2012 Mountain Mayhem

mxdave

Right, just signed up our team for our first ever mountain bike event - and it's the Mountain Mayhem!! All complete novices, and we had a shake-down ride at the FoD last weekend, just to see how much work we have to do between now and mid-June. Any advice??

homers_double

From my experience at 24hr races (SITS three times) I'd say go to enjoy it, you're not going to win so have fun.

We set out with the intention of completeing one (8 mile ish) lap per hour and it worked quite well. We weren't going to set the racing world on fire but wanted some structure to our event and eventually managed 27 laps.

Food is quite important; Ride - rest - eat - rest... rinse and repeat 8 times.

Take enough underwear for a change after every lap, clean boxers are a godsend after lap 5...

We did single laps the first year, drowned in the mud the second and did singles the third year with double laps at night which worked out better.

Glow sticks are a laugh at night - do not take cow bells.

Take your own supply of toilet roll.

Take every item of cycling clothing you own, if its wet you will need them.

Take every spare part you have, if it's muddy you will need them, year 2 saw several broken mechs, frames worn down to the paint and gears jammed solid with mud.

That said if its sunny its a blast!


The LeMans style start isn't as fun as you think, 3/4 of a mile run in cycling shoes to spread the field isn't all its cracked up to be.



We are Team Cake!

njee20

Take enough underwear for a change after every lap, clean boxers are a godsend after lap 5...

Why would you be wearing boxers at all? Clean cycling kit is good advice, it's amazing how much fresher it makes you feel.

Enjoy it, it's a great atmosphere. Pray for dry weather, Eastnor in the wet is utter hell. Keep track of time - there's nothing more gutting than putting in a really strong lap only to have your team mate not meet you in transition. Writing down an ETA for the next rider when you get back is good practice. Or a white board if you've got one. With a clock somewhere visible in your camp site.

Don't try anything new. Just because SIS (or whatever) is being given out free don't try it if you've not used it before. Having bad guts at 2am is miserable. Ditto that new saddle, or trying flats for the first time or whatever.

It's pretty hilly, but all rideable. Like I say, just enjoy it.

hoppyst

good advice to enjoy it-doing it solo for second year-hoping to do more laps! my other half looking to do it as part of a team but can't find enough mad friends to do it-any suggestions or anyone short of a team member

njee20

Put an 'advert' thread on Singletrack (or on here), probably nearer the time. There's always teams short a rider. Or just turn up at the event ready to ride, again, there are always teams wanting people.

miss notax

Hmmm, I am starting to think that I might quite like to do this....

Might start trying to nag some buddies into it - would love to enter a ladies team but sadly I'm not sure I can muster up the numbers needed!!

homers_double

Try entering a mixed team. Single sex teams are four people but a mixed can go to five.

miss notax

homers double wrote:

Try entering a mixed team. Single sex teams are four people but a mixed can go to five.

Thanks - trying to get a mixed team of 5 together now!

miss notax

Wow - two MTBing buddies signed up and a couple more thinking about it!

Do I need to know who'll be riding to enter and book the team in? I guess it'll be a 'mixed open' entry?

njee20

Is it not full yet? It usually fills in no time. You need to put your riders names down, but in all honest there's nothing to stop you putting "Jim Jones, Fred Bloggs, Matt Smith and Harry Thomson" down.

miss notax

Nope - apparently still spaces!!

njee20

That's interesting, previously sold out in 48 hours. Either way I'd not be leaving it weeks.

miss notax

Well, I entered a mixed team last night

So far only 2 definites (me and my mate Dan), and two possibles. Notax will be missing out as he is rallying that weekend

It says the mixed teams all have to be of 'sport' class....? I am obviously being thick but can someone explain what this actually means?!!

Also, having never done a 24 hour race before, do teams usually take along some extra bods as help and support?

njee20

It's about racing licenses, if you have any expert or elite riders you have to do Expert Mixed, which is a 4-person category. No expert/elites then you're in Sport.

Extra bods are very welcome, but not totally essential.

miss notax

Aha, thank you

homers_double

"sport" is the general catagory for those who are out for the fun of it, however there will be glory hunters in any catagory.

njee20

Not really, it's like I said, if you have any expert or elite riders you have to ride either Open (if you're all the same sex) or Expert Mixed if you're not. Otherwise you can do either, there's usually a wide range in both.

It's a bit of a misnomer really, because Sport sounds like it should be more competitive than Open (and tends to be closer, but there are often a couple of faster Open teams), there are plenty of teams just there to have a go in both.

I think they should just have Expert and Open myself! (or Expert and Sport)

homers_double

Arse, its the little fellers birthday on the 23rd, I cant see it going down well if I decide to abondon the family for a weekend.

VamP

homers double wrote:

ars*, its the little fellers birthday on the 23rd, I cant see it going down well if I decide to abondon the family for a weekend.

I'm sure what he really wants is a mountain mayhem party for himself and his friends There, problem solved.

My birthday that weekend too, and am trying to organize it so it's my birthday party - fingers crossed.

homers_double

I'm sure he would, my b-day is on the 21st but doesn't seem to have any leverage...

miss notax

Ok, so it's a bit of a slow-work-day.... :oops:

What's the general consensus on organising teams and riding times then? Literally one lap each on a rota, or do peope double up the laps during the night / day etc? And yes, I know i'm thinking about this early!!

JasonRwmb

Whenever I have raced 24hrs as a team of 5 we have just taken it in turns for the 24hrs. The laps at Mayhem are probably an hour or so, so you do get enough of a break. Lou is racing in a team of four girls again this year - over night they tend to go ABCDABABCDCDABCD (if that makes sense!) but do swap it about a bit so the faster riders do more laps overall. Double laps at Eastnor can get a bit boring, and lap times start to drop.

Mayhem has a fairly long run at the start, so make sure you allocate the first lap to some one suitable. Despite the run there does tend to be a lot of traffic on that lap, but by the 2nd and 3rd laps the field spreads out.

njee20

over night they tend to go ABCDABABCDCDABCD

We've always done this as well, it tends to me one 'pair' will be up until 3am or so, whilst the others will have to get up then, means everyone gets a chance at a good bit of sleep.

Double laps at Eastnor would be quite an undertaking, there is a lot of climbing. If you're not that quick then you may be ok just doing rotations, potentially 4 hours rest if folk are taking 1:20 or so.

miss notax

That's really helpful, thanks guys. That seems like a really good system (time for a coffee and to adapt that for 5 riders!)

I'm getting the hint that there is a lot of climbing there then.....?! How technical is the course likely to be? We are all pretty decent trail riders so i'm not worried about the riding as such, just whether to ride my trusty Orange (bouncy but comfy) or launch the slightly more whippet-like (but hopefully still comfy!) Juliana for the occassion!!

njee20

Not technical in the least generally, but it gets very sticky and slippery in the wet, which can make it 'interesting'. Here is my trace from last year, 1500ft of climbing in just over 11 miles per lap.

If you have 5 riders I'd generally choose your slowest one (I've only ever done 5 with 4 blokes and a girlie, and have done ABCDEABABECDCDE, so the slowest one does fewest laps. Saying that... with 5 riders you are looking at potentially 5 hours rest between laps anyway, so if you don't want to finger someone as 'the slow one' you'll probably be fine just doing ABCDE throughout.

miss notax

Thanks njee20.

Sadly, if anyone is up for being labelled as the slow one it's probably me :shock:

I think we'l probably all do an equal number of laps - i'm not very good at stepping back (although arguably it might give us more of a chance)!!

njee20

There tend to be some rather quick teams, so I'd just make sure you have fun! If it's dry it's a fantastic event. The last descent into the arena is fantastic fun.