Ardrock 2024

Well look at the bloody forecast ☀️?

You can thank me for that, I took off the quicker rolling Wicked Will and put a knobbly Big Betty on the other day, took about 2 hours to wrestle on so that’s never coming off!

Missing the Joe Flanagan build up videos this year

Not racing but thinking I might head up with the kids and the dog on Saturday afternoon to meet some mates who are racing, grab some food, look at the expo area and go and heckle in the woods for a bit…

Last dry ArdRock was during covids and cancelled… I know some early starts got good conditions last year but we got drenched in the Sprint / Sport. Maybe a bit of rain Sat afternoon but hopefully not an all day soaking, S1 & 2 come off worst in wet weather most folk should be past them early, otherwise looking good? Not sure I can face another wet one.

Looks like it should be decent. I rode it two years ago and don’t want to think how bad the transition between stages 2 and 3 was last year.

Not off to a great start, got bike off car, set off towards the arena and the rear mech has seized up completely (all working fine at the beginning of the week!)

Bike currently with the Shimano service guys, hopefully they’ll get it going again!

Given me time to demo the canyon on:fly though…… Wowzer

Weather was glorious yesterday for the Epic. Hoping it holds and the monsoon we drove home through this morning doesn’t reach Reeth for those out today and tomorrow.

Great event, as always. Kicking back in the sun afterwards with a beer last night was glorious.

It was a great day yesterday. Dry and dusty trails, warm but with a gentle breeze. I was surprised how wet the roads were down the valley today as there’d been no more than very light spitting at the site. Hopefully it’ll stay that way.

Rain mostly stayed off today, couple of showers. Being picky, it’s a bit hard to prepare for, bit chilly with just a t-shirt on knocking about at the start but too hot for more layers once you get going!! Tomorrow looks ☀️☀️☀️ so single layer all the way!

Did the sprint today, I didn’t look too hard into it, didn’t realise it was stage 1,2 and 3. For some reason I thought it was 1,2 and 7 and all a bit closer together. Wasn’t Banking on dragging out to stage 3 and back!! Got the sport tomorrow, I’m already pretty weary, need a good kip tonight!

Got a selfie with Joe Barnes so my daughter will be well impressed with that ??

Absolutely outstanding event, did epic on Friday, which left me to kick back and thoroughly enjoy the rest of the  weekend, helped in no small part by the glorious weather!

Just finished the sport and snaffled a pint and some gyros.

Last year was brutal, this year a different kind of brutal! Great to ride it in the dry though ?

Just shy of 6hrs elapsed time, I’ve drunk several litres of water with hydration tabs, a pint of coke, some red bull and nailed a magic rock highwire grapefruit. Not been for a wee for over 6 hrs!

Done practice laps on Friday, sprint on sat and sport today, might be a bit tired tomorrow!

Why does image posting not work anymore?

Raced Friday with ten mates. Lots of camping and racing fun and best of five AR’s I’ve done. Brilliant!

Another great weekend, and first time bringing all the kids, lucky to live in Reeth!
Highlights

Kids getting lent some cow bells in woods on Saturday, cheers long haired dude playing the forks!
Comedy Marshall on stage 7 on Sunday (I was riding Kermit the frog)

Acoustic set on the Sunday after riding was ace. Nice it didn’t wind down quite as fast this year in event village.

Stiff for sorting me out when my dropper wasn’t playing.

Less great were the guy who clipped my bars on 6 passing without shouting and almost had me off and the guy on 7 who was full of “f***s sake idiots” when people had to slow him down a second in the woods. Seriously?

Overall really good, I just need to work out how to ride very steep and loose better! Anyone recommend a skills course for Stages 1 2 and 7!?

I worked the whole weekend but as far as I can remember its the first one Ive done (and there’s been quite a few) that hasn’t rained (im not counting the spits of rain on Sat) at least one of the days. Thats a win for me. Staying open until 9 pm Sat with free beers was a particular highlight although there was many a sore head on Sunday!

My rear mech gave way and ended up in my back wheel at the top of Stage 7 ending any chance of a decent time this year.

Really enjoyed it as always though, the Marshall on the mic at Stage 7 was ace! Our camping spec had a clear view of the last drop – just sat in the sun for a couple of hours enjoying the commentary 🙂

Went and spectated on the Friday, raced it back in 2015 or something. Impressive setup, seemed to have good amount of food stands, expo area lots to look at etc. I liked how routes for spectators were signed as well.

Few questions,

Enduro/Sport Enduro/Epic, all seem to be same full event of 7 stages so what’s the difference?

Was there water in the camping areas?

Showers, didn’t see these, were there some in both camping areas?

Was there water refill out on the hills? I saw a sign saying there was mechanical assist after S3 or something.

thanks

@dlr Enduro is the main, competitive race, Enduro Sport is more a ‘come have a go race’, Epic is, I think more like an mtb sportive and you get a time for the whole loop.

For comparison, I’ve done the main Enduro twice in the last few years and have finished top third, this year I did the Sport and came 20/188 with a massive hold up on S2 (87th) and another smaller hold up on S1 (34th). The other stages I was top 10 and got top 5 on one. What I’m trying to say is the Saturday is definitely more competitive, as I haven’t got any quicker.

I’ve not camped but I’m pretty sure there’s no showers and only some water. Out on the course, there’s a pub after Stage 2 with a water tap outside, water refills after Stage 3 and a Redbull tent whic give out cans after Stage 5. I got round this year with just a 700ml bottle using the refills and no Redbull.

Thanks, can see the differences now. They did say showers on the website at £3 a pop and they had them in 2015. I didn’t go walking through the campsite areas though, I was in day parking. Good that theres a tap outside the pub, got to be better than the river next to it 🙂

There are showers and water in the camping area

Probably the best Ard Rock I’ve had, potentially the weather or maybe heading out with the mentality of treating it as a ride with mates rather than a race.

I have barely touched the bike this year and would have sold my entry if I’d been organised. Decided to skip practice to save my legs so went in with zero expectations but felt much better than expected. Finished inside top 20%, surprisingly matching my % result from 2018 (albeit in an older class) and beating 2022.

Aside from 1, queues weren’t too bad, and traffic in stage didn’t seem as bad as previous years, perhaps because half the field were on ebikes… they definitely need to do a proper e bike race.

Well I stand corrected on the showers 🙂

The showers were in the field ‘behind’ the stage accessible either turning right out of the bottom entrance by the registration tent or through the camping entrance towards Reeth village.

or take a pack of wet wipes

There are showers and water in the camping area

There’s some showers in one camping area at £3 a time, and water in at least one, but I didn’t see a tap in the one I stayed in this year (next to the day parking). They could really do with having a quiet field as if I’d actually had anything to do on Saturday I wouldn’t have been impressed with the amount of disturbances on Friday night.

Big manifold of taps on the camping side of the event space fence (there was a big inflatable Camelbak bottle next to it)

Thanks all. Definitely going back next year to at least spectate but may make a weekend of it and do one of the shorter events

For anyone wanting a quieter camping area there is actually a campsite in Reeth which is separate from the event one
A friend used it this year as she had children with her and wanted a quieter night time experience – no idea how much it costs
She still walked/rode to the event

There has been a family camping field in previous years. It is / was towards Reeth / Orchard Caravan Park near where there’s a tennis court on Google Earth

There’s also the yha up at grinton, I stay up there as i’m by myself and not bothered about the night time stuff!

@dlr I did the sprint and the sport this year. The sprint is stages 1-3, approx 20 miles, 3000ft climbing. Sport all 7 stages, 25 miles and 5000ft.

Whilst the stages themselves are great, the transitions between 1,2 and 3 and relatively long and arduous and the ride back after 3 just felt like superfluous punishment! It’s a great day out, but it’s a lot of effort and you miss out on the remaining stages which come much quicker once you’ve got to stage 4.  I’ve done the sport several times now and I think it’s worth that extra effort, personally I wouldn’t do the sprint again.

The intro is 4-7 I think, not done this one as it runs on the Sunday alongside the sport