Stu just said in a thread:

Two days out of your life to achieve something you'll remember for the rest of it .... come on, that seems like a pretty good deal

Before that I'd been wondering that maybe it's a bit much for me, but he's right! So what do you recall about your past BB200/300 attempts. Completed or not. Just one memory per event pls!

BB200 2019 edition and my initiation - after that first river crossing which in hindsight was tiny. I swore at Stu loudly mid-water. Other side I felt like a right idiot and there was an audience.

Later apologised to him but he said it's normal

BB200 2020 edition - first ever version that wasn't starting at the community centre. I thought I'd be clever and win the race (by starting first as soon as the event opened). Got above Offas Dyke of which I never knew what it was before. 30 miles or less later I was using the TrekkerTent on a path and had a little sleep. Turned back round and went pver the mountain to shortcut back. Storm Alex was (scary but) amazing.

Specifically I remember getting down onto one side of the mountain, eating my sarnies in total peace n quiet. Then getting back up on the ridge to continue fighting my bike down tot he ground and moving forth.

BB200 2021 - not sure what I remember the most but riding off route down to the town for supplies was interesting. Straight down for miles along a 15% descent, but then back up at snails pace. Using a fragrant smelling bum butter to manage the sores but then later noticing the 'pear' smell and thinking Idgone into kidney failure or ketoacidosis or something. Then getting back to the end at the 36th hour and Stu/Dee had or were just leaving. Shop was closed and I felt like a right idiot. Thanks to Dee she still sorted out some beans on toast or summat!

Truly amazing memories

Interesting idea. I'll try and work something out later.

Supposed to be summa that stuck/sticks in your head for years Rich

Not summat you have to recall. I always remember swearing at him in broad daylight/audience and then regretting it. Regret it to this day

The thing that's always stuck with me, from my failed 2021 attempt, happened at The Glyndwr's Way Cafe, Bwlch-y-sarnau. As we came charging over the cattle grid shortly before the Hafren bunkhouse, there was a chap sorting out a puncture. He appeared at the cafe just as we were about to leave and someone ask him how he was getting on. He uttered a load of nonsensical sounds, before uttering I can't even English; we all knew exactly how he felt.

I didn't even get to enjoy the delights of the turnip field, as my bottom bracket had totes failed by 80KM and I'd turned for home. Looking at the photo of my GPS though, 145KM at an average of 16kph, even though the last 60KM I coasted downhill, soft pedalled on the flat and push every uphill. I must've been flying...

redefined_cycles wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2023 4:34 pm Supposed to be summa that stuck/sticks in your head for years Rich

Not summat you have to recall. I always remember swearing at him in broad daylight/audience and then regretting it. Regret it to this day

My memory doesn't work like most people's, if I can't find a context I wont remember anything. Not to mention the fact I've done quite a few of these, they all sort of blur into one set of agony and swearing.

I'll basically have to picture part of the route and then it'll come to me.

Bloody great big puddles!!

Only done one in 2021, it was the turnip field year and I was laughing out loud trying to ride over them, a low point was going off route with Dave to a pub to get chips only to be told without being told we're not serving you two stinky sods
so we had a disappointing bag of crisps each and was them bloody freezing when we set off again.

SO 24099 37660. Had a little cry here, the good kind. I was feeling a little bit overwhelmed, very exhilarated, and very much like I belonged in the landscape.
SO 02661 46385. Obscenities were screamed as I swiftly lost altitude, knowing that I'd very soon have to regain it.

Vivid (VERY!!!) memories of my two BB200 holidays (2014+2015)....

Fun. Long. Tired. Laughing and chatting with nice folk. Saddle sores. Dark. Absolutely hilarious random smattering of humans scattered far and wide all trying and failing to find a rideable anything on the ground whilst traversing an insane tussock nightmare and swearing a LOT in the dark. Failing then failed lights. Vague rest in a bog until the light returned. More saddle sore issues. Insane fatigue. SPAR!!! More bog. More banter. More arse issues......

Culminating in a bail in 2014 (I took a photo of my undercarriage and decided that more riding would have been medically unsound) and fairly tearful 32 hour 'success' (with everything I owned that was even slightly soft gaffer taped to my seat in order to give my bum a rest) and only 6 or 7 of the 11 gears I started with still functioning.

As soon as I'm back in suitable form I'll be back for more.....

Gairy. You make it sound so fantastical

The memory of my fall during the first edition also came back to me. Allen (and someone else) stopped to see if I was OK and I ushered them on. Didn't look at the wound during the remainder 20h out in 'the field'and then took almost 11 hours driving home on the 3 hour route.

Finally when I did tend to it, it was gory and nasty (enough) and then the following year or 2 resulted in that leg swelling up regularly enough. Thought I was in heart failure - when the right side of the heart doesn't welcome the blood properly it then backs up at the organs that were supposed to return that there blood back - cos in 2018 I was (viral perimyocarditis).

But only recently realised after reading the ultra marathoning book (for lazy people) that it was/is most likely a regular occurance from the lack of salts replenishment. Seems to be working a treat (thiugh the spots on tongue ain't nice).

Nice memories all and thanks for sharing.

My two most vivid memories are:
1. My GPS failing on my first go in 2012. I then realised the paper maps I thought I had in my jersey pocket had disappeared! I bought a new map in Rhayader and used that to finish.
2. Getting very cross when I got stuck in a fence around a pheasant enclosure towards the end of the 2014 edition. I was close to 24 hours and didn’t have the time to faff about in a fence! Eventually finished (my favourite version) in about 25 hours.
Cheers for so many excellent editions Stu!

Getting very cross when I got stuck in a fence around a pheasant enclosure towards the end of the 2014 edition. I was close to 24 hours and didn’t have the time to faff about in a fence! Eventually finished (my favourite version) in about 25 hours.

Thought I might get lynched for that - I'd checked it out a fortnight earlier and remember thinking, 'ooh this is quite nice, should make an interesting and quite enjoyable finish' but in the intervening 2 weeks, someone had decided to erect the pleasant pens right across the bridleway

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2023 8:57 am

Getting very cross when I got stuck in a fence around a pheasant enclosure towards the end of the 2014 edition. I was close to 24 hours and didn’t have the time to faff about in a fence! Eventually finished (my favourite version) in about 25 hours.

Thought I might get lynched for that - I'd checked it out a fortnight earlier and remember thinking, 'ooh this is quite nice, should make an interesting and quite enjoyable finish' but in the intervening 2 weeks, someone had decided to erect the pleasant pens right across the bridleway

It was easy you climbed through the large hole shaped like Steve Large’s bike

I’m much bigger than Steve!!

2019

Dave Barter wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2023 6:09 pm

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2023 8:57 am

Getting very cross when I got stuck in a fence around a pheasant enclosure towards the end of the 2014 edition. I was close to 24 hours and didn’t have the time to faff about in a fence! Eventually finished (my favourite version) in about 25 hours.

Thought I might get lynched for that - I'd checked it out a fortnight earlier and remember thinking, 'ooh this is quite nice, should make an interesting and quite enjoyable finish' but in the intervening 2 weeks, someone had decided to erect the pleasant pens right across the bridleway

It was easy you climbed through the large hole shaped like Steve Large’s bike

I got a bit militant

The first 3 had a bit of the route called something like "where 5 rivers meet" and it was 200m of wading through cold flowing water. And several rivers did flow through it.
I won't forget that bit in a hurry

MarkW wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2023 8:13 pm 2019
20191013_172320.jpg

This.

I've often struggled to describe this section, wasnt after we were sent down the Welsh enduro track in dyfi forest....

Al wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 6:26 am

MarkW wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2023 8:13 pm 2019
20191013_172320.jpg

This.

I've often struggled to describe this section, wasnt after we were sent down the Welsh enduro track in dyfi forest....

Wasn't that the 2019 one Al. That was difficult getting through as we tried to 'rambo' it through the trees on the right. Such deep puddles!

I remember Wotsits asking Stu after, "what dogshit was that Stu". Reply came back something like, "wasn't like that just lastweek". Standard reply I think

During my first BB200 i recall finishing though a forest section which was deeply rutted and required lots of pushing off cambre...this was definatley the crux for me, and one ive not forgotton!

20191013_001138 by alexberry1, on Flickr

redefined_cycles wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 9:09 am I remember Wotsits asking Stu after, "what dogshit was that Stu". Reply came back something like, "wasn't like that just lastweek". Standard reply I think

Was that the year i bumped into you after i'd slept in the disabled loo near Coed-y-Brenin, & we rode back with Mark?

Was that the year i bumped into you after i'd slept in the disabled loo near Coed-y-Brenin

All sounds so glam' ... like a Salsa advert

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 10:05 am

Was that the year i bumped into you after i'd slept in the disabled loo near Coed-y-Brenin

All sounds so glam' ... like a Salsa advert

At 4am finding it had a working lock, heated hand-drier & no PIR for the light, who knew a disabled bog could cause so much joy

The 'gram' could never do it justice, even though Shaf had the beard!