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Every MBR ride I have ever done, their Howgill ride is forever etched in to my memory and not in a good way
If its the "classic" Howgills ride then I think I got away with it and rode it on a nice day but remember at the end thinking "is that it?" and wondering what it'd be like in anything other than good weather...
My own personal worst ride. I've got to say, I don't think I've ever had a total nightmare but one that sticks in my memory was the first (?) Hit The North. Think it was mid summer and we set off from Yorkshire in the sunshine. Was pouring with rain in North Manc which was lovely but got setup at the side of the track - tent up and me and my mates other halves sat under a brolly and with a massive blanket wrapped around them to keep warm. Think I managed one lap and my mate managed 2 before we sacked it off. Went through a set of brake pads in 1 lap and came back in covered head to toe in mud that smelt like sewerage. Shame because I remember the route itself being pretty cool...
Think it was mid summer and we set off from Yorkshire in the sunshine. Was pouring with rain in North Manc which was lovely but got setup at the side of the track - tent up and me and my mates other halves sat under a brolly and with a massive blanket wrapped around them to keep warm.
I remember a Mountain Mayhem like that. The one time I attempted it solo. Super well prepared, 2 bikes, lots of food, all good with a camping pitch nearby.
Weather on Saturday was great, course was dry and dusty. Early evening it started raining and within minutes the infamous Malvern Mud was everywhere. I sacked it off and went to bed thinking I'd get an hour's rest then go out refreshed for the night laps.
It rained all night and in the morning I poked my head out the tent to see a near-deserted course and a few broken souls pushing mud-laden bikes around looking like they'd done 5 rounds with a swamp monster. Most people had binned off the idea of racing, quite a few people had simply left.
Sunday was actually a lovely day and the course dried up quite quickly so I did a couple of token laps right at the end but it was really just an attempt to salvage something from a washout weekend.
I did one of the later ones, heavy rain but was only a few hours, I think they may have been longer back int day. Felt ill straight after it. Not ill as in that was really hard, more like how has a mtb race given me food poisoning?My own personal worst ride. I've got to say, I don't think I've ever had a total nightmare but one that sticks in my memory was the first (?) Hit The North. Think it was mid summer and we set off from Yorkshire in the sunshine. Was pouring with rain in North Manc which was lovely but got setup at the side of the track - tent up and me and my mates other halves sat under a brolly and with a massive blanket wrapped around them to keep warm. Think I managed one lap and my mate managed 2 before we sacked it off. Went through a set of brake pads in 1 lap and came back in covered head to toe in mud that smelt like sewerage. Shame because I remember the route itself being pretty cool...
Was a good event minus the plague mud.
My commute into work three days after 40th just before Xmas 2013, it's a storm weather warning day, but looks calm at 0545 so decide to cycle in as normal. Started to rain as I headed down the hill, I'm doing ~20mph around the sweeping bend before Northam bridge heading towards city centre, suddenly realise the refuge lorry ahead of me is stationary. Both brake levers on my Tricross Singlecross aren't significantly reducing my speed, road too busy to switch lanes, no dropped kerb I can see. ~30mins later, I wake up in back of ambulance, having fractured my upper jaw; lost teeth and chipped many others; right wrist feeling wonky and two metacarpals on right hand fractured. Right hand completely seized up after op, ended up at Wessex Rehab Centre at Odstock Rd Hospital (Salisbury) Mon-Fri and then going home for weekend for five weeks.
A few years later, after slowy getting confidence back again to cycle regularly for work, I then discovered the South Downs and began cycling for fitness.
Think it was mid summer and we set off from Yorkshire in the sunshine. Was pouring with rain in North Manc which was lovely but got setup at the side of the track - tent up and me and my mates other halves sat under a brolly and with a massive blanket wrapped around them to keep warm.
I remember a Mountain Mayhem like that. The one time I attempted it solo. Super well prepared, 2 bikes, lots of food, all good with a camping pitch nearby.
Weather on Saturday was great, course was dry and dusty. Early evening it started raining and within minutes the infamous Malvern Mud was everywhere. I sacked it off and went to bed thinking I'd get an hour's rest then go out refreshed for the night laps.
It rained all night and in the morning I poked my head out the tent to see a near-deserted course and a few broken souls pushing mud-laden bikes around looking like they'd done 5 rounds with a swamp monster. Most people had binned off the idea of racing, quite a few people had simply left.
Sunday was actually a lovely day and the course dried up quite quickly so I did a couple of token laps right at the end but it was really just an attempt to salvage something from a washout weekend.
Bonty 24/12 in the mid/late 00s was like that. Brilliant zipping around in the dark on a warm summer evening. Went to bed for a couple of hours and woke up to smashing rain on the tent so went back to sleep. Roke up in the morning to people trudging past the tent covered head to toe in thick, sticky mud and bikes caked up do bad the wheels wouldn't turn. Sacked it off and went home.
Racked my brain and I can't really think of a really bad day. Never had an injury crash. I've had quite a few physically tough days touring but that's part of the game. If it was always easy everyone would do it.
Kudos to the people on this thread and elsewhere who have horrendous crashes and come back.
Thinking about it some of my toughest days have been on hostel based tours as you often have a fixed point to get to which if you get something like a bad headwind can turn into long hard days. Touring with a tent in decent weather you just rest when you get tired and camp when you run out of daylight.
A day in California in 2013 springs to mind. I spent 2 hours pushing my bike uphill into a gale on the shoulder of the I8 freeway. Ran out of daylight near the Mexican border . So I bivvied just off the road having waited until there were no border patrol vehicles in sight. The bike is lying down so it is less visible from the road. The border fence is on the ridge in the background.