Anyone going?

Quite looking forward to it myself. Whats the course usually like, assume its not gong to be overly technical, how much climbing etc etc?

oh..and can I bring my gazebo to pitch in the carpark?

Me going >>(soloist)

We have booked a Mancave (wigwam) ,it is going to be fab 🙂

You only notice the climbing near the end 😉

I’ve not actually entered yet, might end up soloing it for trailfairy (dis)honour since nobody else seems to be up for it.

Great event… Gazebo fine in previous years, though the carpark/field is a short distance from the transition. Course is usually interesting, last year was a bit less technical (or just less muddy?) but still good fun- there’s a roll-in/drop thing on the final descent that causes some people grief but has an alternative line, and a wee flight of steps we built just off the blue route, but mostly it’s just… well, fun. Not boring without being too hard.

Climbing wasn’t too terrible but they did include a short orrible climb up parallel to the dougie bank climb last year, and the start of the lap was all up-and-down which was a wee bit demoralising by halfway- 10 minutes into the lap you were pretty much at the same height you started.

But I really enjoyed it both times, and I’m really not into these things 🙂

I might do it as a mixed pair, flat pedals, baggy shorts and FS bike…

bigjim – Member

flat pedals, baggy shorts and FS bike…

I don’t always race XC, but when I do, I do it all wrong

120602220755_H by Northwindlowlander, on Flickr

Last year the course had some technical bits but wasn’t that hard. It gets harder towards the end especially if wet as the roots get polished and the muddy bits bigger. Climbing is ok at the start but death by the end.

There will probably be a good mix of speeds. THe soloists will be going steady as 7 hours is a long time on the course. I think the winner 10 laps last year (Grieg?). He was a lap up on everyone else, I got 9laps (10th place) and that was just over 60 miles with quite a lot of climbing.

I was passed by loads of people especially in the first half as they were doing a much shorter race than me. Bare this in mind as people will be in the way for the first few laps as people find their pace and things need to get spread out.

Really enjoyed it as an event, done it twice but I’m not going back this year as I’m taking a break from racing and don’t like to ride them unless I’m trying to win. Will be back in the future I’m sure.

Did it 2 years ago and am back again this year. First years course was pretty good and not too technical. One b’stad climb and I loved the last section through the trees 🙂

Doing it for the first time this year. Normally with XC races I enter them and then spend the entire race regretting it. Then enter another one 😛

Sounds good fun!

I’m doing it as a team of 2 so I doubt the distance will be an issue. I think I’ve seen that wee roll in bit you’re talking about NW, and wondered if you could just fly off it. I guess I’ll find out soon enough!

I did it two years ago. I might do it again this year, I’ve not decided yet.

It was pretty shitty weather when I did it but I still enjoyed it. Course was interesting without being too technical.

I don’t always race XC, but when I do, I do it all wrong

NW I know what you mean. I was letting faster people overtake me on the climbs by riding the skinnies to keep out of their way!

I’m going down with mate who is soloing.
I take it the black / red / blue will be open for us non-racers to kill time on?

>bump<

Are we getting excited yet?

Yay

🙂

op – there are rules about pitching things in car parks in the race blurb which you should have read by now anyhoo.

Looking forward to this now, doing it as a pair and not sure the best approach to taking turns. Don’t want to do too much stop and start.

How about 2 laps each to start ,then see how it goes ?

I’ll be there.

Going to be signing up on the day but will be doing a pair- probably quite distinctive on a rigid-forked Soda with a gravity dropper 😉

(Ak, sorry, this may not be an issue yet)

I wondered if anyone with a space in their car for me and a bike was going down to the GT7 from Edinburgh.

Happy to bike to the departure point anywhere within Edinburgh and contribute to fuel costs etc

(The majority of my cycling friends are in the Edinburgh university cycling club and being students cars are in fairly short supply)

I will be there. First time. Not sure whether I am looking forward to it or not. Course should be fine but the length of time worries me a bit.

Sorry yacoby, I’m full 🙁

So whats the tactics? Is there a mad fireroad sprint to beat the other 400 odd folks to the fist bit of singletrack etc etc?

Also, trying to work out how many laps its likely we’ll end up doing as a pair. Probably takes us about an hour and a quarter to do the full red at GT, but am I right in thinking the GT7 lap is about half as long?

ps Yacoby if you are really stuck I might be able to sort you out with a lift if desperate, but I have limited room in the back of the car for the bikes…ie better to find someone else, but if push come to shove I’m sure we can get you down there…will be a squeeze.

GT7 lap is usually around 11 km. On the first lap they run it as a fire-road climb much or all of the way up so it doesn’t suffer as much as most from the traffic-jam effect. No idea what they’re using for the lap though this year, other than that it’ll be using the same final descent as in previous (which, worth mentioning, is pretty long and tricky to pass on)

I reckon, for a sort of averagely-fit-enthusiast pair, 6-8 laps is the average. We got 8 in last year with some time to spare but I couldn’t have done a 6th lap in the time (or maybe at all!) and my teammate quit after 3. As a trio we did 7 the year before but really ought to have got the 8th, bad planning. None of us is super-fit or especially racy.

I’ll be there along with another 6 from Newcastle, we’ll have a little VW village set up at the GT Forest lodges site if anyone wants to say hello. Just treating it as a ride. Pretty sure none of us will be winning anything on 150mm travel bikes. Just doing it for a laugh.

Cheers NW, a fountain of knowledge as always. I will look out for you when I’m there.

I raced it the first two years and it’s great fun. This year I’m working our portable pump track so come and say hi and have a go in between laps. And if I know you and see you, I’ll be shouting abuse, guaranteed.

@NW No bother. I was sure the inners enduro was the last race this year I would have to try and find a lift for, but this one has had an awkward set of events leading up to it.

@tpbiker
Cheers for the offer. I am trying to see if anyone else I know with is close enough to Edinburgh that they can dip in to pick me up so I will see how I get on with that (and another couple of leads) before taking you up on your offer (or hopefully some other kind soul with more space offers a lift)

yacoby we are full too I;m afraid. Bike bus glentress could conceivably be doing something special for this even though, worth a try.

I was told the route, but have promptly forgotten. IIRC it doesn’t go up pennel’s vennel this year.

I am now fairly sure I have managed to secure a lift. Cheers for the offers. 😀

bigjim – Member

IIRC it doesn’t go up pennel’s vennel this year.

Marvellous, that was orrible 🙂 Though I wonder if they’ve been able to keep the wee descent from the blue to pennel’s then, that was lovely (and took us bloomin ages to clear and recommission!) I noticed it’s going down the wee path before the green, which I guess means no zoom or bust/skills loop either.

alot of change for this years course. More climbing and by the sounds of it i reckon the avg lap time will increase by about 6 minutes for the whippets and maybe 12-15 for the rest. Basically i heard you go up here, down there, up that steep bit, down that techy bit, up the really steep bit, down that bit, back up there then down to the finish. I became flustered after teh 2nd climb he mentioned so tried to blank the rest out. COme saturday we’ll know more. Think the pair category will be pretty mental, a choice of 3 or 4 top contendors. I’m hoping only to be lapped once though

yikes…I was under the impression it was a fairly sedate xc bimble ala ten under the ben. Didn’t thing there would be anything classed as ‘steep’…

don’t suppose anyone has a 31.6-30.9 shim I could borrow for the day do they. Just tried to fit my spare dropper on my mates bike…turns out it doesn’t fit 🙁

Oh..and Random question to Radoggair…

I know a lovely lady named Hazel who says she usually does the ‘pit bitching’ for her hubby and the bloke who always wins these types of events. Given I believe you’re the man that always wins, do you know her, is she going to be there this year?

450m climbing per lap? Or was I told that just to get me worried after my Steak and Beer tea?

450 per lap? !!

A look on strava suggests last years lap was closer to 300. Isn’t 450 the same as the entire Red …which is about 70% longer. If thats correct then it’ll just be nasty….

Did we enjoy that, or what?

Not far off 450m per lap too.

I loved it. First timer who spent most of the climbs pushing the bike. I would like to thank other riders who gave encouragement but in particular the marshals whose encouragement was a terrific boost to someone who spent a lot of the time blowing out his a**e. Well organised event, see you next year.

that was superb, the marshals were indeed amazing, dunno how they smiled for 7 hours! tough climb, can’t believe the top guys were pulling 10/11 laps

Any word on the full results yet? Top event again, loved all the climbing (not) but the descent was pure joy 😀

Yep, looking forward to doing the descent again as a part of our night-riding ‘set’.

That was bloody good… Best course they’ve had so far I think, bits of the best of the last 2 years. Though I did like the democratic way that everyone was riding round That One Root by the end My pair knocked out 7 laps, couple of flats meant we just ran out of time for me to go out for a 5th but perfectly happy with that tbh. My hands are ruined though, it turns out suspension is quite a good idea! Always in awe of the top boys, it’s really not my thing but it’s so impressive.

(I ended up running most of the final descent with my flat, which it’ll sound daft, but was my favourite part of the day, great fun- and still overtook some dude 🙂 )