Still, please do the event next year – the venue is fantastic and deserves a race like that.

GB

+1

yes, i only just found this event,…it will go from strength to strength, with the issues sorted.

Loved it…it was great ….not bothered about the timing problems as I wasn’t about to be in contention for anything ….but could we have a Fatbike category next year … 🙄

Age groups, male/female, team/pair/solo, for the Fatbike cat?

Superb event folks, one of my favourite race courses ever. Anyone find my Maxx D yet? 🙁

Fatbike solo ..Fatbike team . That’d be enough .. 😀

Yes the timing was out and the race started a little early but thats the 1st time in 13 years of racing thats ever happened to me.

With such a fun/dry course I cant complain I had a great time.

Absolutely love this event & will continue to look forward to it every year.

Great work guys .

Baggy . Mule Bar

That was a great race – thanks for all your hard work and please do it again next year! Fantastic course and nice vibe. That red moon was an amazing sight wasn’t it? Be good if the start could be a bit clearer and at the advertised time next year though – I very nearly didn’t make it and some of my pals missed the start!

An absolutely cracking event run on a superb course. But boy was it exhausting. Was it just me or did there seem to be a lot of sharp knackering climbs with little chance to rest on the stuff that pointed down? Thanks to the organisers for all their work; epitomised by their skilful choice of what will be the best weekend of the year weather wise. Excellent foresight!

My 2nd and 3rd laps were combined on the Timelaps results unfortunately (ref Scawen’s post above). Very frustrating but even if corrected I’m not going to be troubling those on the podium 🙂

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinsheldrake/sets/72157633734979889/

Some free photos from the event courtesy of Kevin Sheldrake

On another note ….to all the guys and gals who were racing for top positions ……….they were very patient and polite while waiting to pass …….quite refreshing I think …..must be the relaxed atmosphere

Erlestoke really bit me. combination of pain from an earlier injury and stomach “issues” meant I had to pull out 7 hrs into the 12hr solo and I was really enjoying the lap, the atmosphere and the great weather. I’ll be back next year but this time I’ll bring a team!

Thanks, jonny360, for the link to Kevin Sheldrake’s very good motion photos!

What an awesome weekend! I finished 10th in male solo 12-6 with 8 laps – how you fit another 2 laps in there I have no idea! Course was absolutely blinding, atmosphere was very friendly and it’s a lovely place to camp.

Bah! about the timing and the early start (Caught me completely off guard so started late and from the very back on the first lap, though it made little difference to my finishing position I think). However, I would hate to think that you guys wouldn’t run it again …it really is one of the best events of the year for my money.

Impeccable course manners amongst all the racers too, really nice to see. Congrats to everyone who pushed themselves and hope you all had a great race.

I have a question for you front folks, if you don’t mind?…I can ride for 6 hours no problem but after a lap or two of hard efforts I start to get a bit tired, use easier gears, less standing on the climbs and my lap times start to drop. Besides the speed, you guys seem to be able to hold very consistent times lap after lap – are you riding more aerobically so are able to keep it consistent that way? or are doing enough interval type training stuff to be able to keep putting in those very hard efforts lap after lap? (ie: you’re recovering better from the hard efforts?) Cheers for any advice!

Again, Brilliant weekend, thanks a lot to all the Spam biking folks and I really hope there’s an Erlstoke 12 in 2014 🙂

Hi

Agreed on hoping it’s back (and sunny!) in 2014.

As for the speed – the pace is lower than what I’d ride in an XC race. I estimate 5% slower lap times based on other events I’ve done. That means it can be maintained for longer without getting too tired. In an XC race you are licking the stem for 1.5hrs… I felt it on my last lap though!

As for training – yes, intervals and long rides. I do one 7-8hr ride every week in the winter and try to fit one in when not racing in the summer. I know I can ride for longer than the race lasts for so I feel I can push on a bit plus the intervals help recovery eg after the tarmac climb. Also, in a 6hr race like that I’m not attacking every fire road and climb like I would in an XC race.

GB

24hr solo again after that impressive win George? 😉

Cracking ride GB. 🙂

Jimification,

I’ve done about 7 12hr solos with Erlestoke the only one I’ve not completed. I don’t do as much XC racing as Gee but like him I do a mixture of long rides(4-6hr) during the winter and shorter, focused interval sessions from Jan to beginning of the season.

Over the years I’ve worked out what works for me, what heart rate I can sustain for 12hrs and what I need to feed that engine. as an example if I’m racing XC or TT(up to 1 1/2-2hr duration) my heart rate will be 170+ for 12hr stuff it’s around 155.

After that it’s all in the head. keeping focused and enjoying it. One of the reasons I quit on Sat was that I stopped enjoying myself, despite the great course and great weather.

hope to see you soloing 12 next year, I’ll be back with Mrs XC as a mixed pair!

Rob
RNRMCA

A question – there was a left turn off a gravel road down a bank onto a grass descent into the woods with an immediate sharp rise. As you headed into the woods there was a slightly off camber left curve . Could that be taken flat out. I had this feeling I could have had a big one there.

I remember the fast grassy descent into the woods and up the sharp rise ……..yep flat out ….but the left off camber bit ?? Was that in the woods ? With the jump out into the open where you had to be on your toes to stop you going further out …and then grass track leading to the horrible climb

Not a chance of another 24 solo Matt – 6hrs is my limit before I get sooooo bored of riding in circles. I like riding fast not plodding round for 24hrs!!

GB

And yes that turn, grassy downhill and sharp ride was taken without brakes. The compression as you shot up the rise was fantastic!

The compression as you shot up the rise was fantastic!

Particularly on a rigid bike! 😀

Sadly I couldn’t make it this year but rode the course yesterday; looked good although in the wet some sections weren’t walkable let alone rideable! The weather gods smiled on you that weekend. 🙂

Gee: Thanks for the advice, that’s useful stuff and congrats on your win. At least it’s reassuring to hear that it hurt 😀

XCWanabe: Sounds like you’ve got your racing pretty dialed! Thanks for the tips and for the encouragement. I’ll probably stick to 6’s, though – I find them short enough that I can still go for it a bit on the climbs. I imagine that at my pace, a 12 would feel like I was “just riding” if you see what I mean. My wife did the 12 at Erlstoke but then she has a different (more determined) mindset to me. Good luck in the mixed pairs next year! Will keep an eye out for you on the podium 😀

Agreed on the compression section – you really felt like you’d been catapulted up that hill! One of my favourite bits on a superb course.

I entered the race as a team of 4 for the 6 hour, my first ‘competitive’ MTB event, so I was unsure what to expect. Unfortunately we had 2 drop outs, so whilst we were signed as a team of 4, we ran as pairs.

I’ve no doubt as to my slowness, I guess being a downhiller mainly has it’s disadvantages, not cracked the sitting and pedaling up hills, so I found the (seemingly endless) climbs hard.

Great event overall though, apart from the start, we were still over by our car putting our helmet/gloves on! Everyone was very friendly and polite.

I’ll definitely be entering again next year, with a lot more XC based training before hand.

PS, thanks for the link above to the pictures, there one of me in there 8)

Echo thoughts from above, 3rd year I’ve done it with the charge guys and the laid back vibe is a big factor in the enjoyment for me! Really hope it’s on again next year, I think it would be just as popular with a few fewer categories too, simlpify things a bit. Great ride GB, was loving ripping along with you and Jon on lap 1 until the lack of warm up caught up with me and me asthma! Took a couple more laps to get up to speed!

Chuffed to nab the Red Bull Beyond the Line uphill downhill TT 🙂

Oh, and to the cheating rider at 11.15pm that I caught cheating (and pointed it out to you) I know your number!

Chuffed to nab the Red Bull Beyond the Line uphill downhill TT

Congrats, I came 45th in that, and I thought i was going fast!!! 🙂

Congrats, I came 45th in that, and I thought i was going fast!!!

Are the times for that actually published yet?

Not that I’m going to be inside the top 100!

What ofb’s said.

Also anyone got pics of the prize-giving?

Clink, I have one of you, from your earlier post I saw you were on the 12hr SS podium. Drop me an email and I will send it over.

Loved the whole experience, it was my first race and to finish on the podium was a great feeling. (2nd 6hr team). I found the course tough going but rewarding. I’ve got no races to compare it to, but if they’re all like that then I’ll definitely be doing more. I take my hat off to all the solo riders, 1 lap and I needed a rest!

My one gripe other than the already mentioned timings was the music. I brought my family with me to cheer me on and by enlarge we all had a terrific day, however, having tunes like Puddle of Mudd – She F*****g Hates me at 3 in the afternoon isn’t on. It’s not a big grumble really, the missus just took my girls for a walk when we realized it wasn’t the radio edit. A bit more consideration needed is all.

Can’t believe I’m moaning about music, next year it’ll probably be too loud for me, God I’m getting old 🙁

Clink, I have one of you, from your earlier post I saw you were on the 12hr SS podium. Drop me an email and I will send it over

ygm

Took a day or two but here’s My Blog on the event.

Well I was mistaken the rider I thought had cheated was in fact genuinely suffering from exertional fatigue and had taken a wrong turn! I have apologised to said rider and my faith in humanity is restored! 😳

Quick question about the Pairs category. Are these ridden together? Or alternate laps?

regular endurance xc race format, one member of the team racing at a time

Teams and pairs in endurance events always ride in relay with only one on the course at a time.
Generally, there’s a rule that every team member must do at least one lap, but other than that, it’s up to you how you work it.
Alternate laps is the obvious and most common way, but if one rider is fitter than the other, you can split it 2 laps to 1, or any other arrangement that suits you.