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[i]Thats standard for you on that bit surely? [/i]
It's certainly not unknown... 😳
I really enjoyed the the first 85km, then had an off when someone in front of me braked hard as we'd not seen the turn right sign until the last minute and I had a dismount into a bush at 35mph next to the road, own silly fault but kept getting cramp for the last 15km.
Great event though, first time i've done it, very well organized by the club as well. I made sure I said thank you to each of the marshals and enjoyed quite a bit of banter as I went round speaking to people, including have a good chat with the guy on the unicycle, who I take my hat off to especially on some of those climbs.
am afraid the signage was very poor. I missed a couple of other turns, was saved by shouts from riders behind me. I know they want to keep the impact on those lovely Cotswolds villages to a minimum but when you are riding balls-out for 100km mtb you aint always going to see a small yellow sign. Need to either make them MASSIVE or maybe have a couple as you approach the turn.
You could try using that map thing you where given!
As for the signs, takes a lot of effort to put them up before the event and take them down again afterwards (you volunteering?). I'll be out latter picking up some of those signs.
re: signage, I think they get it right. it's a reliability trial, part of that is being able to follow a route. you get given a 1:50k map at the start so I think you should expect to look at it once or twice. I know I did.
re: attitude, I agree - didn't seem as friendly as previously. There was one checkpoint with only one marshal and some guy in a Kingston Wheelers jersey thought it was appropriate to ride round the queue and jump straight in at the front.
There was one checkpoint with only one marshal and some guy in a Kingston Wheelers jersey thought it was appropriate to ride round the queue and jump straight in at the front.
Did anyone smack him the eye and shove him in a bush?
KINGTUT - Member
Did anyone smack him the eye and shove him in a bush?
Unfortunately being british i just tutted loudly and then cursed him under my breath every time i saw him afterwards.
I think the signage was good, you did have to keep your eye open and a couple of times when I got a good bit of speed up on the downhills I almost went past a few, but that was part of the fun and it's not that the signs weren't there, just that i was to busy trying to breathe to keep my head up and look, instead of just following the crowd.
All in all, one of the best organised events like this that i have done. Can't be easy signposting 100km of route.
grahamh.....like I said and am happy to repeat, many thanks to all the organisers. Me, personally I think the signage wasnt fantastic. If you only want to hear the positives from participants fair enough but thats my tuppenceworth on an otherwise terrific event.
Graham - not having a pop at the signage, as ever I understand that a huge amount of work goes into the HONC, and it shows, it's a great event. And half the fun is finding the route.
The one turn that I thought did need to be clearer was, as I said, the sneaky right hander after the butterfly farm:
Here:
To the non-local, it's not even that obvious it's a track, you very well be blatting along at that point and if you miss it it's a looooong way down and a looooong way back up and over again... A few lads on crossers in front of me would have found themselves in Prestbury had I not yelled 'RIIIIIIGGGHT!' as they shot past the turn.
Maybe I should have let them 😈
Interesting on hearing different views of the days ride; my two mates had to bale at halfway on the 100k due to illness for one and lack of riding for other, so i ended up doing the last 50k on my own, i spoke to loads of different riders, (lots of grunting about how much suffering was going on) and generally thought it was quite sociable ride, but didnt get anybodies name.
I didn't use the map once, just relied on the signage, the only bit i overshot was the left turn off the high street at the finish, concentration had gone by this point.
Ended up doing a faster split for second half which was good, but had lots of waiting around at the food stop.
Still great ride as usual.
Some lovely bikes too. Defintely need a Cx now and that singlespeed salsa!!
Lots of 29ers going past me on the rough stuff at speed. Starting to see the point of those big wheels.
Lovely day out and great organisation from the club, as always. A tad brisk on Cleeve Common! Managed to have a chat with a few folk and say 'hi' to all and sundry as well as thank the marshalls + catering folk.
I thought the trails were running very well and the Fargo with 2.4" Ralphs turned out to be just right for the route, even though it's a bit on the heavy side it carried speed well on the climbs and was a hoot on the descents.
Only one 'hmmm' moment on the signage, just after the butterfly conservation area, as IHN said, but I think we ended up on route anyway!
Gorgeous day out doing the 50k, nice laid back atmosphere, and we waved and said thank you to to all the marshalls. And I took the river option for the first time! 🙂
I think the start has changed for the better since the last time I did it. There was certainly less of a traffic jam on the first climb.
Re the signage, the only thing I'd say is that the route was extremely well signed to start with, but then the signs seemed to vanish near the top of Cleeve Hill. I wonder if some were removed or whether it was just the logistics of signing a long stretch of off-road.
As Graham says, signing a 60 mile ride is a shedload of work - the last one I helped sign involved four people, and took most of a day - but it was a bit odd to not have to engage brain or look at a map for most of the way, but then be left to fend for ourselves when most people were at quite a low ebb.
McBoo - I was on my lonesome, riding up over the road from Cheltenham at about 2pm......on the drive out we saw a pair of poor buggers about an hour and half later had done the same as me were all the way down in Cheltenham, I wonder if they know what was coming, really nasty.
Yeah! That was me with another unfortunate soul.. Hadn't realised how naughty that "small bump" actually was, not the most fun following the previous 95km we'd completed at that point!
I swear someone removed the signage for the right turn! Grrr
That "small bump" forms part of my regular road ride (first climb on the way out and last climb on way back)... I pity you doing it on an MTB after the rest of the route!
There was a comedian waiting at the end of the final descent from Cleeve to the road... "Are you doing the 50 or the 100?" Bearing in mind it was before midday and having gone flat out I couldn't have been more demoralised when he went on to say "the quickest of the 100K boys will be coming through very soon"
Here:
yup, I overshot that one, even with a garmin. It was only said garmin beeping like mad that stopped me from riding tucked at full speed down into Cheltenham.
As already said, wicked event and a real ball buster!
Although im a local lad I have never attempted the HONC for real, so this year was a first. I was impressed with it from start to finish and a great bunch of riders all the way round.
Even more impressive was the number of guys riding past my house in Woodmancote on the way to the start (up cleeve hill before beginning the HONC!!!!) Respect.
The 100k was hard work but well worth it and has opened me up to more local riding spots.
Loved the end of Cleeve as it is my local spot and I know it oh so well. Sorry to the lady I shot past on the final decent to the road! 🙄
Now looking for the next ride like this to get my teeth into... any suggestions?
I've not done it since '94. Is it the same course every year?
I do remember a long road climb near the end, but would be able to tell you what it was called.
I'll be entering next year or I might wait until the year after to make it a nice round 20 years.
This looks pretty similar. Long course, bumpy but not overly so, etc.
http://www.hellofthewest.co.uk/
That Salsa was riding along with me for quite a while. Beautiful bike. Must have dropped his chain at least 4 times!
In fact I think I saw at least 10 bikes with dropped chains and almost all were singlespeeds.
Strangely, I did notice a lot of singlespeeds with really loose chains, even from the start.
eyerideit, route is sort of different every year. There are only so many paths that can be used and only so many ways of getting from Winchcombe to Guiting and back.
"You could try using that map thing you where given!"
I found at least one point where the map said straight on and the signs said go left! And before there are any comments about map reading skills the the marshall behind me agreed with me! But then again I remeber HONC before it was signed or GPS routes were given out so I can actually read a map while on my bike.
I can't say that the "problems" with the signs detracked from a great day out and a big "Thank You" to all the organisers an helpers for making it the event it is!
😀
My first HONC and we were surprised how well it was signposted, also thought how friendly the other riders were compared to other events we've done. Big thanks again to all the marshals and the organisers. Everyone I came across said thanks to the marshals and especially big thanks to the youngsters running the refreshments.
Tough 100k but enjoyed it all apart from the cx killing ploughed field descent. See you next year.
twas me who was signing some of you happy lot in and out at the start/finish.
did hear several comments about people getting lost on Cleeve and several missing the food stop, too; and we do listen to constructive criticism.
the event has evolved over the 20+ years of running it (i've been involved since 1989).
the route is deliberately run clockwise/anti-clockwise alternate years and changed so repeat riders don't look to beat personal bests for the same route; as we cannot have it as a race on public roads.
as a marshall, stood out in the cold from 7am till gone 5pm it is nice to hear thank yous and comments on these forums, and we find that 99% of entrants are positive, happy, friendly and up for a bit of banter. There is always the 1% that grab the starter packs and just grunt, but i know karma will even things out 🙂
for all you knackered riders:
there were 3 riders aged just 9 years old doing the 50k
That little lass on the Isla Bikes 'cross bike was putting most of the adults to shame!
Embarassingly that was my son.....I think he now realises that he needs a haircut as quite a few made the same (very easily made) mistake. But yes, 9 years old. Thanks to the many who offered encouragement to Luke on his first HONC outing, we signed in just after 1pm.
[b]mattsccm[/b] - Was that you I passed at the bottom of the off-road before the road into winchcombe? CX'er carrying/pushing his bike down the last few meters because of a slow puncture or something? Finish time around 3.20? I was on an orange cotic hardtail?
Yeah that was me.
Pumped it there as well then once more before the tyre came off when totally flat. what a pinchanging it half mile from end.
Found 3 tiny holes today all in a row about a cm apart
Redhorse, You were right in front of me at the sign in! I think you went past me on the way up Cleeve Hill. Did you have 2 kids with you?? Anyway tell him/them well done from me!
I'm really impressed with the young riders getting round in that time - smashing effort
Hells - just the one with the flowing locks was mine, although you are right, there was an older lad also on an Islabike CX crossing Cleeve at the same time.
Thanks for the kind words
looks like the event photos are done!
[url= http://gallery.sussexsportphotography.com/gallery.tlx?containerid=201655 ]Here!![/url]
I was one of the many that took a wrong turn on Cleeve hill - but! it was my fault relying too much on signs rather than reading the map we were given, too lazy and tired to get the map out even though I wasnt sure we were on the right track - we turned up by the masts and went over the top - but at least we didnt end up in Cheltenham!!!! scary!
The event was brilliant as always, well organised and has to be one of the best value cycle events around £15 - signed route, map, GPS route, changing rooms and showers, + 2 cakes and banana + drink at half way point[ I did throw coins into the tub!not many others did] AND specially struck medal - compare that to many sportives charging £30+
I always said thankyou to marshalls - I know they appreciate it and we appreciate their commitment to stand there for many hours.
Well done to Winchcombe CC and Cheltenham CC
Ooops - apologies, redhorse... 😳 9 yrs old - that's great going: won't be long before he's at the front! 😀
[ I did throw coins into the tub!not many others did]
I must admit I didn't see that there was a tub, to throw money into? Otherwise i would have done so, and my 2 mates have just said the same, maybe make that a bit more prominent next year??
But all in all best run event i've been to recently.
This was my first HONC event and I thought it was brill. I would like to apologise to the 10 or so riders who were behind me as I missed the right turning into the butterfly garden area/cleeve hill, presuming I knew the way they followed. The following descent was brilliant but as we cruised in to Prestbury the penny dropped! It was a one seriously tough climb/push back up!!
Yes, £15 is a total bargain for an event as well run as HONC.
The lad on the Salsa with the Titec bars is Nowik.
He rides with our Godiva Trailriders club, top bloke.
I did it on the Niner SS Rigid with the silly upside down Marys on in 5hrs 29mins and my wrists are still not talking to me.
Plus my chain never came off 8)
Good day out 😀