It’s sneaking up on me! Been mostly thinking about the EWS but I’m soloing the seven again, even got me a proper XC bike this year with the big wheels and that… Anyone else?

Was feeling a bit uninspired since I’ll struggle to improve much on last year, but it seems like some of the other trailfairies are entering in teams so I’m declaring war!

In a pair with b r for the 7. Managed 8 laps solo last year, so we’ll hope to do better in a pair 🙂
Didn’t get an EWS entry this year 🙁 would have had a full suss for it this time and everything!

Yeah mixed pairs again this year. Got some elite competition this year so no chance of a podium finish! Will make the ride a bit more relaxed though.

I’m in as a solo again this year, hoping to do better than the last year where I literally came last (broken freehub on second lap 🙁 Taking spare wheels this year 🙂

Oh who are the elites in the pairs?

I’m a in a mix pair too, excited!

Yep doing it in a pair.

Looking forward to it, I’ve not done it since the first year which might have been 2011? Mainly hoping for better weather as it was bloody miserable.

I won’t be threatening the podium.

Rab Wardell & Lee Craigie are a mixed pair this year and elite level couple who are friends are also doing the mixed pairs. It’s usually a nice quiet niche category, I think only 8 mixed pairs were in it last year or something like that, it’s the only race I’ve ever stood on a podium as a very average rider anyway!

Thanks for the info bigjim, nah chance then with Lee and Rab smashing it!

I thought it would be a nice niche cat too, argh well, loved the course last year. Was in a mixed trio last year and we’ve gone for pairs this year. Hoping to get 9 laps which would match what we did as a trio last year, we’ll see though. Got me some big wheels this year so hoping they’ll make me quicker 😀

same course as last year they say so should be fun times. I’m just learning to ride clipped in this time so apologies if I briefly lie down in front of anyone…

doing it in a pair this year, first time trying this event after I really enjoyed 10 under the Ben last year so thought we would give it a try

Anyone got any idea how bit or busy the pit area is….do we need to set up Friday night or would we get away with turning up on Saturday morning?

Doing it solo , hoping to maintain forward momentum for at least 5 hours . Any advice for a first timer ? What do people carry with them in terms of tools and spares ? I know I can leave stuff in the pits but I was thinking of tube , mini pump and multi tool strapped to the bike

same course as last year they say so should be fun times

Any chance you could have a go at describing the route?

moonsaballoon – sounds about right, maybe a chain tool & link too? Should be enough to get you back to the pits and everyone is really friendly anyway so I’m sure people would stop and help you out if you were missing something.

richmtb – bar lap one (which is fireroad all the way to Buzzards nest then joins the main route to spread us all out) climbing up to buzzards takes in some of the footpaths I think, with a wee descent and eventually you join up with magic mushroom on the red, then the steep climb from that to the fireroad, up to Buzzards using cardie hill climb (posts 8-10) fireroad from buzzards up to join the black climb in reverse with a cheeky bit of natural descent to get you there. Come off sour plooms and onto zoom or bust before descending to the pits area. It’s a good mix but feels like you descend more than you climb which is always good 😀 and there is cake at the top!

Doing it solo but also the EWS a few days after so aim is not to muller myself like I normally do. Dropper post and baggies are the order of the day an I shall mainly be doing skids and wheelies.

this year I will be challenging for the wooden spoon in solos. Entered as a pair last year and did poorly, but largely the stopping and starting didn’t help so thought I’d maybe do better as a solo. It also means I get to ride with my mate there abouts rather than just handing over the timing chip.

I’m in as a solo again this year. Absolutely no chance of challenging any sort of podium, but I’m hoping to improve on last year. I feel that understanding the need to eat regularly this time is a good start!!

@ks562

Ta for that, different to when I rode it then in 2011, sounds good though

Any advice for a first timer ?

Just have fun is all I would say, if you are a strong climber then that is to your advantage as the climbs are mostly wide and good for passing, if you are a strong descender the descents are largely singletrack so the first few laps can be bunched up single file traffic before it all spaces out a bit. It’s billed as a fun event though so that’s what I make of it, some people get a bit carried away and shouty in traffic but hey ho.

Anyone got any idea how bit or busy the pit area is….do we need to set up Friday night or would we get away with turning up on Saturday morning?

Sat morn should be fine, although depends on your ‘tent’ size.

The solo’s have a dedicated area/verge but as a pair I’ve always just left stuff in the car and dealt with it while my partner is riding.

What do people carry with them in terms of tools and spares ?

As a pair, just a pump (tubeless) for me and a 1/2 filled bottle plus one gel. It’s such a short lap and the last half is downhill – so always kinda assumed I’d push if I had a problem.

I think you’d have to be pretty early on saturday to guarantee a space in the main pits- but the car park field is just down the hill so it’s no disaster if you can’t get a good spot up there.

moonsaballoon – Member

Any advice for a first timer ?

If they’re doing it exactly like last year, then the very first bit of actual offroad is also one of the more intimidating bits. Not that hard, but coming straight off the big climb, with lots of people of various abilities, it was kind of messy- especially as it was a new trail so just about nobody knew where we were going. So, get to the top before the Mobb, if you can.

Do pedal like mad for the first 10 seconds of each lap, so you look like a boss going through the pits. Then grovel up the first hill at 2mph.

I’ll carry some basic tools, a co2 gun and a tube… I don’t want to lose a load of time to a loose bolt or something stupid like that, I’m there to ride after all. As a soloist there’s not as much point in limping back to the pits, you’ve got no dead time to fix things like you would in a team so it’s best done straight away I reckon. And as a less competitive soloist, there’s lots of room between success and failure to operate in, stuff that could ruin your race if you were chasing a podium is just inconvenient.

(mind you I flatted 2 years ago in pairs and had a great time riding and running down the main descent, maybe the most fun i’ve had in this sort of race.)

I’m doing it again as solo, hoping to improve on last year when time lost fixing a twisted link (due to chain coming off and me not noticing and mashing the pedals) made me think I was running too late to fit another lap in. So hoping for 7 laps…

I’m having another bash at solo, hoping to make 8 laps despite it meaning there’s not likely to be much time to stop for cake. If you do have time to stop for cake you should as it was very nice last year.

I second Northwind’s advice about getting out in front for the first descent.

Going to be doing it as a pair. Not really cut out for XC racing though – just finished adding my dropper post onto my hardtail to make the descents much more fun.

Doing it as a mixed pair,the first time for either of us.
We’re just doing it for fun,I’ll be happy if we don’t get the wooden spoon.Reading the above posts some of you seem a bit more competitive than we are. I’m more concerned about finding time for cake than getting on the podium!
We are staying up for the weekend so have no intention of killing ourselves,doing the ‘Natural Tweed’ on the Monday,anyone also doing ‘Natural Tweed’?

I’m doing solo again this year. Hoping for a more successful event than last year when I came off on the first lap and landed heavily on my hip. Managed another two before the swelling became to bad to continue.

Worse thing was I was on my brand new bike and I scratched it 🙄

Very much a non completive event for me bustaspoke, the race is ony with your self you after all. I’m also in for the natural tweed on Monday then I’m volunteering for a few days for the EWS, assuming i find somewhere to stay Friday and Saturday night, at this rate looks like I might be trying to find somewhere to sleep in the car!

My plan is largely the oposite of northwind’s advice – if only as I dont have the pace to follow it -and to take the slowest twiddle I can manage to the top on lap one, im not beating anyone up so i may as well let tem all go first (oh and eat cake if I have to wait, whats not to like?)

Soloing… hoping to improve on last year… and hoping it’s as fun. 😀

That sounds like a good plan too 😆 Last year the cake stall was right beside that first descent so getting stuck there could have been a good strategy.

Only done it once, that was solo 2 years ago. I am not fit so challenged for the wooden spoon Managed 5 laps so was pretty happy. It is great fun with an encouraging crowd.

That was good. Brain unravelled, can’t type coherent message. Slightly annoyed, nearly got my 8th lap (not a big deal for a real soloist, big deal for me) but my dropper post broke down and, well, you know those elementary riding skills absolutely everyone has for riding with the seat up? I don’t, had to learn those on the job today 😳 The mechanical and the slowing down on the descents took just too long. But not too bummed, had a great day still, massive personal improvement on last year, still loving the route… Brilliant event all round

Also, destroyed my enemies the trailfairy team, that’s all that really matters.

b r and I managed 10, pretty chuffed with that. Couldn’t have hoped for a better day. Was surprised at the number of capras out there today. What did you need a dropper for Northwind?

I got 7 laps in a shade over 7 hours, so got what I was hoping for. Outside chance of getting 8 laps disappeared after getting a 1 cm cut in the middle of the tread just after the first grassy climb enters the woods again. Took a while to repair, then it all came undone on next lap 😕 Still happy over all, but it was a hot day!!

What did you need a dropper for Northwind?

For going faster on the descents, I’d imagine.

frood – Member

What did you need a dropper for Northwind?

Didn’t need, but it slowed me down a lot not having it in the descents and meant I struggled to get as much pedalling in through some other bits.

(I know that some people can ride damn fast with the seatpost up, but I can’t- not a skill I need or want tbh!)

Loved it. First time doing anything like this. Squeeked 9 laps as a pair. Legs now like two strands of overcooked spaghetti.

The weather absolutely made it. I’d imagine that course would be a total nighmare in the wet what with all the highly polished roots?

EDIT: when are the results out?

Ask MC I’m sure he’ll appreciate it

I’m a negative person, so I like to complain. Here are the 4 things I can complain about:

Sare Fecht being taped so you could only go up the slow and skinny way- quite a lot of holdups there, why not let quick people beast up the middle and let slower riders take the more relaxed route without being passed etc?

That random bit where the slabs on the climb got taped off (oh OK, and people pushing up those- there’s another line, that’s where you go if you can’t do the harder line)

All the metalwork taking up space in the solo pits

It was too warm

And that’s it. If a miserable **** like me can only come up with pissant complaints like that, then it’s Absolutely Awesome.

First time for me and had an awesome day , I underestimated just how physical the course would be , not many places to just spin and recover
. Currently lying on a hotel bed in inners absolutely exhausted

Northwind – I know what the problem with your dropper was. Our gear isn’t used to working in dry dusty conditions. If it had been the usual mix, it would have been fine. My bike started creaking like crazy on Lap 6. I blame the weather!

+1 dropper for me too.

frood may be fine, but then he’d be quick on a Unicycle.

Cracking weather and a brilliant dry track.

Not sure though about the bloke I came upon shouldering his bike down the ‘chute’ to the Goat Track – I couldn’t imagine a harder way of getting down there.

Results have been emailed now I’ve found the right box to tick in the software to get them in a format that’ll make sense to more normal people.
It’ll probably be tomorrow or Monday before they go online though, as a few times need to be checked first.