As the title says folks.? Who is entering.?
And any one able to shed some light on what the event consists of from previous years.? This will be my first event and all the details I have is that it is 10 miles per lap and up to 7 laps...
Many thanks
Me 🙂
You go round and round anywhere between 1 and 7 times. The utter trudge of pedalling around there is murderous (it's not got any big hills so there aren't many places to rest legs).
Thaz about it really.
Lots of singletrack (which will be axle deep mud baths), lots of fire roads, lots of short sharp climbs.
What he said. I avoided coming DFL by just doing more than 1 lap as the mud got to a lot of people the year I did it, IIRC only 3 people managed 6 laps then had a gentlemans agreement to not go out for a 7th!
I plan to enter. Will be on my rigid Kona 29er SS. Say Hi as you pass.
That was 2010, and it was utter hell, I'm gonna say it won't be that bad again this year...
It's good fun, as you've said, it's 10 miles, you choose how many laps you want to do, you ride around for that number of laps, then you go home again. Not much to it.
It'll probably be pretty muddy, but Swinley holds up fairly well, I'd fit fresh pads though, I utterly ruined mine (and the backing plate and piston) in the wet one in 4 laps.
I'm probably just gonna do 3 laps this year.
Edit: [url= http://joolzedymond.com/photocart/index.php?do=photocart&viewGallery=1145&q=411#image=90617 ]this[/url] was the wet one. Having flashbacks just looking at the photos!
I'm going, entered the 7 lap but if it is all cut up I'm going to drop that to 4-5.
Mud tyres or can I get away with Rocket Ron? And can I enter a shorter category on the day?
They'll let you change, but there's a charge. Rons were fine 2 years ago, it was so wet it wasn't muddy as such (ie not claggy), just gritty.
Entered the five lap race. 54637 pedal revolutions to go...
2010 was a nightmare. 2011 was excellent. 2012?
And with a bit of luck the lap won't be 30% longer than advertised like it was the year I did it. I'd done 3 of my 5 laps (39 miles) and couldn't face riding another 26 miles. will they also be setting the fun 1 lap riders half way through?
Yes, all categories go off in reverse order, you just have to hope you don't come round just after they've started. Not really avoidable frankly!
I remember the long one! 2005 I think it was, don't think they've ever lived that down!
Rode Swinley yesterday and some of the newer trials were holding up very well....drained and still fast....but others were a ploughing contest.
I recall some folk did a set of 4 brake pads per lap in 2010, so work that out!
Rons would have been fine yesterday, but with more rain due and hundreds of riders over the trail, I would go for something with more meat.
PaulD
Anyone know how I go about downgrading to the 3 lap race? Dont feel like playing in the mud for more than that
Think I'm going to save the gucci race bike, ride 3 laps on the hardtail, 1x9 and mud tyres.
Not sure I can be bothered to change tyres, it's only Swinley, Ralphs will probably be fine!
Anyone know how I go about downgrading to the 3 lap race?
Email them, but you may have to just wait until the day. I'm not going to pre-enter, but assuming it's not too horrific will see you on the line!
This will be my first event of this type and I have signed up for 5 laps 😯
Those that have done it before, what did you take with you.? gels, bottles or camelbak, etc, etc....??? I know I will bring spare pads...
Don't remember the year but i do remember the legendary long one. From what I've been told of it, Jon and Clive marked out half the course each and on meeting in the middle the conversation went along the lines of
'I think my half's a bit over'
'Mine too'
'Will anyone notice?'
'Nah. Unless it's the hottest bank holiday on record'
'Ooops'
IIRC it was closer to 13 miles a lap meaning the 7 lappers notched up 20 odd miles further than published.
It was nearer 14. Gee of this parish was one of the 4 to finish 7 laps, which was 96 miles!
Alzore: personally I can't imagine stopping in a race to change pads, but you'll do less damage than if you carry on, so your call! I'd always use bottles, a gel per lap if necessary, a tube, CO2 pump and a small multitool. Nowt else needed. You can leave stuff trackside and pick it up each lap as required.
CONDITIONS REPORT:
all the 'hardpack' trails (stickler, tanktraps etc) are holding up fantastically despite the recent rain... there's some standing water at the bottom of the berms dug into stickler as an example, but the trails are still running fast 🙂
any singletrack that is not 'hardpack' is a big of a mud fest but having tried riding straight through and wiggling around the mud, straight through is definitely the quickest. rode straight through as many puddles and stuff as i could and didnt' come across any surprise submerged logs etc 🙂
the fire roads are all good, yeah there's some puddles but again you can ride straight through them i found on the weekend and last night.
hope that helps!
I'm off the bike with a ruptured tendon in my hand, but am thinking of going to watch and maybe set up a "brake pad and bike wash" stall, F1 style, you ride in, pads in asap, bike sprayed to get rid of majority of crud and brow mopped/ glasses wiped in under 30 seconds.
Always one to see an oppurtunity.
Guess thats another night of deluge at Swinley right?
Not quite a deluge last night, not by recent standards anyway. I nipped out yesterday PM & phil's report is spot on - there was even a family of ducks in a puddle on one bit of singletrack. I'd expect that the boggier sections are only going to get worse with the normal volume of riders there on Sat.
Looks dry between now and Sunday at least. Maybe even a spot of sunshine on the day......
Well its still raining 3 miles uop the road
any update on the conditions.? Without turning this into a tyre thread, I was wondering mud tyres or trail.? Might stick a mud on back and just a 2.25 on front... I can't see it being that bad and there is no forecast for rain between now and Sunday, just a drop in temperature...
yeh going to be chilly but dry and windy now......presume some of the dips will stay wet and get cut up but Swinley dries pretty well no?
So - mud tyres or not?
I'm pondering the dilemma of indecision whilst sitting on the fence.....
Yes I also can't decide. I'm not sure I can be arsed to change from Racing Ralphs, but as I tend to go fairly well in the wet I'm tempted to fit something with a little more grip to maximise chances. Been 4th, 3rd and 2nd in that race, gonna win it one day dammit! Rons or Dans though...
[i]IIRC it was closer to 13 miles a lap meaning the 7 lappers notched up 20 odd miles further than published. [/i]
Yep, we did 4 laps - and had only started MTBing the previous year...
Well I'm putting on my MUDx on. Better than a rocket Ron and Aspen. Just did a local hour in Wiltshire and couldnt
Don't ride the thing.
I think I'm gonna put the Dans on, they're actually lighter than Ralphs anyway, and not much of a hindrance in the dry!
Sorry for the iPhone predictive txt. Was driving (passenger)
Forecast is dry with possible sunny spells. Cold though. Will stock up on jelly babies and chocolate bourbon and fig rolls. Food of champions.
Oh and I've only ridden Ignitor and only had a problem in the snow. It won't snow before Sundays.
It'll be fine as long as they pick a sensible lap. Some trials are ruined, others really firm, others firm but covered in enormous puddles.
Fingers crossed for a sensible lap!!!!
GB
I'm going to pass, I'm not trashing my bike. Besides I have a belated birthday to go to...MINE!
WOOHOO!!!
Aah it'll be fine! Can't see it being worse than 2010. They marked that lap out in the dry, at least this time it'll be a more 'all weather' lap. I hope.
good luck everyone by the way!!
i'd go with mud tyres personally, been taking the HT that still set up for winter out and i've not felt hindered by the conditions, in fact its been pretty fun having the bike slide about underneath you, good core work out! 😀
'm going to pass, I'm not trashing my bike.
Nooooo please don't say it's a bike trasher, I have a shiny new bike, 😥
Rode swinley Thursday night ,it was a shit fest
Hopefully they'll avoid the crappest bits! There's often quite a bit of fireroad anyway.
But yes AMT if they use the 'wrong' trails it'll annihilate your bike! 2 years ago was awful.
Oh joy........
I'll leave the mud tyres on then. I am aiming to come last in my class 🙂
Just put the Bonty Mud X's back on - based on the recent weather I can't believe it's wrong thing to do! Didn't pre-register so trying to decide between 4 or 5 laps....
Anyone know if there are actual start times or do you just turn up, register for your number of laps and get going? Had a look on the Gorrick website, but I'm none the wiser.
Pretty sure there are different start time for different lap number, 7 lappers start at 8:30am
Edit: [url= http://www.gorrick.com/racing/enduro/info.php ]here
[/url]
Category Age Start Time Laps Male Laps Female Fee
Seven Laps 16+ 8:30am 7 7 £25
Five Laps 16+ 9:00am 5 5 £24
One Lap Fun for Newcomers 12+ 10:00am 1 1 £15
Four Laps 16+ 10:30am 4 4 £23
Three Laps 16+ 12:30pm 3 3 £22
Two Laps 12+ 1:00pm 2 2 £21
But yes AMT if they use the 'wrong' trails it'll annihilate your bike!
oh well, will leave mud guards and mud tyres on then and just hope for the best, need to do a race
Thanks - fancy a bit of a lie in in the morning so probably going to do 4 laps.
What do we reckon will be a typical lap time for your average rider / racer based on expected mud and general crappy condition of the trails? 50 mins?
I would be happy with a one hour lap!
But then I am old.
If its wet than an hour will be good. Last year's results are probably still on Timelaps to get an idea of dry times. It was a lot slower than that 2 years ago, but that was a course designed in the dry.
I've gone for a Dan/Ron combo, it's only Swinley after all, there won't be any horrendously slippery technical descents!
Have just ridden swinley today, as my local club visited Berks on Bikes. Now, we cycled 34k in 4 hrs, with a few mechanicals/injuries/faff stops, and there were 30 of us out in train, so no speed contest, and half of us were visiting for the first time.
I had X-King rear/Nobby Nic front set up tubeless, and I was happy with my grip levels.
There are a few puddles around, but nowhere as bad as my local trails in East Sussex. I'm sure it may cut up a little, but it won't be a mudfest, if conditions stay as they are!!
Oh, and my sintered pads look the same now as at the start of the ride!!!
Live from the venue, course marking now complete and I must say it is in great shape with only a couple of muddy ish sections. The Sun came out and a little bit of wind will hopefully dry it all out some more. All good.
In a break from tradition (I usually do Enduro6) I did the Gorrick 100 at Swinley Forest today - a 7 lap 70mile mtb race. In the days leading up to the event I got a stinking cold and my head felt like it was going to explode. Felt a bit better this morning, dosed up on the Lemsip and hit the race...
I rode with Ben Thomas for the first 5 1/2 laps which was a real surprise - I felt ok and the legs finally had some energy! I think I overtrained a bit in March when it was sunny and have had a couple of easier lower volume weeks to recover and it seems to have worked. After about 55 miles Ben took off and I had nothing left for a response - in the end he won by about 4-5mins I think.
The ti Ala Carte felt fantastic with the 650b wheels - I really rate this size for racing as it feels so much quicker to accelerate and turn than the 29er, and as there were loads of brake/turn/sprint sections I think it was a good choice. Horses for courses... I've finally got the position spot on too. Given the recent rain, the course was in fantastic condition. There was about 20yards of bog in a 10mile lap - the rest was hardpack or firm loam. Numbers seemed a bit down on normal - I guess people were put off by the weather but they made the wrong call!!
A brilliant day out and, realistically, I'm never going to beat Ben so I was extremely happy with 2nd.
GB
dantsw13 - Member
Have just ridden swinley today, as my local club visited Berks on Bikes
Glad you enjoyed the day out yesterday dantsw13 - come & visit us again soon
Boltonjon - on the Silver Zesty!
Thanks Bolton Jon!!! Everybody had a great day out, with lots of tired bodies!! After all the tales of brake pad eating monsters at Swinley, I was pleasantly surprised to see mine relatively untouched last night!! No braking possible trying to keep up with you two on the downhills in the afternoon!
Definately love to arrange another day - hopefully a few of you can make it over to our patch for a return match, if our local bogs ever dry out!!!!
nice one gee,
I came 15th in the 7 lapper, I think you and Ben overtook me at the beginning of the twisty berm section on my 5th lap,
I found it really hard especially 5 and 6, my first full on event on the 29er,
what the heck happened to that guy on the first straight after the start, he looked a mess and his bike was 50 yards away from him?
what the heck happened to that guy on the first straight after the start, he looked a mess and his bike was 50 yards away from him?
yeah that was me, turns out the puddle i tried to ride through was a hole, i guess the front end vanished, was tanking it so went flying, knocked the crap out me and my face, 5hrs in a neck brace...... lush
I think I hit that puddle yesterday - top advice from the local lads was never put your front wheel in a puddle, lift every time!!!!
c_klein, glad you're ok enough to be posting on here! Healing vibes...
Didn't see you crash, or the aftermath, you were in the ambulance by the time I reached the scene. Helped shove the ambulance backwards up the muddy slope, that took a few attempts, can't have been that comfy for the patient :-s
pretty high still i think, i learn not to make that mistake again, thanks for helping the ambulance, was a bumpy trip. just need a good plastic surgeon!
ouch.....were a few dubious looking greasy bits right in the saddle of descents, not surprised someone had a spill. Hope you feel OK tomorrow.
That was my first Gorrick event, really enjoyed it. Course was incredible dry considering the weather we've had. Good course selection me-thinks, lot of hardpacked singletrack the trail fairies have been nursing for us.
Me, I didnt feel all that fast but didnt lose a lot of time in the later laps, did 3, will do 5 laps next year.....7 looked like purgatory. Spoke to a couple of lads who were on 5 of 7 and they "just want it to be over now".
I reckon 50% or more were on 29ers......and close to 100% of the really fast guys. They just look "right" for racing on dont they? The shock on my race bike let me down again so I ended up riding my Ti456 in all mountain build with a big 140mm Talas fork on the front. Wasnt light but didnt feel too bad and I was glad of it on the downs.
Great day.
c_Klien - glad your ok buddy - looked nasty
It did however give me a [i]Nam[/i] flashback with the Saffa shouting 'MEDIC MEDIC MEDIC'
not that the Saffa's were in Nam of course - neither was i to be fair - more DebhaNAMs 😀
Tough old course but managed 44th from 88 starters in the 7 laps of hell
Top event though - top marks to Gorrick again
Had a great day out. I've not 'raced' for ten years or so and have just lost a shed load of weight to get me into any sort of form.
I'm just dead chuffed to have finished and hats off to the guys doing the long distances. Chatted to some of the 7 lappers on course and thought they were all nuts!
Thought I was going pretty fast in the 5 laps (and the results seem to back this up) when Gee and Ben Thomas came past me. Tried to stay with them for a bit and discovered what going fast is really like 😐
I was busy pissing against a tree when Ben went past - without that piss, i'd never have been lapped!! 
Great fun! Good course, amazingly dry, and still had some good singletrack. Nice weather on the day, lovely.
C_K, was that the puddle on the fireroad after the first descent, when you turned right through the gate? That claimed someone in the 3 lap race too, he went down really hard!
Entered the five lap race. Three laps in my wrists were suffering (rigid SS), so I called it a day. Should have entered the four lap race! Well done to Gorrick for a great event. Should be called hilights of Swinley (labyrinyth, seagull, tanktraps...).
And well done to the guys on seven laps. Especiall the one on a singlespeed who must have wrists of steel. Or tinosynovitus.
EDIT: forgot to say I saved a maiden in distress and comforted a child wwho had lost his dad out on the course. Hence the slow times - honest
Get well soon c klien87. Typical racers eh? Instead of shouting for an Ambulance, the cries of 'medic' filled the air.
Got 40th place in the 7 laps and was well pleased as I've never ridden that far. Very worn out today.
Great course wasn't it.
Entered the five lap race. Three laps in my wrists were suffering (rigid SS), so I called it a day.
Or the 3 lap race... 😕
And well done to the guys on seven laps. Especiall the one on a singlespeed who must have wrists of steel. Or tinosynovitus.
Lee Imrie did the 7 on a rigid SS, imagine there were others. A bloody good effort for sure! Extra hero points if any of them rode the wall!
Pictures are up
http://joolzedymond.com/photocart/index.php?do=photocart&viewGallery=1299#page=1
I'm 376 (the guy in the blue on a push bike, not the johnnie in dayglow on the motorbike).