Over ambitious, over geared, overcooked – cramped in 4th (Grand Vet) at half way and couldn’t nurse myself on with the 2 big full gas climbs. Dissapointing but stronger field this year so podium wasn’t going to happen this time.
Great day out. Really enjoyed the marshals banter. Trying pairs for the first time. 8 laps in around 5.20 I think. I say think as it seems my number board wasn’t being picked up by time laps :(. Ah well not like we are podium contenders.
First time for us here – great event. Kids got a win and a 3rd. I raced vet solo and struggled a bit with cramp and finally came in 16th on 7 laps. Happy enough though.
Really good and tough course. Loved the last bit of singletrack where you start to hear the arena noise again. Cheesy tunes a hit with us too.
Definitely one for a regular slot in our calendar.
pictonroad – Member
Had a great ride until I got wiped out by some berk on the finish line!
I thought that was you, I recognised the bike. I saw the guy who took you out being escorted by a paramedic and with an oxygen mask on his face…well it could have been nitrous but he wasn’t laughing 🙂
Course was great this year, especially with the dusty conditions! I did an unofficial lap at 5pm as they’d ran out of number boards – I think I might have to enter pairs again next year. My 3 year old daughter wanted to follow me around the woods on her balance bike and was disappointed at the absence of an ice cream van! It did confirm that my enduro gnarpoon hardtail is too long and slack for Stanmer (goes up well though, when it’s not striking pedals…)
Really enjoyed the course, thought it was great fun with a bit of everything. The climbs got harder as the laps went by and cramp killed me with an hour to go.
Still went home grinning and celebrated with ice cream 🙂
Enjoyed course for first two & a half hours in fact I got a bit carried away by it I think. Couldn’t sustain the pace. On fifth lap solo decided I had enough. Constantly being overtaken by non soloists was abit demoralizing. banging headache. Finished just before four hours was up. Vomited later on.
Really enjoyed it this year, tough but much more fun than last years course. This year the climbs were tough but there were great descents to reward you with. So glad it wasn’t wet and glad I changed to much narrower bars before I went. Team of 3 this year so plenty of rest time, full respect to all those solo riders!!
What happened there, @pictonroad? I saw you all laying on the floor inches from the tape but only caught the aftermath.
Fantastic course. The climbing was tough, but, Coldean aside, was out of the way for the 2nd half…so you could enjoy the last mile or so, flat out with a smile on your face. That’s my 4th BBD and favourite course to date.
Wiped out twice. both on climbs! and brushed what I thought was going to be bushes only to find the metal railing of the bridge over the A27 behind it. Purple bicep today. Saw a few others nursing split lips, torn shirts and one guy holding his arm in a “That’s my collarbone gone” type way. Hope they’re all ok.
I thought it was a great course this year! A good balance of up and down singletrack, it didn’t feel like too many fire road climbs and I like that they included the double at the top of the final descent… best overtaking spot ever! 🙂
Yep a brilliant day, atmosphere with great Marshalls including the ukulele player at the bottom of one of the hills. The timings for us where not recorded probably which was a same though. But hay I’ll be back next year!:)
Really pleased for two of my club colleges who came 4th in pairs whilst having a proper race with KTM and Hargroves for the podium during thier first time at Big Dog – well done chaps!
That was an amazing course – it linked up all the best bits whilst giving space to overtake. The descents were brilliant and worth the climbs. I got 3rd in solo (again!) but it was really close this year – 4th was only 1.5mins behind me for about 5 laps. Every lap I’d inch out about 5-10secs. Happy to have got over some nasty cramp on lap 4 on the bit over the A27 – not raced that hard for a while which is probably what did it, coupled with dehydration from 4hrs riding in the sunshine the day before!!
The course was excellent and IMO the best we’ve had at Big Dog. The climbs were testing but doable (even for a fat knacker like me). Loved it and can’t wait for next year.
Yep a brilliant day, atmosphere with great Marshalls including the ukulele player at the bottom of one of the hills.
Made me smile on every lap. He played for the whole 6 hours.
That’s my neighbour that is. It was great, I’m glad he doesn’t do it at home though 😀
The marshal at the bottom of he coldean climb was err inspiring. He heckled some solo rider who got off and walked up in front of me “riding solo because you don’t have any friends maybe if you tried a bit harder in life”
^ That’s where I first cramped too. Eased off, downed the only electrolyte bottle I had once I got back to the pits, then rode light for a couple of laps to shake it off. Had to climb off for a stretch on my final lap. I was hoping for 8 laps, but those light laps mean’t it would have been too much to squeeze an 8th in before the 6hrs were up.
Yes – epic marshalling. Thanks everyone, good to get some proper motivation all round the course. 😀
The coldean climb marshal was my favourite!! I told him that on my last lap..
six hours of constant shouting “give it some effort”…”the amateurs are catching you (!)” and “come on, only 4 hours to go” was epic!!
Crashed twice in my first 2 laps (much harder than I thought at the time apparently!!), and then got cramp during the presentations, I am a broken man today.
Also following some bloke down the hill on the open bit over the A27 something flicked up and hit may face and then stuck to my glasses. Took a couple of seconds to focus on it and realise it was a wasp crawling about. Managed to shake it out but then spent the rest of the lap worrying it might be still hanging on somewhere.
Oh and the marshalls up near dog poo car park who were mocking my fluoro kit – wait till next year!!