tour de ben nevis

My friend and i have entered this.. im just wondering if anyone on STW has done it before and could let me know there thoughts, experiences etc.. 😀

awesome day out – one of the best events i’ve done.

just gotta keep pedalling, basically.

SS was good at the start (i was well in the top 20 for a while), but when it flattened out round the back of the ben, and the final stretch, i lost a lot of places as i was just spinning out. i’d take gears next time.

go tubeless, or take a couple of tubes and some patches – it’s pretty rocky.

Yeh, im running tubeless.. not much info on the no-fuss site about water stops etc..was there any?

The route crosses the Abhainn Rath about 40% of the way round (Fords it) so you can refill in that.l

Slightly sad to be missing it, but also quite relieved 😆

It’s a great event. I’ll be back this year. People were filling up in a lot of the burns around the back of the Ben. I took enough water but there’s a weight penalty obviously. It’s a big climb, a fast techy descent with loads of puncture giving water bars to catch those that can’t hop, another long climb, a very long traverse on beat you up LRTs, a river crossing, a brutal hike a bike, a super fast descent for lots of kms, a killer last fireroad climb, a couple of very steep techy descents and then a blast back to the Bill. I reckon a 29er will be ideal, I’m taking the Tallboy this year but a HT is fine. You do get very beat up though. Orange 5 seemed to be the bike of choice last year, there were hundreds of them. Last year I bust my seat clamp, had my crank come off twice and limped home in granny because I sheared all my chain ring bolts. I’m not as fit this time but reckon I’ll beat my time if I just keep going. Even without the race aspect it’s just a great day out with a good atmosphere and views you just don’t get anywhere else.

Crackin description dev.. just what i was after..Sounds like you were through the wars last year! Im no bradley wiggins so im aiming for 7 1/2- 8hrs.. gonna take enough water to get to the burn and prob fill it up there.. Doing it on a gary fisher roscoe 3 and gonna run tubeless. been getting some practice in and done some 50 60 and 70k routes..

Was just about to write the same post as there’s 7 of us heading up there to do Tour de Ben!

Could someone tell me what the LRT’s (Landrover Tracks?) are like terrain wise, guess they are like rutted out moorland/fireroads?

We rode the route in July. Land Rover tracks generally fine – a little rocky, but no mud. The river crossing could be interesting. I reckon a hardtail wouldn’t be a disadvantage and if I was doing it I’d be on a 29er HT with biggish tyres.

Well, its sponsored by Orange – you must do it on a FIVE !!!!!! 😆

Never done it before, but trying it this year.
Choice of:
Lightweight carbon XC race bike, 26″ HT, 100mm forks, integrated seatpost.
35LB big bike, 5″ coil srung both ends, huge brakes, tiny stem and a dropper post.
I’m either going to be overbiked or underbiked. Which way would peeps err?
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Also,is it wise attempting it the week after Keilder? (If the HT doesn’t come out of that well then that’s the decision above made!)

Don’t suppose anyone has space to give me a lift up from Manchester?

cheers

andrewh – the lightweight xc bike will be perfect.

i did it 29er ss last year, 29er def the way to go imo.

Generalist, nope but can give a lift to/from a station. I know trains to Fort Bill can be a bit infrequent. If you could get yourself to Stirling on Thursday evening I could meet you there and drop at Glasgow on the Sunday.
Email in profile.
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Cheers Monkey

TBH – it disappoints me that you can ride this route on a hardtail, I want all mountain GNAR that you need 4/5/6″ of trail AM bike to get through!

After riding the Kielder border raid earlier this year on a 29er hardtail, I thought I’d be able to ride a PROPER mountain bike on this one!!!!!

Thinking back there is a water stop at the top of the Mamore lodge climb out of Kinlochleven and one at Spean Bridge but I never stopped at either. The LRT is typical mountain stuff, mostly fine till you switch off then there is a rock garden, a drop off or a deep burn crossing to catch you out! Along side the loch at the back of the Ben it is death by rollercoaster, with a puddle at the bottom of every dip. It wears you down! I was in the wars and it was mostly brought on by myself. The crank arm had fallen off before but I just kept putting it back on and tightening, loctiting and hoping that it would stay on this time. It’s gone now! The seat clamp bush had also shown signs of being on its last legs and I did nothing about it so it’s sod’s law that it will fail at the highest point of 72km race which is also its most remote bit! More annoying was the fact that I rode saddle down for about 10km before I came up with the idea of using a valve locking ring as a temporary bush. This meant doing Nessie and Blue Crane with my seat up but I survived…….just. The bits where an AM bike would give an advantage are few but 2 of them were special stages. The drop into KLL being one of these but unless you are super fit to get there ahead of the roadies in disguise, you’ll find your progress hindered by them walking down or fixing punctures.

TBH – it disappoints me that you can ride this route on a hardtail, I want all mountain GNAR that you need 4/5/6″ of trail AM bike to get through!

seriously?! 🙄

i’m yet to find anything in scotland that can’t be ridden on a HT. ok, so ft bill DH track you might want something else, but for proper ‘mountain biking’, there’s nowhere you need a full sus (unless, of course, you’re shit).

the whole point of the tour de ben is that it’s ‘proper’ mountain biking – doing a proper length route in proper mountains. i can’t imagine 70-odd km on a 6″ FS is going to be much fun, tbh.

if you want to dress up as a storm trooper and blat around on an inefficient FS, then head to morzine or something.

Ft Bill DH is a long way from being the most FS worthy trail in Scotland, natural or man made. You’re right though, if it can be ridden it can be ridden on a HT. Or rigid for that matter. Although having said that one of the tame DHers round here was telling me last night about a trail that can only be ridden if your suspension is dialled in right, something to do with the immediacy of sharp turns after huge gap jumps or something. I’ll never be able to prove him wrong. 🙁

>i can’t imagine 70-odd km on a 6″ FS is going to be much fun, tbh.<

Imagine being a wee bit fitter then 😉

I have a spare entry if anyone needs it..Mrs Rickmeister is not going now…

Just wondering what peoples fuel off choice is on a long ride like this.. im thinking little and often. taking energy bars malt loaf etc..

I’ve done the route on a 6″ travel bike (coiler), a 4″ travel bike (anthem) and a 100mm forked hardtail. Fastest bike round that route for me was the Coiler. More traction for me.

quite interested in what others took food wise also. Thinking of going down the same road as turbo.

@glupton: Good to hear, I’ll be on my enduro, in a sea on oranges!

@turbo / cferg : I’m taking the usual bars and gels, plus prob pita stuffed with something nice, after a big breakkie of porridge!

Not long now, gonna be heading up the road in a couple of days, and my bike is still in bits with the forks still at mojo…..

I’m aiming for 5.5-6 hours. On a normal ride like that I’d just survive on gels, haribo, energy bars and bananas. After a huge brekky of course. It’s not the food that’s the issue for me, it’s taking enough electrolytes. I’ll be taking a gopping yellow drink in a bottle as well as the camelbak full of water this year. There’s a hog roast after and the chippy at the finish is good too for putting the carbs and protein back in.

Did it two years ago, on a hardtail, was a bit rough going but took my time, enjoyed the views (where visible), the route (several highlights) and most of all the company along the way – had a great laugh with the fellow riders.

Plenty of water available, stopped by burns for refills – added some hydration tablets as I went. Snack bars were all that was really required, jelly babies as extras.

Carried a lot of the stuff that’s meant to be carried, did weigh a fair bit though. Key seemed to be sustainable pace, went slightly slower than usual pace and was still in decent shape by the end.

KLL descent was fabulous, by the time we got there, towards the back of the field it has to be said, the path as devs says of roadies in disguise, so was able to get momentum up for the water bars, some brutal climbs but the descent after the hike-a-bike I found to be definitely doable on a HT and was a blast once you got the line and flow..

Did this last year. Loads of fun!

Great event, its a fairly big day out and amazing atmosphere. Being piped down the high street last year was amazing.

Only not doing it this year as its such a long drive from brissle, doing the howies race at the end of the month instead.

How was the river crossing last year? How deep?

The river crosing was moved 300yds down stream to a shallower bit. It was fine. Ankle/calf deep. I saw one guy actually bike across to much applause. Heavy rain forecast thurs, this may or may not be relevant 🙂

Just checked the weather. It’s looking cool but good for the actual race BUT Fri night is going to be below zero! I’m camping 🙁 I guess I’ll take a quilt as well as sleeping bag then.

Aye! Wrap up warm! might be a bit nesh!

Hi Devs,

I am camping too, I checked the forecast for fort william (not up the hill) and it says min 5 degrees C. So hopefully a bit above freezing :0)

Bring that Duvet though!

I am sitting typing this, thinking about the race, and I feel jittery. A mixture of excitement, apprehension, and nerves!

This will be my first ever race/event, picked a cracker !

Bob

Aye, it is a race, but were riding it more as an adventure 😀

Yeh I’m not thinking of it as a race.. just want to finish it! 🙂

and what an adventure it will be!

Well that’s me packed and on my way up from Glasgow. Really looking forward to it now as the weather looks to be decent for a change! Good luck to everyone else that’s doing it and say hi if you see me on a white Gary fisher roscoe 3 😀

Loads of info on Tour De Nevis here – http://www.trailscotland.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=86&t=4049

I watched (and filmed) the procession through FT Bill, I’d post it so people who entered could see themselves, but I doubt even your own mothers could pick you out in that sea of 40 something’s on Orange 5s 🙂

Lovely day for it and a great wee start.

I’ll be dossing about RS/Clachaig later if there’s any STWers around.

hey peterfile.. any chance you could post the vid up?

What a great day.. stunning weather and amazing scenery! it was a hard slog, hike a bike was brutal! did it in just under 8 hours.. not quick.. friend had a mechanical and i had a puncture.. but finished it, so happy with that. 😀