[Closed] Strathpuffer Updates

24 minutes between first and third after 13 hours and 17 laps, it'll go down to the wire.

Not necessary. The race is only just starting...

Anybody else loving how the team with the most laps is actually a pair??

GO Team Cooksons Cycles!! and thanks for petrol last year 😉

2 1/2 hours to go.

Solo

1st Phil Simcock
2nd Ewan Gronkowski
3rd Luke Morris

6th Jason Miles

15th Andrew Bugress

Overall (and leading Pairs by 3 laps)

Cookson Cycles

From Twitter it looks like Jason has had some time in the pits but got bored and went back out again and Dave is sleeping off his injuries.

Gronk, 23 laps - 21 hours in, our man is 20 minutes down in second. His last couple of laps have clawed back about fifteen minutes. For a first timer in any endurance race that is good going.

Single ladies are flying too. Go Mona, Go Jo!

Tweet from @oneblackdot running 4th in pairs.

[b][i]Freehub went kaputt on that lap, along with any chances of catching 3rd (don't think we would have anyway Guy Martin is on it!)[/b][/i]

absorbing battle between jo and kate - well done the both of you!

must have been tough i the night for some - that one heck of a lot of laps the top teams have done

yes, i look at those totals and it makes me even more depressed about my previous performances!

that one heck of a lot of laps the top teams have done

Top team are all under 15!

In case it comes up as a Trivial Pursuit question. What is the record for solo laps? Who was the rider?

it wisnae me!

Well done to all who took part. We were up to watch and take photos for a while in the afternoon/evening.A few video a and stills here

1st for Phil and for Cooksons!

Top effort from everyone.

Well done Drew T! 6th - awesome!.

Nice footage Mrs Hoover

Props to Huw Oliver and Ollie Young in 2nd in the Pairs- 31 laps, that's more than Cooksons won with last year. Either they were going at it like the clappers or the weather was better. Anything over the magic 24 laps in an hour is astounding.

Well done to all my fellow competitors - awesome fitness, skills and commitment. My first-ever MTB event (at 47) which I only found out I was doing a week ago when a (so-called) friend pulled out of a quad with an injury. My total lack of MTB skills told a bit but I loved (almost) every minute of it. No injuries or damage - result.

Would you do it again?

I did the Puffer a few years ago and we had quite good weather, if you could be sure of weather like this week-end, I think I would do it again, but if we had weather like the last two winters then forget it.

It was great to have a walk round the course yesterday, the Puffer has a really good atmosphere.

Very 'clement' weather in terms of mildness and lack of precipitation. Ground wetness made bitsof the course cut up quite badly. The potholes of slurry/gravel that appeared on the fast descent took me by surprise.
Epic ride for me. My lights played up on one lap and I rode by the full moon in the open and other people's lights in the woods. A bloke kindly yelled "jump!" at me on all the wee water bars on the descent when I asked if I could tail him for the benefit of his light.
An upsetting too-many-gels 'Paula Radcliffe' moment out on the course coincided with the middle of a lap where I had a hard otb in a wheelstopper and my freehub decided to play "guess when I'm going to engage". A bit of a weep at the indignity of it all, a baby-wipe shower, fresh clothes, a bastardised bike, some real food, some immodium and a kip later, I was good to go again.
My pit crew, Roberta, druidh and graham went above and beyond the call of duty to get me through to 10am today.
....you really didn't need to know some of that, did you?... My head, body and two bikes are sh*gged, I just don't care anymore! *rocks gently in a corner*

Well done Jojo.

I was following your laps times. cracking performance. Nails!

Would i do it again? If I was put in the same situation again, I would.

I did it this year because I've spent the last 14 months helping my 14 year old son through cancer. After that, I feel like I take take on anything - I can't imagine anything tougher (the Puffer is obviously a walk in the park in comparison). The Puffer was a great atmosphere - very friendly - had a chat with people on my way round and got cheered on.

Well done Jo, & well done to your pit crew 😀

I should add that anyone who was wondering what the Doug Stewart memorial trophy was - Doug was a close family friend (colleague of mine, husband of my wife's beSt friend, father of my kids' friends) who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer the day my son's cancer was diagnosed. His son was in my quad. Things like that drive you on

Sounds ace 😐

But respect to all who took part 🙂

Mebbe I need to take part in such things to see the attraction...

A cracking puffer. Done it 3 times solo but never again.* Did it as a quad and got on good coming 8th, quite happy with that.
Conditions were really pretty good considering the weather here recently. Experiencing parts of the track actually getting drier in the wind around 1-5am was definately a first for me.
The big muddy slither down from the swivel seat was great fun and the braking bumps down from view rock on the last descent were interesting on a rigid bike at speed.
Ridiculously awesome results from the top guys as usual, and a top effort from epicyclo dragging his monstrosity round ten times 😯
Time for bed.

*probably

14 laps in 23.42 for me. Didn't have the stomach for a last one and it would have made very little difference to my standing. Great event. I think I have exorcised my solo demons now and won't feel like doing it again. Maybe a quad.

What an evil, nasty, brutal, horrible race. Kinda enjoyed it, but a bit silly to attempt as my first ever 24.

The guy riding for Cooksons Cycles on a Lapiere hardtail was an absolute monster.

That was the most technically difficult and enjoyable 24hr course I've ridden. It was absolutely brilliant, although my back, neck and arms are killing me today as a result! Anyone know how long a lap was?

The fireroad climb was another matter entirely...

How Gronk put in a fastest lap only a second slower than the fastest ovverall I will never know!

Congratulations to everyone, I had an amazing weekend!

who do i bribe to get a solo place next year?

I got a reserve place. And then I got offered another reserve place 2 weeks later. Didn't get on the list till really late either, so I'd say it's definitely worth getting on it even if you miss an entry.

iDave - Member

who do I bribe to get a solo place next year?

You need to apply as soon as the application line is open - takes a few minutes to sell out

Brown Anyone know how long a lap was?

I measured it at 11km last year and it didn't change that much this.

mcmoonter,

What's that set up with gronk and nipper being towed - looks like part of a Bo Yak or copy with modifications - do you know?

My daughter has a 24" wheel Isla Bike and it's too big to be towed with a Trail Gator, but that looks like a posible solution.

That was the most technically difficult and enjoyable 24hr course I've ridden. It was absolutely brilliant, although my back, neck and arms are killing me today as a result! Anyone know how long a lap was?

The fireroad climb was another matter entirely...

I'm glad you said that about it being technically difficult. As a total novice, I thought it seemed quite tough for an endurance race but I have nothing to compare it with.

As for the fire road climb, that's where I passed everybody (apart from the surface, it's not a million miles different from my commute) - then I'd let them back past as I was fighting the rocks! It's my upper body that's taken a battering - the swelling on my wrist as gone down thankfully.

We had five one solo, three pairs and one quad in. Managed three podium places, though not the team I was in unsurprisingly. Definitely by far and away the most benign weather of all three Puffers I've done. I sort of thought that detracted from it a bit in a funny sort of way. Freezing temperatures, howling gales and driving snow are what makes the Puffer special. 🙂

A brilliant weekend though. Superbly organised, an excellent course that stood up very well to the thousands of bikes, friendly and supportive riders and marshals and generally a good laugh.

And finally a massive thank you to Rick and the rest of our support crew who once again put in a mammoth effort to keep us going through the night. The real stars of the show for us.

Innes - Member
"Not forgetting epicyclo on his fat race bike"
Here he is, it isn't that sharp...

Blurred because of my tremendous speed? 🙂

Mind if I nick this pic for my facebook?

It's my upper body that's taken a battering

Yup. My wrist, triceps and back are in knots. I dropped a carton of juice this morning. Picking it up again took several attempts...

That said, I loved the rocks. They kept things interesting, there were multi-line bits, single-line bits and bits you really didn't want to get wrong! But it did start to hurt (a lot) after 18 hours or so!

I found the fireroad really hard - all I could think about was how long it was. The techy bits kept my mind nicely occupied. I think plenty of Peak District night riding helped too.

very interested in doing this with a friend from work.just wondering what bikes/set-ups people used.

thanks

cocker - Member
...just wondering what bikes/set-ups people used.

I am well qualified to answer this...

Don't use a singlespeed bike that weighs over 42lbs. 🙂

Having done it on a steel ahrd tail and a 29er FS I can deffo recommend the latter as the best option. Much less beaten up and faster.

As noted above, the winning quad team were all under-16s:
[url= http://www.edinburghrc.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=13969 ]Quad team brief report[/url]

cocker - Member

very interested in doing this with a friend from work.just wondering what bikes/set-ups people used.

thanks

Epicyclo, help yourself. I was hoping to see you at the Puffer, I was telling others about the bike, it was good to see it, even if it was just as you battered down the hill. I forgot your Forum name, that's why I just shouted Singletrack at you, I thought you would know what I meant.

mcmoonter,

What's that set up with gronk and nipper being towed - looks like part of a Bo Yak or copy with modifications - do you know?

I pinged Gronk an email re this. I suspect he'll be sleeping till Wednesday!