Howie's Battle on the Beach : 22nd March 2015

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Comments

  • bendertherobot
    bendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    I've no idea, but, I can safely say, considerably better than I do in CX........ :D
    My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
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  • bendertherobot
    bendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    What was interesting today is how much, on the beach, we smashed the MTB and Fatbikes. When there's no headwind they are rendered rubbish by their heft, tyres and gearing. We flew past hundreds. Of course, in the forest, the MTB type bikes got a bit back.

    I wish I'd smashed the roller coaster dune section more on the 1st two laps. I was fearless on the 3rd and climbed pretty much every hill bar the beach exit and that one a mile or so before the end.
    My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
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  • bigdaveskinnytyre
    bigdaveskinnytyre Posts: 218
    The roller coaster bit was fun, I fluffed one of the rollers on the third lap though. I think the file treads were spot on today although I should've run them a bit softer. I currently have KOM on the full length of the beach on lap 1. I might hold it as I had to chase to get to the front group so covered it slightly faster the average for that 6km was 38.5kph I was wishing for a bigger chainring than my 38 on that section. One of my latex tubes died in the car on the way home as the rim tape had shifted. Glad that didn't happen in the race.
    Nil Points
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    bendertherobot wrote:
    awesome fun. I currently, because most people haven't uploaded yet :D, have a KOM on the beach section!

    KOM on a beach - that'll take some explaining. I didn't ride in the end, recurring injury flared up again on Friday..
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    Came off the beach at the front of the first chasing group, maybe 20s adrift from the leading bunch, and 500 yards later I punctured. Gutted!

    The spirit of the event more than made up for it though; I must have turned down 50 offers of assistance from people I'd never met before, and had a very pleasant walk back to the start, chatting to marshals and a couple of other riders with mechanicals that I met along the way. I'll definitely be back next year :-)
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • bendertherobot
    bendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    TGOTB wrote:
    Came off the beach at the front of the first chasing group, maybe 20s adrift from the leading bunch, and 500 yards later I punctured. Gutted!

    The spirit of the event more than made up for it though; I must have turned down 50 offers of assistance from people I'd never met before, and had a very pleasant walk back to the start, chatting to marshals and a couple of other riders with mechanicals that I met along the way. I'll definitely be back next year :-)

    Black XLS? I saw you wandering back along the beach? Christ, you must have walked miles!
    My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
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  • bendertherobot
    bendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    Imposter wrote:
    bendertherobot wrote:
    awesome fun. I currently, because most people haven't uploaded yet :D, have a KOM on the beach section!

    KOM on a beach - that'll take some explaining. I didn't ride in the end, recurring injury flared up again on Friday..

    Don't worry, I don't have it anymore. My 18mph average pales alongside the bonkers speeds!
    My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
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  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    bendertherobot wrote:
    Black XLS? I saw you wandering back along the beach? Christ, you must have walked miles!
    Yep, that was me. Lovely day for it though, and a lot warmer than it had been 12 hours previously (when I discovered ice on the outside of my tent...)
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
    TGOTB wrote:
    I'll definitely be back next year :-)

    Maybe with tubeless tyres... :wink:
    left the forum March 2023
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    TGOTB wrote:
    I'll definitely be back next year :-)

    Maybe with tubeless tyres... :wink:
    Indeed!

    The annoying thing is that I do have a set of file treads that work well tubeless, but I decided to go with a set of wider file treads that need an inner tube to be reliable. Doh!

    I haven't fixed it yet, but I'm pretty confident it wasn't a pinch flat, and from the several seconds it took to go down I should imagine sealant would have done a very good job. I'm guessing it was probably a thorn...
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • bendertherobot
    bendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    TGOTB wrote:
    bendertherobot wrote:
    Black XLS? I saw you wandering back along the beach? Christ, you must have walked miles!
    Yep, that was me. Lovely day for it though, and a lot warmer than it had been 12 hours previously (when I discovered ice on the outside of my tent...)

    That was one hell of a walk!
    My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
    https://twitter.com/roubaixcc
    Facebook? No. Just say no.
  • bendertherobot
    bendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    TGOTB wrote:
    I'll definitely be back next year :-)

    Maybe with tubeless tyres... :wink:

    I think I ran mine slightly too hard. But they were bloody great. I even managed the climb of doom which even the fatbikers were struggling with.

    There is something immensely satisfying with a forest section, carving through it whilst breathing down the back of the MTB'er in front of you...............
    My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
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  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    bendertherobot wrote:
    TGOTB wrote:
    bendertherobot wrote:
    Black XLS? I saw you wandering back along the beach? Christ, you must have walked miles!
    Yep, that was me. Lovely day for it though, and a lot warmer than it had been 12 hours previously (when I discovered ice on the outside of my tent...)

    That was one hell of a walk!
    Let's just say that, by the time I got back, the leaders had finished...

    I made a conscious decision not to carry a pump or spare tube, on the basis that a puncture would put me out of the race anyway; if it's colder next year, or raining, I might rethink that!
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • bendertherobot
    bendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    I dunno, I did the same. TBH, I'd lose so much ground it would be pointless.

    What made me laugh though, I followed a bloke on a fatbike and he had a tiny Lezyne Micro pump sticking out of his pocket...................
    My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
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  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
    bendertherobot wrote:
    I dunno, I did the same. TBH, I'd lose so much ground it would be pointless.

    What made me laugh though, I followed a bloke on a fatbike and he had a tiny Lezyne Micro pump sticking out of his pocket...................

    He probably only runs 10 PSI... the amount of air in the tyre might be the same... :D
    left the forum March 2023
  • bendertherobot
    bendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    Fair point!
    My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
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  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    bendertherobot wrote:
    I dunno, I did the same. TBH, I'd lose so much ground it would be pointless.

    What made me laugh though, I followed a bloke on a fatbike and he had a tiny Lezyne Micro pump sticking out of his pocket...................

    He probably only runs 10 PSI... the amount of air in the tyre might be the same... :D

    Over-inflated IMO - I run my fatbike tyres at 4psi when I want some grip - the kinda stuff that makes every other 2-wheeler a "push-bike"
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    Monty Dog wrote:
    Over-inflated IMO - I run my fatbike tyres at 4psi when I want some grip - the kinda stuff that makes every other 2-wheeler a "push-bike"
    Serious question - could you inflate those by carrying a tube with a valve attachment at the end, and blowing into it?
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • Pizzarepairman
    Pizzarepairman Posts: 13
    I was a Marshall at this event.

    It was my first time as a Marshall and it was a really good day out. All the riders were friendly and polite and the general atmosphere was brilliant. To all of you that rode by (and some unlucky ones that pushed their bikes), thank you!

    A further nice touch for me was Matt the organiser ringing to say thank you.
    2014 Genesis CDF
    2010 Boardman MTB Comp

    Gifted enough to extract twice the fat and calories from any food.....

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