Mountain Mayhem 2013 - The reprise of my 24 hour solo career.

Pic courtesy of singletrackworld.com

Six years ago at Mountain Mayhem was the last time I completed a 24 hour mountain bike event as a soloist. I attempted a second one that year, but packed after 12 hours due to the conditions. I vowed never to do another.

2013 and a brand new venue is announced for Mountain Mayhem. I had a good few road miles in the legs and was feeling quite fit. So I put my entry in as a soloist. I can't recall exactly why, as I didn't even own a mountain bike anymore, but that was a small detail.

Via eBay and STW classifieds I source two bikes. A 94/95 Raleigh M-Trax for £75 and a Marin Palisades Trail for £100. I loan some XTR V brakes and controls from Nick Craig for the Raleigh, and fit a pair of old Bombers to the Marin from my parts box. I had not one, but two "race" bikes. So Pro.

Al at the Polocini Coffee Shop sorted me out with some Torq Energy supplies.

James, Ann and the kids volunteered to be my support crew. I was good to go.

After pitching our tent on the Friday afternoon, Tom, James (on their cyclo-cross bikes) and I go and do a lap of the Gatcombe Park circuit. The going is dusty. Ace.

Saturday morning after a night of heavy rain showers the going is no longer dusty. Not quite the usual 24 hr "fit the skinny mud tyres", but the course is definitely going to be a bit more interesting than the afternoon before. I watch people come back from their recce laps with their bikes covered in mud.

12 o'clock and we're off. A short run to spread the field a little as per, and then it's the usual go stop go first lap. I make sure as I do for the rest of the race that I take no risks, and stay well clear of any potential crashes.

My crew look after feeding me and making sure I drink enough as the race goes on. All I have to do is ride, which bar a few hours when there seemed to be more walking than riding, was easy.

I did have a couple of bad laps in the middle of the night, but Ibroprufen tablets and some Deep Heat gel seemed to straighten me out. I pushed on for a few laps as dawn came. I had lots of sore bits and pieces, but my legs were nowhere near done.

As I neared the end I was well in the top 20 overall which had been my "if everything goes well" goal.

I didn't do the extra lap I could have done, and instead rode the last lap with my friend Amy at a sociable pace.

I was 4th Vet, and 16th out of 150ish soloists overall.

Strava tells me that I spent nearly 4 hours faffing, which though on the day I said I'd never do another, tells me there is some room for improvement.

We'll see eh...

Thanks to Ann, Skye, Tom, James, Nick and Al at Garage Bikes for the loan of a very bright Exposure light.

Minipips has left the building.

I've started a new blog for my boy's exploits.

He's being telling his mates at school about his adventures and pointing them to this blog. Whilst of course this blog is not full of F this or that, I'd like to feel free to be adult here should I wish.

More running and cycling stuff here in the New Year. Unfinished business in the Three Peaks Cyclocross and possibly another winter BG attempt next year.

My boy and I have got some good stuff planned over the Xmas period and some maybe ambitious stuff over the summer. It'll be child friendly, so even if it's not your bag, please feel free to send your kids over there.

Minipips and his Dad's Cycling Adventures Blog.

Hadrian's Cycleway - A Coast to Coast to Coast trip.

Day 1.

5:30 we left Hayfield on the Saturday morning, with a planned start of cycling from Bowness on Solway at 8am. Things did not go according to plan.

Somewhere between junctions 39 and 40 on the M6, and we have a flat tyre. I go to change the tyre, to a) shear the bolt holding the spare under the rear of the car, and b) to find the spare tyre flat. So I ring the AA and am told my membership has just expired. A few more phonecalls and a recovery vehicle is on its way. An hour or so later the spare is reinflated, and we are on our way. Yay!

Shortlived was our relief, because as we turned off for Carlisle, I could feel the spare tyre was now also flat. We were having some luck though, as we drew to a halt only a few yards from an ATS tyre place.

By the time they had fitted a new tyre any hopes of an early start had long gone. We arrived in Bowness on Solway the start of Hadrian's Cycleway just before 11am.

A quick change into our cycling clothes, a photo, and at 11:04 we were off.

The temperature was just the right side of freezing, and the wind was at our backs. Our day was getting better.

The route was all but flat until Warwick Bridge which meant good progress. At Brampton we had to make a decision. Should we camp there, or push on to Haltwhistle. The only factor being would we get there before dark. Mental arithmetic decided that if we didn't stop, then we should make Haltwhistle at dusk.

The only lights we had were flashing LEDs which would ensure we wouldn't get run over, but wouldn't be much use for seeing where we were going in the dark.

As we rolled into Haltwhistle darkness had all but fallen. It must be nearly 20 years since I've camped at Haltwhistle, and finding the campsite I'd stayed at before didn't prove too easy. We did find a sign for a different campsite, and this we followed up a steep hill in the darkness, and now falling rain. A mile or so out of Haltwhistle we arrive at Herding Hill Farm Campsite.

The owner kindly offered a deal on a night in a heated pod which meant putting up the tent was not a consideration.

The other ace thing about this campsite was that they did great pizzas, and draft beer too. We'll stay there again.

Day 2.

Proper Northumbrian rain was forecast, and the forecast was true. I didn't know for sure where we'd encouter hot food enroute, so we waited for the campsite to open for a proper hot breakfast.

The next section of the route is definitely the most beautiful, and the rain did little to take away from it.

After an hour and a half we reached the high point of the route.

After which the rain lessened and it was mostly downhill for a late lunch in Corbridge.

Then a trundle to our campsite at Ovingham.

A word of warning, don't expect an evening meal in a pub in either Ovingham or Wylam on a Sunday night in late October. We ended up having to ride into Prudhoe to a find a chippy.

Day 3.

Only 23 miles now to Tynemouth we wrapped up well, it was a chilly morning. We left our tent at the campsite as we would comeback later that evening on our return journey.

Not much to report about this section of the route, except to say that the signposting is excellent and it follows the course of the Tyne to Newcastle and beyond.

We did like the Cycle Hub Cafe in Newcastle so much that we stopped for a late breakfast there on the way, and for lunch on the way back.

Near enough 48 hours after leaving the Solway we arrived at Tynemouth.

A leisurely ride back to the campsite therafter, stopping for a pint of the aptly named "Coast to Coast" on the way.

Day 4.


The forecast for what might have been day 5 was looking atrocious, heavy rain and winds. We made the decision that we would try and get back to Bowness on Solway in one push. Tom had been completely unfazed by the mileage we'd done each day so far, so I reckoned it was possible.

As with day 1 the impetus was to be could we make it before nightfall. Tom had been instructed to press the snooze button on my alarm at 6:15. He instead turned the alarm off. 7:30, later than hoped we were on the road.

Flapjack fuelled us to Hexham, where we had hot food and drinks at a buttie van. Tom "riding like he stole it" asked for cake in Haltwhistle, so we bought a big lemon and lime cake, and ate it all.

A picture by Hadrian's Wall a must.

Coke, chocolate and mince pies in Brampton and we are still looking good for finishing in daylight.

A couple of hours later we drop down to the Solway just as dusk is falling. 30 hours after leaving Tynemouth. Tom was very pleased he had beaten his own record by 18 hours.

You might suppose Tom at the age of 7 after 75 miles in the saddle that day would be tired. Yet at 10:30 after his supper and a couple of drinks in the Hope and Anchor at Port Carlisle, he still did not want to go to bed.

"Where are we going next daddy?"

Postscript - The definitive Hadrian's Cycleway Information Trip Section now says

"Bowness to Tynemouth and back again.
Father, Richard and son Tom age 7, recently completed the 200 mile round trip in late October.
WELL DONE - Tom is the youngest to achieve this".

It's not all about Me.

Lately, it's been all change on the weekend excercise front for me. Rarely now do I get to race, or head out on my own into the hills.

My enthusiasm has not waned, but my son's enthusiasm for getting out on his bike now matches (and some times surpasses) mine.

I've been fairly laissez faire about getting my kids into running or cycling. They've got fell shoes, and half decent bikes, but I've never pushed either of them, and in fact my eldest is currently happiest sat on the settee watching CBBC for the time being. Happy kid equals happy me.

Recently though, my lad has become really keen on riding bikes.

His enthusiasm is such, that after much pestering I have bought him a Moda Minor cyclo-cross bike.  A cross bike is loads better than a mountain bike for doing road miles, and it's what his daddy rides near all the time. Plus remember if you have a nice bike, then your kid is going to want one too.

So yesterday we entered our first Sportive together. The Mills Hills cyclo-cross variant starting in Mytholmroyd looping Studley Pike, visiting Heptonstall, and Hebden Bridge more than once. 35 miles and 5000' of steep ups and down.

We had a couple of tearful moments, one after a crash on the loose rocks on Gorple Road, the other when a farm dog jumped out and knocked him off his bike. Otherwise, in his words (like the last time he went for a ride) "today has been the best day ever"

I can't ask for more than that can I.

Old County Tops Fell Race 2012

The Old County Tops is a 37 mile race with 10,000' feet of climbing that visits the summits of Helvellyn, Scafell Pike and Coniston Old Man, the highest points in the former counties of Westmorland, Cumberland and Lancashire. It is a team event where you compete in pairs.

My partner Hanno who after talking to Paul a fellow pacer on my winter BG attempt, convinced me that we as a team should give it a go.

After only a couple of beers the night before, and a poor night's sleep, we awoke to Lakeland drizzle in Langdale. A hasty breakfast, last minute equipment choice, race registration, and we were off on our way towards Helvellyn.

Worried by my dodgy knee I set a pace that can only be decribed as steady. Our game plan was to get to the first checkpoint at the foot of Helvellyn feeling fresh, and we achieved that. We even had time for Hanno to call in at a shop in Grasmere enroute.

Hanno was a little concerned that as we climbed up Wythburn we could see very few people behind us. Not where we are used to being in a fell race for sure, but this is not an ordinary fell race.

At Angle Tarn we were 25 minutes within the cut off time. All good I thought.

I'd heard that if you had time in hand at Angle Tarn, then the next checkpoint at Cockley Bridge was near a given as long as you kept a similar pace. After getting down the tricky direct descent of Scafell Pike, I did some quick calculations, and realised that we were not guaranteed making the next cut unless we really got a move on. For Hanno this was news that didn't come at the right time as he was feeling a bit rough. But nevertheless we both dug in and  upped the pace to make Cockley Bridge with a mere 8 minutes in hand. Lots of tea cake and sandwiches were consumed there, before the last big climb towards Coniston Old Man.

Spirits lifted as we now knew that we would get round, and one each of the Old County Tops finishers T-Shirts would be ours.

It was then that I sort of switched off thinking about exactly where we were going. Hanno asked if  "that was Coniston Old Man" to which I replied without thinking, "Yes". Thankfully we were still in the company of others who'd already got the T-Shirt, one of whom kindly informed us that the hill I'd decided was the Old Man was in fact Dow Crag. If I'd thought about it I actually knew that, but I'd given up thinking about much by then. Apparently the Dow Crag variant detour is a common error, and we met one of our lot who after admitted to going that way before he realised they were going the wrong way.

On Coniston Old Man.

After Coniston Old Man there was no longer any time pressure, and I was hoping for a trundle down the hill back to Langdale. However with about three miles to go Hanno decided we should move ourselves a little way up the results list. So we lengthened our stride and legged the last bit to the finish. This stretch now on our own, was the first time all day we actually had to get the map out to work out exactly where we were going.

It was good to know we still had something in our legs after all those miles and hills.

My knee held up though it certainly limited our speed on the descents. Thanks Hanno for your patience. Still, we had a fantastic day out on an amazing course which was extremely well organised by the Achille Ratti Climbing Club. We finshed somewhere very near the back of the field in an unofficial 11 hours and 6 minutes.

Next year we'll be back. Somewhere nearer 9 hours hould be achievable, but whatever it'll be a great day out.

Mount Famine Fell Race Video 2012

It's a brutal little race Mount Famine. One that I wasn't quite feeling up to on the day, so instead I took my camera and tripod out and shot some video.
Best watched in HD.

A Humbling Haworth Hobble.

Since my BG attempt my mileage has been much lower then the 40ish a week that I'd been doing pre BG.

A couple of weeks of near total rest to allow my ITB to settle down, followed by a few weeks of 20-30 miles.  No runs of any real length ie all under 8 miles. This I knew would not aggravate my knee, and indeed it has worked so far.

I have entered the 36 mile and 10,000' Old County Tops with a mate which is in just over two months time. So, I knew that sooner or later that I'd have to test out the knee.

So, a last minute entry looking for a home via a mate for the 32 mile 4400' Haworth Hobble this weekend gone was taken.

I could see from the map and a fair bit of previous over that way, that the Hobble was going to be a very different proposition to the BG or OCT. Lots of tracks, road and little to no off piste stuff.

Not my usual, but an easy way of getting 30 miles under the belt or so I thought.

So Saturday 8am, and steady away out of Haworth I go. By mile 15 my GPS is showing an average speed of 5.5 miles an hour. That's nowt spectacular for most maybe, but loads faster than I'd normally run for ~3 hours. Sure enough payback was soon to follow as my pace slowed little by little. The most painful bits from there on being the flat tracks and road.

Thoughts of getting round in under 6 hours, moved to getting round in under 7, and eventually to just finishing (in 7:18).

I ate enough and drank plenty, so it wasn't a fuel issue. Not enough recent miles in the legs probably, plus no fast miles at all.

The most important thing I take away from the day is that my knee didn't give me any trouble.

So with a few more miles in the legs over the next couple of months, the Old County Tops should be an enjoyable day out.