Not just you – I did 6 hours as well, and even though I’m used to that, it was a course that beats you up.

For me, it’s my spindly arms and my neck that hurt today, although feeling fairly jaded all over as a late mechanical prevented me from doing a warm-down spin or any stretching.

I don’t know what your ideal set-up is so could well be room for improvement, but a race like that will find your weak points and make them hurt, whatever they are!

Yes my pipecleaner arms hurt more than my legs, just like they did at Gorrick 100. 6 hours is a beating on bumpy roots, loved the course though!

An extra lap would have been 2nd but I’d still be there now – nothing left in the tank at all!

Lucky for me that you just missed going out, it was me in 2nd and I punctured about a quarter of the way round lap 10. Couldn’t get it to re-seal and spare tube and repair kit were back in the pits.

Dispiriting trudge back to the arena wondering if I was going to hold onto a podium spot or not. As it turned out the puncture cost me nothing as no-one else had made a 10th lap, and the leader was 8 mins up the road so realistically I wouldn’t have got close even though I started to feel strong again on the last lap!

I don’t mind Nibbles winning but an entire team bossing it for the whole tour and having 6 riders placed to 25 smells horribly late 90’s to me.

Or TdF 2012 for that matter.

No big climbs there but some short steep ones, much like PorridgePot across the road (although less rooty).

I like Frith, but going to be spending Saturday moving house instead of resting up, so 6hrs of suffering for me. I’ll pretend I’m just treating it as training :wink:

And just announced on Gorrick’s FB feed that it will be Frith Hill this year, due to issues with Caesar’s Camp.

Yes, Modane to Alp d’Huez is 25th July, I need to get through Modane on the E70 on 24th July, so I need to find out what time (if at all) the E70 closes.

But also get through St Jean de Maurienne first (also on the E70), which is the start of the stage on 24th July.

Luckily I don’t need to drive up to Alpe d’Huez itself – I’m just passing through, not trying to watch the race!

It looks like the E70 possibly doesn’t close at all, as it is off-course on both days, but I need to find out for sure.

Cheers.

Yeah I’ve had a look at the race schedule, was wondering if there was any more detailed info on which off-route roads were closed – like something that a local authority would produce.

I’m going to have to go through two start towns (St Jean de Maurienne and Modane), although I’m hoping that the former will have re-opened by the time I get there, and the latter won’t be closed yet.

Yeah you can zoom in and out through all the different scales, just like on OS Getamap.

It’s a brilliant website and has been around for yonks and is completely free :)

Loads of IGN maps (French equivalent of Ordnance Survey) here.

Choose the layer you want from the selection on the left hand side.

+1 for Douro, also Dão. Costs buttons in the supermarkets.

Whyte 29C? Bought mine as a full build, but like you I wasn’t that keen on the CTD forks so switched them for some DT Swiss XMM100s.

Test rode the Whyte back to back with a Scale and found the Whyte a bit more confident descending, although I’d have been pretty happy with either.

Unity of Command.

How are your map reading skills? If half way decent then maybe you would enjoy MTB Orienteering.

Not sure if this interests you, but if so then there’s a Gorrick Trailtrax this Sunday at Tilford just south of Farnham, Surrey. As many checkpoints as you can get in 3 hours (or a 2 hour option if you prefer). Choose your own route. Start and finish in a pub. What’s not to like?

I reckon you’ll need to do nearly 35 miles to get all 20 checkpoints, although that depends how good your route planning is.

I’m setting the checkpoints for this one, so feel free to slag me off in person at the finish if you didn’t like it :)

Details here.

Good luck to you, and the support crew too! Going to be epic for all of you :)

Don’t see why anyone should have a problem with you being fully supported, it’s not like you’re pretending to be doing it alpine. Stay safe and try and enjoy!

You’ve probably looked on the Berlingo forum already, but if not this might help.

I’d like to do the same, although on a 2000 Berlingo without reducing my perfectly functional car to its scrap value by getting it wrong.

Will have to have a look for that then.

I was actually practising portage up the steep bridleway to the south east of the temple. And also on Black Down, to the bemusement of the people looking down from the viewpoint to see me coming up the sketchy path to the south.

Stunning views at both places. I adore the area!

Yes Temple of the Four Winds is near Gibbet Hill, Temple of the Winds is on Black Down (south of Haslemere).

Visited both today :) Didn’t find the bombholes, did find plenty of cows.

Charlie sent out another GPX file last night which works fine :)

Super Locomotive for me. Went on holiday to Swanage every year as a kid and all my holiday money went on this. Eventually turned up one year and it had gone – never saw it anywhere else :(

Just a plain old 29er MTB for me.

Might put some faster running tyres on it if I can be arsed, probably not though!

No, you put the code in before payment details. You never get to payment details, because it realises there is no payment required. I can’t tell you exactly where though, as now I’m signed up I won’t see the sign-up process again.

The GPX is faulty I think, so I doubt it will load into any mapping application or GPS device correctly right now. Best to wait until Charlie sends out a fixed version. A valid GPX file will work with Garmin, or anything else that supports GPX (which is most things).

Chiba gel gloves work well for me, nice thick gel pads. They’ve got a fairly wide range although I’ve only really tried the fingerless Gel Comfort ones, albeit several pairs going back probably a decade.

I’ve been successful with the OS Maps discount code, but the GPX won’t open there. I can open it in Tracklogs, but it isn’t quite right.

I’ve let Charlie know, so he’s aware.

Rod Hull is Alive – Why? by Half Man Half Biscuit:

“Halfway up The Wrekin with an empty flask of tea”

AQR[/url] are pretty good value and great fun, quality well-maintained bike fleet (Cotics of various kinds) too.

Stayed here a few years ago, beautiful place on the coast, not too far from Cadair Idris.

Bar billiards table was a novelty!

Hoping that South West Trains can get me home in time to vote this evening as was already commuting in by the time the polling station opened. Starting to think a postal vote would have been a good idea.

Cat is faster than the ferry, but it depends a bit on your planned route – Fishbourne is closer to my favourite route so the time spent on the ferry is saved by avoiding the tedious spin in from Ryde.

Swings and roundabouts really, so tend to just go with whichever timetable fits best.

It’s been 4 years so memory may be more than a little hazy, but I think we carried on along the road past Cwm Farm, and then took the unclassified fire road that zig-zags up through Park Wood. Tried to do a Streetmap link but can’t get it to work.

In fact, I think that was the suggested route on the MTB Brecon Beacons route card, as I don’t remember us even trying the Neuadd Fawr footpath.

Hopefully someone with more up-to-date info can help though.

Anchovies are the rubbery bits you poke into the tyre, as found in a repair kit like this.

I repaired the tread of a Rocket Ron with an anchovy in January last year, and it’s still going strong.

So give that a try, and if it seals ok then you should just be able to forget about it. Top up the sealant though.

Bike Village.

Can’t make it now – got to be in Dorset earlier on Saturday than I thought :(

Looking forward to it, haven’t actually ridden this since the 2010 horror show at Swinley!

20+ was common, 30+ not uncommon, no idea what the maximum was.

I remember more than 50 turned up for a recce ride of Minley a week or so before Torq 12:12 one year. It didn’t really work.

Most of the 20-30 person Troll rides I went on ran smoothly enough though, occasionally one would descend into endless faff or mechanical hell, but not too often.

george is of course doing both

Haha yes, I would have to factor in quite a lot more time than him!

Getting down to Swanage in time afterwards (through all the BH traffic) is my main concern. Oh, and not being too destroyed for the Gravel Dash of course ;)

Hmmm – as soon as I found out Erlestoke was off I signed up for CTBM’s Gravel Dash instead. But that’s the following day, I wonder if I can fit both in? Maybe if I start this one around 5:30am instead!

What do you do about water refills George?

OK thanks to you both, much appreciated.

I had heard a rumour a couple of weeks ago, sounds like it’s confirmed. Bummer.