There were marshalls?

I really like the Gorricks but any major medical incident would have to rely on rider first aid. It’s not a series to have a Fabrice Muamba at.

Good day out – somewhat more serious than Checkendon. 9th GV, intervals starting to pay off and the Epic was sublime.

Far too much….

Hope race brakeset
Saddle
Pedals

Cotic simple rises like the phoenix. Time to have some fun…..

The 350 front isn’t very flexible for axles whereas the oversize 240 is.

Hope £200

DT240s £335

£135 = 38 pints

^ me too pretty much – no one brand, some eye wateringly expensive stuff that gets used for specific conditions.

Assos bib shorts – last about 5 years

Castelli Nanoflex – arm warmers and knee warmers – fantastic, 5 years and patched.

Merida gilet – pertex with side elastic material – just brilliant

Jerseys – don’t give a shit only time I wear anything decent is racing and that’s the shop kit

Long sleeve jerseys – as above

Waterproof – Gore – expensive, hardly ever gets worn and in reality a bit of a waste of money

Softshell – Endura windchill – foul weather favourite

Gore gloves – toasty

I also like to look unfashionably reflective/bright on the road so that rules Rapha out.

I use my endura windchill 1 when it’s really foul. Amazing how much sweat I produce – stop and it’s quickly cold and unpleasant.

Yup – providing I’m not ill.

Ashima – spell checker

Dunno about floating but I’ve found the minimalist type such as Ashmansworth to muller pads in the mud and also to reduce braking.
On the other hand Ive found the Hope floaters very good.

Might get my inbred while I can…..

I have to admit to being an immense Hope fanboi – ordering my 6th set of race x2s…. could save £100 by going shimano but I just love them sooo much.

I’m managing about 4-6hrs a week after Sept off. CTL 40 down from 80 odd so I’might not overt rained. Just trying to do too much I suppose.

Being an old (emphasis) git I’m out of the ability categories and in an age category.

I only dabble at the sub regional level eg Gorricks, Banjo, Bestway etc.

It’s taken me 3 years from first race to getting to trouble the podium occasionally. For something worth doing that seems about right. It’s taken a large increase in my knowledge base, training time and equipment, again that seems reasonable.

Stages is light, convenient and relatively cheap. It can suffer battery drainage issues and the one sidedness can mislead. It’s great for training and pacing but based on my comparison with Powertap and the Hunter/Coggan power table I’d be very cautious about using Stages data for comparison. Not really an issue once you realise Xwatts/kg means very little when it comes to predicting results

Maybe it’s just the end of season events that have been a bit down.

I just hope Banjo can keep on running Rampage. Seems the epitome of grass roots sport. The racing is competitive, friendly and to a very high standard 😉

Budget – yesteryears £1k became £5k and is only just south of £10k now.

Oh and no one seems to do single speed now

Presumably a no no for turbo and rollers?

ADSH can testify, I found myself speinting off the start in front at Vets R3

I can’t I was too busy dying (12hr training regime meets XC for first time).

I find I can’t be arsed about numbers atm. I’m reverting to results

Enter
Take a picture of the entry and pin it to something prominent
Start a training diary
Buy a turbo
Do base training
Do some long rides
Get comfortable on your bike for a long time
Arrive at start line
Go slower than you want to
Stay slower than you want to
Keep riding
Eat and drink often
Don’t stop other than to change bottles
Break open emergency treats
Start walking up climbs
Don’t stop
Be aware of all the excuses your mind will invent to make you stop
Write something motivational on your top tube
Think about how annoyed you will be if you stop
Place much higher than people in lycra who passed you like you were standing still in the first few hours but gave up.

12hr racing is a feat of mental endurance – both in the discipline to train and the discipline to keep going when you want to stop.

I’ve discovered life outside of training and so have binned long base rides etc and have just done a Z5 intervals session, a sweetspot session, an hours Zone 3 and the odd XC race. Basically I’m doing a transition from rest to full on from November onwards. This year will be more high intensity and less base to see if I can get some improvements from a different regime

Moving my Z5 to an XC course (Aston) definitely helped my XC races.

The transition phase workouts from Tomorrows Plan have fewer and less intervals than I was doing eg Sweetspot 4x10minutes when I was doing 3x20minutes and z5 3x5minutes when I was doing 6x5minutes (well actually 4 at Z5 and 2 at Z4 as unable to maintain Z5 power)

I’m loathe to regress but maybe I should do the shorter/lesser intervals to ensure I go into November with energy?

Just been requested follow by a workmate. Note to self – do not upload sicky rides.

Deer don’t shoot themselves. If you’re in the woods around first or last light chances are there’s someone with a rifle somewhere nearby.

I’m not sure what is more stupid inadvisable asking a bunch of strangers on the net for medical advice or the strangers suggesting exercising without having a clue what the cause/issue is.

Do yourself a favour, spend some money and ask a physiotherapist what is going on. They make you do things with the limb in ways which allow them to understand the biomechanical issues and apply tape/slings/massage as well as prescribing remedial remedies.

Without this you run the risk of getting a chronic life changing injury.

Example – I had knee pain, self and internet diagnosed as patella femoral tendonitis. Cure is mainly rest. Went to physio, diagnosed as quad musculature imbalance, taped knee, prescribed specific exercises and allowed to keep on riding. Had I continued down the self diagnosis route I would have stopped riding for weeks, come back and had the same issue.

This is clearly the new wheelsize thread.

I vote an instant ban for anyone boring/stupid enough to post any of the following:

– they’re just motorbikes
– it’s not cycling
– they’ll be the death of mountain biking
– it’ll be an arms race of power
– they’re only good for those with disabilities

Would clear the chaff from the forum pretty sharpish.

This is depressing because it means that after the pain of all the moronic discussion they’ll become standard.

I tried and can’t really manage it as it turns out I have arthritic wrists 🙁

also 177/187 is nearly 95% of max – you’re pushing!

Zones can be very subjective

I was taught that Z5 is the power/HR you can maintain in a functional threshold test. This means it’s a very narrow band that is hard to spend much time in because the moment you drop 1W or 1bpm you are in Z4 and the moment you exceed it by 1W or 1bpm you are in Z6.

The anaerobic component of riding doesn’t happen like a switch it ramps up. Threshold is merely the level of intensity you can manage for 20minutes(x0.95) or an hour ie the level of intensity you can clear lactate at the rate you produce it (I think)

uggh

plain white background really doesn’t do any favours
road bikes age badly
stem angle can wreck the best

In that case

Hope District rear light

I read your comments re sitting duck/vulnerable to be a female specific thing which I hadn’t considered before but can see could be an issue.

I am a real scaredy cat when it comes to ice. I don’t ride below 4c and wet or 3c and dry. I broke this rule last Feb and had a massive off at speed on sheet ice. Very lucky not to have life changing injuries.

Turbo, fans and Netflix for me plus a long muddy off road ride each weekend.

Banjo Rampage by [/url], on Flickr

My XC training plan (rest, ride a bit of XC and do the odd interval) has paid off though I should perhaps say that only one rider didn’t podium in my class.

^They’re not bad but watch out for very expensive parts if you want to change axles etc.

What’s the ERD? Unless you are very lucky changing from the Hope will mean new spokes. Reusing something as cheap as nipples is false economy.

Success in others
‘Best’ threads
Threads that start ‘Tell me’ or Talk to me’

Carbon steerers are supposed to have some steerer above the stem (hence spacer). Also best to have a large bung that supports the inside of the steerer for the whole clamping area.

Not all Lymes is indicated by the red marking

Do you have a map of that route at all bud

https://www.strava.com/activities/578301801

Aston or Swinley both about 45minutes. Aston is rideable to on the Ridgeway if you like a long day out.

I do a 60 mile loop from Benson via Goring to Henley, Fawley and Christmas Common. Probably only 6 bits of fun single-track but a heap of nice climbs, fast descents, dips, roots and wallows to get lost in.

You might consider riding a cheaper bike like an Anthem 29er for the first season until you know what you like and have more experience to make a more informed decision.

I live a couple of miles from the op. Love it for XC training but it’s fitness not skills really. Trail centre it is not – more like gravel with mud instead of gravel. Suits me and there are some bits of twist to liven things up occasionally.