Just over a week until Mountain Mayhem (well .25 as its only 6 hours).

I will be there – my first ever bike race at 38! (OK I have only really been biking properly for the past 4/5 years after a hiatus and for 2 of them a lot of events were lost to Covid). Not had ideal prep as just spent 10 days in the US so about 12 days of the bike but been getting back into it this week.

I know @kryton57 is going. Anyone else from STW going?

Plan is to camp over on the Saturday night and have a few beers after the race.

Good luck – I really wanted to go as the 6hr thing looked right up my street to do Solo.

Its a long, long time since I last did a Mayhem, 2007 I think in a pair! And unlike all other events, you race on a Saturday BEFORE the beers and pizza, which is perfect!

But then they dropped the clanger – no camping the friday night. Which completely, and utterly ruled me out. I’m expected to drive there, get set up, pitch tent, sign on, get some food in, and the start the race by 10am. Big, big shame for me.

Race starts at midday this year I think. Need to double check that but its only just over an hour a way so not a big deal for me

Yes, it’s a midday start. I’ll be there, my 16th Mayhem. First one was Sandwell in 2003 at the age of 43. Looking forward to the beer.

No overnight for me unfortunately as it’s Mrs Ks Birthday on the Sunday. Will drive up from London for a 10am practise lap, race and go home.

Now on the best part of training – taper and Max cake I mean carbs from Wednesday!

It was going to the sandwell one that made me MTB curious…I went to the next few including a couple of years as a SS solo. Got sidetracked by the STW lurkers beer tent at the top of the last hill one year…

Yes, it’s a midday start. I’ll be there, my 16th Mayhem. First one was Sandwell in 2003 at the age of 43. Looking forward to the beer.

Good going!!

For a long time in the mid-00’s, there was a relatively small group of folk who’d done them all – I know @Chipps was one of them, Rory from USE/Exposure and Tim Flooks (from Rockshox / TFTuned), I think Nick Craig might have been one of the illustrious names as well… And then me! 😂
Trentham 1998
All the Sandwell Park ones (1999 – 2003)
And then about 4 or 5 of the Eastnor ones (2004 – 2008/9?)

Can’t remember my last MM – I think maybe the year at Eastnor I tried to do it solo and the weather turned to absolute shit in the night and I went to bed for about 8hrs – not exactly in the spirit of 24hr racing!
I know I did a year at Gatcombe Park as well which must have been 2013 / 2014 although I think I might have been support for a mate then rather than racing.

I went to bed for about 8hrs – not exactly in the spirit of 24hr racing!

I was talking about that the other day. In my first couple of Mayhems, the soloists would do a couple of laps, stop for something to eat, maybe a quick nap or even a shower, and go on like that for the 24 hours. By the time of my last Mayhem (the last Gatcombe one) the soloists were machines like Matt Page who could ride for 24 hours without stopping, with a slowest lap that was faster than any of our team’s fastest lap, and finish with a lap tally that would place well among the 4-person teams. Insane.

Cheers for the mention @crazy-legs – I think I did the first 20? (and all the Sleeplesses). Then I might have missed one (the worst Eastnor bog one, luckily!)… Basically, I did all but one up to the end of the Gatcombe era and missed the last one in its new location. Lost count after having done 30 or so 24s… 😉

Can’t make it this year, but I’m going to try very hard to appear for the 25th anniversary next year!

So wow, 118 entrants in the Senior Male category, it might take a while to get on the front and I’m the worse runner ever.

Then, we have to leave at 7am Sunday for my youngest – 9yo – first Traithlon in Cambridge. Although I’ve been offered a Dads day pass I cannot miss that with a clear conscience!

Going to be a tiring weekend….

I’m keeping an eye on the weather forecast and it looks like all the heat thats building this week will break before Saturday. Not sure I would survive 6hrs at 30 degrees C!

first Traithlon in Cambridge.

Rob McClean junior Tri?

Named after a friend of mine’s Dad who died many year ago.

Can’t do it unfortunately

Rob McClean junior Tri?

Yep, my 9yo in tri start and 13yo on Tristar er 2 or 3 whatever.

Rip for your mates dad, presumably Rob McClean.

Rip for your mates dad, presumably Rob McClean.

Thanks, was 20+ years ago and his son (my friend) just become a father last year.

Our local cycling club road race is also named after a departed member – the Ike Saul Road Race.

Ooof! The weather just took a massive turn for the worse…

Ooof! The weather just took a massive turn for the worse…

Baking hot start followed by huge thunderstorms. Yep, sounds familiar!

Doesnt look that hot to start – just very wet! Might improve by then (maybe – fingers crossed)

So er, I think it’s time to consider a change of tyres. The spare wheels with a Forkaster and a Gato 2 replaces a Barzo/Mezcal combo methinks.

I bought a new bike for this., It’s wearing a Racing Ray and a Racing Ralph. I’m going to die, aren’t I?

Yes most definitely, it’ll be a pile of rust at the end 😀

Shame I can’t make this one, but I will be doing next year. Ridden Sandwell, Eastnor, Gatcombe and Marston Lodge. Sandwell fast flat and dusty. Eastnor was wet (I may have done a dry year?) Gatcombe was an awesome track, and Singletrack gave me free beer(s). Marston was also suburb. Roll on number 25! (My 9th I think)

I may have done a dry year

The year after I broke my collarbone, when I rode with you as a Badger with a Spoon was dry. I think.

We’ve lost our childcare to covid, so that’s me out – bollocks.

Did anyone else ride it in the end?

I ended up 51st out of 104 in the Male Solo. 8 laps in 6hr27 (including 3 mins for the run!). I was happy with this – it was my first attempt at a race. I enjoyed the atmosphere – generally everyone was looking for fun and the fast leaders were respectful of the slower riders when overtaking. I kept going the whole time with only 10 minutes stopped in total for pitstops, changing water bottles etc.

The weather just about held of until the end. We didnt bother camping in the end as it started raining pretty hard so putting up the tents in the rain didnt really appeal which is a shame as some nice weather would have made for a better evening.

Not sure if this is always the case but was surprised that there seemed a lot of what I assume were roadies so very fit and fast on the climbs but surprisingly slow on the descents (which werent especially technical). Made for some good tactics trying to get past them before the descents and then put a gap in. Managed to clean all the climbs at least once apart from the rooty climb (which would have been a good descent). 2.6 trail tyres are pretty heavy and slow rolling for that course but doubt I would have shaved of 27 minutes letting me get in another lap.

We went. A very much smaller event than in the glory days but we enjoyed ourselves – a male pair, a mixed pair and a couple of soloists, but 2 of our group who were going to ride didn’t make it due to life interfering with their plans. I rode in a pair because we are slackers and not particularly interested in the race aspect of it. I thought the course was pretty good, and perhaps because it was only a 6 hour thing there seemed to be a higher proportion of the serious, seriously fit racers than there usually are. The promised party was rather dampened by the rain, but we had a few beers in our event shelter and enjoyed catching up – we are a group of riders from all over the place who only really get together at Mayhem and for maybe one or two weekends in Wales. I really hope that organisers ambition to rebuild the profile and have a bigger attendance for the 25th anniversary year works out.

As someone who has done it a good few times and follows MM24 on Social Meeja, the first I heard about this year’s event was about 6 weeks to go.

Unfortunately that’s way too short a lead time for me to book time off work.

I’d be keen to do it as a pair/4 next year after many years solo. Hopefully they can raise the profile somewhat as its a cracking event. So long as its dry!