fit some mud tires then.... Thanks for the updates Tang!
If the weather forecast is to be believed I reckon (hope) it should dry out ok.
In 2013 it dried out for the Sunday and it wasn't sunny at all, it just stopped raining Saturday evening.
Heading down in a team of 4 - really looking forward to it.
the forecast is looking up for the weekend too.
Quick question to Tang, how quick to we have to be off the site on Sunday? My Mrs who was going to be my support and driver whilst I soloed it has decided to go and see the Stone Roses instead so I'm doing an unsupported effort and getting a couple of hours kip in the van afterwards would seem to be a good idea.
dazh: You don't need to leave till Monday morning. Some of us have to drive back to Scotland 🙂
You have to be clear of the site by 9:30 am Monday morning .
@Dazh - I read Monday 9am to exit the campsite.
My first MM after doing sleepless about 6 years ago before I was into 'biking. Team of 4 was down to 3 so two ladies doing some guest laps.
Training has gone really well. Started on Monday. Looking forward to a smooth team operation and some fun riding.
I'll be on trusty Green O-o Scandal with black x-fusions (don't confuse with snownrock)
Thanks all. Obviously I failed to read the emails. My Mrs will be very relieved that I won't be attempting to drive back straight after. I wasn't too keen on the idea either!
Course finished today in some heavy rain. Weather nice now and looking good for the weekend. Don't expect the dust of the last two years....
Just pulled up nearby. Weather is cloudy but no rain.
Not looking so dry any more on Saturday, according to BBC weather 🙁
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2642452
You sound surprised! Looks very moist now
Looks fine now.
Yeah, all clear according to the BBC.
Who have a history of lying to me about the weather.
So it will probably be biblical!
All set up. Weather is fine. Actually seen the sun. Course thru campsite is wet but very firm. Bet it's gonna be wet in woods though. Nice breeze blowing at mo to dry things out.
Sorry solo's, no jelly babies this year.
Chucked it down all night, no sun, lots of clouds and a bit of a wind. Deepest joy
Well that was another amazing weekend at Gatcombe with the Pivot Boompods team and friends.
The weather was dry over the weekend but the heavy rain in the preceding week or so had left the course resembling plasticine in places. Mostly it was fine and fast, but some parts were tough going. There were 3 newly cut singletrack sections which were all brilliant, especially the new swoopy trail which joined onto the old red bull timed section. Superb fun. We also got to ride all of the Kenda Koffin descent as per the first year at Gatcombe. The last two years we've just done the bottom half so it was great to bomb down all of it again.
We started inauspiciously, following a decent first lap where I came through in the lead our second rider out had just made a break and then snapped his chain. Usually he carries a spare chain link but it had fallen off. Nightmare! He lost 15 minutes until a friendly rider gave him one. We spent the next 5 hours playing catch up and moved into the lead at about 6pm. Overnight we paired up and rode 3 single laps on/off in each pair. We pulled out a lead which was then closed down when our second pair went out between midnight and 4am. With the gap down to 4 minutes at one point, Big Al and I set about building a lead and within 2 laps we were back out to 15 minutes ahead. Some stunning laps from 24hr virgins Rich and Stu and of course stalwart Big Al late on stretched this to 22 minutes and all I had to do was roll round and take the win. Despite the best efforts of some very, very tired backmarkers to force me into a tree and later into the lake I made it and we won. Superb! Princess Anne was on hand to give out the trophies and even the ice cream van was nice.
An amazing event with superb infrastructure - I've never seen so many portaloos and showers!
GB
Mayhem victories are like buses eh?! Chapeau, well done.
Well done gee, I seemed to spend the whole 24 hours being passed by your team. The mud/velcro in the woods was pretty hard going after a while, I spent most of the dark hours suffering with cramp in muscles I didn't know existed. Great event and some really good people, can't wait til next year
Another cracking event! My legs ache but it'll all be forgotten by tomorrow.... Roll on next year!
I had a great race - except for the bit around midnight where I came off at the first drop-off, smashed my face into a rock, and pushed my teeth through my face, resulting in a pleasant rest of the evening at Gloucester Infirmary having my face stitched back together - yeah, apart from that, all good! The previous laps had been ace though! 😉
I'm too exhausted to properly comment but it was quite some challenge!
Had a great race until I came off on my 3rd lap. I'm the reason the course got diverted about 7:30 pm, sorry guys!
Cheers to the 3 riders who stopped with me and helped carry me to the ambulance.
Quite happy to have walked out of the hospital at 3am having arrived on a spinal board and in a world of pain.
Karlwoof
Glad to hear your OK never fun to see someone going into an ambulance
Great event once again. A challenge as ever.
New bits worked really well.
Thanks to Pat and the team and all of those marshals who endured just as much I reckon!
That felt harder than the first wet year at Gatcombe. Mainly because with a lot of effort and concentration it was all rideable, whereas the previous time walking the climbs was the default option for most.
Much as I enjoyed the new steep, off-camber, rooty descent, I'm really not convinced it was a sensible bit of route planning. I never saw another single rider actually ride it at any point, which meant it was always full of walkers whenever I got there. And I dread to think of the potential carnage if we'd had a rainy weekend. I'm all for a bit of a challenge, but I think this section was way too much for the vast majority in an event of this type.
Overall though, another excellent event in very testing conditions with a great atmosphere.
First year and in a team of ten. Great laugh, decent course, most people were friendly. We had someone out at all times but in a non competitive / friendly way, fair respect to anyone who wants to punish themselves, nothing but admiration.
Much as I enjoyed the new steep, off-camber, rooty descent, I'm really not convinced it was a sensible bit of route planning. I never saw another single rider actually ride it at any point, which meant it was always full of walkers whenever I got there.
Which descent was this? Full of walkers up the hills but only saw a few walkers down anything?
I got overtaking spinning up a hill by someone walking up which is perhaps tells me more than anything how unfit I am!
Great event. Hardest thing I've ever done. New additions to the course worked well but that bloody mud. Sticky and slippy. Spoke briefly the beaker and a couple of other guys. Nice to put a face to a name. Great event and thanks to all who supported with cowbells horns and sarcasm( that means you Retrobike ). 16 laps and 18 th position which I'm well happy with.