Giant/T Mobile Mountain Mayhem 24 hour mountainbike race

[Lovewookie]

http://www.mountainmayhem.org/
bit of background. mountain mayhem is a 24 hour mountainbike race, normally a team race of 4 or 5 persons per team taking turns to do laps. The winner is the team with the most laps over the 24 hour period. in addition to this there are also solo (nutcase) categories among others as well as things like singlespeed and the awe inspiring unicycle. All in all it's a very good atmosphere with even the pro's chilling out and having a few beers when they're tired.

hmm, well, my team are in for this year. This will be the first year I've actually entered having been technical support for the past ooh, 7 or so years. It'll make a change from fixing bikes and looking after riders anyhow. Has led to me in the past having to rebuild wheels in the back of my van at 3am, such are the joys.

so, my team, a team of myself, two other guys (though one currently has a injured knee and so may be replaced by our substitute girly) and two girls are probably going to aim for a medium to chilled out pace. the lads aiming for 40 minute laps (laps of approx 10 miles) with the girls doing just under an hour I reckon. should be doable....

I have the added benefit of the event being based in Malvern, my home town, so at least I can head over to my mums if I have enough time to get (free) supplies.

team tactics I would thing would just be going so far as to double up the laps at night so that everyone gets at least a few hours sleep, we may well work a shift pattern of alternate riders doing two lap stints so we get lots of sleep, who knows.

so, anyone off here doing it or any of the other 24 hour events?

[2plus2isfive]

The idea of this really interests me...

...shame i only have a 30kg downhill rig and a bmx :s ... and not enough people to make a team.

Solo methinks!

[Lovewookie]

lol. yeah solo on your bmx, have your support team (ahem) run to the top of the hill with your dh rig, then handover to the bmx at the bottom, a plan methinks

[Lovewookie]

fuck, fuck, this is next weekend!

one of the girlie bikers has gone and got herself up the duff, but we've managed to find a replacement. Unfortunately, we're all feeling a bit shit having not been out on the bikes enough.

Ho hum, should be an amusing weekend, though the forecast is for rain and claggy, soggy dirt.

heh heh.

[Veil Of Tears]

We all know you like to pound it in the mud.

[endemoniada]

Scott!!!!!

[sjonit]

thats sounds awesome, wish maybe in the future could get involved.

is the solo thing for someone riding 24 hours non stop ? crazy.

[Veil Of Tears]

Originally Posted by endemoniada

Scott!!!!!

What? Im refering to pounding pedals, of course. What did you think I meant?

[Lovewookie]

Originally Posted by sjonit

thats sounds awesome, wish maybe in the future could get involved.

is the solo thing for someone riding 24 hours non stop ? crazy.

yep, solo is riding the course, round and round for 24hours. Nutters if you ask me, but the guys seem to be able to clock nearly 30 laps of a 9 mile hilly course.

I'll just stick to me and my 4 team mates.

[Lovewookie]

Well, it was hellish muddy, and not that nice gloopy mud that sheds easy either, this was clay. Our team decided at 6am to take a break and get some rest for a couple of hours as people were coming in with broken bikes due to the mud and grass combo. The heavens opened for the last set of laps and made the going very tough, slidey and giggle inducing.

we ended up doing 20 laps, coming in 72nd out of about 130 in our category, which was good considering none of us did any training.

I was clocking 50 minute lap times, the pros were clocking 40 minutes so I didn't feel too bad.

Just as a note, the solo winner did 24 laps in 24 hours. (an 8.6 mile lap), the pro teams did about 32 or so.


I'm gonna train for next years.