https://open.spotify.com/show/5CcZOCix8 ... rjkz-Ij9qQ

New podcast covering all things ultracycling. Got me through a tough arvo at work with something interesting. Check it out.

Arvo. Thanks, just learned something new.

Had a listen to the first one, wasn’t for me I’m afraid. Definitely felt it was for those that have a keen interest in ultra racing rather than just a passing interest.

Nice presenters though

voodoo_simon wrote: ↑Thu Feb 06, 2025 2:00 pm Had a listen to the first one, wasn’t for me I’m afraid. Definitely felt it was for those that have a keen interest in ultra racing rather than just a passing interest.

Nice presenters though

Same here. They surely are the right ones in the middle of that bubble, but it really is just about the racing part.
For now at least.

Worse for me though is the way it's edited. What I thought and hoped would just be a youtube fashion to fade away soon, is still here; The stakkato style of cutting. I find it so irritating, I can't listen to it for a reasonable duration. I learned the podcast could also be watched on youtube. There, I found it's not my connection or failing ear phones, but indeed the editing. It's 60 min right? That's 3600 sec. I bet there are 720 cuts, about 1 cut every 5 sec.

Thankfully I'm not at all into podcasts.

Alpinum wrote: ↑Thu Feb 06, 2025 4:32 pm Thankfully I'm not at all into podcasts.

Usually just people talking innit? People with nothing to say talking between unnecessary royalty-free guitar riffs. </grump>

Hyppy wrote: ↑Thu Feb 06, 2025 7:35 pm

Alpinum wrote: ↑Thu Feb 06, 2025 4:32 pm Thankfully I'm not at all into podcasts.

Usually just people talking innit? People with nothing to say talking between unnecessary royalty-free guitar riffs. </grump>

Have you tried "Streets Ahead" with Ned Boulting, Laura Laker and Adam Tranter? No adverts and just the occasional bike bell

voodoo_simon wrote: ↑Thu Feb 06, 2025 2:00 pm Had a listen to the first one, wasn’t for me I’m afraid. Definitely felt it was for those that have a keen interest in ultra racing rather than just a passing interest.

Nice presenters though

Had a listen to the second episode as it came on when I was driving, it was better.

They talked a little bit about Rwanda and cycling, so that was a good insight.

They also briefly mentioned that some riders (via social media) are after a governing body for bike packing

voodoo_simon wrote: ↑Thu Feb 06, 2025 10:13 pm They also briefly mentioned that some riders (via social media) are after a governing body for bike packing

**** 'em and their law...

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2025 12:02 am

voodoo_simon wrote: ↑Thu Feb 06, 2025 10:13 pm They also briefly mentioned that some riders (via social media) are after a governing body for bike packing

**** 'em and their law...

Nothing new.

Surely it's just a question of time. Then race series get established more and more, suddenly Nelson T. and other race organisers give points to be collected etc. etc.
And 16 years from now UCI will take over

Regarding a governing body I'm sure we had some fun with the thought on here before, but can find it any more.
Some chat was revolving around the TD and popping pills, obvs. derived from discussing set rules within ITTs.

I did think that second episode was better, though it's a side of cycling I don't have enough interest in to listen to an hour plus of chat about the detail it did get onto some interesting points. Like a governing body for bikepacking races .. I suppose if you want to be a career racer a UCI style league might help your ranking points and certain brands who market-by-numbers will be able to think their kit is objectively better as it's ridden to a race win etc, but personally that's all bottom of the list of what makes all this stuff so interesting at times.

suddenly Nelson T. and other race organisers give points to be collected etc. etc.

The race that was the DK200 sold to a series organiser for big bucks .. If 'ultra' races get like Ironman and the LifeTime series it'd be a good pay day. Governing and ranking would be a good thng for many involved but TBH I wonder how much support it would have from the organisers (varied I think). I think if the format had that sort of value I think it would be further along that track by now - DK200 started around 2006 I think and was sold in 2018. Ride the Divide was 14 years ago and the TCR has been running for 12 years. Multi-day races just don't have the media impact of a big day race unless you have coverage like the TdF which would be a fundamental change to self-supported racing.

Some years ago now the Bob Graham Round (along with the Paddy Buckley and Charlie Ramsay rounds) were qualifying events for the UTMB race. This came about because the organisers of the UTMB were friends of our then club secretary. We'd just supply a list of names of successes from the past couple of years as confirmation that those individuals had attained the relevant number of qualifying points.

Then the UTMB got big and the couple organising it passed on the reins. At this point things changed. A lot.

The new organisers were part of setting up a "world series" of ultra running events. Now we hadn't just to supply a list of names, there was a whole mass of other data including a GPX file of the "route" (slight problem in that there are at least four main options and therefore "routes" to the BGR), oh, and the slight matter of a €300 annual fee for the privilege of us doing the work. As we are a free to enter "challenge" not a "race" we stopped being a qualifying event.