BB200 2024

[Mike]

that was lovely route stu. Thanks to you both for your time and effort sorting this ride out for us lot. Most appreciated, I’m rather tired today from those cheeky few climbs at the end they proper got me :0)
Well happy with my ride got back under 20hrs good to see there’s a few blacks and oranges being given out

[PaulE]

Excellent route Stu, although I did just see a gate and have a nervous twitch!
Massive congratulations to those who did the 300 - sounded like it was much more than the 50% tougher that the number suggests. And thanks to Mark for the company and moral headwind/gate support in the last 5 hours. Oh, and thanks to Dee for the bacon, beans and putting up with me hanging about for 20 hours.

Feeling pretty good today, other than saddle sores,

Big question for the morning is "Did Shaf make the cut-off?" Fingers crossed for him!

[whitestone]

I think he did - his Strava activity shows 34hrs something as an overall time.

[Bearbonesnorm]

"Did Shaf make the cut-off?"

He did.

[redefined_cycles]

I think he did - his Strava activity shows 34hrs something as an overall time.

I have 57 lovely pics to show for it (and that thing where the feet shrivel up ready for underwater grip). Thanks Stu and Dee once again. Twas lovely, especially when I almost got swallowed by a ditch.

[redefined_cycles]

Slowest one back, as usual.

[psling]

Slowest one back, as usual.

That matters not, you did it!

[Valerio]

I think he did - his Strava activity shows 34hrs something as an overall time.

I have 57 lovely pics to show for it (and that thing where the feet shrivel up ready for underwater grip). Thanks Stu and Dee once again. Twas lovely, especially when I almost got swallowed by a ditch.

Well done Shaf!

[gecko76]

Nice one Shaf!

[Wotsits]

I think he did - his Strava activity shows 34hrs something as an overall time.

I have 57 lovely pics to show for it (and that thing where the feet shrivel up ready for underwater grip). Thanks Stu and Dee once again. Twas lovely, especially when I almost got swallowed by a ditch.

It takes more fortitude to keep going for longer, well done Shaf!!

& everyone else that headed out, finishing or not!

[Richard G]

Slowest one back, as usual.

Honestly, based on when I heard you got to Mach, I didn't think you'd make it. Well done, hell of an effort.

Here you go....plus a 25km detour and extra 1000m of climbing....see if you can spot my mistake!

https://strava.app.link/aanZVjrWtNb

Link doesn't seem to work.

Edit - Stu, looks like there were at least four of us that ended up on the wrong path on the 300. I wonder how many were stupid enough to force their way through that downed tree...

[macinblack]

I managed to get back in time for my first ever black badge, which I'm dead chuffed with.

The apparently straightforward route was actually quite tough and there were plenty of those little touches that make the BB what it is.

Well done!! You're not alone in finding the route tougher than expected. I found the ladder stiles were a nice touch but the missing bridge in the last mile was my favourite

Thanks! Yes, I did chuckle at those stiles, even though my muscles groaned. The missing bridge was the icing on the cake, you'd never have guessed that was coming up so close to the finish. Fortunately the ladders down into the pit made crossing achievable and so me and Russ made it over and home.

[Hyppy]

that was lovely route stu. Thanks to you both for your time and effort sorting this ride out for us lot. Most appreciated, I’m rather tired today from those cheeky few climbs at the end they proper got me :0)
Well happy with my ride got back under 20hrs good to see there’s a few blacks and oranges being given out

Thanks for the moral support en route, Mike. Likewise anyone else I chatted to. I always feel bad for not remembering names but you're all feckin' stars!

There's a hastily written and quite possibly inaccurate write up of my ride here: http://cycling.hypertelia.com/bearbones-200-2024

[Richard G]

There's a hastily written and quite possibly inaccurate write up of my ride here: http://cycling.hypertelia.com/bearbones-200-2024

Awes0me job. Hell of a comeback!

Edit - Awes*me is justified here, sue me.

[PaulE]

I managed to get back in time for my first ever black badge, which I'm dead chuffed with.

The apparently straightforward route was actually quite tough and there were plenty of those little touches that make the BB what it is.

Well done!! You're not alone in finding the route tougher than expected. I found the ladder stiles were a nice touch but the missing bridge in the last mile was my favourite

Thanks! Yes, I did chuckle at those stiles, even though my muscles groaned. The missing bridge was the icing on the cake, you'd never have guessed that was coming up so close to the finish. Fortunately the ladders down into the pit made crossing achievable and so me and Russ made it over and home.

LADDERS!?!? never saw them! Scrambled up in a mal-coordinated chimp kind of way, and now have a lovely strait bruise on one shin!

Ladder stiles did cause an outbreak of tourettes, along the lines of "how would you get a f***in horse over that f***in thing" but at least I'm tall with minimal kit

[PaulE]

Slowest one back, as usual.

Amazing, well done Shaf! As I said to my wife when she was annoyed last week at only doing half her gym session, you did infinitely better than those who never got off the sofa!

[TeaFuelledMutantGingerBike]

Slowest one back, as usual.

Which just means you had more time out enjoying yourself I think... or something

[redefined_cycles]

Slowest one back, as usual.

That matters not, you did it!

I was saying it positively Peter and the fact I ended up really behind (original) schedule means I managed the coffer shop coordination at Mawwdy.

[Valerio]

I loved the missing bridge at the end, although crossing the construction site went against everything I learnt in my working life

If you missed it, CLICK on the image to see how it looked

https://youtube.com/shorts/RsT68j4P3Zo?feature=share]

[RedX]

Now you've survived, any chance of someone posting up a link to the route so us feeble armchair merchants can see what you had to suffer please?

+1, and any pics too if poss

Link to some photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Pu4fjSmWb9RzDAN97

[mattpage]

Edit - Stu, looks like there were at least four of us that ended up on the wrong path on the 300. I wonder how many were stupid enough to force their way through that downed tree...

Yes, I bumped into the same problem. I decided to just go around by going into the river rather than back up, and I thought it had worked... until another tree down 20 metres further on.

Well done to anyone who finished the 300. Stu kindly let me start a day earlier, and from Mach as I didn't have transport to Llanbrynmair. It was all going quite well, but I ran out of food in the middle of the night. I thought I had stocked up at Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, but obviously not enough. I could have just stopped and got the bivi out, but ideally, I needed to finish around 24hrs to get back to the family to skipped the southern section and took the road back to Mach.

It probably didn't help that I knew what the route was like ahead on the southern loop, but I guessed one Twix stick I had left would be pushing things.

My attempt: https://www.strava.com/activities/12576224362

[Richard G]

Yes, I bumped into the same problem. I decided to just go around by going into the river rather than back up, and I thought it had worked... until another tree down 20 metres further on.

Well done to anyone who finished the 300. Stu kindly let me start a day earlier, and from Mach as I didn't have transport to Llanbrynmair. It was all going quite well, but I ran out of food in the middle of the night. I thought I had stocked up at Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, but obviously not enough. I could have just stopped and got the bivi out, but ideally, I needed to finish around 24hrs to get back to the family to skipped the southern section and took the road back to Mach.

It probably didn't help that I knew what the route was like ahead on the southern loop, but I guessed one Twix stick I had left would be pushing things.

My attempt: https://www.strava.com/activities/12576224362

I came back with about 4,000kcal worth of food because I just couldn't face eating after around midnight (I think I managed a Soreen snack pack and 3 Shot Bloks). Luckily I took so long to get around that I was able to get a bacon sarnie in the morning, which helped a TON.

Thankfully I wasn't struggling to get water into me or I'd have really been screwed.

[RedX]

that was lovely route stu. Thanks to you both for your time and effort sorting this ride out for us lot. Most appreciated, I’m rather tired today from those cheeky few climbs at the end they proper got me :0)
Well happy with my ride got back under 20hrs good to see there’s a few blacks and oranges being given out

Thanks for the moral support en route, Mike. Likewise anyone else I chatted to. I always feel bad for not remembering names but you're all feckin' stars!

There's a hastily written and quite possibly inaccurate write up of my ride here: http://cycling.hypertelia.com/bearbones-200-2024

Great write up & photos!

[redefined_cycles]

I loved the missing bridge at the end, although crossing the construction site went against everything I learnt in my working life

If you missed it, CLICK on the image to see how it looked

https://youtube.com/shorts/RsT68j4P3Zo?feature=share]

Lol, you actually crossed it Valerio. I got to it and assessed for about 5 seconds. Then decided it was, 'a bit thick' and hopefully Dee/Stu didn't actually have it as part of the nightmare (not really but in the interests of onlookers). But, maybe I would have been safer crossing it cos on yhe way out between the bollard/plastic weights, I ended up scratching the chains Taylor of the bike.

I was gutted for about 7 seconds but then moved on. The rain probably helped and so did the fact that I'd made it round in time (only happened once before)?

[Valerio]

I loved the missing bridge at the end, although crossing the construction site went against everything I learnt in my working life

If you missed it, CLICK on the image to see how it looked

https://youtube.com/shorts/RsT68j4P3Zo?feature=share]

Lol, you actually crossed it Valerio. I got to it and assessed for about 5 seconds. Then decided it was, 'a bit thick' and hopefully Dee/Stu didn't actually have it as part of the nightmare (not really but in the interests of onlookers). But, maybe I would have been safer crossing it cos on yhe way out between the bollard/plastic weights, I ended up scratching the chains Taylor of the bike.

I was gutted for about 7 seconds but then moved on. The rain probably helped and so did the fact that I'd made it round in time (only happened once before)?

What do you mean you didn't cross it?!!!! Give your badge back!

I've just done an event in Italy where we crossed about 5 construction sites....I must have got numb to them lol. The organiser assured us they would be fine and tbf they were deserted and with nearly no hazards.
I admit I assumed this one would be one of those with a fence erected before works start, and wasnt expecting a missing bridge and having to go up and down ladders you made the right call