TJ+1 – I think that due process was not followed, so whether she should have been sacked or not is a separate issue. Knee-jerk tabloid sensationalism and appeasement was the sour flavour of the day. If all the evidence points to her ineptitude then fair enough – I doubt if all the facts are known though.

Scottish, then British.

I think Rob is a top bloke – making a fantastic effort on a super tough ride. He sensibly called it a day when it was no longer safe – that takes real guts. So, in answer to the question posed he should try again, not stay on southern trails and a lot of riders here do care – including me.

SIS and SIS Noche is okay, I like High 5 protein recovery also. I avoid everything by maximuscle as gastrointestinal distress is something of an understatement ;-)

I used them before and they were okay until it rained – I moved over to daily disposables and they've been awesome. If not, +1 on oakleys!

Shandy – thanks for that! My bleed kit arrives tomorrow so fingers crossed it'll work!

+1 for wwaswas. Confrontation may be required but it's better to push back gently first and see what they say. Best of luck to you Ian!

Hope hubs sound excellent – noisy and distinctive. Nice!

+1 for njee20 and Exposure enduro + Joystick. Great combination, not too expensive. My mate has ayups and they are excellent value and perform very well though!

Thanks for this all – my front xt brake is awesome but the rear is as superspongy exactly as banjowhacker describes. Have ordered a bleed kit and will see if it improves!! Any ideas on why cable routing may be an issue as above??

+1 for Eddie Izzard!

+1 for genuine innovations – top stuff.

+1 for Reimans P20 – I burn through factor 60 and P20 does the job for at least 5 hours. Comfortable to wear, easy to apply but don't wear white next to it – it will stain. Excellent stuff.

I've had excellent service from both so take your pick!!!

I run both on UST – NN's are lighter and a little quicker rolling on hardpack, ignitors are tougher, a little heavier and a little slower rolling but loads better on loose stuff or mud.

I think it'll be fun – especially if the weather isn't rubbish. An event for soloists with no team riders running round is too good to miss!!!!

trickydisco – you have a very good point. I like the high pressure for the road sections and general predictability, but my kidneys were liquified on three sections of the route ;-)

Excellent event this year – huge well done to the organisers and marshals!!!! The Signs were great – only one sketchy crossroads with no obvious sign on it. The field of rocks and the climb up the horseshoe trampled path were not pleasant though. Rode the event on a hardtail with racing ralphs so a good choice there – pumped them to 60psi to be sure ;-)

Just had an e-mail through from the HONC chaps with a revised map attached – have just deleted the other versions I have and am running with that.

email text here below – looks like we have signposts for the route – YAY!!! See you all there. I'll be near the back . . . ;-)

Dear HONC Entrant.

Only a couple of days to go and the weather looks set fair for Sunday. Already the tracks are drying out after all the rain we have had and most of the course should be rideable.

Sign On
The event starts at 09:00am from Winchcombe School and you should plan to arrive in good time to sign on and get your route maps. You can sign on from 07:30am.

Polo Shirts
After signing on those of you who have pre ordered a Polo Shirt can collect it by presenting your Control Card at the Shirt Stall. There will be a limited number for sale on Sunday at £10 each.

Lambing
Lambing seems to be late this year and we have had to make three last minute route revisions at the request of local land owners because of young lambs or pregnant sheep. The route will be marked throughout with yellow and black HONC arrows and you will get a correction sheet at the sign on. The route revisions only affect the 100km route and not the 50km route.
There are still some fields that will contain sheep and lambs so please ensure the you close all gates behind you.

GPS Route. We have attached an updated .gpx and .trl file for the 100km route (RevB) which superceeds the file originally published on our HONC wen site.

We wish you all a great ride and look forward to seeing you all on Sunday

The HONC Team.

ps don't forget the sunbloc!

Please also check on grahmh's post regarding the route changes for GPS's just in case! http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/honc-gps-files

Have looked at the route from the corrective site and it's pretty much the old one but some less accurate directions (taking a straight line on some bits through a building outside Guiting Power(!!), other than the small section at Salperton removed.

Shermer75 +1!!!! Or, use maxxis UST tyres and a track pump as they go up a dream!

I've ridden it for the past two years (actually, 7 out of the past 10 years) and it's still good fun – great atmosphere, great crowd to ride with and a lovely area to boot! Personally, I'd prefer a fully way marked route because I'm rather lazy and prefer to ride without thinking much, so I bought a GPS and I hope that saves me the hassle ;-)

Oh, and did I mention that the weather forecast is pretty good???

The forecast is looking very good indeed for now! ;-)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/2174

Scuba Diving – just awesome
Yoga – very relaxing
Hill Walking – nice to get out and have a walk somewhere really inspiring.
Reading – always a good book on the boil.
Cooking – massive fan of Escoffier so getting fatter . . . .
Wine – a real world of pleasure in a bottle. Which is worrying . . . . .
And on the adverse side of things – lots of time on this forum ;-)

Enjoy!

I wear daily disposables for road and MTB and they're great – I usually wear eye protection but they're usually fine off road without. They can dry out a little in high winds – so wear glasses on road. Carry 2 spare pairs just in case though!

I've had no problems at all with them – great service all round.

Dorset Knob – have re-read my post and see where you're coming from. I wasn't having a pop at you at all so please don't think that I was; especially as I agree with the point you've made. So, no offence intended. However, there are comments that I feel are less than constructive here and Dooge is asking advice on a very serious and personal matter – not on bikes and kit.

The only point I'm making is that the usual STW bitching (fun as it can be) on the forums should be suspended on posts like this – I think it's only fair. Also naive on my part probably! We all make judgements on people – me especially – but it's how we express these judgements, either positively or negatively, that actually matters.

Anyway, mini rant over. Hope you all get out on the bike over easter in some good weather ;-)

Dooge – well done for recognising the problem, making an effort to do something about it and asking for advice. Some counselling may well help -and of course deal with the cause rather then the effects.

Some of the posters here have been very brave in making their past decisions open to others here and I respect that – fair play all. Some of the other comments in reply have been less than positive and that's just hugely disappointing, albeit typical for STW forums. I kindly suggest that judging others publicly isn't always a nice trait.

I've had no problems with mine at all and I'm 15 stone – ridden it on a full sus for a year.

Ti29er – the point made by njee20 is extremely valid. If the knee struggles then take the ride easier, assuming you're cleared by the Doc first! It's the first UK champs so worth attending (bagsy the red lantern but fancy a different course to ride!) and see how it goes. If you need to rest then do so but don't worry about it and think of it as passive training. All of this is academic if you're not motivated and in the right mindset. Just take it easy and see how it goes!

Good luck and hope to see you there!

I clean the forks off with a low pressure hose then do the seals with a wet sponge, dry them off and use fork juice – it's excellent stuff. I also didn't buy Fox ;-)

+1 on the adventurer 2800 from memorymap – I got mine for £200 from http://www.tredz.co.uk and it comes with memory map software, maps of the national parks in 1:50k pre-loaded 10,000km sq of further mapping available. Great value! In use it runs for 6+hours and I really like it. Not as slick as some others in the market, but seriously cost effective. Very quick refresh rates on screen and following the route arrow is okay – still getting used to that!

I'm personally in favour of Capital Punishment but the beyond reasonable doubt bit gets me every time. The death penalty is very fitting indeed to some crimes. However, proving it beyond reasonable doubt is the problem. Once hanged, shot or whatever miscarriages of justice cannot be rectified. The penal system is meant to rehabilitate offenders so they don't re-offend. The efficacy and cost effectiveness of that policy remains in question and rightly so.

TBH I don't think that the death penalty fits any 'civilised' society as mentioned above – but life imprisonment should mean life though – not 7 years or so. The safety of the public means more than the human rights of a very sick individual like Levi Bellfield.

Anyway – my thoughts and sympathies are with Milly's family – that's the important thing here imho.

I think the mag is great – online and in hard copy. It's different to every other publication and the advertising ratio is very balanced. I'd suggest everyone that isn't happy with the niche filled by STW should start their own magazine forthwith. However,

Mark – I don't think your apology was required at all and it wasn't really a rant. Fair comment if nothing else – no need to apologise for that. I'd be a tad less polite in your shoes……

Chipps – fair play for giving out your direct number – but again the content has been great and the magazine is still a success and a great read. Keep up the good work!

No – that was Craig Gordon on 24 Solo.

I use blackspire super pro rings and the middleburn hardoat – both loads better than shimano and I get them on offer from CRC or wherever on offer and hoard them in the garage ;-0

if it's been dry for a few days head to high street, Helvellyn will be rammed full of walkers then so not as much fun I fear!

I have 2 pairs – one pair are 6 years old and the other is 1 years old. Very reliable, comfy (am a size 46) but the old ones are wearing on the inner heel so I avoid these on long (6hrs+ rides, hence the new pair!). Along with XTR pedals they've been the most reliable things on my bikes for 10 years. Highly recommended.

I think it's a great idea if only it could get off the ground without the perennial STW bitching, fighting and arguments :-) 40 mile relays – including night rides – could make it a fairly quick event too :-)