Very proud of myself!!!!

gkf9

Did the 46 mile Mary Towneley loop challenge in Lancashire yesterday....8hrs 30 minutes

Not the best time i know, but not bad for my first time round and the biggest mileage ive ever done ...only done 32 miles at most!! (This was with a few breaks on the way round.)

The weather was good on the day...but boggy underfoot in alot of places, never ever seen my bike as dirty and clogged up with crap since iv'e had it. Chain suck was a big prob until i managed to find a stream.

Don't think i will be rushing to do it again tho, well on a hard tail anyway the pain in my backside was unbearable towards the end!!

Very good day out anyway, and hope to build on my fitness from this point!

Well better go and clean my bike, could take a few hours!!

.blitz

gkf9 wrote:

Did the 46 mile Mary Towneley loop challenge in Lancashire yesterday....8hrs 30 minutes

That's a good ride :shock:

Most I've done is 40 but I kindof lost interest after about 25

ST Colin

Good work! Most of my outings are about 4-5 miles a time. So relatively lazy compared to what you've done

davetwin

Well done

My first ride out was only 10 miles, and I couldnt go out for a few days after that as my backside hurt

Have since bought some Altura padded shorts, they are great. I have only been out for 5 miles a pop since though

willy b

Good effort - main thing is enjoying it!

stumpyjon

Well done, I came in just before you (7hrs 52mins) although I must admit by the time I'd got down to Watergrove resevoir I'd stopped trying to beat last years time and just wanted to finish before the mountain rescue swept up the stragglers).

It was a hell of a slog this year with the mud so your time is pretty respectable particularly on a hardtail, there are some bits I really wouldn't want to tackle without rear bounce (the path down to the second checkpoint and London Road under Stoodley Pike especially). Must admit even with a full suss last year my ar*e was killing me coming up the cobbles on Rooley Moor road at the end, no backside pain this year, maybe it just went numb.

Just finished cleaning my bike, took two hours. I got really bad chain suck as well, you were probably close enough to hear me swearing when it jammed in the middle of a huge puddle down by the golf course (thank God for Gortex boots). Measured my chain when I was cleaning the bike and realised it was stretched, binned it (saved cleaning it) and ordered some new ones from CRC, just hope the chain rings are OK. Needed new front pads as well. Ordered a new XT front mech for the hell of it as well, felt like I deserved a prize for just finishing.

First guy in did it in 4hrs 20mins, freak :shock: (if you're that guy and reading this you know it's only jealousy ).

Think about doing it again next year, it's like childbirth (or so the wife tells me), the memory of the pain dulls with time until it all starts to seem like a good idea again

gkf9

stumpyjon wrote:

Well done, I came in just before you (7hrs 52mins) although I must admit by the time I'd got down to Watergrove resevoir I'd stopped trying to beat last years time and just wanted to finish before the mountain rescue swept up the stragglers).

It was a hell of a slog this year with the mud so your time is pretty respectable particularly on a hardtail, there are some bits I really wouldn't want to tackle without rear bounce (the path down to the second checkpoint and London Road under Stoodley Pike especially). Must admit even with a full suss last year my ar*e was killing me coming up the cobbles on Rooley Moor road at the end, no backside pain this year, maybe it just went numb.

Just finished cleaning my bike, took two hours. I got really bad chain suck as well, you were probably close enough to hear me swearing when it jammed in the middle of a huge puddle down by the golf course (thank God for Gortex boots). Measured my chain when I was cleaning the bike and realised it was stretched, binned it (saved cleaning it) and ordered some new ones from CRC, just hope the chain rings are OK. Needed new front pads as well. Ordered a new XT front mech for the hell of it as well, felt like I deserved a prize for just finishing.

First guy in did it in 4hrs 20mins, freak :shock: (if you're that guy and reading this you know it's only jealousy ).

Think about doing it again next year, it's like childbirth (or so the wife tells me), the memory of the pain dulls with time until it all starts to seem like a good idea again

Thats a very good time....That Rooley moor was a killer on the backside!! I rode half way up with my teeth gritted then when i realized it went up again i got off and thought about suicide!

My bike has just took about 2hrs to clean..took a fair few chips on the chain stay as well,but now its broke in so happy about that!!

Think im going to need a new chain very rusty forgot to measure it, will do it tom.

Cant believe someone finished in 4hrs 20 mins, don't think id manage that on a motor bike!!!
'
I thought the scenery was breath'taking for the first 20 odd mile then i stop caring as my knees started to buckle and i then i went into a trance!

I suppose its a little harder the 2nd time you do it because you know whats to come!!
Going to give the Calderdale 26 mile challenge ago next month,, should be a walk in the park after the Mary T loop.

stumpyjon

I didn't know about the Calderdale challenge, looks interresting. Like you said after yesterday it should be a breeze (famous last words :oops: ). May have to have a bash at that.

Actually in some ways it's better to know the route, at least you have some idea of what's coming next.

I thought the scenery was breath'taking for the first 20 odd mile

I'm pretty luck as I live in that area, about a mile form the MTL up the ridge just before you drop down the first big hill, you remember the bit where you turn sharp right off the grassy hardpack and the track turns into ruts and total mush before crossing the road for the third time.

posiwev

I did it as well, as you say a bit boggy in places to say the least, had a bit of excitement when I lost a screw from my cleat just after the first check point, but managed to blag an M5 bolt at the secod check point- made that second section fairly tricky though as the cleat wouldn't engage the pedal
Stopped to help a chap whose rear mech broke off near watergrove res, managed to finish in around six and a half hours which was ok considering

gkf9

stumpyjon wrote:

I didn't know about the Calderdale challenge, looks interresting. Like you said after yesterday it should be a breeze (famous last words :oops: ). May have to have a bash at that.

Actually in some ways it's better to know the route, at least you have some idea of what's coming next.

I thought the scenery was breath'taking for the first 20 odd mile

I'm pretty luck as I live in that area, about a mile form the MTL up the ridge just before you drop down the first big hill, you remember the bit where you turn sharp right off the grassy hardpack and the track turns into ruts and total mush before crossing the road for the third time.

Must be great to have all that on your door step!!

I used to live in Burnley so wasn"t that far away at the time.
Now live in Chorley not that much bridleway around there.

Yeah been told the Carderdale challenge is a good ride and its not that far to travel for you. Should be good.

gkf9

posiwev wrote:

I did it as well, as you say a bit boggy in places to say the least, had a bit of excitement when I lost a screw from my cleat just after the first check point, but managed to blag an M5 bolt at the secod check point- made that second section fairly tricky though as the cleat wouldn't engage the pedal
Stopped to help a chap whose rear mech broke off near watergrove res, managed to finish in around six and a half hours which was ok considering [/quote

Well if i can ever do the Mary T loop in that time i will be well chuffed!!

I once lost a cleat bolt on a ride and had the opposite problem once in couln"t get out, kept falling over all over the place!!

Read somewhere that you can take one of the disc rotor bolts out and use that for a tempory fix...so if you ever get stuck again, might help you out if your desperate.

biker37

anyone know where to get the results from ?