Puffer updates. Who are you watching?

we were pretty casual about it to start with a it was as much about a fun weekend as racing

Aye, it’s funny how the race equivalent of the red mist descends – “doesn’t matter, just a weekend with mates… la la grrrrrrr RACE” It’s those Minx girls to blame I tell you, both as bad as each other 🙂

breadcrumb – Member
epicyclo- I passed you when you were having some issues, you still seemed cheerful enough…

The 3rd puncture deflated more than the tyre though…

Just as well I still had all the bits for the old warhorse or I would have been forced to ride a bike with gears. 🙂

Heaven forbid!

I would not of been happy dragging a rear mech through that slop of a downhill. I don’t think I’ve witnessed that much mud since a very wet Leeds festival.

I would not of been happy dragging a rear mech through that slop of a downhill

I wasn’t sure of the wisdom of doing it singlespeed, especially since I”d never ridden more than about 30km with only one gear before, but seeing that mud on the first lap confirmed that it was the right decision. Unless your support crew are competent mechanics. My support crew moaned cos they couldn’t get my tyres off when I decided to put the mud-specific ones on 🙂

Before the race I had a brilliant idea.

When knackered and hypothermic, I’m prone to the weakness in moral fibre of seeking shelter. So this year’s brainwave was to provide none. I took the wife’s Fiat Seicento but no tent, no sleeping bag, no cooking and no portable heater. There was supposed to be no support, but I did get a delivery of hot bread pudding at about 6pm, and some welcome cups of tea from next door.

The idea being no shelter would discourage stopping. Couldn’t see any flaws with that idea.

So at about 6am when I needed to scoop the mud out my boots I sat in the driver’s seat with my legs out the door. Someone objected to my door protruding into the track (I was a bit dopey at this point). I pulled my legs in and shut the door, but with my helmet on I was crunched double in the tiny car, so I leaned the seat back a wee bit to enable me to contort myself sufficiently to retie my laces.

It must have been too comfortable because at some point in the second knot I became aware that it was dawn. Unfortunately the wee Fiat is a condensation magnet and I was soaked, frozen, and shivering stiff. At that point moral fibre was completely deficient, and my body cried quits.

But any of you who wish to adopt my brilliant idea for next year are welcome to it. I don’t need it any more. 🙂

A top weekend. Great to put faces to more names off of here. 🙂

Thanks to all the riders who gave my boy encouragement.

Riding such stuff isn’t for all kids, but my lad loves it though.

Rich – nice one, well done to your lad, that is great going. I guess he is going to be kicking all our asses up and down the singletrack in a few years 🙂

Was an honor to ride with you for those few miles in the HTR. Chapeau!

Rich – nice one, well done to your lad, that is great going. I guess he is going to be kicking all our asses up and down the singletrack in a few years

Thanks Nik, was hoping to see you there.

Hopefully catch up before next year.

I would not of been happy dragging a rear mech through that slop of a downhill.

I snapped a mech hanger on one lap and had to push/freewheel round the rest of the lap which wasn’t so much fun…

My favourite bit was sitting just before 9 at transition waiting on a team-mate to come round with the rest of the team demanding I get back before 10 so they can put another lap in. I’m on my brother’s Fatty (due to my bike having no gears now) I’ve only ridden a fat bike once before (for 10 minutes on a flat path) and Epicyclo comes past and says something like “Fat bikes are a silly idea” 🙂

God you lot are ace.
I didn’t even get my bike out this weekend.
Well done all of ye.
Especially that there young minipips chap.
Legend.

Minipips for the Tour-Divide… 🙂

Team forty forfeits wcc were were 2 team members down right from the off and were in second place until the last kick .
A mixture of mechanicals and sick riders in the final moments seen us slip to 5th.
Still a good result considering.

Damn good battle steven131 the Fatty Owls were quite shocked but pleased and wondered what had happened
we were a team of nine on the day running on homebrew and burgers

was a bit gutted tbh I was giving my fat bike some serious abuse on the decents , the look on my face must have been priceless when I came into transition at 5.30 like a loony to have no one waiting to take over..

Aside from muddy, wet and cold, what’s the course like? Lots of climbing, hugely technical etc…?

Before the race I had a brilliant idea.

When knackered and hypothermic, I’m prone to the weakness in moral fibre of seeking shelter. So this year’s brainwave was to provide none. I took the wife’s Fiat Seicento but no tent, no sleeping bag, no cooking and no portable heater. There was supposed to be no support, but I did get a delivery of hot bread pudding at about 6pm, and some welcome cups of tea from next door.

The idea being no shelter would discourage stopping. Couldn’t see any flaws with that idea.

So at about 6am when I needed to scoop the mud out my boots I sat in the driver’s seat with my legs out the door. Someone objected to my door protruding into the track (I was a bit dopey at this point). I pulled my legs in and shut the door, but with my helmet on I was crunched double in the tiny car, so I leaned the seat back a wee bit to enable me to contort myself sufficiently to retie my laces.

It must have been too comfortable because at some point in the second knot I became aware that it was dawn. Unfortunately the wee Fiat is a condensation magnet and I was soaked, frozen, and shivering stiff. At that point moral fibre was completely deficient, and my body cried quits.

But any of you who wish to adopt my brilliant idea for next year are welcome to it. I don’t need it any more.

I am in awe of you stiff upper lip approach to hardship, but, to be frank, f*ck that!

😉

So, in one race, he broke his bike, went home, built a new bike to ride, returned, then fell unconscious/asleep in his car by the side of the course? 🙂

Theres a few videos up, looks gorgeous, sun n snow!

I think it’s still too soon to watch that….. 😆

I don’t think there’s a video that quite captures the grimness of that final muddy descent at 3:30 in the morning..

Still, the human mind’s a strange thing – I’m already thinking about next year.

Well done everyone – especially minipips! I vaguely remember going past at some point in the darkness and trying to come out with something encouraging.

what’s the course like

Brutal. You seem to climb for 90% of it on a variety of fireroad and lumpy, rough, rocky singletrack that isn’t so much technical as jarring. You used to descent on a lovely fast swoopy descent- you got to the top of the last very steep singletrack climb and thought “right, I’ve earned this”. Then this year they sent you down a shit muddy sloppy partly finished fireroad. Which was awful.

The final descent aka ‘The Somme’ was grim. I’m not sure I can watch that video yet either – it all seemed so easy to begin with, however when the light snow turned to rain at about 03:00 it really started turning the screw on me.

The night never seemed to end. After each lap, I’d have a quick look at my watch and mutter something unprintable, as I kept on wishing for it to be 06:00, or even 05:00, not 02:30 with another 5 hrs of riding in the dark to go etc.

Loved all the vans and tents lined along the course, with the endless encouragement and banter, and some random dude wandering up the Somme descent about 03:00, playing random tunes and shouting ‘pedal, pedal, pedal!’ to everyone going past. Ace!

munrobiker – Member

what’s the course like

Brutal. You seem to climb for 90% of it on a variety of fireroad and lumpy, rough, rocky singletrack that isn’t so much technical as jarring. You used to descent on a lovely fast swoopy descent- you got to the top of the last very steep singletrack climb and thought “right, I’ve earned this”. Then this year they sent you down a shit muddy sloppy partly finished fireroad. Which was awful. [/quote]

I think it’s a good thing there’s so much climbing – I’d have been crashing a lot more if there was much fast stuff in it. And apart from the Somme it was pretty OK mud-wise.

qwerty – Member
I am in awe of you stiff upper lip approach to hardship, but, to be frank, f*ck that!

I’ve been castigating myself for being a softie and getting in the car. The answer is not having one there to get into.

The real hardship was the waking up wet cold etc, because I felt ok beforehand.

So the solution for that is next year I’m planning taking a stool instead of a car.

(My missus may veto that though, she wasn’t happy with this year’s approach, hence the unexpected delivery of bread pud. She thinks my sports diet of Snickers bars and water is deficient)

some random dude wandering up the Somme descent about 03:00, playing random tunes and shouting ‘pedal, pedal, pedal!’ to everyone going past. Ace

Yes!! Somebody else did see him then, I wasn’t just hallucinating 😀 He was brilliant, just what you needed when you got to that point…

Swavis- when I went by him it was snowing and he was playing the Ski Sunday theme! I think Aly was just behind me and we both said it kept us laughing for about 10 minutes in our delirious states.

Think I went past the lone Ski Sunday dancer about 4 times. Think I asked him what drugs he was on at some point and if I could have some 🙂

Firt of all, well done to all that took part, and to all of those that shouted and cheered encouragement along the way. It makes all the difference!

What a great event. 3rd time of riding (all the past 3 years) and this was definitely the hardest – “the Somme” pretty much covers that last descent. We was robbed of the final cruise down the hill!! There didn’t seem to be any let up this year, constant pedalling and concentration (especially in the mud) required.

That said, my first lap, under those blue skies, through that enchanted white forest, was wonderful. The best mountain bike ride ever. It was a privilege to be out there in proper winter conditions (aware that it can get a lot worse) for once. In fact, all laps were enjoyable in their own way. What else would you rather be doing at 3AM on a Sunday morning?

And as for Minipips? Sensation stuff, really put me and alot of older folk to shame. It was inspiring to see the little dude ride round with his dad. Brilliant.

What an event!

Strathpuffer bloggage 🙂

http://minipips.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/the-wee-man-rides-24-hours-at.html

My views on the matter

Strathpuffer 2015

terrahawk – Member

My views on the matter

http://jasonmilesracing.com/2015/01/20/strathpuffer-2015/

I was hoping for a bit more really 🙁

The write-up, not the performance. 🙂

thanks for putting ‘that’ photo up munrobiker 😉

I’m still in the ‘never again’ phase of looking back on the race. Still, good training for the Rovaniemi 150 in a month. *sigh*

I hate racing…

I was hoping for a bit more really

any aspect in particular you wanted me to expand on?

any aspect in particular you wanted me to expand on?

You didn’t mention the blood. 😉

terrahawk – Member

I was hoping for a bit more really

any aspect in particular you wanted me to expand on?

All of it really fella, the mindsets that drive you on in the tough times, how the actual conditions influence your changes of tactics, the fuelling/hydration aspects, the pre training, how that benefitted/screwed you etc.

I’m curious for example as to why you didn’t take a non-SS bike and run that if it became too painful, obviously you’d lose the SS aspect of the finish but could potentially have got a 1st/2nd if you’d swapped at the 10 hour mark for example onto a lightweight HS/short travel FS…

I guess because of seeing you on TV stuff and having seen/read many of your posts on here I can kinda relate to you a little more than other competitors, so to get a true perspective in detail is just the sort of thing I love to read.

People are never happy on this forum are they? 😀

I can’t include all that in every race report I write. Some of what you’re after isn’t stuff I’m particularly prepared to share anyway…
it’s pretty obvious from what I’ve written that I’d have had a better result with a geared bike, don’t you think?

I’m curious for example as to why you didn’t take a non-SS bike and run that if it became too painful,

I’d won twice on singlespeeds, I like SS in the winter, there was no more room in the van….etc etc.

People are never happy on this forum are they

nope. Always a negative aspect to drill into.

I didn’t think my questions were worth getting into a strop about TBH, I thought they were perfectly reasonable.

I wasn’t being negative in the slightest, I was curious.

not getting in a strop. You should have seen me at 2am on Sunday morning mate, that was a strop.

I think I may have had a wee chat with you near the top of the big forestry road climb around 7-8am on Sunday, Jason (I was solo SS too, on a green Kinesis FF29). You mentioned you were having back issues, but I rode on thinking ‘that can’t be Jason/Terrahawk – he’s a flippin whippet!’. Sorry to hear you didn’t have a great one.