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We're once again doing a guide for Mountain Mayhem this year and we're after anyones tips for first timers (and of course, 'Don't do this' horror stories 🙂
Post 'em here or email me if you want to keep it a surprise for the ex-teammates you're going to slag off...
This year will be my 14th Mayhem...
Get into a routine. Lap, clean bike, eat, shower, rest in that order.
Bring a variety of cycling clothes - waterproofs, 3/4 shorts, lots of gloves and spare shoes/helmet if you have them.
Bring a social tent/gazebo, a table and some chairs.
Bring earplugs. They are a godsend.
Go for a massage about half way though. They're amazing.
One of those £20 gas camping stoves and those little ciggy lighter fridges is a must.
A little whiteboard to keep track of lap times and eta is essential. Paper blows away.
You'll be amazed how much you'll eat. A bag of salted peanuts is a fantastic snack. I usually bring bananas, rice pudding, filled pasta, cereal, fresh coffee, ham, bread rolls, milk.
Take a big rolling water container.
Bring a loudhailer and fireworks. Oh no, don't do that.
Don't get your bike serviced just before the race, not ride it and then wonder why it doesn't work properly.
Make sure your whole team is on the same page at the start.
Don't crash. You're doing 6 XC races in one go, so you'll pick up a few knocks but try not to fall off.
Don't, whatever you do, ride a unicycle. It stopped being funny in 2004.
GB
Don't have a poo in the shower and pick it up and put it on the little soap tray.
Conversely -
Be quite careful before picking up what you might reasonably think is a piece of soap from the soap tray in the shower...
Bring some spares. There's hasn't been much available during the Wiggle years.
Baby wipes & alcohol gel are useful.
It's only a bike race, try and enjoy it.
Lock your bike up when you aren't using it.
The performance enhancing Stroud Brewery is about a 20min downhill cycle away. Open from 3pm on the Fri & Sat, nice pizza too. Buddings the pint.
For emergencies / spares = LBS are Noahs in Brimscombe, CyTec in Ebley, Black 8 in Woodchester, The Bike Works in South Woodchester, Delta in Dursley.
No need Querty! This year we have the Big Red Bus bar serving Stroud Brewery on site! Not sure what happened to Marc coming with Pizza! And BTW I have a goody bag for you still!!!
You are not wrong Querty!
Hi Tang, Nice one. Looks like I may well be off around that time, I'll pop in for a nosey. M
Expect to have your brain tell you that what you are doing is completely stupid and you'll never do it again because everything hurts. Then, look at the people around you who look worse than you feel and realise its actually a load of fun
Never miss a changeover.
Eat lots.
Never miss a changeover.
If doing a 4x team then get your night routine sorted - ABABCDCD or AABBCCDD. We found too much pace drop-off on the 2nd lap, so prefer ABABCDCD.
Never miss a changeover.
Bring a notepad for laptimes and predicted changeovers. When you wake up after a 2hr sleep and you don't know where you are, the notepad will keep you right.
Never miss a changeover.
Beers after!
Did I mention the changeovers? - Don't miss those 😉
Bring food you are sure you will want to eat at 3am. It is more important that you eat something than it being a scientifically proven blend of whatever. I like Jaffa Cakes for this.
If you have spare wheels bring them with mud tyres already on them. not having to faff about with muddy tyres in the damp is a total win.
Showers are amazing. Things will almost always seem better after a shower.
Make sure you have a clear idea of when you need to be in the transition area in order to meet the next person out in your team. And then get there five minutes before that as no one liked to be standing about after a lap shouting for your team mate. Ideally agree where you will be standing too. For added bonus points know what they look like, are wearing, and what they are called.
Bring all the cycling clothes you have just in case.
And remember you won't win, probably, so don't take it too seriously 🙂
For added bonus points know what they look like, are wearing, and what they are called.
Ah yes, good point. To avoid all that difficult thought, bring a communal team changeover jacket. Something unique, bright and nasty on the eye.
Bring the warmest jacket you own, because waiting at changeover for an hour at 3am in the freezing cold isn't pleasant. Especially when you notice that the person you are expecting to take over from is just down the the line from you and has been waiting two hours.
If racing "seriously" and team mates are doing double laps, then your next rider needs to pop by changeover for end of their first lap just in case of disaster. Especially important at night - In one year we watched both elite male and female leaders throw it away with broken lights / bikes during double lap stints.
Not as much fun now lights are more reliable - was much more amusing when Chipps had that Cateye Stadium HID light with will it / won't it work when I flick the switch uncertainty 🙂
When riding solo, don't bring lots of Cornish Pasties as your main energy supply! Not appetising at 2am.
When finished, don't hang around long to use the loos. The horror of discovering all loos are locked one hour after the race turns into blind panic pretty quickly!
Never miss a changeover.
Something you need to get off your chest?
Beware what freebies you're offered when tired. One of my teammates was very pleased to be stopped by a girl proffering a tray of gels to aid his recovery after a tough lap. He picked one in an appetising fruity colour and only after squirting it into his mouth did he link this lady to the event sponsor, Original Source shower gel.
Don't go near the big house, they have guns. The small house has Mike Tindall in it, who has massive guns.
Don't forget to secure your bikes/keep them safe when you're not on them.
There was a gel/lube mix up, not nice.
Don't drink your own piss*
*does not apply to Mike Tindall
Bring a big down jacket and salopettes. Yep, ski wear is a total win at a 24hr race.
Salopettes pull over cycling shoes and are warm, waterproof and comfortable.
The chain lube in energy gel packaging was priceless.
not mayhem but did my first 24 as a team this year.
Team of six, double laps lots of downtime.
Tents work
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Also make sure someone on your team works in the alcohol industry 😉
[url= https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7636/16786598628_84fcb19d51_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7636/16786598628_84fcb19d51_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/rznGWh ]The Setup[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikewsmith/ ]Mike Smith[/url], on Flickr
Bring lights for the tent
[url= https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7625/16786598268_d3be0bed5a_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7625/16786598268_d3be0bed5a_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/rznGQ5 ]Pre race Dinner[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikewsmith/ ]Mike Smith[/url], on Flickr
Be creative on the food front
Bring all the bike clothes you own and all the gloves, change as often as you can, don't hang round in sweaty bike gear.
The know your team mates thing 🙂 we had 2 drop ins at the last minute couldn't remember their names and what their bikes looked like but hell we had a good time, also you can get few ciders in if your team is big enough and you do double laps 🙂
Lock your bike if leaving it-even for a moment. The pikeys will be in from Brizzle trawling the place at night. No one will look twice at someone pushing a bike into the back of a van at a bike race. Easy peazy.
Eat.... Lots... Especially when riding solo... And don't go OTB's in front of a sleep deprived solo and then get upset because he laughs at you.... Still laughing 12 months later...
Never miss a changeover.Something you need to get off your chest?
Can you tell? 😉 . Done that once, still feel bad about it, and never happened again for many 24hr team races. I don't really mind how fast team-mates ride, it is the disappointment in really burying yourself for a lap or 2 then finding no-one to hand over to that really grates.
Don't bring just one flavour of SIS. I still can't drink lemon and lime three years on.
Especially when you notice that the person you are expecting to take over from is just down the the line from you and has been waiting two hours
Yeah.. Always check the crowd of waiting riders for your teammates. Once stood for 90 mins in the middle of the night only to see the rider before the one I was waiting for come in after a 3 hour lap.
Mudguards may not look cool, may weigh a bit and you may get laughed at, but if the weather does look pants, and you are riding solo, nothing is more soul destroying than a soaked, grit infested, chafing ,muddy arse crack.
Oh, and peg your tent down properly in case the wind gets up...
Take random spares, like mech hangers etc. or put your faith in the bendability of aluminium to straighten it!
Do not use rear lights! They're unbelievably annoying to anyone behind you and completely unnecessary - you can be seen from any angle by the million lumens from your multiple bar/helmet lights.
Agreed crazy-legs. The number of people I asked to turn them off. Some were OK with that, but some flatly refused to and got a bit arsey about it - weird!
Deck chair.
Bum cream.
Sense of humour.
Lots of clothes.
Watering can / portable bike washer.
Also...
DON'T GIVE UP!
Repeat
[b]DON'T.
GIVE.
UP.[/b]
I jacked it in after 16 hours in 2004 and it still niggles me now. It is only 24 hours.
To quote Theodore Roosevelt
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Nicely said Harry.
Solo again for me this year.
Anyone know when the course map/profile will be up?
I've looked at their FB page and asked there but no response.
Pretty sure it was released much earlier than this for the last few years.
Cheers,
Andy
Have a fairly unique word or phrase that you shout when approaching changeover with a team mate. This lets them know you're on your way in, as everyone looks the same, especially in the dark.
The word should be the same word regardless of the team mate you are handing over to (shouting the team mate's name you are expecting to be there is not a guarantee that it'll be the team mate you are expecting, plus lots of people have the same name).
If you choose to make your word or phrase offensive and/or humerous then all the better.
Always take a torch when you go for a shower & then ALWAYS check the showers before you strip off. Rather than stripping off & walking in blindly ...........
8yrs on & that memory of the sh1te smeared shower still haunts me & I still check any public shower before getting undressed to use it !
If you're wearing a helmet light, try and remember to turn it off, or swing it away as you come into the pits for a changeover. It's practically impossible to identify someone when you have a gazillion lumens dancing on your retina...
have one of those PDW rear lights that beats out Ah Ha's take on me to wind up the serious folk 😉
make a note of all the "not very nice" sponsored riders so you can avoid the sponsored product and still mention it on social media ten years later
that's you Torq team rider
also remember to cheer the forlorn rider calling for his team mate at changeover
make a note of all the "not very nice" sponsored riders so you can avoid the sponsored product and still mention it on social media ten years later
Hang on. That probably isn't the brand's fault. You don't always get feedback on how your riders ride, and for team events they aren't always regular team members, just riders brought in at the last minute to make up a shortfall.
The Torq guy was (and probably still is) obsessive about being nice on the course, and on the odd occasion I wore a Torq strip (not in the elites I might add) we were instructed to lose as much time as was necessary to avoid being an arsehole. He even coached us on what he wanted us to say to the slower riders.
also remember to cheer the forlorn rider calling for his team mate at changeover
Especially if he's exhausted and in absoulte despair. And swearing and shouting at no-one in particular about his so-called mates.
I think people need to experience continually overtaking people for 24hrs before starting to comment on being overtaken. The only time I've done solo I experienced some proper nobbers overtaking me very badly, all of whom were mid pack warriors in various team kit. I tend to know all the really fast people and all those were really nice to me.
I try really, really hard to say thanks to everyone (as most of you who know me will know) but sometimes I forget, or get bored of saying it 200 times lap, or can't actually manage to speak at that point as I'm trying quote hard!
Can I put out a plea - please just listen to what's being called from behind and respond to it, don't start waving me through with your arm however friendly that is, as you a) have just put your arm in my way b) the speed difference is sometimes so much that I'll be there before you take it away again and c) you are now riding one handed and wobbling all over the place.
GB
Can I put out a plea - please just listen to what's being called from behind and respond to it
This is all very well and I am sure you are careful, but when the call is 'rider' and I am about to overtake another person having just said, 'on your left please' please don't swear at me when I complete my own pass first. We are all aiming to do our best.
One of my Mayhem experiences with an 'elite' rider. At least that is what he said he was.
Elite riders who just shout RIDER are cocks. It shitty, rude and totally unhelpful.
How the hell are we supposed to know which way to go? If you can't plan ahead and communicate what you want then you aren't as elite as you think you are.
After this episode at Mayem, at another shorter event I had someone come right up behind me in a narrow section where there were no opportunities to overtake for a few yards at most and shout 'rider' at me and I cheerfully shouted 'so am I!' Back, and let him throught about 5 secs later at the earliest opportunity.
It did not go down well, perhaps he realised I was taking the P**s
There must be some very precious people out there - I've never had any issues with people wanting to get passed, they shout up, I move over when it's convenient for me, they say cheers...
Or perhaps you're all just really slow & everyone needs to get passed you ?
Elite riders who just shout RIDER are cocks. It shitty, rude and totally unhelpful.How the hell are we supposed to know which way to go? If you can't plan ahead and communicate what you want then you aren't as elite as you think you are.
I shout 'rider' if I'm approaching from a long way back as it warns the passee that I'm coming and allows them to choose which side to go to and then I go the other way - on a fast section I might be too far back to see which is the clear line. Judging by how many times I've been thanked for an early warning not everyone finds it offensive!
'On your left/right' works at much closer quarters or where the speed is lower.
I'd echo gee's point about continually overtaking, it's a nice problem to have obviously but at the end of 24hrs when you've been shouting 1-200 times per lap, you're bound to get one or two wrong!
Oh and a tip for the nighttime, if you're in a team of four doing ABCD, A wakes up C after handing over to B, B wakes up D after handing over to C, and so on. That way you're not just relying on an alarm.
The low point of my 2001 Mayhem was being overtaken during the night by a uni cyclist.
I generally say something like 'when you're ready'. Never hd any grief, rarely had problems passing.
when you're ready
could be misunderstood as sarcasm.
Only on an internet forum 🙂
The low point of my 2001 Mayhem was being overtaken during the night by a uni cyclist.
Walking backwards by chance?
When you're ready...
When it's safe...
When there's room...
etc
The thing I always find confusing at races are the the people who are desperate to overtake and then immediately slow down, causing you to have to go past them as they're holding you up. Very odd.
Dont let your team mate bring his/her mardy partner along. If they're not interested in mucking in and helping then it really is just sitting in a field for a long time.
Some repetition but my top tips
- Bring as much spare kit and parts as you can get your hands on. Better to not need it than the other way and changing into clean kit makes you feel much better.
- Bring way more food than you need but bring variety. You don't usually know for sure what you'll want to eat at a particular point but being able to choose is great. And don't just pack energy products - most people want real food at some point.
- A towelling dressing gown can be great to have when going to/from the showers
- one option for the night laps in a team of 4 is to split into two teams who alternate for two or three laps each. That means each pair of riders can have a much longer sleep than if you stick to a 1,2,3,4 pattern.
- Bring coffee. Good coffee. A stove top coffee maker works well on a camping gas fire and gives you a good jolt in the morning
- Don't camp light - this isn't some extreme survival camping expedition - take things that will allow a decent sleep - air matress, duvet, pillow, etc.
- Get a big tent/event shelter type thing if you possibly can - they're not expensive on ebay and there's nothing worse than a wet MM and being stuck in a small tent for almost the whole time
Bring supporters. Lots of vocal ones to cheer you, your mates and everyone else on, all through the day and night. Especially bring a daughter who will film you falling off in the middle of the course when grabbing a drink, as you're quite obvious dressed in a sumo suit and sweating like a ripe cheese in clingfilm, then send it to You've Been Framed and pocket the £250 whilst you suffer national humiliation 😳
My top tip is bring a caravan. Your own hot shower, no queue, your own toilet, and your own warm comfy bed with clean sheets and a duvet 🙂
Yeah but then you have to own a caravan and there's just no need for that 😉
One of the main reasons for getting one was looking through the windows of people's vans at Mayhem, full of warm dry conviviality, as I trudged back to my damp tent...
The low point of my 2001 Mayhem was being overtaken during the night by a uni cyclist.
I was overtaken by two uni-cyclists in 2012, possibly from the same team. And the Islabike team on a tiny child's bike. Q_Q
I've somehow managed to avoid racing Mayhem so far. It's my first one this year.
[goes and cries quietly in a corner after reading thread]
If doing Solo, think about your contact points. Swapping out gloves can relieve tired hands, Swapping shoes and socks can work wonders on sore feet, Swapping to a spare bike can revive tired leg muscles, if you don't have a full bike to swap to take a second pre marked seatpost (with saddle) to give your numb butt a change of scenery.
If doing teams make sure you have a good old fashioned clock hanging in your pits to help keep track of lap times so you can arrive in the pits on time.
For both teams and solo, food and drink is key, doing 24hr events plays havoc with your eating patterns. Best advise here is to take a large variety of food from custard creams through to sausages take as much of a variety as you can. Tyres are another good this to take plenty of as weather and riding conditions can change a lot in 24hrs. Above all else smile and enjoy it. 🙂
Clover - it's great. I don't do them now as TBH I got bored of it as it seemed a little deja vu but I loved the first three I did.
I see the Lap Map has been released and it looks very similar / same as last year which was mint.
Can't wait for it now (my tenth consecutive Mayhem).
See you all there !
Clover - don't expect "Mountains" or "Mayhem" (trading standards anyone??) but have a fun time nonetheless.
When you're ready...
When it's safe...
When there's room...
etc
All very well, but in the nicest possible way Gee is in a different league to Molgrips/me/most people, and 'when you're ready' often means minutes being lost!
Yeah but you still can't be an arsehole about it.
Couldn't agree more, and Gee did specifically say that he does his all not to be (and I agree that the fastest guys are always very polite). But I'm not always sure people realise the speed differential and how much of a difference it can make. "Just waiting" isn't necessarily viable.
Agree though, there's never an excuse to be rude.
In the early 2000's (still at Sandwell Park at least) and very early in the morning, 5am ish, I was passed by Nick Craig (him of the being very good and fast fame. He'd given me a heckle (polite) about being on my right. In my tired, slightly delirious state, I over-compensated and ploughed straight into a bush.
Mr Craig stopped, came back, apologised (it wasn't his fault, I was very tired) and pulled me out of the bush. A true gent, and how a pro-racer should be - despite being in contention for the win, still had time for the sleep deprived amateurs just hoping to finish!
Brilliant thread, glad I opened it... but not planning on doing this even any time soon !
On site with Pat! Its a bit wet but weather is set good for the coming week!
Good news about the coming weather. Alaskan Puppies coming along again and doing our 18th out of 18.
I agree calling rider is unhelpful. Not sure why people do that. It doesn't make sense.
I lose track of the amount of times I've helped people with issues - usually just chucking a gas or a tube at them.
All I'm saying is that if you get a call of on your left, please don't stick out your left arm and wave me through as your arm is then in the way.
Also, after many years of racing what I think is a gap is not always the same as what newbies perceive as a gap, so it takes a bit of getting used to.
As I've said, the only time I've experienced nobbery was from mid pack riders who presumably took great pride in blasting past a Lycra clad poser in full team kit going quite slowly. On his 31st lap.
Tang:
How wet is "a bit wet"?!
Think it'll dry out nicely in the week? Solo again - hopefully it's like last year!! '12 and '13 were horrible!!
No no... '12 was horrible, '13 was just a bit wet. It was fine.
Let's agree never to talk about Mayhem 2012 again and maybe we can pretend it never happened.
My apologies!
2012 was abysmal, 2013 was not quite as bad.....! But bad enough for my first solo attempt!