Sleepless in the Saddle 24 hour race, August 11/12, UK

Unicycles and Equipment
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Some very positive comments on the pictures of me in Joolze Dymond’s collection - nice to see :slight_smile:

Looks like that davemtb bloke is the one who saw me faceplant on the exit from the swoopy bombhole bit - looks like I was about to fall in that picture. Shame he didn’t get me half a second later (I went right down flat, still holding the saddle, when I ran out of grip on the slope).

I think I like Joolze’s picture of Tue best (the one with the light on his helmet, blue shirt).

Rob

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A few more: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrjoolze/

and one more of el monkey: http://jonathanthompson4346.fotopic.net/p44097784.html

The annoying thing is there were a good few times when I spotted a photographer or a flash on an exciting bit that I thought would make a great photo, and I’ve not found any of those. I’m sure they do it on purpose. Maybe I was just too fast for their shutter speed.

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Well, sorry for the delayed reply, but what with sleeping, working, and hobling about, I’ve not had much spare time since the weekend :slight_smile:

So, first of all, thanks to Rob, Tue, Neil and Phil & John for what I’m now begining to think was a great weekend. I have to admit that I wasn’t so greatful at the end of each lap that I did, but that’s starting to wear off now :slight_smile:

Thanks for the write up Neil. That pretty much all goes for me too, although I think I might have been struggling a bit more than you for fitness. It seems like training for hundreds of mile on flat tarmac really is no substitute for rough hilly terrain! :frowning: I was really pleased with my first lap though of about 1h29, and, considering the conditions, my 2 hour night lap was ok too. I think I would have been on for a better third lap than my first, except for puncture I picked up two thirds of the way round. C’est la vie.

I managed to find these photos on one site, which I’m quite proud of, so thought I’d share them here;

Cheers

STM

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Nice write up and pics:)

What were all the uni setups? Wheel/tire/crank size. And looks like there was at least one Schlumpf. Was high gear used much?

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My set-up

KH29 from 2005
Standard 150 cranks
Magura brakes
Kenda Klaw

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Tue again photo

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Me: 26x3", 150s, no brake. (and a coker with 150s but I only used it on the practice lap)
Tue: Coker with TA tyre, 150s, brake (first lap). KH 29, 150s, brake.
Neil (Norry): KH 29 as he decribed above.
Spencer (Semach the Monkey): Schlumpf 29, 150s, brake.

Not sure which tyre Tue and Spencer used - I’m pretty sure Tue’s wasn’t the normal Kenda Klaw. Spencer did mention to me that he managed to use the high gear on some of the flat sections but wasn’t sure how much of an advantage it was because it made it less stable (most of the flat sections were grassy with hidden ripples and ruts).

Rob

88

I think Tue had the WTB Weirwolf tyre on his, and mine was the Nanoraptor.

I did use high gear a bit, but to be honest, probably not enough to give me much of a time advantage. There were only a few places smooth enough to change up successfully, and then, as Rob said, it was quite rough to ride over.

STM

89

Sheez. If that is a 29, Tue must be like 6’4"+!!

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Another one of Tue

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It’s a 29er. Tue’s a similar height to me, or possibly a tad shorter I would guess. I’m just under 6’2". He’s got longer legs than me though (or at least he rides with a slightly higher saddle).
I think unicycle wheels always look much smaller with people riding them than they do on their own - my coker wheel looks disappointingly small when I see myself reflected in a window or something - when it’s leaning against the wall it looks enormous.

Rob

92

I made a little movie from the event.

Video Here It’s about 100 meg. Sound required. This one plays in the browser.

Direct download Here Do a right click and ‘save as’. File name is called ‘SITS.wmv’ as it might try and call it ‘main.php’.

640X480 wmv format and about 7 mins long.

For those that prefer it is also on youtube Here but the quality is alot worse.

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Heh… I’d forgotten about all the Top Gun music from the start… :slight_smile:

'Twas a great video, thanks for making it!

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That was a nice little film Neil. Nice ominous sound of rain on the changeover tent at the start of your night lap - I was safely in my tent for that (for a bit too long as it turned out… :o)

Rob

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Ah, at last I’m at a computer where I can download and watch this!

Thanks for taking the time and effort for filming, editing and posting this. It’s a great little video, and a nice momento for my first 24 hour race. Much appreciated.

STM

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first?

It’s too late for you now.