Richard G wrote:Just been looking at the 200. Unless there's something particularly nasty hidden in the non shared section that I can't see... I think you guys have got a nice easy year.

Where you get that from??

There are 4 sizeable pushes in the first 100k, and while the climbing may be on the lower end of the Welsh scale there are several sections which are ride able but steep.

When you get back you can let us know how easy it was

I've done the entire route before aside from one push.

The weather might make it difficult, but the route itself is on the more friendly side. I'm actually quite surprised, as there are a few easy tweaks that would have made it much nastier.

If I hadn't seen Hyddgen I'd say Stu was going soft.

I think it's fair to say that the 200 route is front loaded in terms of difficulty - the filling station at Ponterwyd had better get stocked up I don't think it will be easy, especially given the forecast, but fair to say that it's not the hardest BB200 route I've seen.

I thought I'd done the majority of it but a rough check shows there's nearly 90km I've not ridden, most of that is getting to Nant Rhys. The stuff I've not done later on is mostly road or forestry track.

I keep mulling over doing this sometime so would be grateful if you would all stop taunting Stu into producing a stinker next year with all this talk of him going soft.

Due to the weather, I'd wager even cheery Steve Large will say it was a hard one by the end. The rest of us mortals will barely be able to string a sentence together.

mechanicaldope wrote:I keep mulling over doing this sometime so would be grateful if you would all stop taunting Stu into producing a stinker next year with all this talk of him going soft.

he is going soft(*), the approx last 45km of the 300 is mainly road and forest track.

(*)though the distance, time, and weather will make up for that. i will likely be thankful for the road.
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stu, how about a 200 "standard", and a 200 "evil" for next year?

The last time words such as 'easy' and 'soft' got banded about the result was 2014. It may be 4 years ago but some people who were there that day, haven't spoken to me since.

Careful what you wish for and we'll see how difficult it was on Sunday ... everything looks like a piece of piss from behind a computer screen

Be careful with the phrase "easy/easier" it's slightly disrespectful in my view. 200km self supported is simply NOT easy I don't care who you are. "Easier" is massively subjective as well when weather, fitness, planning and even luck come into the equation. I found last year's BB200 harder than 2014 in some aspects as I was half dead from manflu and had zero sleep the night before. 2014 was definitely more "annoying" though, maybe that's the right word.

Dave Barter wrote:Be careful with the phrase "easy/easier" it's slightly disrespectful in my view. 200km self supported is simply NOT easy I don't care who you are. "Easier" is massively subjective as well when weather, fitness, planning and even luck come into the equation. I found last year's BB200 harder than 2014 in some aspects as I was half dead from manflu and had zero sleep the night before. 2014 was definitely more "annoying" though, maybe that's the right word.

I rode with you in 2014 Dave, was it me who annoyed you or the route

And totally agree. 200km is a big ride!

Clinty? More or less clinty??

Dave Barter wrote:Be careful with the phrase "easy/easier" it's slightly disrespectful in my view. 200km self supported is simply NOT easy I don't care who you are. "Easier" is massively subjective as well when weather, fitness, planning and even luck come into the equation. I found last year's BB200 harder than 2014 in some aspects as I was half dead from manflu and had zero sleep the night before. 2014 was definitely more "annoying" though, maybe that's the right word.

All of this is being judged from a BB200 perspective though... it's all relative!

Karl wrote:

Dave Barter wrote:Be careful with the phrase "easy/easier" it's slightly disrespectful in my view. 200km self supported is simply NOT easy I don't care who you are. "Easier" is massively subjective as well when weather, fitness, planning and even luck come into the equation. I found last year's BB200 harder than 2014 in some aspects as I was half dead from manflu and had zero sleep the night before. 2014 was definitely more "annoying" though, maybe that's the right word.

I rode with you in 2014 Dave, was it me who annoyed you or the route

And totally agree. 200km is a big ride!

Remind me when we rode?

I love reading the build up over the days leading up to the event. It is the same with the more challenging audax events I ride, seeing the different approaches as some riders delve into finite details . I never know where I am going on BB , save for ideally identifying where there is a pub for a hot meal on the saturday evening. Mention of 2014 made me smile -sort of. This will be my 5th BB and that one definitely stands out in the memory. 3 of us arrived back at 10pm on the Sunday night , after planning to sleep for 2-3 hours in a caravan on the saturday night after too good a pub supper with beer , we woke up after 8 hours unbroken slumber. We then had a cooked breakfast and decided to have another hot supper that evening in a pub as we knew were driving back to London that night. As we sat down for supper with a beer on the sunday night , the locals asked us if we wanted to enter the sunday night quiz that was about to start..........our howls of laughter/ delirium/anguish prompted us to explain what we had been doing and our appearance. In my case this was , on one count at least ,notable , as earlier that day -the bit near the old (lead ) mines? I walked into a bog which immediately came up over my waist .
This year I am coming with two people, who currently think of me as a friend, who have never ridden in Wales let alone done the BB. Descriptions like "easy" are not entering my vocabulary as I wish to maintiain our amicable relationship. See you all soon. PS -we did not make it back to London as our driver was threatening to drive us over a ploughed field -after first crossing the other side of the road. Shrewsbury was as far as we could manage. Bit late for work that monday.

I'm just looking forward to riding my bike and finishing the 200 hopefully

So i have found my mojo at last for the weekend, i was starting to have thoughts of bailing earlier in week but having been out on my bike the last few days and taken on a sh1t load of happy endorphins im now ready to be destroyed! Ive just got to pack all my stuff now and decide which waterproof i will be using and shelter i want to carry
I have NO doubt about the weekend, its going to be character building for sure and definitely not easy going. There are some very cheeky climbs in the 300 and some when wet will be hard riding.

After my V-brakes-made-of-cheese fail on last year's BB200, I'm bringing disc brakes this year

Reproofed the 'proofs yesterday. Got some Alpkit Kantju gaiters to try to keep the worst of the weather off my socks and out of my shoes (it's a delaying tactic only, I know).

Checked the route — there are at least two streams to cross, perhaps should pack waders, given the forecast for heavy rain tomorrow?

And, if I'm not mistaken, only the Giant's Grave bog-trotting section is at night, the rest appear to be in the first 100km. I've never been up that way, so it's possible it will be firm ground, but I'm suspicious ...

The ground was still very firm 2 weeks ago and weve not had so much rain since ( this weekend is the exception ) so i reckon most of it will be firmish still and that first river crossing was about a foot deep the other week ( the bridge, that is no longer there must of got washed away last yr sometime. Im sure i used it on a ride me and stu did the yr before. Just before pushing up a stupidly steep climb through some woods )

Wilkyboy wrote:After my V-brakes-made-of-cheese fail on last year's BB200, I'm bringing disc brakes this year

Reproofed the 'proofs yesterday. Got some Alpkit Kantju gaiters to try to keep the worst of the weather off my socks and out of my shoes (it's a delaying tactic only, I know).

Checked the route — there are at least two streams to cross, perhaps should pack waders, given the forecast for heavy rain tomorrow?

And, if I'm not mistaken, only the Giant's Grave bog-trotting section is at night, the rest appear to be in the first 100km. I've never been up that way, so it's possible it will be firm ground, but I'm suspicious ...

Where is the Giant's Grave ?

Mike wrote:The ground was still very firm 2 weeks ago and weve not had so much rain since ( this weekend is the exception ) so i reckon most of it will be firmish still and that first river crossing was about a foot deep the other week ( the bridge, that is no longer there must of got washed away last yr sometime. Im sure i used it on a ride me and stu did the yr before. Just before pushing up a stupidly steep climb through some woods )

When was that ride Mike? I had a quick nose through your Strava stuff but couldn't find it.

dlovett wrote:Where is the Giant's Grave ?

Just at the easterly-most point of the 200, 143km or so in.

My god... Stu really has gone soft!

(See email)

I'm not arguing though.

Speaking of rivers - I've just emailed everyone a small route amend. It comes in at around 28km and directs you toward a bridge and away from a river crossing. Worth the effort given the forecast and it'll knock about 1km of HaB off too

Wilkyboy wrote:

dlovett wrote:Where is the Giant's Grave ?

Just at the easterly-most point of the 200, 143km or so in.

Cheers!

So with the Hyddgen "elbow" now straightened out Viewranger's got the total distance as 192km ish. That sound right or has something gone awry?

In Reverse wrote:So with the Hyddgen "elbow" now straightened out Viewranger's got the total distance as 192km ish. That sound right or has something gone awry?

Nope, that's short due to point-reduction. If you put the curves back in (i.e. use more points) then I make it just under 196km on the flat, plus a bit for the climbs.