Brighton Big Dog Chat 2014

Rode the course a few times on Tuesday and last week too. It’s tight and compact with lots of good and new single track. Look out for the GPS route going up soon (anyone follwng me may get a glimpse early :)).

May try and do a flying lap Sunday but looks like sub 30 min lap for the fast guys.

I’ll post up on our blog once I’ve done it and have the permission to do so: overthebarblog.com but we do have a sneak peak of the new mug up there already!

Some nice new lines cut at the top of Stanmer Wood, should make for a fast and flowing course 🙂

Love the mug colour – gorgeous!

S-stalking looks like the course might be fairly short this year? (or maybe just more compact and easier to marshall?)

We were riding a guess at it last night – have to say Stanmer is riding bloomin’ marvellous at the moment.

I heard it was 5.2 miles.

+ what JRTG and Paceman said re: the course.

Was very fast in there this afternoon & some nice spiky climbs too 🙂

Expecting a guided tour on my return!

S’S friendly?

If you don’t mind a bit of walking it’ll be fine, nick 🙂

There’s some very steep but short climbs plus one steepish but long one – called the ‘ singular fat cats climb’ or something on Strava.

All rideable – a couple of them will necessitate some gurning after 5 hrs 🙂

john_l – Member

All rideable – a couple of them will necessitate some gurning after 5 hrs

We’re used to gurning and grunting from Darkcyan on his singlespeed 😉

Attempted a lap of the course this evening. Worked out about 3/4 of it with the help of the strava segment and the yellow spray paint, couldn’t quite work out the route from start of the last climb to welcome to the jungle (GPS seemed to suggest it wasn’t straight up the fire road track and I was running out of time). Going to give it another go tomorrow evening and will load what I did onto the garmin so I don’t have to keep checking my phone (would like to know if there is a way to upload a strava segment to a garmin).
Very different to the last big dog course I did back in 2012. I imagine the xc riders will absolutely fly round.

Hmmm, mmmm, yeah…. 😕

Due to frustrating reasons, and a desire to spend time with the family, it looks like making the big dog is now going to be a challenge for me….
I’ve been looking on the site for contact details to see if I a nan sell the ticket back, but can’t find contact details…

Anyone want a male solo entry for face value?

Or know anyone who wants it??

DrP

I might be interested, I’ll need to check that I’ll have a permission slip.

Fellow NHS primary care discount?

Nice one 😉

Budget cuts and financial streamlining may prohibit that…

DrP

I have a solo vets going spare if anyone wants it?

Right the course has been finalised! I rode it tonight with the designer and we have it up on our blog and FaceBook overthebarblog.com

Also I’ll be helping out with the Velo Cafe MTB ride next Thursday where we will go and ride the course. They meet at 6:30pm at the Cafe riding out at 6:45pm.

Oh there is a link to our strava where you can download the course. Enjoy, it’s a good one this year 🙂

There’s travelers camped in the main arena area I just read on Twitter. Hopefully they can get them off quickly and there’s not too much poo left in the woods this time.

Will be over there riding it in the rain tomorrow I expect. First fat bike wet ride, could be interesting!

My better half contacted the Police when she saw them driving cars in on Thursday. Wondering what the point was now… They’ve just left a field near us at the top of Ditchling Rd and it’s a bloody mess now.
Fingers crossed they don’t crap everywhere at the bottom of SCOHB again.

There wasn’t anyone there last night, just people setting up for the festival. Stanmer was running beautifully too.

Yeah, they’ve gone from the bottom of the park now.

That’s good news, they’ve sometimes outstayed their welcome in the past and made a right mess in the process.

I shall be hazarding the storm round the BigDog course tomorrow; expecting greasy roots and speedway style tree dodging on the fat bike 🙂

Was fun this morning, not too wet given how much rain there was last night.

Blimey. It’s a week away and I appear to have forgotten to do any training. Is there race etiquette I need to follow other than get out of the way of all and sundry? Never done a race before.
Couple of naive questions I have that I’m hoping someone might help me with..

Is it water bottles or camelback?

Lycra or baggies?

Tyres. Front nobby Nic rear speech the captain. Will this be ok? I also have a continental speed king.

I am a little concerned now.

Gentleman and ladies. You have a back marker 🙂

You’ll be fine as longas you stay out of Dark Cyans way. He is right mardy git

Spooked:

You’ll be fine. Water bottles for cc racing. No bag.
Lycra or baggies, whatever’s comfortable.
Nic & captain are fine.
Let faster folks pass you when you can.
Have fun.

That’ll be two of us 🙂

Great conditions in Stanmer this morning… if you like swimming 😆

The woods were strangely quiet as Bertha heaped her fury on us, only one other group of riders to be seen. The trails were still running well despite the greasy top surface and lethal roots. Thankfully BigDog wasn’t today.

This weather will open a whole new dilemma for Darkcyan over what tyres to use next Saturday 😉

Suddenly realised this is only a week away! have entered solo and hoping both me my bike will survive the 6 hours!

the website says no water is available on site, does this mean i’m going to have to take 6 hours worth of water to the site?

The website says no water is available on site, does this mean i’m going to have to take 6 hours worth of water to the site?

There’ll be stalls selling the usual hot & cold drinks but there are no public taps in that part of Stanmer Park. We usually take a couple of those big 6L mineral water bottles from the supermarket.

There is a tap up the top of the park in the toilets by the tea rooms which would mean you could fill up a big container when you arrive.

As requested the route is also now on Garmin Connect, I’ve updated the article with the link. I know loads of people have been out enjoying it, even in this downpour! : overthebarblog.com[/url]

I’m really looknig forward to this. Went up there on Sat but just rode last years course to get my eye in.

Let’s hope the travellers are gone from the transition area in time…although the rozzers seemed to be rounding them up on Sat morning.

Travellers had gone yesterday morning.

Rode part of the course and then we headed off up to the other woods and found some streams to ride in.

First wet ride on my Puffin with On-one Floater tyres. Grip everywhere was incredible, problem was my confidence in them and not wanting to push too hard – there was a lot of wet roots around.

First truly wet ride on my Surly Knard tyres wasn’t so confidence-inspiring 😐

I’m hoping the showers aren’t too heavy and the windy weather this week dries out the trails again before Saturday. It’ll be fun nonetheless, but faster if dry. I much prefer the course this year which takes advantage of the best singletrack in the BigDog side of the park.

Rewski – did you have a solo space up for grabs in the end? If by chance you do I’ll have it!

I’d b worried in the wet on those fat tyres!

Is the first climb the real steep chalky one in the bottom corner of the footy pitch? Trying to work it out from the map.

I’m running x kings at the moment…. Mud x on standby…

No, it’s the first fire road climb to the right of that (the other side of the bomb hole) but I don’t think you go to the top before turning right.

No, it’s the first fire road climb to the right of that (the other side of the bomb hole) but I don’t think you go to the top before turning right.

Is it the same as 2011, where it’s up the field before heading into the woods onto the fire road, but going up and left instead of right and back down?