Rebirth of Enduro (cough – endurance….) – Brass Monkey Round 2

Looking forward to round 2 – not ridden Minley, and it seems the lap is a bit shorter too…

Any other takers?

As per, I’m SSing the 4hr lot…hopefully I’ve dodged illness over the past few weeks – family/patients/keyboard all covered in germs..I find it’s health, not fitness, that scuppers these winter races!!

DrP

Hopefully there – certainly entered (2hrs 40+).

5 mile lap so about 8km..

Hope the weather warms up just a tad or it really will be Brass Monkey weather!

3Hr GV for me, in orange ‘Cotswold Cycles’ kit and a black Trek – please say hello if you see me.

Weather is looking okay and hopefully course is dry.

My lad is doing the 2 hr event and a few other team mates racing in Vet’s.

Currently stuck in terminal pre exam I know FA loop so not for me this time around 😐

Entered. Currently wondering if I might replace the front Nick for a Ron.

4hr vet for me. Just medicating my cold away with cake, so should be fine for the race.

Minley usually has a good course and drains well.
Would have thought a Ron would be fine. I’ve got a barzo, so similar up front.

Too much like competition for me. Instead, crossing the Severn to go for a nice Bimble with a mid-rid bothy brew.

2hr vet for me – didn’t take the summer tyres off for Rd1, and got away with it once I’d remembered how to ride singletrack. So they can stay on this time too.

Gorrick have been working on the course this week and it is looking good 😀

Racing Ralph on the front was a bit optimistic.

“Which side are you coming past?”
“I’ve no idea”

Great fun though 🙂

That was brutal!!!

Bonty XR4 on the front was great. Geax Sag on teh rear, trying to become the front, was less so!!

In honesty, I found this course and weather a huge slog…no flow really, having to pedal pretty much 99% of the course.

This isn’t a reflection on the BM lot – more an observation on teh weather conditions affecting soil!!

Now then…how do we manage cramp again??? I’m sure it’s part of the deal of riding SS, but at one point I was on the verge of giving in and blaming a snapped chain/frame/frenulum!!!

Curse you cramp!

DrP

Nice one everyone – tough today. My last 3 laps were beset by a chain that didn’t want anything to do with the chainring….grrrr. Still a great day out.
Congrats DrP on the podium.

was on the road today but it was wet, and in the wet Minley is very loamy, as opposed to TH or Porridge Pot that still runs really well. I can imagine 4hours in the wet loam on a SS would have tested the patience of most.

“Which side are you coming past?”
“I’ve no idea”

LOL

I must say, all those having big comedy crashes were very good sports!
I saw the or four chaps just plough straight on into trees/ditches/more mud, all whilst laughing!!!

DrP

My first MTB race and I found that very enjoyable, in a painful way. By way of example my Avg HR for a 25 mile TT (54-55 mins) is around 157, but today Avg HR for 1:50 for a lacklustre 3 laps 161 😆

It was all a bit wetter and more off camber than I’d choose normally so I was er technically challenged in the nimble and skillz dept and came off a few times, but no harm done

very well mannered too!

That was my first Brass Monkey event. It’s my home ground as I live near the entrance but even so I found it hard going. Recovering from a cold/cough/virus thing made things difficult and choosing the wrong bike didn’t help – I got swayed by the word Enduro in the title. Fortunately(?) a mechanical meant the decision too carry on for the full 3 hours was taken for me.
I thought the course stood up to the wet and traffic really well whereas the car park didn’t!

Always enjoy the gorrick races but after illness for a bit think I’m going to wait for more fitness and nicer weather.

I thought it was a great course….proper UK winter racing! I was sort of disappointed in my performance (11th Vet), but can’t blame the course for that unfortunately. I came in with 34 mins to go before the 4hour cut-off, so had a ‘do or die’ final lap and made it by 50 seconds….the last lap with clear lines and no riders to pass or wanting to pass was ace! (Actually, I did get passed by the singlespeed winner who was still absolutely flying – respect.)

Anyone know where round 3 is going to be?

3Hr GV for me, in orange ‘Cotswold Cycles’ kit and a black Trek – please say hello if you see me.

I did – as you passed me up the hill before I tried the comedy re-pass.

Hard day but quite fun. NN on the front helped.