Whinlatter Challenge today- how was it for you?

Enjoyed my first bash at any sort of organised MTB event. Thought I'd sign up as (a) it would make me lose some xmas pounds training, and (b) I can ride there from home!

Lovely day, all sorts enjoying themselves, winner 2hrs 29 or somesuch, clearly not human. I managed 4h 18 for mid table mediocrity, which is as good as I could have hoped.

Any thoughts from others involved?

I started well but had too much to eat/drink before starting (schoolboy!!!) and stitched up and cramped badly for a couple of hours. Started to clear it with lots of stretching at the 2nd drink stop. Felt a lot better on the finish line than I did an hour earlier!

I drove there and back with I_did_dab who knocked an hours off his 2009 time to finish 259th, nursing a puncture back the last mile with a couple of blasts of air. He reckoned it was a much nicer course than last year, missing a sadistic finish loop like the one we did at the end of the 1st lap but not the 2nd.

I lost the top to my thermos flask though, I think I drove off with it on the roof. Bummer.

JonT, You don't ride a Ti On-One do you? Black/grey riding kit? If so it was me cramping along to the second drink stop while you were stitching.
I was 20-25 minutes slower than last year (compared to last years winner). Rob Jebb won – he is human (but has a hippos heart and lungs).
Some guy behind me blew a tubeless tyre off the rim on the big climb – bang like a shotgun!

hey, i seen 'Ton' and 'duggie style' there. Technically me n DS were in the same car there n back.

Was looking out for other STW'ers but s'pose didn't look hard enough

🙄

4hrs 20mins for me.
was fantastic, loads better than last year…………singletracktastic.

well done to everyone involved and also who rode……… 8)

greg, how did you do?

Well done there ton – it had obviously been playing on your mind from last year.

andy, no way was i not gonna finish.

not bad, but nearly.

Was in the top 4 bunch headin down the last blue loop descent (the really shaley stuff after the boardwalk )and punctured so cost me about 5 mins or so. I then crashed 😥 on the 2nd lap and my saddle kinda bent upwards so was left last 15 miles with a horrendous saddle position. Still, it was tough, alot of climbing but (apart from a poor 3 or 4 will i make it miles) it was a good event. That last climb though………

11th in the Kielder 100 and 12th in this, you are on the decline Greig 😉

My excuse for my crap time was cramp and a fatalized tubeless tyre (oh and I rode slow)

fatalized tubeless tyre

i'll second that. Ghetto tubeless aint all that. Decline my a*s. You'll find i was doing wheelies and bunny hops at the top of the first climb and endoing down the downs. I haz ze skillz mutha 😉

That last climb though………

You didn't do it last year then? The last climb today was minor.

a fatalized tubeless tyre

Wasn't yours that went off like an IED on the big climb was it?

Hi boxelder – it was good to be able to have a quick chat with someone on the route. I was sat on the grass at the end, finishing only a minute or two before you, I think!

Raddogair – phenomenal time considering your misfortunes, congrats and a celebratory nip are in order!

I don't know I'd recognise anyone except for ton, but was sat outside the cafe reading for a bit, never mind!

I have to go back next year as I've something to prove now 👿

much nicer course than last year i thout, really pleased as i knocked nearly aout 50 mins off last years time in comparision to winning times, few problems with the gears cost me a few minutes fettling, but since yesterday i didn't think i'd be riding very happy.

Wasn't yours that went off like an IED on the big climb was it?

headin down the last blue loop descent (the really shaley stuff after the boardwalk )and punctured

Na,afraid not. Didn't do it last year but TBH that last climb leading upto the blue loop descent ( i think you done that again last year), i felt quite good and strong and practically flew up, prob and wrongly cause i thought that it was the last climb of the race. Once again, dam that final last climb

No mine got slashed on the rocky decent immediately after the first time stop.

celebratory nip are in order!

If only i drank. Duggie style on the other hand……..

….had a post ride recovery beer on the way home….mmmmm

I was sat on the grass at the end, finishing only a minute or two before you, I think!

Yes, thought that was you – was too shy to say hello. If local to Keswick, drop me a mail, I live just over the hill (certainly felt like it today!).

p.s. bolxelder – how did you get on after that drink stop cramp-wise? I'll admit I was in a pretty bad way before that point – I hadn't been able to eat or drink during the event and I was probably on my very last legs and I left some poor sod for dust on that last climb – I was determined to have some victory to celebrate!!

And congrats ton and everyone else on some cracking times

/edit – Hexham, so not too close to Keswick, but it's almost as close as Kielder to us! I'll post or email you as a few of us from Hexham want to get some decent Lakes rides in this year. Cheers!

I fond it really tough. Combination of a month off the bike then trying to pound the training over the last 2 weeks. Did it in 5hrs which it about 30 mins more than I was aiming for. Cramp was a real problem for me and there when a few occassions the legs stopped working and just fell over. Next for this year is 10 under so better start training for once.

Hello all.
Had entered the long one but realised after spending eight weeks without a ride before the event it wasn't going to be fun…so opted to do the short course

and i enjoyed it though still managed to get cramp in my right hand (read into that what you like)
Braking on the last downhill was entertaining.

Well done to all that competed.

Ton, a recognised you straight away…your rather obvious arn't you, glad you finished and had a good day.

legs stopped working and just fell over

aka 'the david walliams' 😉

3hrs 6 here. Much easier than last year but throughly enjoyable. Some nice ST as already mentioned. I had it in my mind though that we had to do that climb again from the bottom of the road section. Kind of a shame it wasn't in again I thought – always thought it was a good, honest climb – a real shake down! Brilliant day though. Had a feeling Jebb would win it.

I did it and was totally overwhelmed. Coming from the "darkside" thought it "cant be that hard", i've done some brutal road races, its only 30 odd miles. However….
(I was in the red and white full roadie kit "Lancashire Road Club" if anyone saw me riding a black Santa Cruz (now shagged) Blur)

Race Report.

Set off and was with the lead group of about 15 riders for about 10 mins up the long start climb and then I "blew up" big time, thought i could hold this intial tempo but not use to this type of effort and suffered. Got overtaken by quite a few rides while I rode myself back to a sustanable level, got my act together and started to reel riders back. I was loosing loads of time on the techical forest slatey bits and realised nobby nics are shit on this and were very slippy (40psi did'nt help), on one of the downhill switchbacks sections I got mega "T bone impact" from another rider behind me which threw me off and down the trail heavy and twatted my knee (No hard feelings moonglu rider). Ended up 33rd @ 2 hrs 53. Not bad for a 40 year old roadie.

Loved every minute and defo doing some more MTB events, a lot harder than I thought it would. 😯 😯

kingskongfinger – was with you at the beginning, what bike do you have??.

I'm sure i was sat behind you at start, specialized stumpy carbon, wearing a red and white o'neill top.

Pace was quite mental at start. Remember sitting in that bunch and going quite hard and then looking up to see this lone rider about 40 metres ahead of everyone else. We caught him during that climb though. i kept thinking i was going quite well in that group then someone would pass you so you would speed up and it kinda stayed like that all up the first climb.

Cramp got me again this year and exactly the same place on the course. Legs felt good push wise but everytime i went for a hill the back cramped and when i stood up to stretch, the front cramped 😥

Also my left crank arm came loose twice….Only a momentary fix though. Finish time of 3.28, pos 113, loosing approx 10mins with problems.
In comarrison to last year i was worse off and i had grears this year.

Was rueing my choice of worn-out Racing Ralph on the front and Nobby Nic on the back… should have stuck with the Mud-Xs. Chased Dickydutch all the way to get round in 3hrs 7mins for 64th overall and 17th in the Old Gits catagory… 😆

All you guys are making me look bad. Will someone please put up another s**t time haha

My first time and think I made the smart choice of only doing the 17mile loop came 10th which pleased me greatly! would have been quicker on the downs if people got out of the way!! grrr lol

my mate dougie finished in 90th position
3hrs 20mins it think.
one of the darlo massive Craig did a very good time, inside the top 30 i think.

radoggair – Member
kingskongfinger – was with you at the beginning, what bike do you have??.

I'm sure i was sat behind you at start, specialized stumpy carbon, wearing a red and white o'neill top.

Pace was quite mental at start. Remember sitting in that bunch and going quite hard and then looking up to see this lone rider about 40 metres ahead of everyone else. We caught him during that climb though. i kept thinking i was going quite well in that group then someone would pass you so you would speed up and it kinda stayed like that all up the first climb.

Black Santa Cruz Blur, yeh kept jumping to bridge gaps, think thats what shagged me out. 😳

I finished 324th in 4hrs 59mins. Quite how anyone could do it in half that is beyond me. Hats off too ya.

Ton, I got a bit of cramp so couldn't keep up with you. Bumped into another Manchester Mountainbiker who was suffering with it too and so we nursed each other home.

4hrs 20 is my target for next year then…

Nice one,

George

george, thanks for dragging me up that nice long climb on the 1st lap mate….
and nice to meet you mate………… 8)

ah, that explains all the MTBs on cars at tebay services this afternoon then.
any of you lot the chap i spotted in the shop in a troy lee hoodie with his arm in a sling and a few cuts on his face then?!

Results here but how do you sort them to find position?

Absolutely cracking event
Vastly improved from last year and I think the organisers had picked up on all the minor niggles. Extra loos to avoid the cues, good length of fire road before the first single track session, better course with far more single track and less long fire road climbs and a better distance as well. Spot on
I did a bit better than last year with 2.59 and 46 th(so one better than my age), my 15 yr old beat me by 6 mins and got 31 st overall and 2nd in the U18's

> All you guys are making me look bad. Will someone please put up
> another s**t time

5hr 44mins. I came last (343rd) 🙂 Does that make you feel any better?

It's the second Enduro I've entered where I came last of the people who finished. I know this says something about both my fitness and my bloody-mindedness, but I'm not quite sure what.

I was coming last by about 100m, with a guy in front on one of the singletrack sections, and then had a puncture.

A nice man on a quad bike kept waiting for me at all the turnings before removing the signs though.

I really enjoyed the event. During the last descent on the first lap, and the first climb of the second I was so tired I wasn't entirely convinced I'd be safe carrying on to the finish, but I got a second wind from somewhere on the little loop at the top of the first climb and felt quite good from there to the finish. On both laps I really enjoyed the slippy-slidy section just after that. I was very pleased we didn't have to do the git of a fireroad at the end of the first lap again though.

The only complaint I've got is nothing to do with the organisers. There were a huge number of gel wrappers folk had discarded all over the trail by the time I went round on my second lap. There was a poor lady at the end having to ride the entire course picking them up, and there really is no need.

I just had a look at the results 😕 i recon they have`nt got them sorted in finish order yet ❓

times look wrong too.
or i got 4.20 mmixed up with 4.49 😳