Is that your plan to get to race weight 😮

Got my camping sorted. On Bogglehole overflow (Field C). Only 7 more spots left, apparently.

My final week is being spent catching a cold/virus thing. Fab. 😕

just had 2 toffee crisp bars. Training done

Don't forget – it's likely to be quite cold at the start it's been down below 5C at 6am for the last couple of days around there

leg warmers needed for me I think

Empathising with Andrew and Mike. Andrew – brave route the week before. I think that you can only write it off – bad day, steep hills, wind etc. Might be easier on he day you never know? Mike – D&V is never good but should lighten the load. New bike excitement should get you round.
Any ideas on where my dad could set up to get pics still gratefully appreciated.

Two toffee crisps – you'll weigh as much as me come raceday.

Maybe I'm just fortunate to have the CVMBC route as one of my training routes. If I'm bored and really CBA to plan another route then the CVMBC is the tried and trusted practice loop, in both directions. What staggered me was how I hit a wall of fatigue and it came on so suddenly. I've not experienced that, at that point in the loop, for years.

I'll also put it down to finishing a course of antibiotics. Judging by some of the comments on this thread there might be others in need of my left over course of tablets – I shall bring them to Kielder and offer them to the highest bidder 🙂 (I did complete one course, but it didn't clear things up completely, so I've got a second course to take – but ONLY if necessary says the doctor, so I have some spares).

Hmmmm. Had a good weekend and some nice training rides there, now have flu symptom so early to bed for me 🙂

so early to bed for me

bed now and wake up for kielder. NOW, thats tapering at the very best 😉

Had a pish weekend, managing 6 minutes of Laggan SXC before going home in the huff.

Got this cold thing coming on too…

Early night and hopefully ride to work tomorrow and thursday then rest.

MikeT – last race I did I was chucking up the Wednesday night (mussels, ugh) before a Saturday enduro.

You'll be reet. Se you on the start line 🙂

Is it very bumpy/rough? Never having been to kielder before.
I'm riding rigid, albeit with big 2.5tyres at low pressure. If it's rough to the point it could be fatiguing I'll whack on my fat front?

Some bits are bumpy. I used 2.2 tyres on my ridig last year.

I'm running 2.1s this year. Doing 100 miles on low pressure 2.5" tyres will be 'interesting'.

I went up two weeks ago and in my opinion it is rough enough to justify
a 2.1 tyre – even some of the fire road descents are quite loose .

Mike, Wide low pressure tyres off road have less rolling resistance than narrow tyres at a higher pressure, especially on a rigid or hardtail, less noticeable on a susser.

The tyre manufacturers did a fair bit of research on it a while back, quite alot of info on the interweb, Schwalbe were one of the pioneers I think.

The reverse is true on the road, but it's smooth there unless you live near me where potholes are the norm 🙂

It's all to do with a wide footprint and deformation over small bumps.

I'll find a link to all the reasearch and post it.

The key is the low pressure though, which to do properly you need wide rims otherwise you get lots of tyre squirm which is a waste of energy.

Found it

http://www.schwalbetires.com/wider_faster_page

What's in your drop bags then?

one of mine below, I like variety & I need savoury after that long 🙂

Chainline – Member
Found it

dont fall for that crap. Stick to a skinnier tyre if you wanna go quicker. I cant remember last time a xc racer won a race with 2.5 at 20 psi. Thats for a reason

Feed stations have been updated so you'll have to do some relaminating.

Feed & Water Stations (tbc)
•12 miles – Water station
•21 miles – Feed Station 1: Accelerade energy drink and gels, water, bananas, crisps, nuts, cakes, dried fruit etc
•37/44 miles – Water station
•48 miles – Feed Station 2: same as Feed 1
•65ish miles – Newcastleton Feed: tea, coffee, hot soup, sandwiches, homemade cakes from The Olive Cafe, bananas and the usual snacks
•80 miles – Feed Station 4: same as Feed 1

Bugger

37/44 miles – Water station

Stupid question.. but does that mean a water station at 37 miles and another at 44 miles? Or does it mean that somewhere along the route, between miles 37 and 44 there will be a water station but location is yet to be confirmed?

This is great stuff people – thank you. I'm going to copy the drop bag ideas, print off the feed stations (simple idea – buit I ha dnot thought of it!)

Bike is main concern rather than fitness, my lub efforts went in to a set of pads, and a new chain has led to serious chain slip – so waiting on a new cassette in the post… Not the best prep.

Everything else ready…

well that's just great. Went to bed with sore throat last night and now feel really weak and fatigued (no this is not due to training either)

I really want to feel good for saturday.

Bike serviced yesterday and sorted new brakes.

Stupid question.. but does that mean a water station at 37 miles and another at 44 miles

Last year, we visited the same water station twice, at about that point. In between we dragged our bikes through headset-deep 'puddles'.

So, I assume, we'll hit a water station after 37 miles, then head out on a 7 mile loop before arriving back at the same water station.

Got a bit of a cold but expecting it to be gone by the weekend. Really looking forward to this now and am planning my drop bag for near the end.

Raggodair, I ain't gonna win anything, too old and with family and job, not enough time for serious training!

I've uploaded an updated version of my pace bracelet spreadsheet thingy: https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AuKOuAY2FWIzdGZ5dVBoalplb2laVUJJWjJvZWQ1Qmc&hl=en_GB

@miketually Thanks for the update. Can you update the sheet to show final arrival time at 100miles – currently shows elapsed time. Then put the elapsed time at the end of the clock times?

Sorted that – came from deleting a row in the 'source' table on the left and not from the rest, when they consolidated two points into one. Thanks for pointing it out.

Currently having a "training" glass or two of wine – that allowed?

glass or two???? I'm nearly finished the bottle with a slice or two of battenburg.

I'm on my 4th big bottle of Peroni

I've just turned down a glass of red. I'm clearly still ill.

5th now

you could be walking if this carries on 😆

I've a feeling the glass of red is still sat on the table in the living room. I may have to drink it to help me sleep and rest/recover…

Have you done your bag drops yet mike? What did you put in them last year?

I've a feeling the glass of red is still sat on the table in the living room. I may have to drink it to help me sleep and rest/recover…

I'll tell you what, drink it, – if I finish, I'll buy you another

Found some Buzz bars in Waitrose today. Very good, might have to put them in a drop bag.

Had a lovely ride round Allendale common tonight and can report it's dry in complete contrast to this time last year!

I drank it. Would have been a shame to waste it and it helped me go to sleep early. Which is good, right?

Haven't sorted drop bags yet, and didn't use them last year. There won't be anything amazing in them though, just food that I know I like on long rides.

I blew up on the approach to Newcastleton last year, which I think was down to not eating enough earlier on, so I'm probably going to put a hot cross bun and some dried fruit in each bag, along with half a bag of jelly snakes. My plan's to have the same in my pockets at the start and to have made sure I've eaten them by the next bag drop, plus a bit of whatever's on offer at each feed station.

I've also bought a couple of gels with caffeine that I'll stick in the one for 80 miles as insurance.