HONCed

Excellent day out – well organised, good weather, dry(ish) trails and a relaxed atmosphere. The head wind was a bit strong in places and I suffered on the 'stony field edge of death' (just after the short, sharp rocky climb – did anyone actually clear that?). Well pleased with my time for the 100, even more so as I'm recovering from a throat infection (although I might have a relapse tomorrow!)…

Don't really care about the tats. There's one under the bandage with a bit missing. It's out on the road near Winchcombe but cheers any hoo.

Spot on course, well signed and as usual, the cake was excellent (note to organisers – can I put a special order in for next year for carrot cake?). Thought my full suss was made for the rutted fields, and can't quite get the fully rigid/crosser/singlespeed thing (maybe I'm too old and need some comfort). Got round the 100k in 4.24, and finished really strongly, which I was really happy with, and only pushed on one climb (and for those who did the 100k, I reckon everyone will have pushed on that one). Thanks to the 2 blokes who kept sharing the work, for about 60 of the 100k.

Great fun, the first time I've done it… started out doing the 100 but too unfit and died a death, so hopped onto the 50 route after the mid way stop.. still, good atmosphere and a laugh.
Chose the 'crosser as well.. perhaps a bad choice, had to descend some of the offroad bits without brakes as my hands kept getting shaken off the levers…

"simonb – Member
Yeah was a good event my first time. Second half was deffo harder the first. Quite pleased with my time of 5hr 41mins. Did anyone clean that deepish ford crossing near Gutling Power – I did somehow, when most took the dry line!"

I was going to go through the ford (it was great last year) but the numpty in front of me suddenly stopped just beyond the point where the trail split & you need momentum to get through it. So I ended up going across the bridge.

There was a great sequence of photos last year wher you could see my expression going from "this is great" through to "Oh cr@p this is deeper than I though!"

Great day out as usual though!

Well there's gonna be a great sequence of shots this year in which my expression disappears under the water. Bu$$er.

Excellent days riding again, although Mrs P who did it for the first time also stated categorically that it will be her last as well!

I hear all the proper riders where @ Builith Wells getting lost!

and only pushed on one climb (and for those who did the 100k, I reckon everyone will have pushed on that one)

Would that be the short sharp climb just the other side of Hazleton?

In case anybody is interested, I took a split every time it changed from tarmac to off-road. Note this is my own criteria, based on whether I felt the need to unlock my suspension – some bridleways/tracks were tarmac, some yellow roads were "off-road"!

First half: 28.16km tarmac, 23.17km off-road, total 51.33km
Second-half: 24.87km tarmac, 20.49km off-road, total 45.36km
Total: 53.03km tarmac, 43.66km off-road, total 96.69km

More off-road than I'd thought, though some of that is as mentioned just dodgy tarmac (though not just pot-holes – stayed locked out for those bits).

5.13.06 Ride time on the Garmin. (5.32 written on my nice certificate)

Set myself a 6 hour target, so chuffed with that. Only 5665ft of climbing though for the whole 100km's, which is a bit crap as the 50km Mawddach Goldrush at the start of March was 4503ft.

Big thumbs up for Nuun tablets which have cured my cramp problems !!!

Roll on Dyfi enduro in 3 weeks ! 🙂

Was going to do the hybrid route – 1st part of the 100km and then the second part of the 50km routes – but ended up doing the 100km – my body is now wondering whether I did the right thing. The second part was tough, particularly those fields.

Went through the ford – much deeper than I remember. Nearly didn't get through it, but two cramp-inducing pedal strokes managed to get me through, though I then had wet feet for the second half.

Enjoyable event as ever, despite the headwinds.

Big thanks to the organisers, marshals, bread and butter pudding makers and tea ladies!

Hope to be back for fourth time next year!

Had a great day, great cake stop, route fantastic and well signed although I still missed a few by not paying attention 🙄

Got round the 100k in just over 5hrs on my Anthem, was hoping for around 4.30ish but started right at the back so inevitably I was going to get held up when there was no place to overtake or when people got off to walk, no problem though as it was fun all round and I finished strong with lots left in the legs. Pretty impressed by all the SS's I saw doing the 100k. Loved all the climbs 😈 and the descents although the last one was a bit greasy.

Was following a guy on a CX down hill on the road when he got on the drops and into a tuck and started to pick up speed, so I got my arse off the back and got into a tuck as best I could, caught him, and almost passed him 😯 on an MTB with 28/32 in the tyres, quite chuffed with that.

Didn't enjoy the field of a thousand rocks, bet the CX boys and girls loved that. Anyhow my goal was to get my nutrition and bike sorted for the Kielder 100, bike is fantastic, pretty bloody quick and the stuff I put down my neck worked, job done.

Now looking forward, to a few weeks off the bike eating and drinking what I want and generally doing nothing, before I start training again.

Bread Pudding

Bread and butter pudding.

🙄

Know your puddings. 😉

yeoooow TheSwede that looks very nasty! Where did you come off?
Ace day good warm up for SSEC next week 😕

Hit a pot hole whilst tucked in roadie style half a mile from the school on the way back. I had both forearms on the bars tri bar style but with no tri bars. Hit pot hole and off I go towards an on coming car. That old guy who does the talk at the start wasn't joking about the roads was he. 😳

You're such an attention seeker one day out with the bad knights and you can't help yourself ?

Looks nasty 😳

J

I have been know to throw my self of a bike if no one is paying me any attention. Kiss kiss Jas.

Know your puddings.

Point taken. Now about those motocrossers… 😉

I hear all the proper riders where @ Buillith Wells getting lost!

you heard wrong Rich 😆

Did you do the night ride? it was great fun last year

I hear all the proper riders where @ Buillith Wells getting lost!

you heard wrong Rich

Postierich missing out as usual 😉

Was good fun. Think I claimed the record for the first puncture-had only done a mile!!!Was dead last by the time I had fixed it-even the ambulance had gone past. Took me about 5 mins to catch the tail of the group once I was going then forever to get through the huge numbers of people. Then managed to bust a spoke and ended up with an s shaped wheel rubbing on the canti brakes for the last 40 miles or so.Turned right rather than left at the junction after the food station and did a couple of miles in the wrong direction before I realised so ended up taking just over 5 hours to get round-one for the diary for next year I think

Dibbs and all the other CXers, what pressures were you running? I did that Rapha HOTN on Sunday and ran road pressures on my cx and that transformed my crosser to a very rigid thing 😐 on the off road sectors.

cx for me, 55 on the front and 60 on the rear – I did the 100k in about 5:30 which wasn't too bad considering I had to tow a man flu ridden mate around with me. Fantastic event; cake, tea, marshalls etc etc – wonderful stuff.

ps: why doesn't the local council tidy up cleeve common? fly tip eyesore!

The mess on Cleeve common was appalling, the flytippers need a good shoeing.

100K on a 'cross bike, SS as well if i want the attention, i feel fine

oh, tyres pumped up to "quite hard", just the one mystery slow puncture over the tea-stop

trails in just the right condition for a bit of clattery fun, a great event as usual, thanks to all involved, although i feel the bread pudding portion size has shrunk it was more than made up for by the addition of Bakewell Tarts 🙂

A great day out, finishing in 5:29 on a hard tail 29er despite getting involved in a 3 bike pile up on the last descent.
Thanks to all the marshals and organisers.
A good atmosphere too. I found myself chatting to singlespeeders, full suss and CX riders. We were all in it together.

When do you reckon the photos will be on the website?

The site is saying the photos will be up by Wednesday but may be a bit earlier…

50km was enough for me, drove up from south London in the morning, and missed the start. Nice day out. Signs were nice touch, but when the distance hit 47km, and we were still climbing it was a bit depressing- realised the route was going to be a bit longer than the 50k. That last wee slog across the grassy top into the wind was unpleasant.

I did find it fascinating watching the relative speeds of bikes coasting- quite an eye opener to the merits of tire choice and pressure.

My tyres where pumped up to 90psi following a pinch flat on the Quantocks earlier last week, I've just got back from the dentist for a checkup and he says all my fillings are intact (felt like they were all going to fall out several times yesterday). 🙂

90psi that's more than 'quite hard. in anyones book for off road. No wonder.

but when the distance hit 47km, and we were still climbing it was a bit depressing- realised the route was going to be a bit longer than the 50k

We'd downloaded the route so had already clocked that is was more like 56km this year. I think the map also showed it hitting 50km just before the final Postlip descent. It had over 100m more climbing this year too.

I know what you mean about that last grassy climb…hard work but I'm so glad we weren't doing it the previous week, the conditions might have been a bit more "testing"!

When do you reckon the photos will be on the website?

Give me a chance
I have 9000 photos to check and index

Hopefully late tomorrow evening.

Finished at 2.45 on my hardtail, also wondering if a FS would have been good for the second half once I was hanging over the bars. Thanks to the helful person in Guiting Power who pointed out to me the 100km route out towards Guiting Wood! I followed their advice for about two miles before realising I was following the 50km route and had to double back. Met one of my clubmates coming the other way as I doubled back who had made the same mistake. I got big cramps during the second half of the ride. Martynr after reading your post I am going to try Nuun tablets.

Enjoyed it to, although was knackered after doing the 50km in nearly 4 hours :p (was actually 36 miles on my GPS although I did go wrong a couple of times from following people rather than watching the GPS).
Weather was perfect to, bit nippy at the start in shorts and s/s top but fine once going.
Apologies to anyone that encountered my screeching front brake on descents (I was the fay guy in a brown top :p ), was anyone on here the big skinny guy that passed me on every climb and I'd catch on the downs again? :p

The mess on Cleeve common was appalling, the flytippers need a good shoeing.

The bloke in charge of Cheltenhams refuse and waste management rode yesterday! we did point this out to him that he's doing a shite job!

was anyone on here the big skinny guy that passed me on every climb and I'd catch on the downs again? :p

could have been singlespeedstu off here…………………………..
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😆

Can't have been me.
He said they were skinny.

Can't have been me.
He said they were skinny.

i had noticed 😉