Mountain Mayhem (UK) 24hr Endurance race

General
1

The entry froms are now out for this years Mountain Mayhem. I’ve had a word with the organisers of the event and they are reserving three team places for us unicyclist’s. Saying that, we still have to get the entry forms in ASAP.

Each of the teams will consist of four riders, unless there’s a female in the team, then it can be a team of five.

The event is the largest 24hr MTB endurance race in Europe. This year it will be even bigger, as they’ll have over 2000 riders to mark the 10th anniversary of Mountain Mayhem.

The event will be at the same place as the last three years - that being Eastnor Castle, Ledbury, Herefordshire. This will all take place over the weekend of 22-24th June.

For anyone interested, I must stress that it is an endurance race, which means very physical. Riders must be strong riders and very capeable at riding off-road. The only real technical sections are through woods on singletrack. These would be perfectly fine to ride under normal conditions, but with faster bi*kes behind you, it’s a different story. There’s a good chance that you’d be riding a night lap, so previous experience of riding at night would be extremely useful.

Because of the increase in the number of entries this year, I’m assuming the organisers have lengthend the course to the original 10 miles+. This would mean your lap time could be anything from 1 1/2 hrs to 3 1/2 hrs.

Although very hard, the weekend is an immensely enjoyable one. So much so, that we’ve almost filled the all the places already. We’re up to 10 confirmed riders so far. We’re still looking for a couple of others, plus reserve rider. Incidentally, the reserve has been used for the last several years due to someone dropping out (usually at the last minute). We definitaly need that reserve rider.

In the past Unicycle.com has helped out with subsidising our entry fees. Unfortunately Roger won’t be attending this year due to other unicycling commitments, so we have to assume this won’t be happening. The fees per team are £190. So that’s £47.50 each.

If you’re interested then please PM me. It would help if I had some idea of your fitness and the kind of unicycling you do. Most riders do this event on 29ers, but a couple do it on Cokers and 26" munis.

My main safety concern for all taking part is that we could quite easily take out the bi*ker that’s behind you. I know accidents do happen, but we want to minimise theses as much as possible. You really do need to be competant at riding off road and at times in muddy conditions.

Hope I haven’t put too many of you off. Incidentally, you have to be over 18 years old to enter.

PM me ASAP.

Steve

2

hopefully I’ll be there, but only to heckle

3

Woo - I’m excited already! This will be my third time, and I can only add to what Steve says - that it’s brilliant! There’s nothing like downhill singletrack with racing bikers to chase to get the adrenaline pumping.

I’m sure there are some people even not in the UK who’d like to get stuck into some unicycling just this ace… if you can get your mind made up and form filled in quick enough? :slight_smile:

Sam (marking off the days)

4

I read your write up of last year’s race, interesting reading. :sunglasses: I don’t think I could do that.

If memory serves correct, Sam, you’re an animal!:smiley:

5

I was hoping to do it this year but with time constraints with work I have not had enough time to ride and get to a level of fitness that I would need to be capable of not embarrassing myself.

Hopefully next year (although I might turn up this year to give encouragement)

Plumsie

6

Come on - you’ve got four months before the race - you know you want to :slight_smile:

Rob

7

All places now filled

All places have now been filled for this years Mountain Mayhem.

We have two teams of four and one team of five (you can have five riders if you have a girl in your team). The team of five can use one of their riders as a reserve for the other two teams if need be, as they can still ride with four if they want to.

Anyway, here’s the mad bunch that wants to do this crazy thing:

Beth Tichborne
Chris Dobbie
Des Devlin
Ian Stockwell
Joe McLean
Kit Johnson
Mark Wiggins
Paul Royle
Phil Himsworth
Rob Northcott
Sam wakeling
Steve Colligan
Tue Johansen

Unicycle.com will be able to help out again with our entry fees. Continue to send me the amount i’ve asked you for, as the full £190 per team has to be paid up front. The end figure will be more like the £35 mark, instead of the £47.50 I’ve ask you for. The refund won’t be available until nearer the date of the event, so we’ll sort out the difference at Mounatin Mayhem. I hope that’s OK?

Have fun training guys… and Beth.
Steve :smiley:

8

Woohoo!

Ian Stockwell and I went on a proper Mountain Mayhem practice ride yesterday; just the other side of the hill from Eastnor Park and (most importantly) in constant heavy rain!

Of the four 24 hour races I have done, three have been mud-fests. Statistically the next few I do should all be in glorious weather along sun-drenched, bone dry courses… right?

Phil

9

Although this will be my first SSMM I have for the last 20 years been going to the Upton Jazz Festival on the same weekend only a few miles from Eastnor.
Out of those 20, the only 2 really wet ones have been in the last few years, I have plenty of memories of warm evenings and sunny days, so by my reckoning we’re due a nice one this year.

10

Thanks Roger :slight_smile:

Phil (or anybody else who knows the course)… If it’s wet, is is gloopy sticky mud that clogs the tyre (like at last year’s SITS) or is it gritty and liquidy (like Dartmoor)? If it’s sticky I’ll bring a narrower tyre - SITS was ridiculous on the 3" once it got muddy.

Rob

11

It’s sticky!

Maybe not quite as bad as SITS, but almost. I’d bring both tyres if I were you, it can’t hurt!

Paul

12

Yes, it’s no problem to bring another tyre - as long as I make sure I’ve got one at the time (any recommendations for a good 26" xc unicycle tyre? Otherwise I’ll just grab any spare 1.9" bike tyre from what I may have in the garage). Or I could always beg a 29er from somebody for the weekend, but I honestly prefer riding xc on the 26x3 if clogging’s not a problem - just what I’m used to I suppose.

I’ll probably take my coker as well (not that they’re much good in the mud either), but unless I get miraculously better on it in the next few months I’m going to be quicker on the 26 unless it’s a REALLY open course. The thought of riding tight singletrack on the coker in a race situation scares the pants off me at the moment :astonished:

Rob

13

I’m just the same, Don’t get on with 29ers

You have had your coker longer then me, I think waiting until next year is a great idea for me.

Plumsie

14

It depends how you feel on it. Mine still feels very odd to me - unless I’m completely comfortable on it by June and can ride it almost without thinking I won’t risk racing it - apart from not being any quicker I don’t want to be a liability to other racers :o

I’ve probably had it more than six months now, but haven’t really ridden it that much yet. I probably did a couple of hundred miles on it, mostly on very smooth gravel, then fitted a brake so I’d be able to ride it to work for more practice (there’s a very steep road hill I’m afraid of getting out of control on, although it’ll probably be doable without a brake once I get more comfortable with the feel of the coker). Then I had a forced two month break due to an accident, and haven’t ridden the coker since I fitted the brake. Must get it out and practice!

Tue rode his (borrowed) coker in last year’s SITS after not having it very long (although he had done a few longish road rides on it), and did his fastest lap on it (possibly the fastest of all the unicyclists I think), but he seemed to be a bit of a coker natural - I think it’ll take me a bit more time to get completely happy with it (enough to race anyway).

Rob

15

I’m already really looking forward to this. :slight_smile:

So…how do you go about training? I’ve been riding my 26" a lot over the past month, almost every day, including a couple of very long rides and a fair bit of off-road. I’m in a city now, sadly, so not quite such good access to off road trails and I’m only riding every two or three days. But what’s the best kind of riding to do in preparation (hills? long flat roads? as much off-road as possible? up to what kind of level of pain?), and how often, and for how many hours at a time?

I think I’ll go and ride round the park a few times in the dark now, in my enthusiasm. No mud here though.

16

I’m already really looking forward to this. :slight_smile:

So…how do you go about training? I’ve been riding my 26" a lot over the past month, almost every day, including a couple of very long rides and a fair bit of off-road. I’m in a city now, sadly, so not quite such good access to off road trails and I’m only riding every two or three days. But what’s the best kind of riding to do in preparation (hills? long flat roads? as much off-road as possible? up to what kind of level of pain?), and how often, and for how many hours at a time?

I think I’ll go and ride round the park a few times in the dark now, in my enthusiasm. No mud here though.

17

There is no bad training - any riding, one or more wheels, or any high aerobic exercise is all good. Aim for 1 to 2 hrs per lap with 3 to 5 hrs recovery time, so observing the same kind of ratio when training really helps.

There is no substitute however for riding in the dark, in the wet, on unfamiliar rough terrain, with poor lights. However good your lighting is, some loon will go past with a fusion powered daylight-bright light on their bike, and you won’t be able to see by your light afterwards. Riding by feel, especially when climbing is a useful skill.

18

Howdy folks, it’ll be my first time this year. I’m going through phases of being very excited followed by moments of anxiety at the minute. I’m sure it’ll be great though, I’ve wanted to do this for the last couple of years.

I remember seeing on telly a few years ago, before I’d started riding I think, people riding these enormous great unicycles at mountain mayhem and being flabbergasted… This year I get to be one of those chaps!

I’m going to be putting in a load of road miles in the next two months in preparation for a big trip in May then switching to off road cokering whenever possible until the event.

Looking forward to meeting those I ain’t… Happy training all!

19

Ride lots! Lots of riding up hills is a good idea, because it’s so much more tiring, and more accurate - Eastnor is not flat. Off road riding is also important - it’s not hugely technical, but neither is it a road, and there’re bikes everywhere. Any training is good, but if possible matching your training to the event is better.

I also hate to say it, but running might also be a good idea, particularly on hills.

Go for some rides in properly manky conditions. You’re going riding anyway, might as well be ready for it if it’s a bit damp.

Train with the setup you’ll be using for as long as possible before the race. Races are not the place to be experimenting with equipment setup.

I’m planning on entering, on my own, on a bike. Cheating, but my ‘team’ will have either half or two fifths the wheels of your teams. For me, the periods of anxiety are longer than the periods of excitement, with brief periods of hoping I might have been too late to get in. (recorded post, on first day the forms were out - Doh!)

Just remember - it will be ace fun to have done.

John

20

Fantastic. Are you doing it unsupported, or have you managed to pursuade some idiot to be your support crew?

To whoever asked about training - how far do you live from work / university? If possible ride there instead of walking. That’s the one easiest training tip there is. If it’s too short a ride, then ride there, but by an indirect route.

Joe