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Last day to pre-enter. Weather looks changeable. Who's in?
In! 2hrs Vets
I'm in. 2hr vets again.
I'm in. Not ridden a mountain bike in 7 weeks, not really ridden at all for 3, should be err... Fun.
3hr Grand Vets. Will see effect of 3hr max effort on heart arrhythmia #killorcure
yup 2 hr vets. feeling severely unfit. recent commutes have proved I am indeed severely unfit. should be fun.
Yes - in for the 4 hour. The dizziness from the last round has just about stopped... 😉
3 hr fat bike, weather looks okay.
Yes. Will be riding around on the fat bike.
In for the 4 hours. My first Brass monkeys, hoping to generally improve my aversion to winter events, if i manage to enjoy it, that'll be enough!
Potentially doing the 2hr vets race. Only slight issue my back went ping on Monday and I am currently laid up on my back taking lots of painkillers!
The last brass monkey I did was the one last year which absolutely peed with rain! It was a little miserable, if it is raining this year I will be staying in bed! If not I hope to see you there 😀
2 hr male.
Haven't ridden competitively in 20 years...
Just wondering, I'm entered into 4hr vets, if the weather is crap I might do SS. Anyone know if there are any issues with changing categories on the day?
Is there a definitive location yet?
I'm in the 2 hour vet - looking forward to it, even if my back trouble hasn't eased yet... Oh well, what's the worst that can happen!!
In on the one-gear for 4 hours... Was feeling pretty good but was hit by cat aids (or a cold. One or the other) mid week....
Yay...
DrP
Missed the online entry deadline 🙁
Gutted to be missing this one. Back to shift the xmas podge in R3!
Pretty confident it will be at Frith Hill as advertised.
No rumours circulating this time.
Yep, 2hr vets again. What's Frith Hill like?
2 hr male for me, defending my honour at the back of the pack 😆
I'm hoping the ground may firm up a little over the next few days as Checkendon was a swamp in places.
Yep, 2hr vets again. What's Frith Hill like?
Should be good, lots of races held there over the years, couple of climbs, drains well, course is 7 ish miles long (apparently) and not too hilly.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/nukeproof-conversion-kit-15mm-to-qr/rp-prod80192
Heavy rain from 6-9 tonight and rain tomorrow from 10-3ish.
I seem to remember it was the slippiest race I've ever done year before last.
So Ron up front or change to a beaver?
Still not sure if I'm in or out. If I'm in it'll be Ron's front and rear. Can't be bothered to change and it can't be that much slippier than Checkendon, can it? I'd not take my advice though as I really have no idea 🙂
Following the can't-be-arsed-to-change-tyres theory on the rd 1 thread, I will run a ground control/ saguaro combo. This will be perfect for Frith Hill. 😉 🙂
It'll not be as slippery as Checkendon, more sandy, gritty mud. I will almost certainly use Rons, although still have Thunder Burts on at the moment.
Might go for my wider Ralphs then.
Saguros I think.. 😉
DrP
Might want to reconsider the Thunder Burts 🙂
Sheesh. Hungover, in pain from yesterdays physio on my shoulders and just done a Turbo sharpener with 2 intervals in a TT helmet to play with the (adjustable) fit.
I've never felt less like doing an XC race than I do at this moment in time.
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Could be worse. You could have signed up for the 4 hr!
4h veterans on ss for me.
Didn't bother changing tyres as per Yak's theory xddd so Ikon 2.2 front and rear. If I rode Checkendon on this combo I can ride Frith Hill too
What time is the start for the 2hr tomorrow; is it 10?
Well that was a bit rubbish. Problem with my forks on the first lap, thought I had a front flat at first, not sure what it is yet but felt like they've no air in them and were constantly bottoming out even on tiny bumps. Got annoyed and packed it in. Probably serves me right for not having ridden it since round 1. Annoyingly long way to go for less than a lap of riding. Seemed like a good course too.
Hope you all had better rides 🙁
Nope.
I underestimated the time it would take to do a practise lap so started mid pack instead of where I should have been. A rider fell in front of me/others on the start which didn't help.
I fell three times during the race, one looked so bad the four riders behind stopped to help - I was OK, turns out I've fractured a finger and a few other bruises - and splintered the end of my bars. I fell again a bit later going from 14th - and a possible top ten based in the negative splits I naturally ride - to 24th on lap 2.
I had a miserable lap 3 as the wind was literally knocked out of my sails, probably ending up 26/27th or similar.
Oh well, two hours riding at threshold is a bit of decent exercise I s'pose.
Arse.
Good to see Gazhurst though, bad luck MrBlobby.
Blimey Kryton, eventful race there! Shame to have missed you.
Bit annoying to have wasted a half a day on the weekend but at least no injuries.
Did a practice lap and was cursing conservative tyre choice - mountain king front seemed well OTT.
Started at the front and as aim was total emptying really went for the sprint - what's this I'm leading!
Normality shortly resumed. Managed 5 laps and 8th Grand Vets, tyre choice seemed good after a couple of laps as mud and fatigue increased. Probably about the same as last year. Hard to make progress against committed racers - back to the training plan!
Good course but had a cr@p race - I'm not sure shifting from 4 hrs to 2 hrs post injury suits me. Gutted how much fitness I've lost. The best I can manage now is somewhere round mid-pack. Still it's only been a year back riding I keep telling myself..!
I need to change my fork too - a 9mm qr SID is way too noodly after riding a 15mm thru axle!
Finished safely midpack around 28th. Fairly uneventful for me. Enjoyed the course, very rideable. Just wish I could pedal a bit quicker
Fifth fat biker, not sure there was double figures in the category though! Not ridden much recently so suffered on the fourth lap and got slight cramp in one leg. Fun though.
Good course! Heard it'd be flat but as the time passed by seemed hillier and hillier. Missed the start because I forgot to put the number on the bars, ouch!!
Lap 5th stopped twice to tighten saddle and lost 3 minutes or so. Overall 7th 4h vets and 1st on ss. Yup!!
Also another guy on ss missed the start and passed me very quickly. He stopped to put air on rear tyre and easily passed me again but he didn't finish?? Intrigued.
15th I think in vets 2hr - I really enjoyed myself, even if I was a bit slow! Suffering a bad back, which flared up mid race, and then an over the bars incident on lap 3 didn't help that! Also put a nice gash in my knee for good measure, but twas all good. Great course, as ever from Gorrick - a good morning!
Sarpudullo.. You the chap with the accent and big beard? If so,I really felt for you as I prodded by twice on lap five... (on one ss)..
You were faster, but could see how annoying the saddle issue was!
Think I was 13th in cat, 2/3 ss I suspect...
DrP
Well I really enjoyed that in an omg I'm going to die now kinda way 😆 Thought the course was great fun and held up really well given the weather. I even made it out for a extra lap so pleased with that 🙂
That was one of those races where the first two laps felt like I had nothing in the legs, so the choice of SS was not the best option... sat in the mid 20's and held it together for the end- 21st 4hr vets, 3rd SS (of 5...)
Sarpudillo, you came past me on the first lap- I kept with you for a bit, at the expense of my lungs! Great riding for 7th!
Kudos to the guy on the Moonlander, think that would have been quite a handful to get round.
Are the results out?
They are... Think I WAS second ss...
6 laps in 4:20:06.
Javier (ss rider with saddle issues!) 5 min ahead...
Chuffed!
DrP
Where did you find the results, not up on gorrick page yet.
Yes likewise DrP?
36th in 2hr male. Think that's a fair reflection of my current state of fitness, but enjoyed it anyway. Could have started a bit further up though. Course was great - well done Gorrick. Mrs Yak had a decent race and came 2nd vet female 4hr. Well done Sarpudillo!
I've just realised the next round is in the same place as the Torq in your sleep. Where do they park you - in the field?
Yep, was a different part of the field last year, but still the field.
22nd in 2 hour here, had a nice time riding around chatting! Far more fun than trying to be competitive!
Hey DrP, yes that was me.
Were you stopped at the top of a climb with cramp problems?
Your first lap times are super fast compared to the last ones.
Pics here:
www.kevinsheldrakephotography.com/Cycle-races/Brass-Monkey-2015-R2
There seemed to be a lot of other photographers there today but no mention on Brass Monkey fb page.
Sarpudillo..yes, that was me squatting!
Was doing fine till killer cramp kicked in! Could no longer put the power down after that!
DrP
Good grief. One of my crashes must have been worse than I thought, I've woken up this morning after a bad nights sleep feeling like I've been in a car crash - pain all over!
17th in the 2hr here and considering the superstars that turned up for the race (Phil Pearce had 9 minutes on me by the end of the first lap!!!), a skinful of vodka the night before with a 3am bed time and a slowly leaking rear tyre....I'm fairly happy
Nice consistant lap times...just not fast enough 😯
Phil pretty much put minutes into everyone on every lap!
Kryton, weren't you just doing xc this year due to lower risk of injury 😉
So round 3, what's Minley Manor like? Might sign up for that.
Lol, it would have been a lot worse at 35mph in a crit.
I likes Minley, the singltrack is a bit more "woodsy" and not made of pine trees, some exposed double track I'd say a bit faster than this weekend per lap.
Enjoyed that.
Full susser was probably overkill, as was the butcher/purgatory combo. Might see if I can get some faster rolling tyres for next time.
Ended up comfortably mid pack (in fact, exactly halfway in the 2 hour race)
Also need to not be sitting in the car at 9.50 either to start a little further up the grid, first singletrack section was carnage!
Also need to not be sitting in the car at 9.50
🙂
Do wonder what folk do for warm up for these races. Normally for road/TT I'd be on the rollers/turbo. In short course XC I'd probably ride the course and do some sharper efforts. Bit lost as to what to do for these as a lap is a bit too long and the weather not warm up friendly. Was a bloody fast start too in the 2hr (for me anyway.)
had a nice time riding around chatting! Far more fun than trying to be competitive!
Njee, impressed you can chat at an avg hr of 183 😉
Yep! Always had a high HR, no issues chatting until 190ish!
Do wonder what folk do for warm up for these races.
My standard approach is to sit in the van moaning about the naff weather adn thinking about Sunday roasts.. contemplating going home.
DrP
My warm up consisted of desperately running for the start line after barely signing in on time 😳
Must be more organised next time...
I've woken up this morning after a bad nights sleep feeling like I've been in a car crash - pain all over!
Two swollen lymph nodes have made an appearance today - that would explain yesterday's difficult focus and today's aches and pains. 🙁