The weather forecast hasn’t changed all week for Horton-in-R, heavy rain and 20mph winds!
It’s my first time, so I was hoping for some gentle weather. However, it’s probably apt for the 50th anniversary of the race!!
Is anyone camping on site, or that a bad idea with the rain that there has been?
Cheers
Fraser

I’m camping on site but most likely the tent will stay in the car and I’ll sleep in the car after a pint or two in the pub.

So, flippers then?

Was driving back from Mrs ChrisE’s mums (in Dent) and saw the misery….

C

Nasty or Epic, depending on your point of view. I suffered like a dog today, did a poor time compared to last year and was right at the limit on Pen Y Gent.

That puddle went from knee deep to balls deep in the time it took me to climb and descend.

I did stop at the top of Whernside to sort out a young lad who had a cracking A-over-T fall, then stoppped again at the bottom to make sure the Marshalls were looking out for him.

From the results he retired at Ribblehead, so hope he was ok.

4:40 is a very good time in those conditions; it’s a lot easier in the dry or even the less wet.

My mate did his 3rd tour today.

He came 21st!!

I was bike and wheel dude for the lad that came in 25th today never seen him go so deep for a result as that.
crikey chipps jonba and anyone else that got round fair play to you all it was a fek of a nasty day.

Struggled all day, bad pains in achillies / calves on Simon Fell, felt like jacking there.

Whernside was brutal and brought on knee pain trying to run instead of riding, crossing the 2nd stream at the bottom when the rear mech took a dive into the spokes, luckily going slowly enough not to break any pulled it free but that only left me 2 gears luckily easy ones.

P-Y-G was orrible saw a young lad coming down at breakneck speed when he lost it big style…looked like a Moto GP riding going high side I though he was going to clear the stone wall!

Top of P-Y-G was hideous weather stinging rain and very high winds, the puddle at the bottom covered my wheels completely then submerged the bottom bearing of the headset before washing my top tube, more a drowning hazard than a puddle.

5hr 11mins 310th

Should’ve done better 1st time though.
s’posed to be cross racing in Scunthorpe this Thursday…

Oh and people with 80mm deep section wheels what were you thinking, it must have been like carrying a kite up there?

4:03 for me, the same time as last year in fact. 54th place, which I’m dead chuffed with.
I loved every second of it, but then I always do love this race.

Need to recover now as I’m solo-ing Relentless 24 next weekend….

it wasn’t a day for a PB. the conditions on the tops must have added 10 or 15 mins to everyone’s time.

Slowest time so far for me 4:39. Absolutely loved it! What an epic day! ;0)

Oh and people with 80mm deep section wheels what were you thinking, it must have been like carrying a kite up there?

Yup that was me ! No problems to report here, rode all the descents no dabs.

Chipps, that wasn’t Si Pato that flatted and got the van ride was it?

Ah I was rolling along the ground most of the time rather than carrying (my preferred style)

That really was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

The fabulous ease of carrying the superlight bike I borrowed was somewhat offset by deep rims and the ‘windsurfer effect’. I was scared to carry at some points in case it took me over the edge.

Thanks to the people who picked me up after the comedic ‘I can’t stop moment’ which took me otb on Whernside. Loved Ingleborough and the Pen y Ghent pond though. It’s really weird how you don’t feel the wet and the pain until it’s over. It’s really quite hard to move now though!

Cracking shots on the Cold Cotes descent : http://www.northloop.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?43725-The-Black-and-White-Minstrel-Show…&p=784648

Congrats to everyone who did it and survived 🙂

Was I not “still” off the bike I had planned to try to get an entry this year (with it being the 50th and John’s last and all that). Looks proper ‘epic’ this year. Hope no-one ended up using their ‘survival bag’!

Funniest moment for me was coming down Pen y Ghent. It’s apparent that no matter how rubbish I am as a descender (very…) that there were plenty of people worse than me so I was passing quite a few folk. Problem is, PyG is a two-way track so it’s quite difficult in places to avoid everyone.

So I’m heading down and I can see a rider in front weaving and mincing a bit so I yelled out “PASSING RIGHT!” which was met almost instantly by a mate on the climbing side of the track (who I hadn’t seen until then) responding with “STRAVA!!” 😆

That kept me smiling all the way to the finish, even if I did nearly fall off laughing at the time.

I did 4:38, so we must have been battling it out towards the end.

What a day!! First attempt and I’ll be back for more. Now I know what to expect, I’ll be a little more prepared for next time. I was on a Planet X Uncle John that had hastily been converted from commuter duties to a ‘crosser. Old disc pads went on the final part of the descent to the turn up Pen Y Ghent lane (interesting descent…). I had to brake with my heels when nearing the finish. Still surprised I made the turn into the funnel!

I ran tubeless; no issues at all. Mates told me it was wel dodgy – nah! Mavic A119, Vitorria XM? Some ghetto rims strips and 80ml of Joe’s latex stuff – brilliant!