Mountain Mayhem '08?

It is on 21st/22nd June '08 at Eastnor Deer Park, Nr Ledbury.

Entry forms are normally out at the end of February and it sells out within a few days.

Yes it is teams of 4, apart from mixed teams that are 5.

Who knows what the course will be like, but I would guess it would be similar to the last couple of years, so a mixture of grassy climbs and singletrack. It is not the best riding in the world, but the atmosphere of the whole event makes it worthwhile. The course length is normally about 10 miles, and I think there was about 300m of climbing per lap.

From memory the entry price is £190 per team.

Any thing else you want to know?

Yes, I competed last year. I was in a mixed team so it was fairly relaxed really, the worst bit was the rain turned half of the course into a quagmire. The riding wasn't too bad, it just took a while to clean the bike between laps... In 2006 it was a warm sunny weekend, the course was dry and fast and the bike didn't need washing at all, it is amazing the difference a bit of rain makes.

I guess for me the best bit was being the very last person to start a lap - plus being handed a beer as I crossed the finish line.

The group I ride with entered three teams (plus 2 soloists!) this year, we don't take the racing too seriously, just use it as an excuse to camp in a field, drink a few beers on the Friday and Sunday nights and mess around on bikes for the weekend. Think of it as a Glastonbury for mountain bikes. We had a few people with us who were fairly new to mountain biking and the course doesn't really have anything to catch them out, remember there are some soloists out there for 24 hours non-stop so the course can't be too difficult. In a team I always find the hardest bit is coping with the lack of sleep.

As for lights it depends on your budget really. I think the rules state a minimum of 10w halogen, but compared to what most people use they will be underpowered. The current LED lights look good.