Thinking of doing the Mega.
Any experiences.
Could it be done on a long travel HT?

do it
lots, its bonkers
yeah but you wanna be happy with steep loose and rocky and have an anus of steel 😉

Could it be done on a long travel HT?

Yes, sounds painful though 🙂

Incredible, awesome, intimidating, overwhelming, fast, scary are just some of the words I would use (there are others but the come up as *’s)

Done 2 and had mixed results (broken toe year 1, dislocated finger year 2) trashed 2 sets of cranks….

Have done the PDS on the HT but imagine this is a whole different ball game.

Its awesome, amazing experience.
On a hardtail…… sure its possible but rather you than me

My m8 did it two years ago and snapped his collarbone. Stayed in the hospital and then had to get his dad to fly over and drive his campervan home.

Attempted it in 2012. it’s hard on bikes and bodies.
Crashed in practice and broke my right thumb which needed surgery and bits of metal to fix it.
Really wouldn’t fancy it on a hardtail!

One of our group a few years back did it on a DMR switchback, but his riding + fitness is at another level.

Do it! It’s such a good event.

Sounds like a goer then.
The broken limbs dont sound so good though.

It’s bloody tough.

You couldn’t pay me enough to do it on a hardtail!!

Did it in 2012 and doing it again in 2014. 😀

Capability wise, you’d be fine on a long travel h/t but it will be punishing on the body!
I took my Five with a 140mm fork last time and that was capable enough.

I’ve ridden the track (outside of race week) on a hardtail – Cove Stiffee, 150mm Bombers, its fine, keep in mind you will be in a queue for most of the race, so it is mostly a case of trying to get the power down to overtake. Raced it twice. The start of the qualifier is the most exhilarating bit for me.
Bike park below the lift on a hardtail:

DSC_0662 by Super Dan, on Flickr

[video]http://vimeo.com/6487596[/video]
[video]http://vimeo.com/13766902[/video]

Made the back of the main event the second year I did it, overtook like 200 people. Being very fit helps, the people on DH bikes run out of steam by the meadow above ADH.
Fit a dropper post.

I like watching the vids of people riding it but I’ve never actually thought ‘I’d do that’ but then I’d never consider entering a race or competition unless I had a chance of winning either.

‘Qualifier’ I have to qualify? Is that for a grid position. If so any tips, Stay in the pack and try not to fall-off is my plan.
Not going to set any records at my age and dont really want to. Just want to stay in one oiece and enjoy.
How come there is such a contrast, sometimes its a complete white out at the start, other times its dry and sunny?

Yes, you have to qualify – there are 2000+ people there to race, from pro DH & enduro racers to pro Singletrackworld keyboard wobblers, if you mixed them all together, it’s an even bigger recipe for disaster 😉

There is normally 8-10 qualifiers. 200-250 in each.

The first 35 go through to the main big boys race on Sunday morning. The next lot (36-70) go through to the next mass start race on Saturday morning. 71-105 go through to the last mass start race on Sunday. 106+ go into the Mega Affinity thing, which is no mass start, they just swipe your timing chip at the start and finish & off you go – it’s not really a race.

Regarding the amount of snow – it depends on the winter they have, in short. If they have tonnes of snow, it struggles to melt in time. 2011 there was virtually none, this year for example, there was a massive amount.

‘Qualifier’ I have to qualify? Is that for a grid position.

Yes, and more importantly, for if you do or don’t make a mass start final.
In either case you will ride the course, but if you don’t finish within the top “n” of your quali’ then you just do the course timed but not mass start.

How come there is such a contrast, sometimes its a complete white out at the start, other times its dry and sunny?

It’s a 3000m+ peak with a glacier. That’s Alpine weather for you.

Sounds very well organised.

Kind of looking forward to it…sort of.
Opened my big mouth last night and told a riding pal I was doing it.

Been getting messages all day.

Cant back-out now. 🙁

It’s well good- a cheap week doing rad bikes on big mountains in the sun.

I did it in 2009 and went out with a mate who did it on his Evil Sovereign with 140mm forks. I qualified for the main race and he was in the second one. He actually ended up beating me (my rear brake failed after a German crashed into me) and loved it. Suspension is more fun but isn’t the be all and end all.

If you’re a half decent bike rider you’ll do well- there are a phenomenal number of Germans on mind bogglingly expensive bikes who push to the front of the chairlift queue to get the prime spot for the first corner then proceed to tootle down at 2mph. So, that’s half the field you’ve beaten before you start!

Oh, and you’ll never be able to hear the song they use to start the race without soiling your trousers ever again.

As Hora points out, while I love the elbows up argy bargy racing stuff, it isn’t for everyone, there is a solid chance you will have you, or your bike smashed by someone else making a stupid error.

Practice flat gravelly corners.

A mate did it last year – great headcam vid of him crashing about 30s after the start, losing his bike but continuing to slide for some distance and then having to climb some considerable distance up the slope to get it, all the while people are careering down the hill towards him…

Crazy, looks amazing. Can’t see myself ever doing it…

I did the qualifier in 2008, but the main race was a bit of a washout and most people gave it a miss after freezing for so long.I would love to go again, but not on a DH bike this time, it brings out the racer in everyone and it’s great riding.

Get the Andrex ready Munrobiker…
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrGAKHyptWg[/video]

More mega chat here…
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/mega-2014

I think you’d be ok on a hardtail. I spent a couple of days there about 4 years ago and rode the track on my Dialled Alpine. It was really good fun and welcome relief after spending the previous 3 days getting absolutely brayed on the Pleney braking bumps.

A mate raced it on my old Dialled last year and I think he did pretty well! A testament to good riding skills and Dialled bikes no doubt!

Watch some videos of the main race start.
It looks steep. In reality it’s really **** steep! It’s a great moment stepping out of the lift station at the top of Pic Blanc with your bike and looking down at what you’re about to ride.

Oh, and allow time to get everything out of your bowels at your campsite/chalet/hotel before the start of the race. 400 folk having a pre-race poo at the top of the lift station on the “seat above a hole in the ground” toilet is enough to ruin your race before you’ve even fallen off.

Take some bog roll up with you if not, there’s a toilet that was nice and quiet at the bottom of the top lift, but of course no paper.

Luckily I always have an emgergency stash in my backpack.

Be prepared to do lots of queuing. The lifts will be very busy, particularly on race days.

The race start line is a proper ‘oh shit’ moment. The first 500m if it’s covered in snow, is straight, and steep as hell. It’s a lot more sedate if there is rock underneath, in the past they have netted a traverse about half way down to stop everyone doing a lemming off the side.

If you have a friend not racing the same day as you, see if you can bribe them into coming up with you too, then you can wear lots of clothes, because it takes ages to get up to the top & it’s f*cking freezing.

If you don’t, get down to the charity shop, and get some cheap fleece top & bottoms to keep you warm, that you don’t mind losing if they don’t show up at the bottom.

The toilet at the top is enough to bring tears to a grown mans eyes.

I’m currently thinking of anything I’d like to do less – and struggling!

So let me get this right….

High chance of broken bike…..check
High chance of broken body….check
Poor quality shitter …….check
Freezing cold……check
Massive lift que….check

The idea of riding the course is appealing, but from what I see on the videos its pot luck whether some french mincer pushes you off the mountain at 25 mph.

Ridden the course, but the week after the event. Even though the course had taken a battering it was still ace. As for riding on a hardtail, you *can* do it, but it will be so much more fun, not to mention easier on your body if you do it on a sorted 120-150mm enduro bike.

Yes, could be done on a hardtail, it’s not a particularly difficult course (Quali or main race) just long, so your arms and fingers will get pumped beyond belief.

Some people were doing it on fat bikes when I was there a couple of years ago, and still faster than me. That’s not saying much mind 😉

It’s good fun that any half competent mtber can manage. How nervous you get or intimidating you find it I think depends on what kind of expectations you have of how well you want to do.