scud – Member

No need, the amount of weight i’ve gained recently i have my own gravity to pull you in..

……86 😉

stumpy01 – You tell Bryan with all his training and his new fancy carbon wheels he can tow us around!!

Are you both going to be at signing on the Friday night?

Weather looks to be “ok” for Saturday.

But then it IS Kielder….

I’m hoping the weather gods will be kind after last year and I can wear xc shoes, merino socks and no overshoes

PS those whose done it, im thinking of 2.1 rocket ron front and 2.1 thunderburt rear, whats your thoughts?

Pretty much whatever bike / tyres you use will be right for some of it and wrong for some of it!
I’d take a spare pair of gloves and the best waterproofing you can muster for your feet. Even if it is dry there is at least one river crossing.

Having heard about the river crossing last year I think i will be stopping, taking my shoe’s off and walking through!

Eep. Well, the kit is ready. Me on the other hand…

My aim is to get round. Nothing else. Currently coughing like I’ve inhaled a cat, and have been for a week. You’ll probably hear me on the start line – coughing or crying.

very stw looking belt drive rohloff shand/t5 combo going north on the M1 today, heading for the reiver?

jeremydcooper – Member
stumpy01 – You tell Bryan with all his training and his new fancy carbon wheels he can tow us around!!

Are you both going to be at signing on the Friday night?

With all his training…!? By training, do you mean redecorating the house!

Do you know him, then?

I’m not going. He tried to persuade me to come but I’m way too unfit at the moment for wheezing around on some gravel tracks! Perhaps if it was a bit nearer to home…

Loads of Lauf’s

I’m ready… ish

Hi Stump01

Yes I know him. He has commuted to work a couple of times!!! We will look after him and make sure he does the full 200km

See everyone bright and early Saturday morning. Will be traveling up from Cheltenham tomorrow and we are staying at The Calvert Trust.

Anyone going to do a bag drop, or are you carrying your stuff using the food stops to top up

joshvegas –
I’m ready… ish

This, pretty much.

John climber, I’m just packing as much food as I can (preferably into my belly beforehand), and using the food stops to top up.

To be honest this is the first event like this I’ve ever done, I’m taking all my cycling kit with me in my van, and will decide what to take on the day depending on the weather/tips I may pick up on Friday/ how I feel Saturday morning/ randomly.

I’m starting to think we need signs for our backs so we can identify each other and take appropriate action. Mine would read something like:

I am Hannah.
Please tell me to eat and drink. Please don’t tell me to smile. I am happy to talk if you are happy to hear me swear. I am happy to receive trailside technical assistance.
If I look like I’m flagging please:
-sing hey Jude out loud until I eat something. I’ll do anything to not listen to that.
-lie to me if I’m less than half way
-remind me I’ve promised myself a new bike if I finish the 200km

You lot are impressively organised. Mrs Yak is out in town on some client pub quiz thing. Given the lack of prep, and her sparrows fart start from here in the south downs tomorrow, I’ve taken action and put some air in her tyres and packed a camelback. Whether it’s what she would pack is debatable. Look out for another sweary Scottish lady – probably in a pink altura jersey or Pedal 2 Pedal team kit.

I panic bought a load of new kit today, I’ll be at the back, looking pro but going slow…

Quite envious of all you dirty reivers. I’ll have to do this one year. Have fun all.

Anyone going to do a bag drop, or are you carrying your stuff using the food stops to top up

Yes, but use it for some food you can look forward to rather than a different version of what will be available on the day.

Phah, you lot of sandbaggers.

Bet you all finish, finish higher and faster than you expect too to.

Have fun, hope the weather holds out, hope you get to look out at the fabulous scenery through that red misty fug in your eyes as you climb that bugger of an 18% through the tree lined avenue of awesomeness.

Post pics.

Doing the 200. Spent the last few days spending money, fettling and panicking. Also been pondering the use of bin bags as waders and reminding myself that ‘it’s only a bike ride’

Should i be packing my speedos?

I would suggest well-padded speedos, joshvegas

Picking up on Hannah’s theme, heres mine:

I am Dave
I’ve told my legs to shut up but they wont listen.
If your’re thinking of overtaking me – can I have a tow?
If you carry me across the river you can have a jelly baby.
If you give me a croggy to the finish you can have this bike.

On the theme of name badges/signs mine should be:

I’m taz, yes I’m suffering, but some twisted ideology means I’m stuck with a bloody one geared contraption and secretly I’m yearning for the clicky flicky joy of a multi speed cog pile thingy.
Yes the hip flask has nice booze in and if you closely observe you see that my cadence matches that of the cheeky girls song “touch my bum” on all climbs.

Josh.

I think thus was a stupid idea
I’m hating everyminute.
Ofcourse I’m signing up for next year.
Yes i’m definitly doing more training.
No I won’t actually do more training.
I wish I’d bought two soreens.
I hope the various bodges hold out.
I have a mini bottle of rioja will trade for a tow.

I’ve so far been in complete denial. Now I’m worrying a bit. Last year was brutal, this year I’m a stone heavier and have done about half as much riding as I did last year. And I’ve got to go to a stag-do in Newcastle on Saturday night. Quite frankly if I manage to ride past the 130km checkpoint without wimping out it’ll be a miracle.

Stag do will help you forget

Have made some last minute purchases to add to my kit plan:
Quick link that’s the right one for my set up.
Tubeless repair noodle poo stick things.
More food.

Now on the road heading there. Haven’t coughed for 5 minutes. All good. (Positive thinking there).

Turned up, signed on, handed in a meagre drop bag.
Place looked pretty busy.
Lots of very fancy, very clean bikes about.
Just eaten my pre-ride fuel (chip butty).
Good to go for the morning, after the 50 minute drive from my b&b in Hawick…

If I die out there, will someone kindly drag my lifeless body across the line, so at least I can RIP.

You won’t need waders or speedos. Unless I build a dam downstream mmwhahahaaar!

I’m campibg in a firestation.

Good luck!!

Frig that was tough, but I’m an outlaw!

Last across the startline 5th lastoverall.

Bike was perfect I was not.

Good weather?
Conditions on the trail good?

Need more info …

Dust! So much dust! And I have sunburned legs in the gap between socks and knee warmers. And I bloody finished in 11:53:53. So I am happy. Obviously I am never doing it again because yesterday’s glorious weather will never be repeated!

No sleep though. Think toothache in your knees radiating up and down your legs. Ow. But didn’t really suffer on the ride apart from when I ran out of water 10km before the last feed stop, the last 20km I’d had enough, the last 10km I’d really had enough.

Sorry I don’t think I got to put any faces to any forum names.

The weather really was superb.

I’m doing it next year.

We yad a torn tyre and a crash on the nasty little ridges in the centre of the track.

I almost bonked on the lakeside way.

My only niggle really was the lack of actual food at the feedstations i didn’t really need snacks but i’d have killed for a sausage roll.

Don’t think i’ll ever have such a dusty bike.

I saw Bryan and made a comment about hipflasks to some singular speeders

*puts little hand up* singlepseed with hipflask, that was meeee

Brutal. Some of the downhills had me considering suspension (or bigger tyres than the 35c I was using).T
wo water bottles bounced out in the first few miles, never to be seen again (my final bottle disappeared around the 80mile mark), I wasn’t the only one.
At one point there was a person every 50yards fixing a puncture.
Finished in 12:10, I put this down to me stopping to help some poor soul who’d run out of innertubes 😉
Still, not bad considering I’d never ridden further than 80miles before.

Lessons leant:
Tubeless tyres work (I had no punctures).
Double wrapped bar tape was a great idea.
I need better bottles/cages that actually hold onto the bottles.
Don’t forget to eat (the last 15k I was running on empty).

I’d do it again next year though

Frig that was tough, but I’m an outlaw!

Yup me too – 9hrs 56mins. Considering I was only supposed to be doing the 130 but decided to make the most of the nice weather I’m pretty pleased with that.

I’d recommend it to anyone but wouldn’t do it again, if that makes sense?