[Closed] Pippingford Park

I did the southern east regional champs there a couple of weeks ago (admittedly it was 29 deg) but it was dry and dusty, with some cracking singletrack. I guess your course will be different, but ours was pretty hilly, really good in fact, one of the best courses I’ve raced on for ages…

How much rain has there been down there? Quite a bit I think, no?

Forecast is wet for next week. There's a YouTube vid of the 2018 xc Tri which gives you a good idea of the course.

What BigDaddy said, lovely riding.

The Vittoria Marathon is there in just over a week, I'm looking forward to it, although quite nervous as this is the first race I'm bring my A game to, after Training specifically for long-distance since last November. There I said it....

I’m looking forward to it, although quite nervous as this is the first race I’m bring my A game to

I'm bringing beer if you want one the night before!!

I’m bringing beer if you want one the night before!!

Is their camping arrangements? I can’t see anything on the site….

I live just down the road from there, it's been wet, very wet. I go running not far from Pippingford and there was a lot of standing water a few days a go.

I'm also riding the Vittoria marathon, I won't be fitting my faster race tyres that's for sure!

The Vittoria Marathon is there in just over a week

My triathlon is the day before that 🙂

Is it going to be greasy slop, or sandy grit or what? I'm usually on Rocket Rons.

Is it going to be greasy slop, or sandy grit or what?

Helpfully, probably both. The forest heathland is quite sandy and can drain well, in the open areas it's likely to be gritty, however under the trees it can be greasy slop and there will be wet slidy roots as well almost certainly.

Sounds like standard southern XC type terrain then.

Rons will be fine I reckon. I did the really wet southern xc a few years ago there and ran a pair of barzos and they were mostly fine.

Who's there on Sunday then? I'm in the 50km option with a load of mates that normally race the Brighton Big Dog together. It's our replacement event this year!

I've never ridden Pippingford before - despite it being local to me. Couple of questions -

How technical is the terrain? Hardtail or Short travel FS?

Assume there will be a feed station area where you can leave additional bottles?

Any other tips?

Thanks!

Bit of info:

How technical is the terrain? Hardtail or Short travel FS?

It's been a good few years since i last rode there but i don't believe the terrain is particularly technical, that said they could build more technical features on the trails.

I'll be riding short travel 29er hardtail, largely because it's the only mountain bike i have, but it's what i'd probably choose anyway.

I'm doing 3 laps I think it is, you can camp from night before

Thanks for the link Mrlebowski.

I'm considering camping now, rather than a 6am drive from home on Sunday which gives me a course pre-ride and lap time judgement also. But am tossing up a good nights sleep & 5am alarm vs being there Saturday afternoon.

I'm in for the 72km and taking a Scott Spark, because thats what I have! My understanding is that the course crosses the area twice so all good for a feed zone.

Thanks for the link Mrlebowski.

👍

Email wit details has come through, they have asked if camping to fill in a form online, link in email

Done! thanks for the heads up.

There's 239 riders for the big one with some pretty handy riders entered.

I’m considering camping now

I'm getting a hotel for my event. Lots of airport hotels at Gatwick apparently in need of guests offering cheap rates it looks like.

I've got an Airbnb nearby. It's meant to be fun right & early starts are not my idea of fun!

I was thinking about a hotel but cleanliness paranoia pushed me back into my own tent & food, sign of the times...

But I forgot about shared portaloo's :/

some pretty handy riders entered

The nicest man in MTB aka Nick Craig..

And Ant White...

Basically anyone who'd enter a Scott Marathon and most of the SE XC crowd are in. Its going to be difficult to be in the top 30 I reckon, even a top 50 would be a decent ride I think.

I've received the race email, no gridding. I'm assuming they've scrapped it for Sunday? I'm only going around once on a jolly so maybe that's why .

Hmm...just looking at the entries and there's only 22 in the one lappers so that's possibly why there's no gridding. Anyway it should be a good day.

I'm on a real downer about this event now. I targeted it as an A race leading to the Exposure 24/12, but with the entries as is an 239 can't really judge on position/nemesis so have to rely only on performance data. Then although its not certain are there really going to be 239 people racing in a melee to the single track entry to bottom of the climb from the off? It doesn't have the 5km neutralised lead in of the Scott Marathons for everyone to sort their positions.

It'll be carnage, and I don't like wet camping etc moan moan....

So right now its just about how much power/time I have for 70KM and not much else.

race your race not somebody else's enjoy the opportunity you have & say thanks to those that are volunteering & hi those people you know & it'll be reet.

Being a marathon there'll be plenty of time to pass. Personally, I just want to finish & not die. However, having said that I'd like to do as well as I can. I think the first half lap could well be a bit of a melee particularly. Back in the day when I was doing Brass Monkeys & faster (I was getting top 10 places) I just went at my own pace the whole way through. Yeah, my lap times weren't uber fast in isolation but overall I was super consistent & just picked folks off as I went. I'm hoping for the same this time out.

However, I'm a lot slower than I was 10 odd years ago!

Sorry I didn't mean to sound ungrateful I'm just having a bad day, carbonfiend you are 100% correct.

I'll see you there 👍

Kryton.
It'll be rammed on the start straight then a slow procession up the first climb. There'll be a bit of a sort out on the next flat bit then a procession down the descent. After that It'll sort itself out and you'll have hours and hours to find your true place in the pack.
Go on finish position percentage if you want to judge yourself. Doesn't matter what the field size is then.
Most important is to ride well, enjoy the course and feel satisfied with your performance.

FYI

It’ll be carnage, and I don’t like wet camping

I got a hotel at Gatwick for £35, treat yourself.

FYI

FFS, I've just put a brand new Mezcal on the rear... having said that, 3-4 patches of mushy ground, pah! I rode a worn Mezcal in slippery mud and 2hrs of rain last week in a forest with a reputation from not draining well at all.

I've 2 rather knackered Barzo's on - what will be will be!

remember the good ol' days of spending hours trying to mount tubeless tyres with soapy water & a standard track pump - well is it just me or is that process now reversed 🤷‍♂️

Im looking forward to/ slightly nervous about this. Will be my first ever race (Ever. never even entered so much as a school race:)), and whilst I will not be anywhere near the front, I hope I manage to stay right side up and not come last.
Agonised over my tyre choice, ended up with mezcal/barzo combo.
The race couldn't come at a worse time fitness wise, but I'm going with a good bunch so fun will no doubt be had. Good luck all.

Carbonfiend that’s two of us. I remembered I had Gato 2 (Vittorias discontinued race mud/slippy tyre) on my spare wheels. 30 minutes to swap tyres I thought except the tape came up with the Mezcal. Cleaned, wiped with ipa, let dry, new Tesa tape…. But the air just pisses out the base of the valve. So I change valve, same thing. So I retape it. Same thing.

2hrs later the Wheel is currently sitting in the shed cleaned again and I’ll try once more later to tape it and leave overnight with a tube, whilst the bike current has the Gato 2 on my spare heavy wheel.

Never has this issue before, Ffs!

There's E.Coli in the lake so no swim tomorrow. I'm pissed off because I wouldn't have come this far and paid this much for a duathlon 🙁

That’s a bit of a sod - not the 1st time IIRC the lake being an issue?

Anyone know if there is any practising a lap allowed on Sunday morning?

I’m going to signing on at about 16.30 then heading out for a 1/2 lap at around 17.00 if anyone is around?

Anyone know if there is any practising a lap allowed on Sunday morning?

If you’re there early enough I don’t see why not?

Being as i only live around the corner and as i doubt that any number of practice laps is going to make me any faster at all i'm not going to bother, just turn up for registration around 8.30 tomorrow morning.

See you all tomorrow, and good luck.

Well that was bastard difficult. The runs were great but bloody hell the MTBing was hard. I've done loads of muddy races in my time but that was all tricky greasy slop into sticky clay greasy climbs with very little respite. Your course will 0ribably be different though.

Take the best mud tyres you have!

Good race though, my mate who is a good cyclist and triathlete set off in the last wave cos he thought he'd hold everyone up mincing along the course. He got into T1 after the first run at the same time as me, I trounced him on the MTB and in the last 200m of the run I saw him coming up behind me! He beat me by a couple of metres as I was knackered. Of course he had a couple of mins in hand as he started later, but it was great fun.

Mr lebowski i am here and up for practise the same time. Look up the hill from the event arena at the camping, white bmw blue tent thats me.

Or, red /white Scott spark with black white scott top on.

Although they just told me i cant sign in until 5... ill go down at 5 ready to ride.

Well done Molgrips!

Sign in is open Kryton.

I’m here - I’ll be at the coffee shop on the hill.

(Technically it’s a van! 🤣)

Grey mavic t shirt/black shorts.

The coffee van was great.

I was 9/28 in men, 10/46 overall in the half distance and 2/3 in my age cat.

Solid result molgrips! 👍

**** me that was tough!

No sh1t.

That grass climb through the arena was horrific. If they do the event next year I hope to god they see sense & run us up the nice fire road in the next field only a hundred yards away! Bit baffled as to why they didn't to be honest..

Good to meet you both.

I ride with my head, and my head had enough sliding around the mud plus I couldn't get a "spark" in my legs and felt it bit like I was plodding along so pulled the plug on what would have been a 5+ hr race.

Arse.

Well that was brutal. Utterly brutal. I had a mechanical and canned it in the slop on lap 1 - And was considering pulling the plug but stuck with it and managed 18th in the 3 lap despite running out of water with 8 miles to go. I’m happy with that!

I’m not sure if I enjoyed it or not!! There’s little the organisers can do about the rain but Christ it was sapping.

I’ve never seen a results list with
So many dnf’s. Or a summer race with so much mud.

I mentioned it to the organisers (assuming they were the same people). He said that they try to design their courses at 4-5 difficulty out of 10, but for some reason at just that venue it goes straight up to 8 when it rains.

Glad it wasn't just me being a wuss. I was pleased with myself for not falling off, dabbing twice and not pushing any of it (besides running a few m after one of the dabs) and I only had to do 12km! Not the sort of distance that would have me contemplating pushing due to tiredness.

Glad I didn't do the Sunday event tbh.

I’ve never seen a results list with so many dnf’s.

My results show for the 4hr, 251 starters, 183 finished and I finished 152 with my two laps. As I crossed the line to “finish” I was 53rd. Makes me feel a bit better, maybe I wasn’t as slow as I thought 😂

I think I was about 5 mins behind you Kryton - bear in mind thats overall too & not age group so possibly better than you might think..

27/54 age group & 142/251. Not terrible..

That was bloody hard, i managed to finish my 4 laps in 5 hours 49 minutes and I ache everywhere! Results show me as 85/187, but only 103 male finishers on the 4 lapper.

The good - my tyres were good (Rocket Ron's) and the tubeless conversion was faultless.
The bad - my mtb skills, i'm awfull! in honesty i'm a roadie who owns a mtb.
The ugly - mud and roots, by god that was tough

26th in 3 lapper, DNF is the most popular result!! I would have bailed on 2 had I entered the 4 lap race, anyone who did all 4 is a bloody hero.

Bazz, are you a tall bloke with a red top, I chatted to, was madness doing 4!!

@anagallis_arvensis I don't think so, chatted to a couple of people, I'm not that tall, sort of average, and was in red, white and blue planet X/on one jersey.

Was a nice vibe put on the course, everyone suffering together😬

Echoing everyone else's thoughts: that was bloody tough!

At the front of the 4 lap race it set off very quickly; think short track kind of numbers. I settled in OK and dropped off the pace of the front 3 who were going absolutely mental, then in the first pass over the moorland my cranks suddenly stopped turning. It turned out to be a stripped lower jockey wheel bolt, i.e. very unfixable. I ran the 2.7km to the pits with the intention of making a improvised singlespeed, but a friend's dad had a spare derailleur cage plate. After fitting it I was down in 178th overall, so spent the next few hours trying to pass as many people as possible.
I made it up to 14th in the end, and by Christ it took it out of me!

It's exactly the sort of event I think we could do with more of. Long lap, 'short' marathon race (as opposed to 12/24hr), with a challenging but accessible course.

Yeah absolutely brutal -my result just come through via email which is nice - 90/187 in the 4 lap my usually midpack result then I see only 98 people actually finished the 4 lap - I thought that last lap was lonely 😔

You must have been just behind me @carbonfiend, what were you riding? I was getting passed on all the downhills then making up places on the fire road climbs, so chatted to a few people around me. I also thought I was last man on the course a few times, at least no one saw me being shit!

That's some effort @padkinson, well done.

@bazz Ride JMC kit on a Canyon Lux

@carbonnfiend I saw you running a bit on the steep climb into the switchbacks and briefly thought about making a comment about it being 'ride' not 'run jmc', then thought better of it!

@bpadkinson 🤣 👍

Yeah that was tough.

Actually really enjoyed the lap. Lot's of fun bits and the lap seemed to pass quite quickly. I was happy I chose to run Rons as everything remained pretty much rideable.

As Padkinson said, the pace off the start was crazy fast. I just about clung on to one of the groups at the front in about 20th, I think.

Paid a bit for the fast start with twinges of cramp from about half way so kept it steady from then on to keep the cramp under control.

Still seemed to make reasonable progress with others suffering with the conditions (or paying more than me for the early pace) and crossed the line in 12th.

Super happy with that!

I finished😃 My first race, only 2 laps, but my good did I pick a corker to cut my teeth on...
First lap went well, managed to get into a small pack all the way to the end of the first lap.
Had a small off on some roots and had a group of about 10 pass me and couldn't get into a rhythm after that. Brutal cramps had me pushing a few of the climbs, so I was very VERY happy to cross that line!

Some pics here:

More photos collated here:
https://www.rootsandrain.com/event9368/2021-jul-11-eventrex-vittoria-mtb-marathon-pippingford/photos/

Good going to all for plugging on through the stickiness. I was surprised how well my Racing Ralph/Ray combo worked after having to make a last minute front and back wheel change after discovering probs with both wheels! The Challenge (1 lap) was for me. Blasted it right from the start and I be darned I came 1st, first 1st in my career😆. Anyway a good day was had, looking forward to going back to that venue again.

Everyone shot off at the start on the 3 lapper had I known they were all going to stop after 2 laps I'd have chased less hard!!

AA if its where I think it is that camera has some remarkable flattening qualities on what is basically a drop in, launch out stream crossing.

Everyone shot off at the start

Same for the 4 laps.

@muddylegs - congrats!

I have one remaining wish left of this race, I wish I'd have given THAT woman a piece of my mind. You know the little ramp up before the short step-up Bridge crossing? Just as I was approaching she shouted from behind me something very loudly something intelligible to me at the time, and of course assuming someone was about to steam past me on top of a drop I hesitated, forcing a dismount and walk holding up her and the bloke behind her. Whilst he had a moan, she had the nerve to say "it wasn't me, it was him"

I ignored her, but just in case you're reading this, don't shout at a rider who's focused on an obstacle in front of them, thats when accidents and mistakes happen. The delay was not my fault - it was yours, you caused it because I had easily cleared that lump on two prior occasions and would have done again.

Glad I have that off my chest...

@kryton57 sounds like you had a lot of fun!

I veered into someone too. Thought he said "on your left" rather than "Stay left". Point being nobody sets out to hamper someone else's ride. It's just racing. Things happen.

Glad I have that off my chest…

Ah the Bridge of Doom!

I had a guy trying to dive bomb me on the single track for about a lap until he got the message he wasn’t quick or good enough to do that.

Some just get the red mist or maybe it’s a lack of experience..

AA if its where I think it is that camera has some remarkable flattening qualities on what is basically a drop in, launch out stream crossing.

Yeah, I think it was where the bloke was shouting carry the speed at me, nope, I'll go slow thanks!!

Judging by those pics it was a fair bit drier on Sunday.