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Lenght of run changes. About half mile tops
No as Gee says last year it was far longer. Usually shorter.
Didn't do MM last year. Previous recollections was about 10-15 mins???
Was the run longer last year to string out a bigger entry?
Yes, sorry, run/walk was longer last year. A few 3 mile runs just to get the legs used to it will do you.
Usually it's no more than a 5 min jog/run. Last year was insane. A good 10-15 mins.
I've done the run a few times in the past...
This year I am going for "pre-emptive persuasion" to try and get someone else to do the first lap.
However, I suspect being prepared might be necessary 😕
Proud mincer here, ran a rigid Scandal 29er with SB8s. When the track was wet there were a few bits that caught loads of people out.
It's less techy than a trail center, but it also gets much more churned up. I saw FAR more riders coming off than I'd see at a day at a trail center. The downhill bits are pretty rutted and the heavy traffic means you can't always change lines when you want.
Passed lots of riders with 140-160mm trail bikes and Camelbaks on the uphill sections on the plus side. Not sure why the "mincers" are the guys on smaller bikes, rather than the guys turning up like they're set for Mega Avalanche.
If you want a good time you need to do a reverse triathlete change from running shoes into cycling shoes or learn to run in your stiff soled shoes.
I hated the start last year. Running for 10-15 minutes over rock hard ground wearing carbon race shoes isn't much fun, I had blisters on my feet before even getting on a bike.
Yes indeed Andy... And then after all that pain my bloody tyre exploded...
I really struggled at Mountain Mayhem last year, but then again it was my first ever race and the torrential rain started on my lap, before I’d even got to the Kenda climb. :/ The singletrack sections were fine, it was the wide downhill cart tracks I had issues with. By ‘issues’ I mean going over the handlebars…
I much prefered the Sleepless course, surprised myself by agreeing to do Mayhem again. :s I like the atmosphere of Mayhem, and the [i]idea[/i] of taking part, but didn’t go a bundle on the actual riding. The view on the way up to the Obelisk was nice, when the sun finally came out. 😛
Yes indeed Andy... And then after all that pain my bloody tyre exploded...
shhh. some people are still unhappy you "borrowed" a track pump "left by the side of the track". How clumsy of us soloists...
what bikes do you recomend for these types of events?
thanks
Very clumsy, yes.
GB
Lets hope it stays dry this year !
Think if it was any more technical you would have some serious crashes, organisers have to take into account rider fatigue at 3am and a extreme variety of ability. Surely with most 24hr courses there is always this fine balance to get right.
For those who moan, make it a bit more interesting by having fun!
Like me and my mates:
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/6850305056_dc80810cbd.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/ciderinsport/6850305056/ ]DSCF1345[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/ciderinsport/ ]ciderinsport[/url], on Flickr
All for charity mate!
http://www.justgiving.com/team-SUMO
what bikes do you recomend for these types of events?
thanks
Depends if your on a team or solo. If i was on a team for mayhem, I'd want a nice light race geometry hardtail. If solo then 4 inches of travel front and rear max is all you need.
Think if it was any more technical you would have some serious crashes, organisers have to take into account rider fatigue at 3am and a extreme variety of ability. Surely with most 24hr courses there is always this fine balance to get right.
True there is a balance, but don't think mayhem have quite found it yet lol. All the other 24's Ive done were more technical, and on a much more fun course so less boredem. It drives you to want to ride a certain section smoother each lap.
I hope people aren't confusing "fun" with "technical". A fun course isn't always technical, and visa versa. Fast flowy singletrack is fun but not technical a lot of the time.
"I really struggled at Mountain Mayhem last year, but then again it was my first ever race and the torrential rain started on my lap"
Lol - It was dry last year (relative) if it really rains on that course you know about it! Which year was it with the Land Rover climb that was about 1ft deep mud soup?
"I hope people aren't confusing "fun" with "technical". A fun course isn't always technical, and visa versa. Fast flowy singletrack is fun but not technical a lot of the time."
Quite agree with this I actually prefered Mayhem when it was at Sandwell, which is odd because the course wasn't in the slightest technical, in fact some sections were on tarmac. However it did have some fast fun singletrack sections which made it great.
Mayhem where it is these days I think is let down by the amount of grass you have to ride over. I always think that if the race started on the Sunday, ie once the course had beded in, then it would be a lot nicer to ride.
Which year was it with the Land Rover climb that was about 1ft deep mud soup?
Sounds like 2004? That was the first year I rode MM - truly a baptism of mud.
Hated the LR climb
Have vague memories of "snowboarding" sideways on down the edge of a cornfield at 2am.
I'd forgotten all about that field !
It was funny just watching people not being able to stand up on it, let alone ride a bike down it.
Which year was it with the Land Rover climb that was about 1ft deep mud soup?
rkk01 is right, that was 2004. It was nice and sunny to finish. I got tan lines and everything.
Whilst I agree with others about the non techinal aspect of teh course, when you're tired and easy course often becomes more challenging! I remember I made some epic wrong line choices 😆
Really really look forward to this years!
I've not read all of this but did do my 1st solo at Mayhem last year. So in no particular order:
Didn't really have a specific training plan other than my usual weekly riding and xc racing. The longest rides I did were circa 5/6hrs with one 10hr blast along the SDW which actually worked quite well due to the climbing. But mainly I was in the 2-4hr bracket but 3+times a week.
After 12hrs it's mental, prepare yourself for the low point, I expected mine at about 3am it came at 2.36am! Keep eating and drinking, I used flat coke and sprite and alternated with water, used real food until about the 18hr point when I finally had to start on gels and energy bars. IMO if you start on gels and bars/drinks too soon your body could start to reject them, stomach cramps etc! Each to their own though and you'll need to know what suits you fuelling wise before you start. Me fig rolls, bananas were the way forward.
The best advice I had was from Mr Page (24hr European champ, Mayhem winner) and that was don't stop! My pits were literally 3-5mins tops, grab a bottle, a bite of a sandwich, porkpie, go go go. My longest stop was 8 mins for a change in shorts and a quick curry! Some get their times down less than that. But if you can, keep moving once the engine is warm keep it ticking over!
On the hills which Mayhem had lots (2more laps and I would have climbed Everest in 24hrs)after about 10hrs I picked 2 small parts to walk on (I was running a ridiculous gearing 30-42, 11-36 on a 29er)it just allowed me to stretch out and was faster than riding by that point anyway.
FWIW the course was the worst I've seen at Mayhem IMO and I wouldn't solo there again, would try Bonty or Exposure but not this year!
Oh and for the record I did 17 laps and came 7th on my 1st 24hr solo attempt.
P.S. For me the in hindsight the riding was the easy bit, it was the feeling utterly chinned for 2 weeks after with little feeling in hands and feet and still not back to normal on a bike for about 6 weeks.
P.S.S take a spare bike so your pit team (aka the long suffering wife) can clean the mud etc off re-lube whilst you keep going!
2001-2003 were scorching. I remember 2003 in particular - I think it was the hottest weekend of the entire year. People were sheltering from the heat rather than the rain.
2004&5 were epically muddy, but the cornfield in 2004 was a true highlight of slipperiness!!
2006 was dry, dusty and sunny.
2007-8 were wet, 2008 with sideways torrential rain in the night.
2009-11 not that bad, although 2011 was a bit wet at the start.
We must be due another hot one??!!
GB
2004, Saturday
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7179/6862952493_9fd2cf1307.jp g" target="_blank">
2004, Sunday
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6837531557_935f9e21d9.jp g" target="_blank">
I'd rather have another wet one than a hot one.
I'd rather use my paddling pool for cooling down than washing, but each to their own.
GB
Gee +1
You take a paddling pool when there are duck infested lakes available for playing in. You are pro
😉
At least if the course was wet it would make it [b]slightly[/b] technical.
Your stomach (eating/drinking enough is a skill)
On my recent LEJOG, I found that "proper" food was much easier to eat - no sickly sweet tastes to get tired of- digested easier without bloating, and provided more sustained energy for back to back 16 hour days.
I've suspected this the last few MMs.
It's our first go at Mayhem this year and we're in the team category.. what's the deal with rider changeovers? Does the course loop back near the start so that you get a heads-up for when your team member is almost round?
Does the course loop back near the start so that you get a heads-up for when your team member is almost round?
Yes it does. From what I remember from last year, you wind through the start finish area and continue on to a different part of the course about 2/3rds the way into the lap.
frogstomp, that is one of the challenges of the event. Knowing how long your team member takes to do a lap so you are there ready for the change over. As the start fininsh is so full of people and tents you can't see people until they come into the final straight.
I sugest you get there early on Friday afternoon, set up and then go for a test lap. You will get an idea of a time for a lap when you are not gunning it then take off 10 minutes and that is your "lap time" has worked for us for the last 3 years.
[quote=Dimmadan]I sugest you get there early on Friday afternoon, set up and then go for a test lap.
Cheers, that's the plan... will give us a chance to scope out the start/finish area etc. too
Yeah, and if you are really dedicated you can practice change overs 😆
Pit faff is where many loose their time. Some simple maths:
Maximum Laps
Assume 10 mph, 10 mile laps, 1 hour per lap for 24 hours total 24 laps.
5 min per lap in pit sees something like 100 - 120 mins in the pit!
So most laps that you can do is 22.
Aim to have eveything ready and look at a F1 style pit change 🙂
Pit faff is where many loose their time. Some simple maths:Maximum Laps
Assume 10 mph, 10 mile laps, 1 hour per lap for 24 hours total 24 laps.5 min per lap in pit sees something like 100 - 120 mins in the pit!
So most laps that you can do is 22.
Aim to have eveything ready and look at a F1 style pit change
How can it take five minutes for someone to hand over a baton, get on their bike and ride off for a lap? You're just getting confused with watching F1 car racing 😉
In real life people occasionally screw up and arrive late for a changeover, which loses time, but mostly, some riders are just faster than others.
What is there to actually 'change-over' - is it just a timing transmitter key? Or did I miss the bit about having to swap bikes/clothing etc.. 😆
I'd suggest you just wing it with the changeovers.
One of the funniest things for me is when someone comes flying into the handover area shouting for their mate, who isn't there and said person get more and more frustrated, louder and louder, angrier and angrier.
Mate usually strolls up at some point not realising.
You might not do as well but you will ensure a lot more people smile.
On a more constructive note:
We did try walkie talkies one year which were OK.
We now do what Pawsy suggests - We estimate about an hour for the first lap and get to handover after 55 mins. We then get a feel for how fast we are each lapping and adjust accordingly - always on the side of getting there early. You only really lose a minute max in handover if that (quick few words then new rider heads off to get their bike)
Some people have boards that you write on the handover time, which is useful if you remember to take note of it. When you're lapping in 1hr 10 mins and it's now 2.35 am and the last chap went out 25 mins ago - it's not easy to work out what time you need to leave to get to handover in time.
BWD nope thats my solo experience. People waste time in the solo pit. And you’re right I remember at least two events where I waited around in early in the hours of the morning for a no show team member before having to crack on for another lap. Once I did the first lap and the next guy didn’t show on handover for lap 2 🙁 Hence I no longer do teams. A race can be won or lost on the transition.
Also consider not doing 1 lap but 2 or more. Slowing down to change over and accelerating up accounts for a large amount of lost time. I base my number of solo laps on the water fuel I can sensible carry. Short course like Bristol 4 laps makes sense not every lap of 23 – 27 mins.
I've not read all the bumf above, Mayhem was my first 24 solo last year, I didn't train specifically for it, it was a late decision to do it solo when I found a spot come up. I only rode 4-6 hrs rides every couple of weeks with plenty of shorter XC rides in between. About 2 months before I did bash out the SDW in sub 10hrs with some friends but that was it.
Most important thing IMO is don't stop, Mr Page told me that and he was right, if I'd stopped I would have never started again. I kept all my pits to less than 5mins apart form one when I changed shorts and had a good feed (it was still less than 10mins) but still all added up to over 1.30hr stopped in 24hrs and 17 laps.
Know what to eat and what's right for you, I tried to stay on natural food until I was bored of eating at about 18hrs then had to resort to bars and gels. I drank flat coke and water as well as energy drink, stay on 1 thing to long and it ruins my stomach not what wanted 12hrs in.
After 12hrs which most could ride for it's about mental strength and keep eating and drinking. On the pushing bit Mayhem had more climbing last year than any other year I've done it, I picked 2 very short bits (top of kenda and top of the bloody long climb we usually come down can't remember the name)to push on after about 10hrs a. cause I had stupid geraing on the 29er smallest being 30-36 at the time and b. to stretch the legs out a bit and to be honest I was walking faster than most people rode it.
There were plenty of people snubbing the fact that I'd never raced a 12hr event before and should do several of them first etc etc, I still haven't raced a 12hr but for record came 7th at Mayhem last year.
I won't solo mayhhem again because I do agree there are better courses for a 24 solo, but the atmosphere was great.
BWD nope thats my solo experience.
Ah,okay, I thought you were talking tea, my mistake. Solo yeah, roll in, change bottle, grab bars/food/worrever, smile nicely, roll out. I can't be arsed with carrying more than one bottle though, so I come in every lap. Best strategy for me is to have a table trackside with bottles/food/bits just sat there. You don't even need to get off the bike.
Don't crash into a tree racing at Kirroughtree two weeks before a 24-hour solo, so as you can't actually hold onto the bars in the early hours of the morning and have to stop, wolf a bunch of ibuprofen, wait for the swelling/pain to go down and then go back out. Bad strategy :-/