[Closed] Whinlatter Challenge Roll-Call

When is it?

Next weekend (20th?) I'm in and hoping the weather isn't as bad as it was at Kielder today.

Ages since I've been there is it still slippery as 'eck when it's wet?

I was at Hammers this morninh Jon, weather was fine.

Yes, Whinlatter is slippy as anything, seemingly [i]all the time[/i].

Race is Sunday 20th, entries close midnight tonight.

bam bam, me , bigdugsbaws and ijs556 are in.

Although on 33 miles long it was the constant climbing i remember. Hoping not to puncture or crash this year and maybe a better result as well.

Since i hate the sprint out of the blocks mtb mentality, maybe i should try and persuade everyone to take it easy for first few miles or so until i'm warmed up

I'll be there, although I wimped out and will just be doing the 15 miles. Fairly sure there were 500 entries last year, so expect it to be busy. I've put in a fair bit of training, so would like to put in a good run. Agree with the weather comments, although I've rode Whinlatter in all seasons and it's never too bad.

I'll be there, black spesh fsr xc with pike fork, probably in my s-works jersey. We're staying at derwen****er youth hostel.

I'll be there too on my red Nicolai Helius CC with White forks. Hoping not to puncture or bonk like last year!

Full distance for me too.

Forgot to say, I'll be on a Giant XTC XC bike (blue/white/silver) with white Fox forks. Wearing a Bike Bank bright Orange jersey.

Driving up from North Wales early on Sunday morning. So I will be the one with pink eyes !!
Riding a red specialized Epic. Re thinking my tyre choice now, seeing as that you guys say its a slippy surface. May take my race tyres off 🙂

i'm in

Anyone know if the course is going to be the same as last year?

Just as long as it is not the same as the first year (2009) as that was a really tough one.

Got an email that said it was 17 miles for the first lap and shorter event then we do another 14 after that.

I'm in, doing the 17mile "short" course again. Came 10th out of 63 last year so I'll try and better that hopefully or at least my time. The climbs are evil so I'll be using the thinner tyres this year, slip and sliding down the muddy double track near the start should be fun. Hopefully its the same route so I have an ideal where to rest etc, and maybe get closer to the front, the mad bottle neck into the woods at the top of the first climb will be interesting, couple of "handbags came out last time" There should be a few marshals at this point as people cut in etc but I doubt there will be. It's a good route and the majority of the banter is fun and supportive, so looking forward to it.

Riding a full stealth black Kona, so if you see a chubby lad on one that's most likely me!

fingers crossed for good weather!

Well I hurt today 😆

[img] [/img]

How did everyone get on?

postierich got 3rd spot in the SS category and his mate nabbed 2nd 😀

3hr 8min. my climbing wasn't so good. otherwise enjoyed it, some nice fast flowing downhills

P.S. Does anyone know 'Bob'? Yorkshire sounding, nose piercing and shaggy blonde/brown hair, riding a Ti 456. Had some great banter with him round the course and we exchanged places.

Top fella, just wanted to say thanks again 🙂 He would have finished 21st/22nd so I'll find his name when the results are published.

The positions on the printouts we were given are wrong, some people were missing somehow, I was bumped from 35th to 42nd, a friend was bumped from 104th to 128th, so looks like a computer glitch somewhere. Anyway results are here:

http://www.sportident.co.uk/results/2011/WMBC/enduro.html

Suspect you mean Bob Adey at a guess.

positions were wrong on the printout because some were wrongly placed into the half enduro (me + others) but it has been corrected on the website.

A plentiful supply of pictures on my [url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/ed_rollason/sets/72157626309448892/ ]Flickr[/url] page if anyone is interested.

Jon Taylor - is this Bob?
[url= http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5138/5543594015_9f54808de0.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5138/5543594015_9f54808de0.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

256th! Not bad when I started [b]right[/b] at the back as i hadn't realised how far away the car-parking would be!
Dread to think how much time was lost in traffic jams. I guess that's why its a "challenge" not a race, your patience is tested aswell as your fitness...

You won the SS Jon?

Had to retire at the end of the first lap due to concussion! Gutted. Some of that single track was pretty slippy.

Cracking day though, thoroughly enjoyed it... Apart from the stack, obviously.

The positions on the printouts we were given are wrong, some people were missing somehow, I was bumped from 35th to 42nd, a friend was bumped from 104th to 128th, so looks like a computer glitch somewhere.

Paul, It'll be something to do with the second checkpoint a few peoples splits didn't registered for some reason. My friend who was 6th didn't get a time. The system won't have liked that at the finish and won't have registered the result.

Yes it was a good event, the parking situation was not the best to say the least, but hey ho you can't have everything. It certainly didnt spoil the day, and I cant really see what else they could have done. My first ride on the Whinlatter trails, and they are as has been well documented on this forum, pretty damn slippy, but not unrideably slippy by any means, just a good challenge. Saw a few decent crashes, but no injuries to anyone thank goodness Enjoyed the day. Rode with my mate, who had a lengthy mechanical early on we lost 20 mins, still happy enough with a 3hr 20 min ride time though. Hard event, will do it again next year.
The little village shop in Braithwaite before you drive up the Whinlatter pass to the trail centre has bacon and egg sarnies to die for !! Real traditional old school friendly shop, deffo worth a pop in there before next years event 🙂

Handsomedog/paulrockliffe - yep that's him, no. 3, so I figured an low alphabetical surname.

ir_banjo - yep, shame you're not out to play this week, let me know if you're free at short notice. We need to get a [i]proper[/i] lakes trip done soon.

Anyone, have any "clean" comments on that sneaky climb at the end of the day, just when you thought you were heading into the trail centre finish. MEAN, OFFSIDE, EVIL were some of the more family friendly words I heard being muttered on the way up 🙂

Singlespeeders - How many teeth did you run on the back?

I was being a tight Yorkshireman and refused to buy a bigger cog for one event, but paid the price for running 16t. Still had a great day but walked more than I'd liked...

I had last year's route on my GPS and rode all the trails when I was a kid before the biking trails went in, so I knew what was coming. I enjoyed it, but I'd picked up about 30 places on the second lap, 5 on that climb, so was more than happy for the climb to continue.

I do remember thinking "WTF" when I over took a chap with only two cogs on his bike up that last climb - hats off!

good event again although was looking forward to another mug at the end.

Timing issue got me as well. was in top 10 somewhere, think about 8th but not too sure. A better starting position instead of where i was might of got me a top 5. Still, good event again

a good day out, quicker thn last year, but still felt like i was going backwards on the 2nd lap. would have liked to have ben 5 mins quicker but there's always next year!!

I was running 33:18. Always have done since I started SS last October.

Didn't have to walk anything (except when someone was stalled in front of me), I managed to ride everything 2nd lap.

EXCEPT the final climb. I could see the aforementioned Bob a couple of places in front of me, I was going to catch him and yell "BOBBBBB!!! I'M COMING TO GET YOU".

But then I blew up and had to stop. Didn't push though 🙂 Little victory.

Earlier he had been goiading me up the switchbacks, telling me to hurry up 🙂 I needed to get him back!

I'm beginning to think I might need a lower SS ratio for Dyfi...

I was there! Greig - kept thinking I was seeing you but was sure it wasn't - you had a doppelganmger??

Anyhoo, I bailed after about 23 miles - got a stinking cold and someone had a great idea of getting drunk the night before. Despite 2 Clif Bars and a Powerbar I had nothing to give. Didn't like the course either tbh, nor having to queue into the first singletrack section and all the way along. All in all, £30 (plus the other £80 on fuel, drinking and B&B) would have been better spent on... errr... something else and just riding.

btw waqs PostieRich sat in the gafe afterwards with (assuming) wife and little daughter? Beard? Green & red top?

big D

link won't preview...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ed_rollason/5544278502/in/set-72157626309448892/

[url= http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5052/5544278502_59f4a52ce5.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5052/5544278502_59f4a52ce5.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/ed_rollason/5544278502/ ]WhinlatterEnduro_MTB_132[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/ed_rollason/ ]Ed Rollason Photography[/url], on Flickr

Oh dear, not my best look!

The queuing wasn't too bad, it gave you a well-earned rest! Actually, I found it quite entertaining as there was a girl a few places in front of me getting aggro with someone for slowing down for a technical bit, only for her to spin out on all three steep technical bits and cause a 4 bike pile up each time! 🙂

Anyone running a gps have the total climbing figure? It certainly seemed like alot...

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/74271922

Thanks for that, I remember you overtaking me! Tried keeping up butto no avail...

Yep that'll be the infamous postie!!

Jeeze! what have I done now 🙂

pypdjl - Member
Thanks for that, I remember you overtaking me! Tried keeping up butto no avail...

How did you make the link between me going past you and my GPS track? Where abouts did I over take you? I was about 75th going up the last climb on lap one and finished 42nd, so the 2nd lap I went past a lot of people, what bike were you on, I'll probably remember you better that way!

Not sure where it was, probably near the end of the first lap, I just remembered the manchester mountain bikers jersey. I was on a green scandal 29er.

It killed me off about half way through, throwing up the day before at Grizedale should have warned me off! I think i was right behind you for a bit HughJengin, what jersey did you have on?

I was in a long sleeve black northwave long jersey, and black shorts with red and yellow logo and black leg warmers, white MET lid

Hardtail epic or full sus?

I was on a red epic full suss

[url= http://www.sportsunday.co.uk/photo9057638.html ]Yours truly [/url]

Maybe it Wasn't you i was behind then. I was on a black FSR XC with pikes.

Came in at just under 3h 5m. I got to the back of the start at about 5 minutes before we went. I struggled to make my way forwards after that and got caught up at the singletrack. Eventually it thinned out but I was knackered/cramping by that point from attacking on every forest road trying to get forwards.

Nice course except it need to be open longer at the start to allow some spreading out so there is less queing at that first singletrack section.

Met radoggair as he was parked just in front of us and had the name on the bike, said hello.

jonb, you'd have been alongside me at the start then.
Went for it on the first lap, but stopped to chat to my missus and son who were waiting at the finish line. Cruised around the second lap with tactical pauses to allow a bit of breathing space on the singletrack.

me on my ti rohloff'd Voodoo:

[img] [/img]

rant:
If you can't ride it (up or down), fine. If you have to get off and walk, that's fine too. But FFS, let people who are riding past!!!
/rant.

I did 3.57 joint 195th (56 MV40)...whoo! Better than 4.30 ish last year and a miserable 5.37 the first time. I think I'm getting the hang of it. @steve_b77 guessing it was you I chatted too - shame you did puncture.
I gave away a split link on the second south loop climb, to help a rider with a broken chain only to get it back in the queue at the cafe afterwards, what are the chances of that 🙂

I thought the course was really good as it was, I didn't think congestion was too bad if you were inside the top 100 at the top of the climb, but I realise that a lot of people weren't and would have struggled more than me with the congestion.

I was thinking it would be better to use the long fire road climb at the end of lap 1 to spread the field by doing that straight from the start, but I guess the problem with that is that the track where we turned off the road would probably cause a bottle-neck because it was a bit technical in places and only double-track at best. The alternative is to run down the road to Spout Force, but that would be a long section of road that would need to be closed briefly. I suppose you wouldn't want the field racing at 30mph bunched together either.

So I can't think of a better alternative, other than running the start from the Swan Inn near Braithwaite and doubling the length of the first climb to get things spread out!

I like the course, i managed to avoid the bottle neck this year by going hard up to the 1st singletrack and although it was wheel to wheel there was not any real waiting to get on teh singletrack. I was passed by quite a few to get there as well. The only option i can see to avoid it is to add in a km at teh start by starting off by the 2 ponds that are passed later on in the lap just after the first section of the blue. in theory u could climb up from there and either back up past the start or along and up the same climb that is done on teh 2nd lap, don't know if it would make much diference or not really, some would just moan about the long climb at the start!!

That's similar to my thought about starting near the Swan Inn, it's that section of fire road that you're talking about that takes you down there. Question is how far down do you need to go to make it worth the hassle of moving the start and having people riding further (albeit downhill) to the start line?

I think the existing course is probably the best of the ideas I was able to come up with.

While we're on the subject of that hill, does anyone else think that a Black/Orange descent through the trees from where the bottleneck was to near the Swan, then a climb back up to the red loop would be a fantastic addition? As it is, the red trails only take advantage of half the available altitude. Imagine how good that first climb would be if it was twice the length!

Paul do you mean turning right down through the trees instead of left onto the switchbacks? is there a footpath down that way?

I would prefer a longer first climb as I said but I was there to race. It's mostly my own fault for turning up late and if I was actually starting near the front I don't think I would have had any issues being in front of the crowd. At other events we have had road sections where there is a moderately fast lead out car.
One of the good things about the alternating fire road and singletrack was that you had to attack on the wider bits to make places. If it's just a wide path for 30 miles then it might as well be a time trial.

jonb - the problem with the alternating fireroad-climb/singletrack descent is the more "roadie-esque" competitors stomp away up the fire-roads and cause the traffic jams on the techy bits.
I'm comparing it to Dyfi where most of the descents have a choice of lines, so you can get past the slower riders by riding the rougher line. Off course, you end up with a yo-yo effect, but that's better than riders being held up on the climbs because they're not as strong, but then being held up on the descents because the other riders aren't as good.

I rode my general heavy duty trail bike so was slower on the climbs but then couldn't make the time up on the descents as I invariably ended up behind a fitter but less confident rider on the descents.

From the conversations I have had it seems that the secret is to concentrate solely on the climbs as virtually all the climbs had enough room to pass people. I don't know whether I will enter next year yet. If I do I will be certainly be riding the hard tail, camping at the front of the start line and being prepared to spend the first 10 minutes in the red to get a clearish run at the singletrack.

karnali, if you mean where I think you mean, then yes, and yes there is a footpath that drops you out right at the bottom, but I meant to stay on the fire road, which also takes you right to the bottom next to the A66.

When the original plans for the forest were being looked at they were knocked back because of the impact of traffic travelling through Braithwaite. When I heard the trail had been built I did wonder if there was going to be a carpark at the bottom with a trail leading up to the visitors centre, still not sure how they got around the traffic issues at the planning stage?

I didn't find the 'roadies' too bad, though one chap sprinted past me on the second lap before we dived into a singletrack section and the next chap I'd been closing down took 200m out of me as a result, the swine!

I don't think it's a secret that you should concentrate on the climbs though, the difference between flowing down the descents and going maximum-attack isn't much over the whole race, but saving your energy for the climbs will make a good difference. What I mean is that usually you don't lose much time by just being smooth down the trails and if you pedal like a loon you'll lose a lot of your smoothness. Besides, you're climbing for I guess 75% of the race at a guess.