who's HONCing?

Doing it for the first time this year – hope the weather holds out as have put the summer tyres on the bike tonight!
Gonna get there early as the portaloos won’t be pretty with 1350 twitching sphincters to deal with …

should be there, depends how i feel after my 4 x 12hr shifts 🙁 … will be on the cross bike this year for the first time , which is a unknown ?

fs 29er as its all i have… trying to decide whether or not to wear a back pack – mainly for the mountain of food i will need as much as anything else.
are the food stations to be trusted not to run out, and is the food expensive?

Doing it on a GT Grade this year.

Interested in this event. Moving down that way this summer, so I’ll definitely look to ride the HONC next year.

Doing a family ride this year and aiming to take the same time to do 50k as I took to do 100k last year, should be a much more pleasant day out 🙂

Hoping the weather holds, most bits were quite dry when I rode around Winchcombe last weekend but a mate rode over Cleeve and some of that was a bit horrible.

Great event and hope all 1,200+ entrants manage to get there okay.

are the food stations to be trusted not to run out, and is the food expensive?

The only food stop is at Guiting Power. There’s typically a mountainsof homemade cake and bananas as well as water – it’s included in the cost of the ride, but a charitable donation is appreciated. I don’t think they’ve ever run out – some usually ends up at the finish.

There’s also a (non-free!) burger van at the start/finish.

HONC!

Me and my son will be there.

I’ll be in my On One (1×9) or IO (1×1) as usual. Might be the wettest one I’ve ever done if the forecast is to be believed……

Yup, I’m in. My 3rd HONC – be aware of the gale force winds as is usual whenever I ride it.

Plenty of food as hoopyfrood says.

It’s a bit late to be asking, I’ve just looked it up and entry is now closed for this year! Have fun and I hope the weather holds. I’ve bookmarked it for next year. ..

I’ll be there!

Dogsby

I’m doing it again this year on my xc bike, planning on 100k route but may change if the weather is shocking. Expect lots of road sections, I think the off road bits are going to get cut up fairly quickly. We have had a bit of rain followed by glorious sunshine lately

Might have to rethink the front and rear crossmark combo…!

I’m in, second time for me, enjoyed it last year.

I’ll be there for my 8th outing HONC!! I’ll be on the 27.5’er 😕

Heading done on Saturday and staying in Tewkesbury overnight, got to get down from Derbyshire!

Planning the 100k route, but if the conditions/weather are bad I might swap onto the 50k route!

Im there, my 3rd HONC. Latest forecast looks decent – dry, sunny intervals 7 degrees

“The only food stop is at Guiting Power”

No , there is usually a little top available at the last check point of the 100km route.

After doing it 4 times, won’t be doing it this year. Too much road involved nowadays

“Too much road involved nowadays “

It has always been a mix some times more road than off , sometimes the other way .

It has never been an MTB event , it has evolved from a reliability ride held by the local ROAD cycling clubs .

The name is partly in “homage” to the Paris Roubaix ROAD cycling event .

It’s a bloody great event and does a lot of good for the local community .

Chill out and enjoy yourselves . You will ride through some amazing scenery and meet some really nice people .

I will be there but not as well prepared as the last few times so might just do the short loop.
It’s always a great event and the cake is great.

And as above its not an mtb

Looks dry Sunday a lot of hail stones over the Cotswolds today will keep the dust down tomorrows dry bit of rain Saturday been some very windy days this week hopefully that will calm down.

How Honc began.

As for those turning up, shut the f***ing gates and take your litter home with you! I am tailending and don’t want be picking up the crap left by riders who can’t be arsed to show any consideration.

Oh and enjoy the first climb….

and count the helmets……

Would it be GEL rappers by any chance!!!!!!!!!.

Anyone local know what the conditions are like? Certainly not going to be dusty like last year but how muddy are things?

i pre-rode the first 2 climbs yesterday and the third/fourth? climb today (this morning on the way to work, BEFORE the rain) hard ground, BUT lots of big puddles and a few soft patches. But not too bad.

However it has rained ALOT today, i suspect the ground will be hard with lots of big puddles on Sunday.

ba humbug Mr mo .
Have you drawn the short straw having to tail end ?

No, i choose to tail end,however i am also aware that some of the tracks used are NOT to be ridden outside of the event and i know from previous experience there are a surprising number of idiots who will leave gates open, there are sheep in some of the fields, such as on the first climb. There are also idiots who will drop wrappers and leave litter.

Like most things, HONC relies on goodwill, from the members of Winchcombe CC and Cheltenham and County CC to provide marshalling etc, and also relies on the local community for access etc. Just because HONC’s been running for a while does not mean support won’t be pulled, that the event will be blocked.

It only takes one idiot to screw it up for everyone.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1255255181170562&id=370286689667420

Looks nice and muddy/puddly along the white road to Hinchcombe pass today on road has been a fair few showers over the Cotswolds today Stow/Bourton/Moreton etc ride a cross bike soon wiz through them.Well marked how long have they been using those yellow stickers etc?might give it ago again 😆

I’ve just ridden this section – https://www.strava.com/segments/3836362?filter=overall. Seems to be living up to it’s name.

More rain overnight….

I remember Clag Fest 2013 – I had to walk my bike through it, I don’t think it will get that bad this year….I hope 🙂

The trails are definitely better than 2013, or so it seems from recent riding but I think it may still be tough, the climb out of Laverton will be hard as the track has nearly washed away.

Does anyone have a pdf or similar for the 50k & 100k routes please?

Gizmo can’t manage to fathom the gpx files unfortunately 🙁

Been raining on and off all day here in Tewkesbury….I have fitted my read mud guard!!!

I will be there tomorrow and I have also just dug out my rear guard.

For those of you planning to do the long route, ignore your gps and pay attention to the signs, there is a diversion in place avoiding a “field of doom lite”.

Graham, first or second half of long route?

first part, not long after the checkpoint/split.

I’ve managed to loose my entry central entry confirmation email (I can bring id) – will I be sent home in disgrace. Emailed the organisers to tell them this 😳

G, between C1 and M16 on MMcG’s map he sent round or further towards Notgrove? Basically the bit i am tail-ending?

Anyone been sent the GPS link? I had an email that said the link was invalid, but not one with the link.

Likely doing the 50k tomorrow. Mud tyres, for what it’s worth!