That will be an Irish Thursday

If I could afford it, I would head out earlier so you can get your bike setup and gauge the area and conditions. On my last trip, I landed Thursday and spent Friday seeing Father Christmas, eating and being in the pre race meet (2-2 hours), so only spent ten minutes testing my setup before the race (I even had to ask about tyre pressures for race day!)

voodoo_simon wrote:That will be an Irish Thursday

If I could afford it, I would head out earlier so you can get your bike setup and gauge the area and conditions. On my last trip, I landed Thursday and spent Friday seeing Father Christmas, eating and being in the pre race meet (2-2 hours), so only spent ten minutes testing my setup before the race (I even had to ask about tyre pressures for race day!)

I'm trying to decide between heading out early and getting a ride or two and possible bivy done before the race then fly back on the Monday or head out Thursday and have a bit of time afterwards. I think heading out earlier, say Tuesday, might be the better option then there isn't all the "how does this work?" palaver when somewhere new. Not an option for the longer race due to cost though I suspect.

Phone weather updates is telling me snow flurries

After being quite firmly OFF it's now looking like this trip might actually happen for me after all!!!

But there are still a few financial issues that need sorting to appease Mrs Gairy that I thought you lot might be able to help with.....

Sleeping bag:

Anyone know the cheapest 'approved' bag that would suit the larger gentleman?

I wonder if anyone has approached them to see if they'd accept doubled-up bags with quilts?

Transfer from/to the airport:

Does anyone know if this is quick and easy or a pain in the a$$?

If I can keep the costs down then I think I'll be sorted for a pass.

I think the cheapest will be one of the Alpkit ones (Arctic Dream 1000 @£300) along with the Hunka XL bivvy bag. Did think of Cumulus but the cheapest of their acceptable bags is €485 which with the current exhange rate is over £400 I'm just glad I'm not buying my expedition bag now - cheapest I've seen for it is £650 Dunno about doubling up but there is a comment on the site to ask them if you are unsure about your particular sleeping bag.

No idea about taxis - it's one of the things I was going to ask about. voodoo_simon has been so should be along to advise.

I've got a fairly old and scruffy Rab 1000 which I'm happy to lend. It was my FILs and he took it up mount Kenya it doesn't get much use in the uk!

Think the alpkit bag is the cheapest, new bag you can get from memory. If I'm thinking right, the organiser doesn't like double bags, think he likes the clear cut of bag rating. Worth asking though

Transfer wise, a taxi is the only option (the bus driver won't entertain you getting on with a bike bag). Was only 25euros from memory, obviously you can share (race competitors are dead easy to spot at the conveyor belt!).

Once landed, go to the exit door and on the right hand side, call a taxi using the free phone. Then go back to the conveyor belt to collect your baggage (no customs in Rovaniemi as it's all internal flights). Jobs a good un! Transfer is only 10-15 minutes into town

Cheapest approved bag is the warmest Mountain Hardwear Lamina. There is a list on the Rov150 site. I think with the Lamina a bivi bag isn't even necessary iirc.

Since it looks like the thread is coming back to life a question about carrying water in cold temps. Some options with variations come to mind:

1. Camelbak style bladder worn reasonably close to the body. Will keep reasonably fluid and by blowing back water from the hose should avoid the hose and valve icing up. Big problem would be refilling it as it would mean undressing at least the upper layers.

2. Water bottles with thermal sleeve.

3. Stainless steel thermos flasks. Could fill with hot/warm water at checkpoints.

whitestone wrote:Since it looks like the thread is coming back to life a question about carrying water in cold temps. Some options with variations come to mind:

1. Camelbak style bladder worn reasonably close to the body. Will keep reasonably fluid and by blowing back water from the hose should avoid the hose and valve icing up. Big problem would be refilling it as it would mean undressing at least the upper layers.

2. Water bottles with thermal sleeve.

3. Stainless steel thermos flasks. Could fill with hot/warm water at checkpoints.

I used these filled with hot drinks:

https://shop.chillysbottles.com/collect ... oCAWPw_wcB

Have a search about, I got some randomly coloured ones at a knock down price.

whitestone wrote:1. Camelbak style bladder worn reasonably close to the body. Will keep reasonably fluid and by blowing back water from the hose should avoid the hose and valve icing up. Big problem would be refilling it as it would mean undressing at least the upper layers.

2. Water bottles with thermal sleeve.

3. Stainless steel thermos flasks. Could fill with hot/warm water at checkpoints.

I was thinking about a bladder mounted under most layers and then running the insulated hosing down one sleeve to stop it freezing.

Another option is those adhesive heat packs stuck onto bottles in a feed bag.

I've got plenty of thermos flasks (including the one from the winter event earlier this year) , of course they are all different diameters Carrying them would need something like an extra deep Stem Cell so that it's handy otherwise you just keep pushing on delaying the point at which you take a drink (well I do).

I've got a Camelbak Gillet/ vest thing that held two litres I think. In cold weather when you're not sweating much / at all, fluid intake doesn't need to be so much I don't think? (someone will be along to correct me shortly I expect). I got through the 150 on one fill anyway. Water available easily at some of the checkpoints, the halfway one being in a hut with a fire, so changing layers isn't a problem.

Ian wrote:I've got a Camelbak Gillet/ vest thing that held two litres I think. In cold weather when you're not sweating much / at all, fluid intake doesn't need to be so much I don't think? (someone will be along to correct me shortly I expect).

It wouldn't be the internet if someone didn't counter it! It can't be quite dry in Finland, so may need more water than you think (plus my ride was twice as long as Ian's time wise, so I needed more water).

I carried a 1l Nalgene bottle and two flasks for the ride, think I was one of the few without some form of camelbak system. Worked fine for me and made filling up at the checkpoints easier

Tips from the Fins
https://ukonilma.com/2016/01/21/lessons ... g-in-cold/

and some do and don'ts
https://ukonilma.com/2016/04/13/dos-and ... niemi-150/

Some good tips on that blog.

Next question!

Footwear. My current favoured footwear is a pair of winter climbing / ice climbing boots with a built in gaiter that I happen to have. I've also a pair of Specialized Defrosters which are fine to -5C so no good on their own but it might be possible to use them with a pair of NEOS Navigator insulated overshoes http://www.westonwindsport.co.uk/neosov ... fault.aspx. I quite like the idea of these as they mean I don't have to have a very conditions specific set of boots lying around waiting for the occasional arctic blast.

What have folk used? Anyone used the NEOS overshoes?

I wore Merrell Moab polar boots and knee length winter thick sealskins and ankle gaiters to keep the snow out. This was combined with superstar plastic nano flat pedals.

For 2015 that was overkill really and some decent winter spd shoes would probably be better. Of course it might be -30 next time around!

Aside from the racing a pair of those rubber webs with studs you stick on your shoes are essential for getting about town safely!

More tips here
http://www.bikepacking.com/plan/gear-li ... ing-guide/

In regards to footwear, I used TNF Chillkats and they proved great for riding in and even better for push sections. Get footwear that you are happy to walk in! (saying that, one section in 2015 took me four hours of mostly pushing and took Ian 2 hours of riding!).

I've bought some Bontrager OMW boots for 2017, had them all last year but frankly, I dont rate them! I suffer with cold feet and these are perfect for me down to about -5c or so, any colder and i'll be taking my Chillkats outs with me again.

I found merino socks much better than seal skinz, i find seal skinz to be quite cold in use but know plenty who rave about them

OK, flights booked - £480 for the two of us Do I need to contact Finnair now to book the bikes as extra baggage?

Next choice/payment is for the hotel.

Good luck all! I'm officially now NOT going to make it this time round (again!).

Until we sell our house I'm not allowed any bike trips that cost about a grand!

I've been told (by Mrs Boss) that if we've sold the house then I can do 2018 but that seems so far away.....

Looking forward to hearing all about everyone's trip.

To be honest Gairy, if I lived where you do (Chamonix?), then I wouldn't feel the need to enter the R150! Maybe because I'm not a racer, I enter the race as it gives me that winter adventure that I feel I need but with an added safety net if that makes sense?

Colder in Brecon this morning than it is in Rovaniemi right now. Pity it won't last...

Ian wrote:Colder in Brecon this morning than it is in Rovaniemi right now. Pity it won't last...

The weather app on my phone is predicting highest temperatures in Rovaniemi for this week as: -4, -6, -8, -12, -11. A bit nippier than Skipton (between +4 & +8C)

As an aside Ian - I finally finished building up the Puffin on Monday night. I'd kept some lock-on grips on the bars until I'd got the position of the bars and the levers sorted and have now replaced them with some ESI chunky grips. Will have to get some snow/winter tyres though.

We had -8 this morning, and based on what the Norgies were saying, it was -2 over there. But, yes, their forecast for the rest of the week is for it to be much colder.

Just got back from Norway on Monday, was generally between 2-4c, great temperature! Only saw -1c in the morning of my flight home.

Sadly no bike with me, in fact I've done zero training (well a few one hour slow paced rides) in November due to man flu Here's to December and seeing my bike