Oktoberfest

I think the new trails don’t really help with the passing situation, there’s no overrun just very loose earth/rocks at each side. I always asked people if i can get through and normally they let me, although there was one bloke who i’d been behind for a while who when i tried to overtake in one of the few places where there were two lines actually accelerated to cut me off before slowing down again. thanks for that.

Hope you heal soon Mike. Was quite a sight to see you come in covered in that much blood. Looked like you were doing really well too, glad i didn’t do solo now as you would have put me to shame!

Great course, really nice & flowing, but there was very little room to overtake & IME the alternate lines were very rarely faster. Interesting to see that the start of the 2nd 4hr was moved to the bottom of the gravel climb – so many people cut the corner at the start of the 1st it made the 1st lap & a half really hard work.

Brilliant event though, with a fantastic atmosphere – thanks to Paul & Mike & the gang for putting it on.

Thanks Paddy, Jon R and Nouv took some pics of may face after the accident, I’m looking forward to seeing them…

Results are up on Timelaps.co.uk

Bad luck on the fall KINGTUT. There were a few bad ones with paramedics at one point.
I was running RoRon on the rear and SB8 on the front. Never leaned in to corners like it. Unlimited grip!

I did 12 Laps and came 12th on the 8 hour solo. Pretty chuffed with that but feel like I started racing the 4 hour. With a HR at 188 for the first 3.5 hours I burned out at 6 hours. I should of slowed down and grinded the laps out. – Oh and eat more.

Results: http://www.timelaps.co.uk/assets/uploads/EVENTREPORT.aspx?eventid=186AshtonCourt15/10/2011#Top

Now the negatives:

WASPS!! ****. Stung 3 times on my lower leg.

Slow riders that wouldn’t allow faster people to overtake. Worst excuse I heard was “Its a race – Overtake when you can!, Don’t ask to be in front!” LMAO you said what?

The course – 12 laps nearly made me sleep – got very bored. Berm,Roller,Berm,roller,Berm,Corner,corner,Berm,Corner,Finish,Start,Berm,Roller – you get the point.

But atleast it was a fun event and the first 4 hours the trail was great.

@KINGTUT hope you recover quick, I was the chap on the Niner 😉 and well done to Graham I didn’t realise how close you was to catching me! the course was fun but overtaking was a struggle, i didn’t like to stray to far off the course edge because of the hidden boulders under the leafs! but most people were very kind at letting people through

I throughly enjoyed it. Took me a a lap or 2 to get my eye in but after that the course felt increcibly quick. Been doing so much road miles recently it was great to ride the trail at race pace.

Came 9th in the pairs male (both riding singlespeed) with 8 laps each. Echo what everyone else said.. sometimes it just wasn’t possible to pass. Especially with 6 riders in front of you on the swoopy sections

That big climb hurt on my last lap

Awesome day, that course was like a giant pump track, so unforgiving! IF I’d known it was like that I’d have taken the full sus, HT and my back is a bit achey/sore this morning, and to top it all off we came 2nd in the girlie pairs 8 hour!! Fantastic result, as my team mate gave birth 8 months ago so limited riding time, and she got a puncture so she discovered she had a 29er tube..without having a 29er bike! DOH wonder if that 3mins 45 seconds to 1st could’ve been done!? Who cares we came 2nd and got a giant pretzel for the pleasure!

I do agree with Becca there were some right knobs out there, one bloke even buzzed my rear tyre, if I could see it was straight and over taking space then I would should “overtake on my right” otherwise if you are good enough and quick enough, you’ll let me know your there, tell me which side you are overtaking on and I’ll do my best! Otherwise you’ll get a handlebar in the ribs!!! Great day though.

I was fairly gutted at having to pull out with a mechanical failure on my third lap – and had driven all the way from Kent! In hindsight though it probably helped, as I’ve had treatment recently and am feeling it today. Had an amazing time on a course that worked well for both geared/SS. I agree to a certain extent about the overtaking issues, but the vast majority of folk were good mannered. By the gods the Vegan can fly! Great work by Paul and the rest of the workers; I’ll definitely be back for other events at Ashton Court.

Wow that’s a lot of categories 🙂

Well done to all!

This was my first solo event (8hr male finished 29th) and I really enjoyed it apart from being bumped off the course by two riders who tried to pass me on the rock garden. The other solo rider with me was punted off his bike into a tree and knackered his elbow. The rider then had the nerve to give me abuse telling me I was riding too slow and I should get out the way. I didn’t even know he was there! Other than that thoroughly enjoyed it and my Anthem 29er really came into its own. Anyone know who was doing the photos ?

I agree the new course makes overtaking very difficult. The berms and corners make passing nigh on impossible for long sections. The ‘perched’ nature of the new trail means taking a wide line was much slower and risky as the sides were lined with rocks, loose mud and leaves. I was buzzed, and buzzed tyres, a few times, especially in early laps as the person at the front of a train would brake over enthusiastically for a corner leading to a motorway style compression behind. I guess ‘that’s racing’ and I still thoroughly enjoyed the whole day.

That said I hope the few injuries I saw around the course were not serious. I saw you battered and bruised by the beer tent towards the end KINGTUT so I hope you’d been prescribed a good dose of liquid pain relief!?

Rightplacerighttime is the official photographer.

Ahh now I see why people were staring..

Rightplacerighttime took some good pics of the Howies Enduro at Coed-y-Brenin so hopefully they’ll also be of a high standard from Oktobefest. Much better than the usual boring fireroad style dross you often see. They looked to be in some good spots around the course.

Thanks Kingtut, saw you not long after. Ouch looks like that hurt! Great respect for finishing!

Had a great time, and well chuffed as I got my best ever race result, 8th in category.

Found most faster riders pretty courteous to be fair, though mainly they were passing me on the climbs not the technical bits, but almost without fail everyone thanked me if I let them past, and everyone I passed I made a big thing out of shouting a hearty thanks back to them, it’s only polite. One guy was not far off getting a thump though, not warning me he was trying to overtake, nearly taking me off my bike as he passed (on a flat bit of singletrack just before another swoopy section) determined to get past me as if he was racing for first position, then proceeded to hold me up for the entire next section of trail! Takes a lot to wind me up when I’m on my bike, but he wasn’t far off me losing my temper…

Did a lap with ssjeff and it was fun pretty fast singletrack with enough space to get past if you looked for it and were clear in asking to get past.Not like the nob who was shouting to pass us on his geared full sus who we let past only to then get held up after his little burst of energy ran out then wouldn’t move over for us! So just waited till the wide gravel climb and did him there instead 🙂

KoS> good to see you.. Looks like i missed ssjeff again. Must have been when I was out on my lap

Wunundred! 😀

I was fairly gutted at having to pull out with a mechanical failure on my third lap

‘Mechanical failure’- yeah, right, ok, of course…. 🙄

You’re just crap. And you’ll always be crap. Admit it, and deal with it.

LoCo BM-Racing were there this weekend and we had a fantastic weekend.

Sun, dry trails and tip top riding.

I have to say I didn’t like the first lap, because I didn’t pre-ride the course, so didn’t know where the tight overtaking places were. All my other laps were ace, there were good little cuttings to nip past if you put a bit of acceleration in, absolutely no need to clip bars.

Everyone was incredibly nice on course – probably the nicest I’ve raced. I would ask to pass, or let the rider in front know well in advance where I’d be passing, and always give a ‘thanks very much buddy’. A little courtesy goes far with me – and the few that passed me were very courteous too, as they should be, team riders need to be ambassadors for their sponsors out on course.

My only altercation was with a chap who cheated, cutting out a descent – who didn’t like being told so.

The catering was spot-on, Luffy’s bus is as always an excellent addition to any event, nostalgic and incredibly tasty. As was the Field Kitchen, who’s staff were so cheery – early morning and through the night.

We stayed for the Bristol Bike Rider dual-althon, as Mark from our team was racing, it was his first and he finished 9th of 29 in the male solos – absolutely brilliant, and he has a battered and bruised knee to show for it.

Matt Carr’s commentary and un-erring enthusiasm and heckling summed up the whole atmosphere at Oktoberfest for me, fun, jovial and just a little bit bonkers.

We love you Brizzole, I will be seeing you next year.

Had a great time, was nice doing it int he dry after bikefest’s wet 😀

Really enjoyed the course, didnt get bored on it..

That was a great race, and my best solo result to date – 10th was well above my expectations and surprised to only be 2 laps down on the winner. Although was later disappointed to find out I was only 9 minutes off of 7th!

The course was surprisingly brutal in the end – it’s amazing how sapping some of the rollers can get when you’re struggling to get enough speed up to just pump through them effortlessly like you did on the first lap!

In a fair bit of pain today though :-/

Thanks to Paul and Mike for another great event.

Didn’t think the congestion on the course was too bad. I just treated it as an excuse to have a bit of a deserved rest during 8 solo hours.

Was a bit dissapointed to hear my placing when I finished until somebody told me that Time-Laps had missed out one of my laps. So thanks to them for sorting that out, and even better when they then told me I’d won 😀

I managed 14 laps – first 8 hour solo – 21st/60 overall so chuffed. I was only 5 mins off 10th @Gary!

I shouted every one through although some people were getting aerated if they had to sit behind me for 5 seconds! Some of us were doing a fair few more laps than others – a bit of understanding may have been in order!

13 laps Rich 😛

Although I reckon on your Edict you’d have been right up there!

Although pleased to see you did in fact get in on that final one!

Hmm – Oh I get it – so I made my last lap then?

Yep, they’ve got you in on 8:00:00 – nowt jammier than that!

Some good photos from Neil at http://www.iseepople.co.uk

http://www.iseepeople.co.uk/firemonkey/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=56305

Yet again another superb event by Paul and team, thank you.

Amazing result for Loco BM racing Zoe and Scott 5th in mixed pairs with Mark getting 9th in the Classic Dual-athlon today.

Here’s a clip from the weekend, will do somehting better put together when have sifted though all the footage from the weekend.

Ah the Ariel, I thought that bit along the bottom of the campsite suddenly got deeper, more rutted and soggier.

This thread needs more photos!

Cheers for beating me to my own link Mr Agreeable!

Cheers to everyone who was patient during the extraction of an injured lady from upper New Barn. Also round of applause to lady on a gold Orange 5 for the ballsiest overtake in New Barn… bunnyhop over log and straightline into next berm.

Well done Team Emptybeers, I lost out our final lap dual by 2″. Arses.

Had a really good day, and think that racing pairs SS was the right choice for us as, with enough recovery between stints, could really enjoy ragging the course wall the way through the race. Would have been tough to solo as once the pace dropped below a critical point the course became a lot harder to ride.

Well done everyone who raced, it was a great atmosphere and everyone was really polite. You solo’s are my heroes.

Oh, did anyone work out where to pick up T-shirts from?

See you next time.

Got me too Neil, cheers!

Would have been tough to solo as once the pace dropped below a critical point the course became a lot harder to ride.

Spot on there esp on a Hard tail !

Great photos. Here is me looking tanned LOL

http://www.iseepeople.co.uk/firemonkey/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=56389

Thoroughly enjoyed the event. Did it as a pair and I always find pairs harder than solo (I know that sounds bizarre but I just tend to find a rhythm as a soloist)

The overtaking was not nearly as big an issue as I thought it would be. A shout to the rider ahead and some patience and it was generally ok. One idiot in the Merida team barged past me at an inopportune moment but really no other issues either over taking or being overtook.

Still think Pual’s luck with the weather is beyond comprehension 🙂

@Garylake that was Huw rding not me, he was a little puffed out when he got back 😀

Si, it was more a dig at the weight of the bike 😛