We finished the 100km route, was a lot more elevation than last year which caught me out.  The trails were dry and running really well.

Took just under 6hrs to get around, feeling cooked now.     Really well organised as ever.

Yep I will be there, Santa Cruz Highball hard tail with Thunder Burt tyres and aero bars on ( because I haven’t got around to removing them after a hike packing trip / secretly like them).

Should be quicker than my first HONC 15 years ago, on a Kona Blast, with heavy high rollers and a camelback packed to the nines.  This was in the old April slot and the weather was filthy.

I am working my way through Dark Matter, drama/sci-Fi about a man travelling to an alternate timeline of his to steal the life he wishes he had chose from another version of him.  Pretty interesting so far.

I was looking for a bike for the same type of riding as you describe, ended up getting a good deal on the base Santa Cruz highball model.

Has external threaded  BB, can fit a 38 tooth chain ring, 3 x bottle mounts and no rider worthy limit on the frame.

Have entered the Wales duro and HONC and doing lots of Cotswold bridleways and byways.

The chisels look really nice and I nearly bought one of them instead.

Thanks will follow the group above.

Yes it’s a great route and I like that the trails are narrow and you have to be really accurate.

I think after yesterday I need to buy a camelback again, took everything on me and the bike but could have really done with an an extra layer after it got soaked through and then started snowing.  On there was a section higher up where I was struggling with braking and changing gear due to frozen fingers.

Yes it’s a great route and I like that the trails are narrow and you have to be really accurate.

I think after yesterday I need to buy a camelback again, took everything on me and the bike but could have really done with a mm extra layer after it got soaked through and then started snowing.  On there was a section higher up where I was struggling with braking and changing gear due to frozen fingers.

I was going to say my 12 + year old slightly baggy Altrura tights (old fashioned, no bib, no chamois, hoops for the feet).  But I over cooked a corner on the road bike today and had big spill and shredded the knee so maybe not.

If it’s a clear day the Cader Idris up and down is worth it for something different.

So where do I stand with my concealed / stealth muck off bar end mounted tubeless plug trimmer knife ! (After spending about 5 minutes looking for my Multitool and unscrewing it).

I was really tempted by one, have always wanted a lefty forked Cannondale.  In the end went for a Santa Cruz highball which had a slightly longer reach and seemed like it would fit me better.

I don’t think I will be troubling the leader board so riding with the main aim of completing the route in the allotted time.  Looking at the elevation I have need to shift some weight!

Good to know, will look for a midge net.  Should be ok at night, will take a hooped bivvi.

No gravel bike so xc hard tail will have to do, appreciate it won’t be the best on long road sections hence looking at tyre and aero bars .

I know the thunder burts will be fairly fragile compared to usual MTB tyres but are they not tougher than most of the narrower gravel tyres that gravel bike riders will be on?

Conti xc race kings protection have similar rolling resistance to thunder burts on bicycle rolling resistance site, so they could be an option.

Did anyone bother with gas and stove?  It looks like there’s food at the campsite and will eat cold food on the road?

Yes same event I think, Bangor to Cardiff, times segments, bivi overnight in midwales, mix of inroad and off-road.

I had found myself in a similar situation, but with slightly more gentle off road available at the edge of the North Cotswolds.  I ended up getting a heavily discounted Santa Cruz highball and went for my first spin today about 60/40 on road off road mix.  I’m sure a gravel bike would have got around fine but I had fun popping off any tiny lips and drops i found on my way around.   

Sounds like a bonk – I used to regularly under fuel, my worst bonk was after a 50 mile road ride with one bottle of water and no snacks on a nice frosty winter morning.  I ended up lay on a verge and scavenging some frosted sprouts from a field.  Made it home, ate a whole jar of jam and then crawled shivering into bed still wearing kit.  Think I was probably a bit hypothermic as well.

I have had an eco downpour for 18 months, it fits well, keeps me largely dry in moderate rain, after heavy sustained rain it does start to wet through on shoulders where rucksack straps go.  Overall it’s more than and good enough for my use dog walking, doing outdoor stuff with my kids, wearing before and after riding ect.  It’s probably a due reproofing wash.  

Don’t know how it compares to other kit, would imagine gortex is superior.  

I have just seen that they are compatible with 2.3mm rotors, so will have to order some of those as well I think my current ones are 1.8mm and probably due a change anyway. Is it only TRP and Hope that make the 2.3mm rotors?

Thanks for everyone’s replies, will give the TRP’s evos a go based on the above.

Probably an old oak tree on our childhood dog walking footpath, it had a small split between the roots which me, my sister and the dog could just fit through.  We would crawl inside in near dark and just about be able to stand up.  Dad would then put his arms through another small gap in the roots to scare us!  It’s still standing, I can’t fit in anymore though.

Stow on the Wold Church doorway yew trees are cool if you are a fellow Tolkien nerd.

@ the-muffin-man I am sure you are right and there are instances of some vets using insurance because they can, but I think its considerably less than you imagine.  Particularly with younger more recently graduated vets working in corporate practices in which they have no vested interest.

At vet school there is literally no focus on finances, its is entirely clinically driven.  Many more recent graduates (including me earlier in my career) find it incredibly difficult discussing money/costs with clients (because they have had no training in it) and therefore are relieved when patients are insured because it removes a possibly difficult conversation.

Another aspect again that probably is more of a factor in more recent graduates is that University education teaches you gold standard care and how to work a case up to a high standard and again some vets find working within financial constraints and looking for more basic solutions difficult and counter to how they have been trained (that is not to say they shouldn’t be able to offer alternative treatment plans they absolutely should).

My point is there is often a perception that vets eyes light up when they hear an animal in insured, and in some cases they may do but it may be for different reasons than you think.

@mattyfez – we charge a admin fee (nearer £20) but feel that its fair.  Processing insurance paperwork takes considerably more time than 30 seconds, the vet needs to complete treatment section which takes time out of their day.   We employ and insurance co-ordiator to process the claims and chase insurers on our clients behalf.  It is not unusual for insurers to come back requesting further details or reports and payment can be delayed whilst a claim is being considered.

Declaration of interest I am a vet and director in an independent practice.

I don’t know how the animal health certificates work on small animal but the equine ones are incredibly onerous, pre-brexit export to the EU was relatively a relatively straightforward certificate 4 pages long, the same certificate is now about 16 pages long.

From a clients perspective what they see when I turn up to do the health check an examination is a 15 minute health check, sign the pre completed papers and leave.  What they don’t see is the hour of prep to download cert for government portal, check the current UK disease status for notifiable diseases, complete the 16 pages of awkwardly worded deletions in English and destination countries language, and the signing it all off on the portal again once the exam has been completed.

Sorry don’t know what went wrong above mods please delete.

Tpbiker – I am a horse vet and director in an independent practice with small, horse and farm departments.

I understand your frustration regarding medications like that but in some cases it is not the vets fault.

We are obliged by the veterinary medicines directorate to use licensed veterinary meds, specifically for that condition in that species, if a licensed med is not available the can cascade to licensed med in a different species, then human meds, then specially compounded products.

In theory this is to ensure the meds we use have undergone safety and efficacy testing (expensive trials) and with novel treatments pharmaceutical companies can have a patent for 7 (I think) years to encourage R and D.

It is frustrating however when a pharmaceutical company licenses a commonly used med that has been in circulation for years because we are obliged to prescribe that rather than the human generic unless we have a good reason not to.

Hope that sheds some light, it’s not always as simple as buying human meds and sticking a dog pic on the front and doubling the costs.

For reference I ride a 2011 Whyte 901 in 26” flavour ;).
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I ran racing Ralph rear and Specialized storm control on the front just because I didn’t want the faff of buying new tyres for my old 26” hard tail.

Did the 100km, bloody knackered by the end of it, only ridden 500 miles this year up until HONC.  Good route and great event though.

Horse vet here, I drive  a DMaxx VCross  and am very happy with it.  Have to cater for two child car seats in the rear.  Lockable drawers and canopy in bed with a large amount of bulky medical kit in the back that is carried every day.

Mainly driven on road but will be used at all hours of the day and night on rural roads and farm drives as well as the odd field.  If it has flooded or snowed clients still expect you to be able to attend their sick animal.  Tow a show trailer weighing 2.8 tonnes on occasion, not much else other than a big 4×4 can tow that legally.

It has done 31mpg loses up for the 12,000 miles have had it.

Could I manage with something else? Yes, sort of,  I had a Passat alltrack with winter tyres before but damaged the undercarriage a number of times and the suspension bushing frequently, often couldn’t fit all my kit in which ended up balanced on the kids empty car seats.

Overall a trucks the best solution for me.

Thanks for the nudge, just signed up now just need to get the miles in, work and life getting in the way at the moment.

I have chanced it on a £80 3 season down bag, it’s not arrived yet, hoping it’s decent, planning on a couple of overnight bike packing trips this year. Was planning on using my old blacks synthetic one but it weighs about 2kg.

Thank you for all the responses, that gives me loads to go on, will take a look at all the suggestions, the only reason I mention Ayrshire was a stop on the way up but happy to drop it out, I don’t know Scotland at all, will be coming from Cotswolds.

Thanks for the above, haven’t got far with planning at all but had thought about heading up into Ayrshire, spending some time there, maybe going to Islay for a couple of nights as my wife’s friend always raves about it, then maybe going up as far as the Wester Ross area and Skye, will take a look at the Gairloch site suggested thanks.

Typical stuff for us would be walking, beach, swimming, rock pooling, kids would love a wildlife boat trip if there were any. The eldest cycles fairly well now, the youngest is balance bike only so not planning lots of riding.

I have always fancied a Marshall Acton / Kilburn, never heard one in real life though so can’t speak to their audio quality, but their earphones are nice.

Thanks I hadn’t spotted that, will email the seller

I am looking for a Seiko 5 field watch, to wear daily and I have always fancied a mechanical / automatic.

The green dial ones are now £160 online, but can be bought from creation watches or jomashop for a lot less. I realised I may be liable for 20% import duty but even with this added on they are a fair bit cheaper.

Has anyone used these online retailers and are there any other costs / considerations?

https://www.jomashop.com/seiko-watch-snk805.html

Paint a line on the road and go out there and time his laps, you could stand forward or backward from the line like a track coach and give some encouragement, I am sure it would be appreciated!

2012 CAAD8, nearly replaced everything other than frame/fork/seat post/ bars. Excuse the hardcore it now has slabs on it!

Did my third crit of the season today at Milton Keynes Bowl, there was only 12 riders in it, no teams. Seemlingly everyone was thinking they were able to place well and didn’t want to burn any matches as the pace was slow and then surged up the small hill.

I had one go at getting a break going and rolled of the front after 10 minutes, but with no one with me drifted back to the pack, then me and another rider tried to get away after 15 mins, but were brought back after a lap. After that sat in with everyone else. In the last three laps everyone was fresh, someone tried to take a 2 lap flyer, I was at the front and let this dangle, then another person bridged up so I joint this, came into the last lap with a small 3-4 second gap. Thought about sitting up but committed to it, ended up being pushed to the front on the last lap, the guy I was with wouldnt come through so ended up dragging them to the bottom of the short uphill sprint just as the field caught us. Sprinted and ended up coming 4th, the guy who had sat on my wheel ended up winning.

Two 4ths should bump me into cat 3 I think, which is a shame as its unlikely I will ever get to see a podium now, cant see myself being competative at cat 3, not enough time to train.

Av power really low at 214 watts, but NP shows how surgey it was at 307 watts.

4th cat today at Abingdon, first race of the season for me as the last got snowed off. Was pretty nervous heading there having not raced for 2 years and wasn’t sure on my form.

Ended up sitting in comfortably midpack, had to bridge a couple of 20/30 second gaps that opened up down the tail wind side, however things bunched up anyway going into the head wind. With three to go I went to about 6th wheel for two laps then got swamped on the last lap on a bend, ended up dropping right out the back when I got boxed in and was on the outside of the bunch going towards the penultimate bend. Overtook a few on the outside of the bend and then went full gas for the last 500m and managed to go around a bunch of people thanks to the wide circuit and end up 4th (I think) on a lunge for the line. Last 30secs heart rate averaged 191!

Pretty pleased to get some points finally, think that might be it for racing for a while as too many other commitments. My trusty old caad8 didn’t skip a beat.

Good luck to everyone else.

First race coming up on Saturday since 2017 and a big gap off riding due to first child arriving.

4th cat crit at Abingdon, pending snow I guess. FTP sat at 305w and weighing in a bit heavy at 84kg. Just hoping I will be able to hang on to the bunch and stay upright!

Yes the races were great incentive to keep going through winter, there’s not much else on in the area without traveling miles which I don’t have time for now I have a little one.  Will keep an eye on their website.

I would love to do this but I may have to wait and see if I have any family commitments first.  I have fond memories of the mud round there from the mean and dirty xc races, shame they haven’t been run thereat couple of years