last year, the event was based on the redish/blackish-in-bits xc loop. which is around 20k. all of it standard trail centre stuff. mostly easy, a few rocky bits here and there, the odd jump, twisty bits with flat corners, fast bits with bermed corners. some v short sprinty climbs. all good fun.
4 stages were used, 3 of them twice. 7stages in total. somewhere around 30k in total, probably less. most if not all of the climbing done on fire-roads.
it gets tiring because each stage lasts about 4mins, and it’s a tricky pace to judge – you can’t sprint for 4 mins, certainly not 7 times in one day.
but trust me, you’ll sprint off into each stage, get about 30 seconds in, and wish you hadn’t.
take a hat/jacket to wear while you’re waiting at the starts, if there’s any cloud, it’ll be cold.
nameless friends of mine created their own ‘doctors’ note, i was in the queue behind a guy who just signed a standard race waiver.
as for crash-hats and body armour, i’m just treating this event as any other ride around a trail center.
tuppence well and truly thrown. bikes are ace.