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Who's in then ?
Looks like there's only five of us doing 8 hours solo single speed.
Graham Phillips, Vegan Cyclists.
I may do but I will enter on the day if available ...ss 8hrs as well prob ....but due to doing the run rider the next day ......I may just do 4 hrs
Yep, part of Team Hommestrong, a group of very elitist athletes gunning for mid-table obscurity!
Hope the weather is kind 🙂
Yes, I'm in a pair doing the 8 hour event.
The guys and girls from Loco Racing will be there, however I won't be coming as we have a baby due very soon so need to be local.
Will actually be racing in pairs at Bikefest next year though 😯
I think I'm doing the 8hr 'normal' solo. Depends how I recover from D2D.
GB
Yarp, I'll be down, riding in a pair.
yep im doing the afternoon 4hr solo......
8 Hour team of 4, Charlie the Bikemonger and the Fat 3.............
I'm in for 8 hours as a pair. First bike race, getting nervous now! Haven't had any joining instructions, is that normal?
Yes, in a pair: Team Emptybeers.
Not doing the jump at the end though 😳
Thebunk, I'm not sure what you mean by joining instructions, but as long as your name's on the entry list, don't worry about it. There will be a rider briefing before the start.
I Was half tempted to do singlespeed 8hr again, but luckily (unluckily) i have a stag do to attend and a week after D2D is too soon to repair....MT graham FTW 🙂
Not doing the jump at the end though
There's jumps? I'm out then.
In as an old gits pair. Probably the most under prepared I have ever been (Not that i am ever 'well' prepared). But should be fun anyway
Wonder if they are doing anything with those big heaps of 'soil' on the dirt track climb before the final descent.
David B - one optional wooden ramp at the end. Wheels on the ground all the way round if you so desire.
I'll be there with the other half of "100% British BFe" in the 8 hour race, we're riding um, well, BFes.... 🙂 I was up there on Saturday morning and it was ok, a bit wet in places but it still seems to drain really well. I'll ride up there one evening and see if those mounds of dirt are there, thats going to make that climb interesting for sure...
Mounds still there.........
im in 8h solo will be bimbling near the back of every pack untill they decide to drop me 😆
Hello! I found some friends this time! Sorry to say I won't be soloing this time… Cyclist No.1 and Velocite bikes have teamed up for a mixed team of four in the 8 hour.
Course is looking alright, with it mostly dry Friday and throughout the race according to the forecast, it should be running quite nicely most of the way round.
[b]The Bad[/b]
The campsite will be a little bit of a slog, the birdleway at the bottom is a bit 'icky' but it's solid rock underneath so it won't turn into a bog fest and runs quite quickly, so it's just splashy. Otherwise you've just got the bottom of the Barn Wood climb (pic below) and the short field section before the climb back up to the arena that are a bit mucky. Otherwise it's all well drained stoney singletrack or solid fireroad.
As always, don't bring mud tyres, you don't need them. It's fast rolling and singletrack traffic will negate any benefit from running big, tacky trail tyres too. Just bring something made of rubber, whatever you've got fitted will do.
[b]The Good[/b]
Rode up there tonight, it's mostly fine and even if it rains on the day, it'll be fine. Best all weather course in the country! The stoney singletrack can be a bit slick to the uninitiated, so take your first lap steady if it is wet. But otherwise, my bike was just a bit splashed with spray and remarkably clean considering it was pissing down tonight while I was up there.
[img] 
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If it is wet, this will claim some victims. It's not hard but under racing conditions, someone will bin it hard down here. I think one guy managed it quite badly in the dry this summer so you've been warned! Running wide offline in the mud isn't easier and more likely to cause crashes, so tackle the rocks head on!
[img] 
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This was about 5:45pm, if we have a grim day it really could be a case of lights on for the last lap!
[img] 
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There's lots of this. Bit greasy when wet but fast and reasonably clean. It's gentle on brake pads too it would seem.
[img] 
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This is probably the worst bit of the course right now. Looks worse than it is, the ground is again very stoney underneath so once you reach the bend up the hill in my shot, it's cobbly stone rather than mud.
Should be good, fingers crossed for the weather!
Evening Gary.
Bunged up with the evil man cold, so desperately trying to rid myself of it before Saturday.
That said, I haven't touched a bike since last week after CyB enduro, Llandegla and Cannock, so should be fairly fresh ready for a serious outing for Team Hommestrong.
Just debating whether to use the Zesty or the Soul...
Hello boss! How'd you get on in Coed-y-brenin?
If you're team, I'd say Soul I reckon!
I'm fighting the lurgy right now, I'm actually in a pretty decent team so going to be proper annoyed if I get sick!
CyB was an awakening to just how much I have to go before I'm able to call myself truly fit.
93rd out of 266, and 5,33hrs - but this included a few hours in a dark place, a bit of pushing, a sit at the side of the trail to eat my flapjack and a lot of swearing at the course designers...
I'll stick to smashing out the short stuff around AC/LW 😉
We doing to beer thing every lap? Isn't that the done thing?
Full 60km I might add too.
>dead<
Depends how our race is going on the beer front I guess 😀
Good effort, I heard it was hard work!
And I know that area well now, looks like you did some of the WC2C route judging by the pics!
Thanks Gary, it's good to have an update from a local.
MT graham FTW
After a 2nd and 3rd SS solo at the last two events, and with Mark and Aidan not on the entry list, the pressure's on.
I don't recognise the other names in SS category. Are they fast ? 😕
I only took the Rohloff hub off and converted to SS this morning. Three days training and one day tapering should be OK, shouldn't it ?
Yeah, yeah.
I'm going.
Racing in Steve Peats team.
You know, as you do.
I'll be there. currently solo geared, but may end up SS. may also end up in a pair too.
we'll see...
Might be tempted to go SS...
GB
I'll be there in the Singular team. Should be fun... will probably hurt.
As a first time racer, how does this work then?
Are team racers hammering the course as fast as they would on a one/two lap after work ride, or pacing themselves? If I'm slow then do I get elbowed off into the bushes? Do I do the same to people slower than me? 😕
What happens at the start? When does the beer tent open?
Edukate me!
I've now been selected for Martyn Ashton team... gonna (try) to kick Steve peat-shirts team into the dirt, sorry Neil....
Are team racers hammering the course as fast as they would on a one/two lap after work ride
The top 3rd probably are.
If I'm slow then do I get elbowed off into the bushes?
Probably not, it does happen still but Bristol's gotten much cleaner in terms of people knowing it's a sningletrack heavy course and traffic is something that affects everyone, so deal with it. Most will call which side and usually in a reasonably appropriate place. It also settles after about 4 laps. Oktoberfest has far fewer riders on course compared to BikeFest which helps.
Do I do the same to people slower than me?
Act as you wish to be treated ta 🙂
What happens at the start?
Le Mans style start, run like a bastard, expect a bottle neck if you're slow…
Edukate me!
You're welcome, see you there!
>showdownwithmonkeyboyjcsgayboytrialsteam<
showdownwithmonkeyboyjcsgayboytrialsteam
showdownwithneil_boltonsgayboyDHteam.... accepted
You know there are hills at Ashton court as well as downs...
True dat.
Only counts on Strava though.
>mustremembertogetStevetotakemyGPSinhisbag<
probably a stupid question, but i assume there will be readily available water there?
looks like i'm doing it solo unsupported.
no there isn't water, or there wasn't last year
really?!?! bollocks.
so i'm gonna have to lug all my drinks for the day from bedminster, up that bugger of a hill on my bike! (no car 🙁 )
In the briefing it does say [url= http://www.bike-fest.com/oktoberfest/briefing.php ]Drinking water and toilets with hot washbasins are located in the event village.[/url] 😉
I'm in and racing pairs with a mate who's never raced off-road before. He's horribly fit though so apart from stacking it on the rocks I think he should be fine...
oops 😳
if it helps anyone not local, we had close to an inch of rain in Bristol today, more expected overnight but its supposed to be dry tomorrow and saturday...
There was water last year. One of those tanker jobbies. Plus the tap on the side of the cafe is actually working..........at last
The tap on the side of the cafe is turned off outside of opening hours, apparently some hilarious types were leaving it running all night.
Look for the big blue tanker in the event field.
Racing as a pair here. Hope they bring back the finish jump so I can do my trademark "safety pencil". 🙂
to quote Bob Marley
"Sun is shining, the weather is sweet, yeah
Make you wanna move your dancing feet now
To the rescue, here I am
Want you to know, y'all, can you understand?"
or rather, its not raining in Bristol today.
i can't decide between gears and SS!!! 😥
SS makes you overtake lots of dawdlers on the climbs.
Gears make you overtake lots of people on the flat bit after the gatehouse.
My fastest lap at Bikefest was done after consuming a recovery beer, so I reckon hydration strategy is more important than drivetrain.
i can't decide between gears and SS!!!
Are you faster than me ?
If so, I recommend gears, I don't want you pushing me down the results. 😉
haha, how many SSs are there? my primary reason is that i reckon i can do comparatively better SS than i can geared 😉
Unless you go too niche, in which case you'll get bumped into a proper category and come nowhereth.
If you're thinking of switching to be in with a chance of winning a prize, bear in mind that it's usually a 20" inner tube or something equally glam. 😉
this is all about self glory for me 😉
Would anyone be interested in buying pics of themselves from this event, we're toying with the idea of covering it the same as the exmoor Enduro.
Sort of thing we do is [url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/mndphotography/ ]Here[/url]
some really heavy rain overnight and it's still drizzling now though it's dying out...
So it'll be wet though the new trails mean it shouldn't be muddy other than a couple of spots.
Have fun and Go Vegas!
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Good luck everyone. Cheer for Team Unelite!
That was one of the best events I've ridden on the mtb. Great course, lovely organisers and an especially nice podium that we somehow fluked.
aye, good event. bit of a bugger having to ride 30 mins there and back with a massive bag though - i really need a car (or some mates!).
happy with how i rode, surprised at how strong the field was though in solo mens (and in general).
given the number of sponsors, i was surprised at the lack of spot/podium prizes (in a non-greedy way), seems to be the norm in scotland, as do timing chips (i had a bit of a 'oh bugger, where's my chip?!' moment just before the start...)
pretty fubared now, and off to bed i think!
Timelaps use chips in the number boards I think (they certainly tried it) but always back it up manually, and I've seen far fewer errors from them than any chip-based system, I'd not worry.
At Bristol Bike Fest the prizes were meant to be collected off the podium, rather than handed out, could have been the same today. Sadly no one told us and we never got ours!
Prize was beer, drinking mine now.
We did have a timelaps issue, they missed one of our laps, but gave it back when they saw we rode a consistent 34-36 min average over the 8 hours
good start and first 2 laps then for some reson cramp set in early this time.. then my right shifter blew up.. then it got so deep i had no front traction got pissed off got up to 6 laps and i blew up and say eating pork pies for the rest of the time,
sorry for anyone that got stuck behind me at any point
one thing i have noticed the maners have got allot better sins i rode 2011 bikefest which made it abit more plesurable 
I won 8hr solo, no prizes despite it being announced at the start 'amazing prizes for winners'.
Sucks.
Got a very nice trophy though which was cool and some free beers. Oh and a pretzel. Plus I got to watch Matt and Matt throwing some shapes which was say better than any prize. But really - it was a great event, nice course that can stand the weather (take note Mayhem/sits) and friendly fellow racers, apart from the total nobber no 55 who started on a friend of mine for being 'too slow'. Nobber.
GB
I had a great day - i was entered for the four hour afternoon solo, but won a comp to be on Martyn Ashtons VitoSport team. I think either the timeing guys missed one of our laps, or counted Blakes lap which he did with one of the other comp winners. Missed beating Steve Peats team by 1min.
I'm already signed up for Bikefest.
Great event once again. Surprisingly muddy for Ashton Court but not many courses in the UK would have been anywhere near as fun, fast and rideable as that with the weather we had before hand!
Finally got a podium in the mixed team of four at my home event which was nice! Need to check the laps as we were running Torq close and ended up a lap down so not sure what happened there...
[url= http://www.timelaps.co.uk/assets/uploads/EVENTREPORT.aspx?eventid=221AshtonCourt13/10/2012 ]Results[/url]
I won the 8 hour SS class, although there were only 3 starters.
Really impressed with how well the course holds up, lots of fun too. 4th time at Bristol & think it's one of the most chilled events. 5th again in the old men's 4hr & resigned to never getting better unless I either learn to run really fast uphill (or walk really slowly down the hill ;o)
We won our class.
I stood on the podium with my fellow team mates, which included Steve Peat. Yes, that's shared a hard won podium with a World Champ.
Just sayin'
We were saying we will probably do Bike/Oktober Fests instead of Mayhem and SITS next year. It's just so much more enjoyable and weatherproof. No slog!
My Strava of the race:
http://app.strava.com/rides/24978881
GB
Really enjoyed yesterday.
Great atmosphere as has been in the Bikefest and Oktoberfest races for the past few years. Weather just about held out although the bit of rain near the end made things interesting.
By Ashton Court (new testament) standards it was very muddy but compared to most other places given recent weather the course held up amazingly well and infact I think dryed out quite abit over the first few hours. My crossmark / larsen combo was fine, anything draggier would annoy me on the climbs!
Had no bother at all out on the course, infact everyone was very polite and gave the right calls and moves (whether it was passing or being passed). Had a lot of fun out there.
Our team were mid table obscurity which considering for most of it we were only 3 peeps and weren't taking it too seriously (not ready at end of lap handover!!) was respectable.
Curry and beers last night, bimble round the harbourside in the sun today. Good Bristol weekend 🙂
oh and the burgers in the bus were ace!
Great event.
Nice to see Steve peat being a very normal world champ. Down to earth, plastic cup of cider.
Thanks for the cider.
And sausages
And beer
And more sausages
Oh and I won my class, old gits on fat bikes. There were no other teams, and its not even a real category, but we ruled it anyway.
Little video bike test report from mid race...
Anyone know if the results are online yet? Just wanna see how I compare to Steve peat, and flash on my team who must be almost 60 years old now.
yep - results are up now - http://www.timelaps.co.uk/assets/uploads/EVENTREPORT.aspx?eventid=221AshtonCourt13/10/2012#4hr%20PM%20Team%204%20Male
Steve did the 29.29 by the way.
Steve's lap was the 1st and 5th lap (mine was the 4th)...
ooo - so you did manage a sub 30 then.... Nice one Neil.
Nah, only a 32.43 - but then I did get spat into the trees at one point, and held up once or twice.
Nontheless, chuffed with that.
charlie the bikemonger - Member
Great event.
Nice to see Steve peat being a very normal world champ. Down to earth, plastic cup of cider.
Thanks for the cider.
The cider (and pickled eggs) was courtesy of our team - [url= http://www.wideopenmag.co.uk ]wideopenmag.co.uk[/url]
We were disappointed by the amount of people who didn't stop/take the hand up - they can't all have been race leaders...
Argh, I'm slower than Peaty at XC as well as DH now… 😆
I managed a 29:58, not quite!
We were disappointed by the amount of people who didn't stop/take the hand up - they can't all have been race leaders...
In my my defence, we weren't totally out of the race for 1st place when I turned the Cider down!
It was far more people than you Gary!
I thought it was water! Would definitely have taken cider. Did say a polite, "no thanks" (in my defence I was utterly shagged and under pressure to ride a 34 minute lap, I missed the cut-off by 20 seconds so bloody wish I'd taken the cider and chilled out).
I had a really fun day, marred slightly by a last lap that came in a few seconds over the cut-off. 🙁
Second what everyone else is saying about the insanely polite manners out on the course. Most people were pretty much stuffing themselves into the undergrowth to let you past.
Gary, apologies for not grabbing those bars off you. In the end we had our hands full with an escaping event shelter, and then after subduing and dismantling that it started raining, which meant packing everything into the car. Gah.
We were disappointed by the amount of people who didn't stop/take the hand up
One word: roofies.
Another great event
Was tough out on the course with muddy (for Bristol) conditions and a tough head wind. Tweaked my calf on the run up the gravel track so had a woeful start. Managed a few 32m ish laps and then completely bonked on my 6th lap coming in at around 38 mins.
Decided not to start a 7th lap unless I had 35 mins. Thankfully my mate had a terrible 6th lap and left me just 32m, so we hit the beer 🙂
Very polite passing all around apart from one bad move on my part where I accidentally cut a guy off at the red/blue bomb hole option at the bottom of Keepers Wood (?). I apologised immediately and he accepted so all was all right. 😳