[Closed] Scott MTB Marathon - Hope

It's the toughest one of the Scott's and you'll be pushing your bike up Devils Staircase +.
Broken Road is the first climb and a good warm up for the big hike a bike.

It's definitely a tough course (assuming it's roughly the same as previous years). Tips:

1) Don't go out too hard.
b) Make sure you eat and drink enough.
4) Don't go out too hard.

The 2019 route is here but I find it a bit tricky to follow:

https://www.relive.cc/view/r10007441935

Looks like it heads over towards Ladybower and down The Beast first.

I'm planning on just hanging round at the back and trying to find my own pace.
2 litre bladder of electrolyte which I plan to refill where I can.
Couple of sausage rolls and handful of gels, emergency Soreen.

Mick

I only take 1 litre of water and a sandwich as I'd never run out before I get to the feed stations.
Only doing the half as I'd get cut off anyway..old skinny bloke on a rigid trek say hi as you pass 😎

I reckon the route look easier than last year with less climbing too? Thank god the climb up Potato Alley is early on and not at the end!

So the route heads stright up Win Hill and down "The Beast". It's going to be carnage down there so early on!

From there you go - Jaggers Clough - Jacobs Ladder - Shooting Cabins (Middle Mooor) - Roych Clough - Rushup Edge - Mamtor - Castelton - Broken Road - Pindale - Cement Works - Brough - Road back to start

@flumewelck what is the cut-off?

Thanks @r8jimbob88 , that really helps, I know a lot of that.

Looks like I will be walking some bits of The Beast and doing some carrying.

Cheers,

Mick

Would be fun to just sit at the side of the beast and watch the carnage (or slow traffic jam)

Also, climbing up potato Alley, yuk.

@flumewelck what is the cut-off?

It's where the 50k and 75k split, if your not there by a certain time you'll have to do the shorter route and the time depends on the weather that day.

Just had a look on you tube at the beast, going to be fun on a rigid or fun for the other riders 😂

Just had a look on you tube at the beast, going to be fun on a rigid or fun for the other riders

It's going to be super-congested. My guess is that lots of people will be walking it as you simply won't be able to maintain any momentum with folks in the way.

So what's the point in routing it down there?

So what’s the point in routing it down there?

Because it looks great 😁

It is a bit of a pain when you can't ride the good bits because of the crowd. But that MTB marathons you just have to suck it up with good humour.
I'll be there with my bad shoulder, but after riding down that I might be looking at the short route. 🤕🤕

It’s the toughest one of the Scott’s and you’ll be pushing your bike up Devils Staircase +.
Broken Road is the first climb and a good warm up for the big hike a bike.

No, it goes the other way this year. Forecast is rain most of the rest of this week although currently the Peaks is in pretty good condition, most trails are dryish.

No, it goes the other way this year. Forecast is rain most of the rest of this week
I quite liked that hill but they probably thought it to easy lol.
Bummer about the rain but hopefully it's dry on the day, the beast looks like it's going to be a beast in the wet

So the route heads stright up Win Hill and down “The Beast”. It’s going to be carnage down there so early on!

i think the biggest problem was the massive mix of abilities and sending 1000 up Win Hill at the start, not nearly enough room for everyone, especially when the tarmac ended on Aston Lane, thinned out quick though, was only 5/6 around me going down the beast and i must have been a couple of hundred back,

was a good day though, usual peaks stuff, bone dry one side of the hill and soaking wet the other, had a big off coming off the back of jacobs ladder, will feel it tomorrow, nursed it round the next 40km and came home in 4:24, had about 8 minutes off the bike

didn't seem like the last 20km was worth it, slog back up mam tor via the broken road, to come back down via Pindale the a 4/5km road blast into Hope

Because it looks great

I'm seeing tricky, challenging and unsual, i'm not seeing anything that looks more than a chore and an irritation.
Great, i'm deffo not seeing great in there.

I just managed to make it through the cut-off, then the weather seemed to kick in. Rode the last 15 miles on my own.

Not sure I enjoyed it, there seemed to be a lot of pushing up hills. The mass start is a bit tricky because a lot of people are just riding for fun but then the other half are chasing the cut-off time.

I also seemed to have plenty of space going down The Beast, not sure how that happened.

Mick

Great event, pretty pleased to have done a 3:58 considering i've not done any specific training this year. Weather was interesting. The headwind up the Broken Road and beyond was a killer. I was pushing up more than I managed to ride last year but I assume that's probably because it was wet (and I had a bald Ralph on the back!).

Ha! I had thunder burts!

Anyone got a strava link to this years route?

Dirtyrider think we rode together a bit, I was on an orange trek and finished in 4:16. It was a good big day out but I had a daft fast front and rear wheel wash out on a completely non techy bit, gave me a stiff knee for a bit and slowed me down on the gravel descents. Lost bottle..
Everyone I spoke to seemed to enjoy it, hard to link in sections without the road to be honest I needed the rest sometimes !

^^^ was on the road section through Edale? then you past me after i had my off (according to flyby) white Open hardtail with Orange Fox, saw the same riders regularly, the ones on full sus always disappeared on the downs, not ridden the peaks much since i sold my tallboy, but boy did i miss it

I remember seeing your Open, as I really want an Open Up, can't remember where it was though but was later on. I was getting it handed to me on most of the descents, I really wouldn't have wanted to do it on a hardtail. Was even thinking I would to it next year on my old 160mm 26 and sod going quickly on the climbs. I enjoyed it this year having a few people around, been times on marathons that been a bit Billy no mates.

i think the biggest problem was the massive mix of abilities and sending 1000 up Win Hill at the start, not nearly enough room for everyone, especially when the tarmac ended on Aston Lane

That's kind of mass participation events for you, I think you just have to suck it up. I can't think of a way of starting an event of that scale from Hope without it turning into a bottle-necked traffic jam. A couple of my mates did it, but I can't really bring myself to pay to ride my local trails.

I found it really tough, I deffinetly wasn't on a good day.tmThe climb up Jacobs ladder wasn't ideal but I'd love to ride down it one day even though it's a 4+ hour drive to get there. Still a good ride and in a place I've never been before. Stayed over untill this morning and had a curry in the Curry Cabin. I can certainly reccomend that place, it was probably the highlight of my weekend 😋😋