What’s the consensus on an average loop time around Cwmcarn? Assume riding on own and not stopping for too many breaks? I am asking as I was there the other night and did it on my own and it made me wonder how my training is coming along.

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/best-lap-time-over-cwmcarn-and-whites-level

Under 30 minutes is alright.

an hour or under is alright 😀 usually get distracted by the ‘freeride’ section and end up doing a few runs of that 😉

I’d agree with LoCo, under an hour is good.

Does anyone know the actual length?
I know it’s advertised at 18k but is this accurate.

I did it Friday, it was bone dry & I managed 1h04m & GPS said 9.57 miles from start arch to finish gate.

Depends how you compare to this guy 😉

thanks snaps.

that makes it 15.5k then!

I’d say about an hour is my average if I’m on my own. More like 1:15-1:30 in a group with waiting and chatting etc.

Did it in 51mins earlier today. Thats my fastest time to date.
Hard to imagine it taking any longer than hour and half with even the most shocking lack of fitness.

Fastest (full) lap at BUSA 2008 was 45m18s 😯

Under an hour for normal people is very good 😀 You could ride around all day doing 1h04m’s like snaps and hardley anyone would pass you. Most fitish riders seem to take 1.15/30m to get round.

a 37 has been done. he was an alien though.

56 mins for me, although on my 30lb Patriot.

Moorman that is quick.

Oggles, the lap record is 38 mins.

Agree that under an hour is a reasonable/ good time and tells me I am getting reasonably fit.

At peak fitness and in optimal conditions I have broken 50 mins three times.

I find getting to 55 mins relatively easy, after that it tends to be pretty hard to make incremental progress.

Wet vs dry can make a big difference as does wind direction (much easier if you get blown most of the way up!)

1 hour on my full suss 26er( i have to get off and walk the gnarly bits)

30 mins on my drop bar ss 29er ( but i have to get off and walk the climbs and any sharp bends)

now if i had a fatbike i reckon i could ride it all in under 45 mins but i wouldnt enjoy it cause theyre just the latest fad in biking and are crap so ive heard

It’s also getting slower with time, so times set 3 or 4 years ago are invalid, I reckon.

Dammit, double post.

Anyway I’ve done 56 mins twice on different bikes, a year or so apart – On the 5 it was 30 mins to the FR bit (but didn’t ride it) and therefore 26 mins down, on the Patriot it was 32 mins to the same point and 24 mins down.

38.5 minutes on my neighbours butchers bike

How quick do you do the second lap ? It should be quicker than the first right ?

Not tried it by myself, but I don’t think our group has made it round in under 3 hours 😀 A few laps of the freeride are compulsory…

Hard to imagine it taking any longer than hour and half with even the most shocking lack of fitness

That’ll be me then! Been there 5/6 times and usually just manage 1.30.

Funny thing is though, only been overtaken once, but have caught up with 3 or 4.

All these fast people must go at different times.

I agree stgeorge, I think we’ve seen a lot of willy waving replies here. I asked for an average loop time and not the world record. I was after the normal time from people who ride. Hey ho. C’est la STW!

a 37 has been done. he was an alien though.

Who was it? I thought that other thread either suggested people had heard from people who had heard, or that it was done when it first opened and wasn’t the same trail!

Fairly irrelevant, as I did a 22, would’ve been quicker, but I broke both my legs on the freeride area.

Magnus Backstedt, apparently close to when it first opened, I’m pretty sure Ant O’boyle did a similar time too, sure one of the other locals will confirm or correct me on this.

Ant O’Boyle will say he’s done that, doesn’t mean it happened, he’s a nice guy, but can make some ‘dubious’ claims! 🙂

Backstedt when it first opened it plausible, but then it’s a rather pointless comparator when it wasn’t the same course!

Magnus Backstedt, apparently close to when it first opened, I’m pretty sure Ant O’boyle did a similar time too, sure one of the other locals will confirm or correct me on this

Correct, the course has changed a bit and it’s FAR rougher than it was when it opened and I reckon it’s a lot slower.

I take it you haven’t been to set a time, njee? 🙂

I agree, a sub 40mins with the track as it is seems way quick. To put Ant O’boyle into perspective. I can just squeak under an hour, but if I’m in a cyclox race with A O’b it takes him about 5 laps to lap me. Not the 2 and a bit a sub 40 mins around Cwmcarn would suggest. ❗

I take it you haven’t been to set a time, njee?

I used to go all the time when I lived in Bristol, my quickest would probably have been in the BUSA race I guess, which according to the results here was 51:37.109.

It was a bit wet that day, and we’d already done a lap up the road, and had another lap to go, so I could probably do a 47-48 minute lap at a guess. Not ridden there since mind, so don’t know what it’s like now!

I’m no superfit XC racer but I’ve managed it in under an hour last summer on my charge duster. I know this as my wife was having a cup of tea waiting for me in the cafe with a stop watch. That was with 2 quick runs at the top section

Normally I ride the nomad so would expect to be 5-10mins slower.

I also disagree about it being harder/rougher – I think the climb has got quite a bit easier (still a real challenge to get all the way up without dabbing)

50-60mins should be easily doable – I have a gps now so will be interested to record the times this summer (I expect to be slower as I have half a stone to shift from a broken collar bone over winter)

I think the average is around the 1 hour mark on a good day.

Anyone who did in 30 mins, I bet they have no energy to do another loop afterwards! lol

Who cares about timing, just ride what you feel comfy and enjoy the ride, try get more than one loop, I always do aleast 2 loops before going home to make the drive worthwhile.

50 minute is very quick. When I did 56 I was flying.

Who cares about timing

Me. I like testing myself. Gonna tell me how wrong I am?

Ive done 58 mins. As above I think the climb is easier than it used 2 b. O’boyles past me like I was goin backwards. I think a sub 40 is possible 4 elite. I think an average time would b 1.10 – 15 there abouts

Who cares about timing

Obviously a few people as there is a thread of people saying how long it’s taken them!

For the same reasons as molgrips I like to challenge myself when riding alone. When I’m in a group I don’t bother.

I think my Garmin 800 is brilliant to motivate me on solo rides. I can race against myself and chase my best times

I’ve only done 54 and 55 laps back to back last year, I think my team mate did 49 and 50. I’d say we’re both considerably quicker this year, but the route is again considerably more eroded in parts… hmm.

I’d be interested to see…. LoCo – fancy a race? I reckon I’d be faster on the ascent, but when you hit the top on that Ariel you’d be proper nipping at my heels.

Top Gear challenge?

Right your on, meet you at the top? You have no chance on the last 2 downhill sections btw 😉

LoCo:

Just eBay’d myself a sh1t load of these:

Check-mate.

We did a run-bike-run there at the weekend. It is a great loop for measuring performance, so shall be doing it more through the summer 🙂

This magic 37min that is always bandied about – I think it’s impossible on the current loop in its current state. I’ve managed 44min (starting at the archway, finishing at the final style before re-entering the carpark) by taking the climb at race pace and descending rapidly but not balls to the wall (ie. puncture avoidance!). I’d imagine sub40min is possible but only for the top elite riders.

And another thing, I don’t get all this cynical ‘I did it in 12mins on my niche to the power of rad bike’ : it’s only a bit of competition – the sort that is apparent in every trail centre every weekend!

Hang on…. Archway? You mean at the carpark? totally forgotten where that is…