[Closed] what was you best and worst bit from Mayhem 2011?

The worst bit was snapping a chap's rear mech hanger when trying to straighten it.

The best bit was the relief when Back On Track had a replacement one. They got me out of a rather large hole.

Worst bits
1 The f***wit who [i]demanded[/i] that I pull over to let him through just as we entered the rooty gully (after the plasticene section on the first half). Absolute knob-jockey of the first order. There was nowhere to go, and if he's that good he can get past.

2 The catering tent wasn't fantastic - it's been better.

Best: pretty much everything else. The climbs were OK, the roots were just as slippery with Trailrakers as ever they are, but bearable. And the weather was as good as you could reasonably hope for.

Best: Riding for Team Bullheart

Worst: Can't think of anything

Best - Shower at 4am

Worst - Forgetting about that last climb and having 'Calvin Harris - bounce' stuck in my head for the full 24 hours.

I love that Nick. Wasn't there this year, but did it solo in 09 & 10. I'm really slow and just plod round for 24hrs... What I found was that the truly quick people - Matt Page for example are really nice and just see it as an opportunity for a short break if they get stuck behind... they'll expend the energy when they get past.

It's the knobs who positively have to get past...

Best: Heading out on the dawn lap as the sun was just coming over the horizon

Worst: Trying to get myself out of my warm sleeping bag to go do my night lap

Best bit, the few minutes I spent riding behind someone wearing Shespoke kit....

sorry, what was the other question?

Best- Seeing the weather forecasts all week for heavy rain

Worst - Not seeing it turn in to the somme

(No i wasn't riding it this year 🙂 )

i only got over taken by paul oldhamn and roger walder and was so curtious,i heard of people being dick heads but i hoped as i was going past people my light hearted remarks would at least cheer them up abit,after all we're all in this together sort of thing .
well done to everyone i only met happy souls...even if i did hear the odd "**** me you need to slow down" remark

Worse - my saddle coming off in the narrow singletrack section below the obelisk & it took me 5mins to re-fit it. The last rutted section down towards the arena was rattle-tastic & mad as hell.

Best - the Kenda climb & on the last lap riding behind a guy walking on one of the very steep sections I was determined not to get off & push.

best - dawn and dusk lap, managed to get both and both were sunny 🙂

Worst - my second lap on my double night lap, that was painful

Best bit = Team Bullheart
Worst Bit = Having to ride so I could be part of the team

Worst part was tearing a muscle in left leg in playdoh wood after falling off,best bits were been one of the retrobike massive and the general good vibe of the whole event .
And remember guys "mayhem with out rain is like sex with out nipple clamps".
Wondering though does matt (of stw mag staff) subscribe to any specialist magazines for those woolen tea cosys he was wearing on his head most of the weekend.

Best
-Having a chat with Guy Martin whilst riding back to the campsite after finishing a lap. Proper sound bloke.
-Getting a sub hour lap on Sunday morning.

Worst
-THAT ****ING RUN at the beginning. Too long.

Worst bit - coming down the rutted descent in the woods in the middle of the night. Keeping to the left nicely then finding a guy running with his bike on left as well. Thought I could pass him on the right in the ruts. I did not make it... He then said to me "that's why I'm not riding down it"

Also, sliding off on the last corner on damp grass at 4am wasn't that great.

Best bit - Everyone in my team wanted to do the same number of laps. Trouble was that needed me to do my fastest lap to get in before 12.
All the riders going slow and stopped on the run into the finish all moved over and were cheering as I steamed past. Took 2 minutes off best time and my team mate was last rider to start a final lap. Whole team was chuffed as we moved up onto the podium.

Best bit: Finally getting TimP's Geax 1.7 Tubeless tyre on the rim after everyone in Bullheart camp having a go. (Took 2 of us in the end)
And my night lap. Actually enjoyed most of it!

Worst bit: Discovering what people meant when they were talking about "Velcro mud".

Best Bit - Inventing the word Velcro mud when everyone else was calling it plasticine mud 🙂

Worst Bit - Having long enough riding through the damn stuff to get to words beginning with V when trying to describe it

Best bit: Finally getting TimP's Geax 1.7 Tubeless tyre on the rim after everyone in Bullheart camp having a go. (Took 2 of us in the end)

That's just a new niche tyre - 25.75" is the way to go for!

Best bits - lots of them, but the 2 big descents were great fun and I really enjoyed the Kenda climb.

Worst bit - I can't say there were bits that were really bad, I mean I didn't like the Plasticine track but I don't think anyone did. I'd say my worst bit was realising that I wasn't fit enough to really make the most of the course.

I have a new worst bit, although we weren't the quickest we have lost 2 laps officially and one of our team members did a 5 hour lap 🙁

I bought a cow bell and rang it for 2hrs whilst encouraging/heckling the riders to pedal up the long climb out onto the second half of the course.

Oh, that was you? Made me smile, that did. I may well have mooooooooooooed at you as I went past in my fetching* Bullheart top.

*Fetching? Made me fetch my dinner up.

Worst bit: first lap running 1.5 mud sharks
Best bit: swapping to 2.4 racing ralphs (wasn't any quicker but I could enjoy the descents)

Best bits:

A few. Riding with a smashing bunch of fellas who worked their collective socks off in the name of Team Bullheart.

The fella from the Retrobike team who wore an Alpinestars jersey, a thin moustache, pimping period riding boots and rode a Cannondale with canti's!

Chasing down some fancy carbon riding all-singing all-dancing FS riding cocky bugger in the woods on my SS rigid 29er and politely enquiring if he'd move out the way, only to hear him sigh as a did.

Amazing MM team - Marshals, Pat et al. Fantastic.

Worse bits:

The reward for riding SS up all those bloody hills should be comparable downhills. I didn't find any.

Pulling a stomach muscle and pissing blood for the entire weekend.

Worst bit: Snapping my powerlink very near to the top of the Kenda Klimb at the start of my first night lap 🙁

Best bit: Finding my spare powerlink in the bottom of my bag 🙂

No-one's mentioned the "Jump of Doom" - I thought that was hilarious!

I loved the jump of doom, rode it every lap it was out there, throwing down some quick cross ups too.

No. 8 was Ant White.

And yes, he's is some rider 🙂

He finished first for the second year running.

Best bits - catching up with loads of great people I haven't seen for far too long and realising I can just about ride a singlespeed.

Worst bits - head-butting a tree when I had to change line to avoid someone on that short, sharp, double-arrowed descent and realising I can't actually ride a singlespeed after all, when Shaggy went flying past me twice at ballistic speed.

Oh, and hats off to the kids along the course, they were ace, really funny. And the marshals.

BadlyWiredDog.............. realising I can't actually ride a singlespeed after all, when Shaggy went flying past me twice at ballistic speed.

You do realise he is cheating by being some sort of android and not a real person at all?

Also, sliding off on the last corner on damp grass at 4am wasn't that great.

So I wasn't the only one to do that! Was lucky it wasn't on the last lap with a full arena.

Worst bit was definitely the length of the stupid run.

Best bit each lap was getting to the top of that last climb knowing I just had to bomb it back down the hill to the finish. Oh and the jump of doom.

Dumbest bit was forgetting where I'd left my bike in the handover area and not being able to find it in the dark.

Best bit: the general hanging around and not-racing, catching up with mates, pit bitching etc

Worst bit: who on earth keeps inviting Quavers Catering back? Overpriced and crap. The other bits were nice though, the Cafe Cultura and Indian place down in the corner and Specialized with their coffee wagon but please can we have Wilf's back instead of Quavers?

I didn't see the jump of doom 🙁
Someone was in front of me so I didn't spot it until it was too late 🙁

Best bit was like many others, seeing old friends and overtaking those that mocked me for riding SS at the top of the Kenda Climb as they fannied around with their gears 🙂

Worst bit was coming off on a wet stoney corner, gashing my arm popping a few ribs, bruising my side and hurting so much I cant get myself off the bloody loo 🙁

Totally agree with crazy-legs.... Quavers are shite. Stupid slow and over priced.
Wilfs for me...their bacon butties rock at 3am 🙂

Best bits:

Visiting two local cider mills on Friday afternoon with plenty of samples 😀

Having the disco running all weekend (Thursday to Monday) with DJ Craig banging out 80's hits

Being in a team of ten so no 'racing pressure', just being able to enjoy the riding

Heckling until my voice went. 'Come on you lovely ladies' getting lots of smiles from the gals

Seeing all the kids really getting into the spirit of the event, ours had a great time and developed their heckling ability nicely

All the support from watchers and riders egging us on, and shouts of SUMO all round the course

Embarrassing some quite good riders by overtaking them on the climbs dressed in a sumo suit (particularly liked that bit!)

Really cranking up the disco on Sunday night, drinking too much cider, and all the visitors from the remaining campers who popped in (even Pats wife stopped by for a boogie!)

Bad bits - N/A

i'd like to poo-poo the people in the main catering tent too. rubbish.

Oh forgot-

Walking the run in my sumo suit and realising after 5 mins I needed a pee. This involved disrobing fairly indiscreetly near the lake as there is no easy access. This took some time and saw me starting in joint last place with stripey mohican dude. Classic!

iDave - Member

Best bit, the few minutes I spent riding behind someone wearing Shespoke kit....

sorry, what was the other question?

ERRRR THAT WAS ME - it is lovely kit isn't it?

Ah the Sumo riders....hats off to those guys 🙂

Thought of another best bit.....
.... all of the riders that stopped, even the whippets, to see if i needed help or a marshall alerted after my spill.
Top people everyone 1 of u 🙂

worst;
plasticine wood, losing a team member;
best;
the kids round the course doing the cheerleader bit, and high fiveing riders. crossing the finishing line on the final lap.

Worst - getting back to my bike after the run and finding a flat tyre. Overfilling it with CO2 and having it blow off the rim on the bridge. Having to mend it and then spend the entire lap caning it round overtaking people. Lost 10mins...

Best - doing my fatest lap of 50mins 22 hrs into the race and overtaking teams who were 30mins ahead at one point. It seems to take me a long time to yet warmed up...

GB

this was my first ever MM last year i sat at the top of a hill drinking pimms and heckling all the riders! i had no idea it was so god dam hard. i rode in a mixed team but we were a man down. Best boys i could ever have asked to ride with.

worst bit - vomiting on my dawn lap and feeling like I was going to die. thanks to the marshal who gave me a wet wipe. also my lovely team mate lawrence who should win an award for least prepared rider for turning up with a bike built from bits from the shed with a knackered headset in. Absolutely no one had bought a headset press. Fitting a new headset at 10am before the race had me a little worried.

best bit - riding in my TEAM VELOCLUNGE kit! clungestrong boys did me proud no complaining and we rode our bloody legs off. I also particularly enjoyed knocking 10mins off my first lap by a better tyre choice and growing a pair of balls. I finished the lap rode straight into the camp and demanded the BF bought me a new mountain bike because it was bloody brilliant.

Surely Sneds this should have been your best bit of the weekend 😉

iDave - Member

Best bit, the few minutes I spent riding behind someone wearing Shespoke kit....

sorry, what was the other question?

(if it was you?)

Of course it was me! shespoke kit is australian kit and it was a present i doubt there are many shespoke jerseys in the UK i also have matching socks. i am disappointed no one has commented on the team veloclunge kit because that was also pretty fine teamed with vanderkitten shorts 🙂 when you ride as slowly as i do its important to look good.

best bits = dawn / dusk laps and grabbing a smoke & coffee after each lap 😉

worst bits = the ****ing plasticine

I love the veloclunge team name, plus the kit is partly pink so it's a win win for me

Hey looking good in the car park/pits/arena/campsite is where it's at 8)

Yes the dawn lap at 4am was beautiful, as was sunset. Luckily I got both :). The views really are amazing from the top of the obelisk climb.

Worst bit - wasn't one really.

Best bits (I'll have two seeing as I didn't have a worst one) - 1)Atmosphere in our team camp due to sharing it with the Veloclunge nutcases, and 2)Discovering just now that one of my big cyclocross rivals was lapping slower than a certain motorcycle racer who's been a bit preoccupied recently 😀

[b]Worst Bit: [/b]Cresting the top of the Kenda climb on my 2nd lap, after the lactic acid from the run & first lap had "set" in my legs. Discovering that I'd forgotten to tighten my allen bolt seat post clamp and that it was very slowly sinking during my night lap.

[b]Best bit:[/b] Supporters and team mates, Jump of Doom (made me smile). The "Dunkirk spirit" in the now legendary plasticine woods.

[b]Quick Rant:[/b] What's all this nonsense about not bothering to put any shelter over the transition then?

Worst bit - stacking it on the very first root of the very first section of singletrack on my very first first lap.

Best bit - all the biking totty around the place. and finishing.

Best- Sipping on Highland Park and encouraging riders up and over the top of Kenda climb.

Worst- Running out of Highland Park!

Worst - Massive Highside crash on the muddy decent on the 1st lap, can't move neck today.

Best - Standing on the top step of the Expert Mixed podium after 10 years of trying!

Best: Riding for Team Bullheart. A true honour.

And overtaking loads of people with geared bikes, whilst on a singlespeed bike. 🙂

Worst: A tiny number of stupid big-headed idiots shouting at people to get out of the way, or worse, not giving any warning at all. To the complete dickhead who overtook the lady just by the crossover section; you're a prize prick. Hope it was worth it for the 2 seconds or whatever you might have lost just by slowing down a tiny fraction and being courteous and respectful. ****.

Oh and the food in the big tent was crap. £4 for a polystyrene thing of near-tasteless stuff last time I had owt that bad was in Police Custody...

Best bit - like Blazin-Saddles getting on the top step of the podium in the Open Men's cat after 10 yrs of trying- my first flirtations with mountain bike racing was at MM in Sandwell Park and I was rubbish! Also the campsite banter with sneds, bikerbruce, LS and the rest of our team and team veloclunge was great.

Worst bit- got bitten by the mong snake in the middle of the night and was a bit incoherent for a short spell but other than that nothing to complain about 🙂

Worst bit- got bitten by the mong snake in the middle of the night and was a bit incoherent for a short spell but other than that nothing to complain about

You were lucky it wasn't the Tourette's snake that got ChrisE 😆

Worst Bit - snapping rear skewer and taking my derailer, chain and chain tugs with it 20 mins into my first lap - then walking/running/stumbling the 8 miles around the course carrying my 29er in two bits. Yep - i was the Sand coloured OnOne you flew past.

Best bit - people passing me offering help/sympathy and the spectator support was awesome and having a very understanding and sympathetic team.

Best bit - doing my first mayhem & realising the SS ain't actually that bad in climbs. Night lap was awesome, jump of doom was great and the guys at the bottom of the descent near Kenda Klimb saying "the was you ride ze bicycle is so sexy Monsieur" in dodgy French accents, he hee

Worst bit - loosing two team mates (Gareth 2510 & redpeg) to injury & mojo loss early on, but they'll be ok 🙂

xee that was you! i gave you a shout as you strolled past the camp out onto the second part of the lap just before the deer fench gate
Bruce

Worst bit, 17 times down that bloody aweful bumpy decent at the end, the only place I wished I had some rear suss! Was hanging on for grim death at the end!

Xee I did see you finish that lap looking pretty flat - 8 miles is a long run!!

Best - Team Bullheart

Worst - snapping chain on the first corner of the Kenda climb and then being paranoid the rest of the lap. Oh and also that I am still picking thorns out of me after a big dismount, and a few have gone a bit septic 🙁

Jeez elf you still going on about that. Let it go my brother.
Anyhoo,

Best bit: Riding for and finally meeting bullheart. what an inspiration. Team bullheart were a brilliant group of riders and supporters. an honour and a pleasure. flying past loads of people on the descents on a full rigid 29er singlespeed.

worst bit: velco mud. The reason for team bullheart in the first place. As the sticker says, 'Hey sarcoma, f*#% you!"

oh yeah and the night lap was frickin awesome. massive lights are the future.

Ooh nasty Tim!

I did warn you though, din't I?

Little bit of Dettol in yer bath water, bung some Germolene on, try to dig as many as poss out.

And next time, try to avoid crashing into thorny bushes! 😉

Jeez elf you still going on about that. Let it go my brother.

I can't let it go though Topper; I [i]can't[/i]. 😡

Best bits were taking part, the great atmosphere, and the cheers of encouragement from random strangers around the course. Also how nice and courteous most of the riders were - I was genuinely worried it'd be all elbows and elite riders shouting, but I only had a few incidents of nobbery. The Scott women team riders also seemed to be shouting encouragement at everyone they passed! The view from the top as the course approached the obelisk. UNICYCLISTS!

Worse bits was only sleeping for 2 hours the night before due to being a pampered princess unaccustomed to camping with a very low tolerance to cold, and running out of water about two thirds of the way around. And finding an earwig in my bra. And stacking it on one of the rutted descents, but given that two other people fell off whilst I was checking my bike, and there's also photos of people falling off in the same place, I don't feel quite so bad! 😛

Best bits, getting through the first lap! then really getting into the spirit of it(first MM!)
The camaraderie was amazing, i was slow, but most people had a cheery word of encouragement or good banter!
I gave in on the last lap! fitness wasnt enough so i went for karma to get me around.
Chatted to a lovely soloist as she walked(and threw up for 10 minutes).
And stopped shortly before the last decent in to help a guy put his snapped chain back on. Hadn't got a spare link and couldn't use the chain tool!

Worst bits, PLASTICINE!
And getting overtaken by a guy in a sumo suit on a climb! god they were good!

And finding an earwig in my bra.

😆

Sorry. I'm sure it's not funny. 😳

Oh and it was pretty bad when I had just driven for 5 1/2 hours, put up my tent in the rain, and I got a call to ask whether I needed all the cycle kit and tools that were in a bag in the spare room.

and when I found I had 2 left wellies

I was unbelievably happy it didn't rain!

yeah wtf was going on with those sumo guys. they were quick. in proper fancy dress. major respect to all those guys.

The jump of doom was hilarious. I also liked the guys with the 'do a skid' signs on the climb out of the campsite after going over the bridge. I did and they cheered!

And the guys with the "High five" and "Pull a wheelie" on the ascent up to the bridge cross over. They were only there for 1 of my laps but I got the hi5 in, couldn't manage the wheelie though.

My best bit was my idea to set up the now infamous

"JUMP OF DOOM"!!!!

With not riding this year I felt I had to entertain both myself and especially the riders.
So was created the ""JUMP OF DOOM" !!!!!!
That little jump certainly seemed a favourite with most riders, especially so for a lot of the solo riders, it s bought many a smile to most peoples faces...
Felt sorry for one chap, who pointing to the 1st blue larger jump which was in front of the
"JUMP OF DOOM"
said "Ah the "Jump Of Doom", and then proceeded to jump it...
Was then told after exiting the blue jump, and pointing to OUR jump that in fact.
"NO THAT'S the "JUMP OF DOOM" !!!!!!
He immediately heads for our jump, jumps it front end washes out and off he goes, hits the grass with quite a clatter, and proceeds to travel for at least ten meters from point of take off !! (the one and only faller).
We all pipe up.....
That's why we call it the "JUMP OF DOOM"!!!
Brushes himself off and off he goes.....
So thanks to all the riders that showed the appreciation for our little piece of handy work. I didnt do it all myself I was ably assited by Andy Chadwick and crew.
Cheers lads Jezz Scarratt "One legged and Ok !!!"

Best Bit: Jump of Doom! Jump of Doom! It needs to be a feature EVERY year! Had trouble getting crossed up on it but it made me chuckle all the way up the lovely climb to the obelisk.

Worst Bit: Could have done with at least a dozen more stutters in the stutter bump teeth rattler. Wicked! Oh. And I forgot the Banana suit for the grand last lap this year. Doh!

Banana!

The jump of doom certainly helped me through some dark solo moments as did the encouragement from you guys, thanks

Best Bits
Jump of Doom was ace - even jumped it one one of my laps! Found all the riders I met /overtook/overtook me to be really good natured and courteous. Not using the granny ring for any of the course (except 1 little bit at the top of the Kenda climb on lap 3). All the supporters. Girl riding for Scott looked fantastic in lycra (she wasn't the only one who looked great, just the only one I noticed as I went up the monument climb. Great atmosphere, great team.

Worst Bit
F###wits with a big generator in the caravan/tents next to me. When I asked (politely) if they could turn it off at 10.30 and then again at 11.30 to be answered with "I am not sure if we can". Won't be getting a kitchen fitted by them!

Bad first - aggressive s African photographer with long lens pushing past my sister in law and 3 yr old to get a shot down the start straight of the run. He then decided to move left and blocked another photographer. When he made a gentle sarcastic remark the guy turned and told him to be quite with no sense of proportion V menacing and a knob of the highest order.
A bit too much up and down the camp site at the end of the route. no sleep as my available slot was the party hours for everyone else.
Good: putting in lap times of which I was proud. Good company at camp. Dawn lap with views over malverns(albeit seeing home from the top and having a deep yearning for my bed). the lass who paced me all the way from arena to the hill before the north face cottage and then encouraged me to go fo it (best legs at MM award). Nailing all the tricky bits on all 5 laps on my summer "dry" tyres. The top marshals at the last road crossing. Loved it

Best Bits - the whole thing, Jump of doom, having 4 newbies in out two teams and all of them surviving intact and wanting to come back again.

Worst bits - getting too wrapped up at night looking after and sorting out teammates and then having a last minute light failure and being late to transition for my buddy who had just bust a gut on his lap....sorry Rob!

Entering the arena uphill at the finish again, much better the previous two years coming in from above and being able to really nail it down the finishing loop on slighlty rested legs.

Quavers -theyve been better, seem to ahve alot of inexperienced staff who didn;t know what they were doing and lacked a basic food hygiene understanding: changed queue to avoid the lass on the left hand end with the purple painted fingernails after watching her antics - I don't really fancy food poisoning if i can help it to make MM more challenging. Avoided Quavers totally after that. Shame. Indeed, bring back Wilfs - Garlic Bread - "It's the Future!"

second the lack of cover over transition, would have got mighty busy in those stalls below if it had rained more during the event itself.

Best bits:
The dawn lap, beautiful and the appearance of the sun was so welcome.
The jump of doom, the girls handing out haribo to any girl riders and the kids giving out high 5s, asking for bunny hops and skids, brilliant!
Getting bullied out of the way by someone rude at the top of the steep rooty drop only to blast past him with one foot clipped in (from where I'd had to stop at the top of it) when he got off to walk down it!
Oh and placing 14th in sport mixed on my first OSMM without realising we had a chance of finishing so high up 🙂

Worst bits:
The top of the kenda climb on lap 2 hurt, really hurt!

was the "jump of doom" the little wooden one down by the sumo disco about halfway through the lap. It picked me up getting a cheer doing it every lap.

Worst: Running out of water and food on my night lap and getting SUMO'ed for awhile. That and the crazy amount of riding down and then back up the same slopes on grass in the arena for no apparent reason.

Best: Pretending I was breaking the sound barrier down the last stuttery descent on a hardtail ("Buffeting! Buffeting!"). The girl who shouted "well held" when I went into a bush during an overtake. Also trying (and failing) to keep up with some of the Charge and JMC team riders.

Only saw the jump of doom once, as I passed it 🙁