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Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 11:08 pm
by Ian
composite wrote:Is it really 200miles?
Yes.


But there'll be a 100 mile option if you need to be back for tea ;)

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 11:42 pm
by Ben98
Ian wrote:
composite wrote:Is it really 200miles?
Yes.


But there'll be a 100 mile option if you need to be back for tea ;)
I'd best start training :?

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 1:29 pm
by slowupslowdown-under
will be very interested in the 100 depending on training.

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 1:48 pm
by adjustablewench
Would be very interested too

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 3:54 pm
by Ben98
How will the route be given to us? Cue sheets or gpx?

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 8:35 pm
by barney
100 mile might tempt me (I'd be on a 26" mtb)

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 9:17 am
by composite
Sounds like there might almost be 2 races going on. The CXers and the MTBers. ;)

I guess 200 miles of fireroad will be considerably faster average speeds than the BB200.

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 5:17 pm
by zigrat
Crap !!
If it's going to be 200 miles then I'll have to carry a bivi bag :D

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 9:09 pm
by Ian
zigrat wrote:Crap !!
If it's going to be 200 miles then I'll have to carry a bivi bag :D
Not if you're going to get under 24 hours ;)

Here's the route profile for the 200 mile loop:
Image


And the 100 miler:
Image

The 200 mile loop will break off from the 100 at about 55 miles and rejoin at the same point.
And for those requiring some shut-eye part way round, there's bothies available at mile 83, 131, 141 & 165.

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 9:25 pm
by ianfitz
Ian wrote:

If anyone wants me, I'll be fitting gears to the Kite...
Barrington. Fitting gears. S**T the bed. the route must be a beast :shock:

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 9:31 pm
by Ben98
Ian wrote:
jameso wrote:
Ian wrote:+ I reckon 200 miles of Welsh gravel would have something like 8000m of climbing...
so we do.. (mild panic sets in, thinks about tyres and gearing)
I was wrong. It's not 8,000m at all...

...current route draft indicates 9,200m (30,000 ft) :shock:


If anyone wants me, I'll be fitting gears to the Kite...
HOLY S**T!
Just looked at the elevation on the DK200, 7000feet!
Stuart, what have you created?!?!?

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 9:34 pm
by Ian
ianfitz wrote:
Ian wrote:

If anyone wants me, I'll be fitting gears to the Kite...
Barrington. Fitting gears. S**T the bed. the route must be a beast :shock:
Ha, well, if you think you can pedal 36:18 around Mid-Wales' finest gravel tracks, be my guest.
I've tried. It's hard ;)

By gears, I am limiting myself to only 8 though, so there :P

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 9:42 pm
by nostoc
When is the route out then?
(If I was not sat here trying to learn something about bioinformatics in relation to next generation sequencing by tomorrow, I would be trying to work it out from the profile and the bothy positions)

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 9:45 pm
by Ian
Route out at some point in November, once I've ridden it.

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 10:06 pm
by slowupslowdown-under
holy smokes - looks great!

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 8:06 pm
by numplumz
Ian wrote:Route out at some point in November, once I've ridden it.
Go on give us a clue, where does it start :(

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 8:11 pm
by nostoc
I'm on the case now Jack, I`ll have it sussed soon.

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 8:43 pm
by Ian
Kev, I'd be mightily impressed if you could suss it out from the scant information provided!

The 100 mile route is in the public domain already, if you know where to look ;)
The 200 mile route was only conceived the other night, and as I said above, will need to be ridden a test before route details are released.

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 10:42 pm
by slarge
So, to enjoy or endure?

Decisions decisions! Getting a cross bike sorted this winter, so should have the right bike, then just need to think about a carbon 29er hardtail so I can have lots of choice in the 2 days before such an event.

Can we have a tiny weeny amount of hike a bike please (by tiny weeny, I mean 1 stile, or fence)?

Should be fun in a different sort of way!

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 12:09 pm
by numplumz
loving the two ton O gravel name, and the fact that's its proper beautifull British ton(s) :D looks like that's my recovery target set then.
hopefully see you in Lan' wells

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 12:49 pm
by Ian
slarge wrote:Can we have a tiny weeny amount of hike a bike please (by tiny weeny, I mean 1 stile, or fence)?
Approximately 0.001% of the route requires pushing: a rough gravel track that would be known to many folk who've ridden the BB200. Other than that, I can't think of anything that can't be ridden, even on a crosser :)

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 6:30 pm
by ianfitz
Ian wrote:
ianfitz wrote:
Ian wrote:

If anyone wants me, I'll be fitting gears to the Kite...
Barrington. Fitting gears. S**T the bed. the route must be a beast :shock:
Ha, well, if you think you can pedal 36:18 around Mid-Wales' finest gravel tracks, be my guest.
I've tried. It's hard ;)

By gears, I am limiting myself to only 8 though, so there :P

Ian, I know there is no way I could pedal 36:18 round mid Wales :)

The fact that you don't want to is testament to the characteristics of the route.

I'm off to see if I can source a 20 tooth granny ring to go with the xx1 42 tooth cassette ;)

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:12 pm
by composite
Ian wrote:
slarge wrote:Can we have a tiny weeny amount of hike a bike please (by tiny weeny, I mean 1 stile, or fence)?
Approximately 0.001% of the route requires pushing: a rough gravel track that would be known to many folk who've ridden the BB200. Other than that, I can't think of anything that can't be ridden, even on a crosser :)
If its the track I think your describing and there is much of the route as rough as that, 200 miles is going to be a REALLY long way. :shock:

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:39 pm
by Ian
It'll be fine. The section I refer to is the only bit remotely rough. Everything else is straight forward forest road or good dirt track.

Re: If there were a UK 'gravel race' ...

Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:43 pm
by nostoc
0.001% of 200 miles is only 3.21 meters