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Assume that it isn't a complete bogfest with horizontal rain, how does Ardmoors compare to Ardrock interms of endurance, length/difficulty of climbs and technicality of descents?
Cheers
Ard Moors is shorter, but just as knackering I found, climbing up the bloody steep road twice doesn’t help mind. Not as technical as ard rick, but a couple of steeper sections in the stages (start of stage 1, middle Bit of 2 before the tight left into the green lane iirc). Couple of old school downhill type tracks fur stages which are great fun
Slight hi Jack.... how about Naughty Northumbrian regards height gains and trail tech.
Ard moors 36.8km 1,399 metres (5 stages)
Ard Rock 40.8km 1,523 metres (7 stages)
i just found them different AM stage 2 was similiar to AR stage 5,6.
far less rocks and a crash landing at AM will be softer, event wise AM is small scale.
the last section of the climb upto S4 AM is a pushup/carry. and then after S5 its another climb upto the road and then back to the finish. both horrible, non rideable at times.
AR i rode the whole course except transition S4-S5 that was a tough climb in parts..
if i go to AM again i would be tempted to travelodge it, i guess the campsite is extremely prone to the weather and saturday 1am the wind got up hard. i didnt get much sleep for either worrying my tent was going to blow away or dreaming of it blowing away.. alot of peeps in pants at 1-2am taking awnings and gazebos down etc.
practise at AM was stages 1,4,5 we did it in a leisurely 3 hours, open 10-5, it had quietened off by 2-3pm
Personally I found the stages at Ard Moors more difficult than at Ard Rock, still doable but really had to concentrate and found myself 'on the edge once or twice.
AM Stage 2 was the easy one and if you had energy and relatively fit then it was pedal like a loon all the way down, I really really enjoyed that one reminded me of the local cheeky Pennines routes we do,
AM stage 3 was truly horrendous if you are not used to moorland single (multi) track and are a regular trailcentre rider, it reminded me of the top section of Jacobs ladder before the steep bit, once again love the stuff .. I’d been telling myself to look further ahead and that definitely paid off on this stage
stage 4 I enjoyed my second run,
stage1 my aim was to get down in one piece the higher sections where so windy
stage5 a few more practises and I’d have really enjoyed it
They were definitely tough at times, I never felt the danger that stages 1/2/3/7 at ard rock present
Do AM and AR use the same stages every year ?
Generally but there are tweaks and additions from time to time. Ardrock has grown from five stages and a couple of hundred riders into a festival.