Sport will be fun – main difference is that there’s more people set off at the same time and it can be a bit more crowded coming down / bottlenecks at the tricky sections

Hopefully it’ll not be too bad tho – also in for sport btw

sat enduro sold out in a second apparently 😯

Sport will be fun – main difference is that there’s more people set off at the same time and it can be a bit more crowded coming down / bottlenecks at the tricky sections

This is what will frustrate us I think!!
Was in the top 10 hard-tail category last year, and would have liked to have improved on that (mainly through better gear choice – chain device and dual ply tyres!)… don’t want to be ‘argy bargy’ but also want to push ourselves..

DrP

Aye, it’s a battle of the fastest internet connections. Hurrah for town life…. 😆

In for the Saturday enduro 8)

This is what will frustrate us I think!!
Was in the top 10 hard-tail category last year, and would have liked to have improved on that (mainly through better gear choice – chain device and dual ply tyres!)… don’t want to be ‘argy bargy’ but also want to push ourselves..

DrP

The marshalls were really chilled about letting you have a bit longer to let rider in front get away last year.

Not quite – system allowed you to reserve tickets – so all got reserved immediately. Then as people paid / released then it freed the spares and re-released em

That’s why there were the odd 1 or 3 popping up. Then every 20 mins you’d get the reservations releasing again.

Didn’t sell out til about 7:40 or 8:00 but just got harder n harder to get em bought

Nice one Si – well done!

We’re in… 6 of us doing the Enduro and 3 others doing the sprint… New bike build in progress. 🙂

It was like play Daly Thompson’s Decathlon on the ZX84, I kept hitting the buttons that often..

Still didn’t get in tho. 😥

In for the Sunday.

Looking at the positive….
I’ll look into doing a decent local loop on the saturday whilst the ‘lucky ones’ ride the course..
Being a soft southerner it’s a chance to gaze at some real hills! Any lop suggestions? (I’ll start a new thread anyway!)

DrP

Thanks for getting up Doc, sorry for the stroppy reply at 7am, I had no idea what you were going on about… 😳

on the waiting list. 😥

Jokes on you..I’ve entered you, ASBO, and the ACC lot.
You’re driving 😉

DrP

😆

local loop will be spiffing. 8)

In on the Sunday which is still cool.

Will be billy no mates as buddies all scored Saturday Enduro places, damn you slower than slow internet connection (shakes fist in general direction of the exchange).

Anyone know any local loops for a Saturday spin? I’ll repay your kindness with strained out of breath conversation and beer.

In for Sunday

I’m in for the full enduro – signed 6 of us up. Other mates could only sign up for the sprint.Never done it before.

Are the uphill sections timed as well? are dual plys the order of the day?

13 of us in for the sport.
Tried the Saturday but failed.
I didn’t have the stress thankfully – 2 others of our group had the mess to cope with!

I’ve given it a miss this year as I’m after doing some other events that aren’t bang after 4 days of hedonism at a local festival, plus 62 quids is a jump from last year.
As to the post above, no, only the downs are timed, that said the are very pedally in parts so you need to keep your fitness up. We proper pootled this year to save the gas for the downs and it was just over 5 hrs 15 for us.
Sunday was littered with mincers which made it very tricky in parts for the quicker riders, you don’t really expect to come to a down section where 3 chaps are having a chat about the best way forward 😯

you don’t really expect to come to a down section where 3 chaps are having a chat about the best way forward

No, that was odd. Quite a few of the chutes had people trying to walk down. Some of the timing was terrible. Walking into the top of a chute just as I was coming into view. Hopefully the ‘intro’ event will catch some of those next time.

Saturday sorted 🙂

Are the uphill sections timed as well? are dual plys the order of the day?

The transitions between stages aren’t timed. Yes you will need tough ass tyres.

Sunday was littered with mincers which made it very tricky in parts for the quicker riders, you don’t really expect to come to a down section where 3 chaps are having a chat about the best way forward

It’s a tough one that.

I observed last year that a LOT of riders were out of their depth..walking down chutes etc.
I think this causes major safety issues for other riders as you say, and perhaps there should be a seeding lap/’entry requirement?

Anyway, not my “do” so crack on..

DrP

We managed to get our group of 6 into the main event – well happy!!

Maybe the organisers are advertising the Sport event all wrong. The description specifies it’s for those who just want to complete the course and not compete, and that it’s all about the fun and atmosphere, which is why I chose to ride it rather than the enduro. The theory being if i’m slow I’m not going to annoy anyone because no one should be taking it too seriously. That said, I am capable of riding down rocky chutes and didn’t experience any traffic jams last year as I had a 7:45 start. In for the sport again next year!

Im in for the full enduro saturday. Not taking it seriously just getting round and then hitting the beer.

Just hope i survive.

Cant wait.

The climbs are horrible. Something like 2000ft in about 6 miles from the start, I seem to remember. Practice your climbing, children, even if it’s just walking up steep, rocky horrible tracks, pushing your bike.

i pushed 50% of the last time.

Im in for the full enduro saturday. Not taking it seriously just getting round and then hitting the beer.

Just hope i survive.

Sounds like the Sport would have been the better event for you. I think that this is one big flaw with the current setup. People enter the Saturday Enduro even if they don’t want to be competitive, just so that they can get pissed on the Saturday night. I’d switch the Enduro and Sport events, now that the Sport has all 5 stages. I think that would be the way forward to separate competitive and non-competitive riders as much as possible. As it is, there are a load of non-competitive riders in the Enduro, and a load of competitive riders in the Sport because they couldn’t get a place in the Enduro – unfortunately, I think that’s likely to end up in some problems on race day.

I’d echo the above literally 110%…

Dr ‘superlative’ P

Id agree as well tbh. Id be more happy doing the sport with its more relaxed format. However people complained in the first years from what i understand and they switched to the current format.

The enduro used to be sunday with the timed loop/practice Saturday. I’d hazard the returns on the bar are much better now they’ve switched days. Also the practice being Friday and not the same day as people are doing a full loop will improve crowding.

People enter the Saturday Enduro even if they don’t want to be competitive, just so that they can get pissed on the Saturday night. I’d switch the Enduro and Sport events, now that the Sport has all 5 stages. I think that would be the way forward to separate competitive and non-competitive riders as much as possible

would make sense to put the more relaxed event on the Saturday as I would hazard a guess that it will be these riders that are also more interested in the après ride and potentially spend more at the bar / stalls. however hoepfuly still shouldn’t be too much of an issue as I believe there are less riders in the enduro on the Saturday which will help crowding and you still have to grade yourself from 1 (top 10%) to 5 (just hoping to survive) on entry, with the faster riders being given earlier start times to avoided bunching up. also if you leave enough space before setting off after a vaguely competent rider shouldn’t be too many overtakes

it is however a couple of years since I last did the event so sheer weight of numbers may still cause bottlenecks. personally I’ve entered the Saturday as I aim to ride a quick as I can and be competitive (for me), i’ll still safely be bottom 1/3 but fairly confident with a later start time and enough of a gap at stage starts that I won’t be holding anyone up

I think the easiest thing would be for anyone who comes below me in the finishing times does not get allowed entry to the Saturday next year 🙂

I’ll be elbowing all these mincers out the way when I schralp my gnar on the Sunday*

The enduro used to be sunday with the timed loop/practice Saturday. I’d hazard the returns on the bar are much better now they’ve switched days. Also the practice being Friday and not the same day as people are doing a full loop will improve crowding.

That was when the Sport was only 3 stages – made sense to switch it then. Now, with 3-stage Intro and Sprint events and 5-stage Enduro and Sport events, it seems like having the competitive Sprint and Enduro on Sunday would be the better option. I’d wager that it would lead to more people being entered in the events that they really want to/should be in, less issues with riders of disparate ability on course at the same time, and higher takings at the bar.

For those doing the Sunday race, do we get to practice on Friday or is it totally blind (which I prefer)?

Both BB – You can practice on Friday, but not the course you’ll be riding on Sunday.