Strathpuffer Advice Please
- Thread starter Bullpup
- Start date
I take it they already have an entry? Likely one of the teams of ten, as most places are already sold out, though there may be a few quads left as well.
Its a very varied race with all manner of machines taking part, from singlespeed 26'ers to fatbikes through to cyclocrossers and everything in between.
I have done it on the Pugsley and my 1X1 and apart from a very icy/snowy year a couple back, I think I prefer my 1X1 with 26+ tyres. Its lighter and with the weather the last few years and also with the plus tyres I think I get further than on the Pugsley which is heavier but can handle the snow only slightly better, especially now as the 1X1 has the dirt wizards. I should say that mine are always singlespeed but have been run in both team and solo races. Team racing is very social and there is lots of craic going on through the night whereas solo, well solo is just a different world completely, its a very insular place and it is more about surviving than racing for me. Don't get me wrong, its good to do well and that's what I aim for but I aim just to get through the night. I am under no illusions as to my ambitions.
I have finished lantern rouge once solo and I have also picked up a 3rd and also a 2nd in the teams, you just have to get out and get on with it.
and see where you end up.
Machinery and tyres etc are really just whatever you use in winter, but make sure everything is in good condition and ready to roll. Last year coming off the mountain was incredibly muddy, 6 inch deep and like wet sloppy concrete, this section broke a lot of chains, rear mechs and peoples hearts, it was just gloop and the dirt and mud is very abrasive as it has a sort of quartz type grit in it. So helps to wash drivetrain down between laps and spare pads handy as well.
Brian (epicycle) has done every one since the start so he could help with advice too.
Kaiser as well has done all his solo, he is a serious racer as well
Once they are organised or if your up for it, head up one weekend for the day and myself and Brian could meet you and show them round the course so they will have some idea of what to expect. Its basically a fireroad climb up the mountain and then a mixture of singletrack and trails down.
Its all good fun and the weather is, as you can imagine, very variable. The year before last it was down to - 16 at night and then other years its been mild. So come prepared for any type, not just on the bike but off it. The team should have a space where they can get changed as soon as they come in and get warm gear on and warm up, its amazing how quickly you will cool down and then its impossible to warm back up again. It all sounds logical but its very difficult to make yourself do it when its 3am and your exhausted so you just sit down in a chair and .....bang, its 30 minutes later and your cold, freezing and the last thing you then want to do is strip off and get changed. Its the little things.
On the plus side, the team that beat our Fatty Owls two years running was the School team from Dingwall Academy, damn school kids, kicked our butts
They will love it.
Jamie
Its a very varied race with all manner of machines taking part, from singlespeed 26'ers to fatbikes through to cyclocrossers and everything in between.
I have done it on the Pugsley and my 1X1 and apart from a very icy/snowy year a couple back, I think I prefer my 1X1 with 26+ tyres. Its lighter and with the weather the last few years and also with the plus tyres I think I get further than on the Pugsley which is heavier but can handle the snow only slightly better, especially now as the 1X1 has the dirt wizards. I should say that mine are always singlespeed but have been run in both team and solo races. Team racing is very social and there is lots of craic going on through the night whereas solo, well solo is just a different world completely, its a very insular place and it is more about surviving than racing for me. Don't get me wrong, its good to do well and that's what I aim for but I aim just to get through the night. I am under no illusions as to my ambitions.
I have finished lantern rouge once solo and I have also picked up a 3rd and also a 2nd in the teams, you just have to get out and get on with it.
and see where you end up. Machinery and tyres etc are really just whatever you use in winter, but make sure everything is in good condition and ready to roll. Last year coming off the mountain was incredibly muddy, 6 inch deep and like wet sloppy concrete, this section broke a lot of chains, rear mechs and peoples hearts, it was just gloop and the dirt and mud is very abrasive as it has a sort of quartz type grit in it. So helps to wash drivetrain down between laps and spare pads handy as well.
Brian (epicycle) has done every one since the start so he could help with advice too.
Kaiser as well has done all his solo, he is a serious racer as well
Once they are organised or if your up for it, head up one weekend for the day and myself and Brian could meet you and show them round the course so they will have some idea of what to expect. Its basically a fireroad climb up the mountain and then a mixture of singletrack and trails down.
Its all good fun and the weather is, as you can imagine, very variable. The year before last it was down to - 16 at night and then other years its been mild. So come prepared for any type, not just on the bike but off it. The team should have a space where they can get changed as soon as they come in and get warm gear on and warm up, its amazing how quickly you will cool down and then its impossible to warm back up again. It all sounds logical but its very difficult to make yourself do it when its 3am and your exhausted so you just sit down in a chair and .....bang, its 30 minutes later and your cold, freezing and the last thing you then want to do is strip off and get changed. Its the little things.
On the plus side, the team that beat our Fatty Owls two years running was the School team from Dingwall Academy, damn school kids, kicked our butts
They will love it.
Jamie
epicyclo
Senior Retro Guru
Much what Jamie said.
The critical thing is the cold. Worst is sleet, give me -20ºC any day. The recent races have been lulling folk into a false sense of security because they have been so mild, almost Spring-like.
Priority is stay dry IMO. That's why my bikes have huge mudguards. You lose heat 40 times faster if you're wet, and even if you have waterproof clothing it's easy to lose heat when you are being sprayed with freezing slush. Your body tries to compensate and uses up energy best used for turning pedals. So stop the spray at source.
Moderate your output - once you are tired/exhausted you've used up all the fuel that your body also uses to generate heat. It's next to impossible to add heat externally, eg heaters, so keep your heat in you or risk hypothermia. Everyone I have beaten in the 'Puffer has been fitter/faster/younger than me, and it's really been the conditions that have beaten them, not me - I have simply survived longer.
NO cold drinks - a cold drink uses up watts being heated inside you to body temperature so it slows you down.
When you stop throw on a fleece dressing gown, drink a hot drink and eat something suitable right away. I try to avoid having someone looking after me, so when I stop I use the hot water in my thermos to make a hot drink, and while I'm drinking that I make some more hot water. I usually eat something like a Snickers bar, or make soup if it's really cold. I prioritise hot food before stripping off wet clothes.
Lights - always have 2 lights. I've had a light fail on the zigzag descent. Instant blackness. Make sure to do rundown tests on the batteries beforehand outside in the cold.
Totally reliable bikes. When your fingers are like numb sausages at very dark o'clock and your brain ceased to operate 3 hours ago, the simplest jobs take ages.
Rather than take a complete bike workshop, just take only the tools needed for simple adjustments on the bike, and a spare bike. You have to train really hard to be fast enough to recover time lost to pit time. I have seen plenty of trackside derailleur problems - so carry a chainbreaker. If it's slushy and you stop, clear the slush from the drivetrain before doing anything else or it may freeze solid and wreck your derailleur when you take off. (I doubt this has been a problem in the last few races)
Disk pads can get chewed up - it has been known for up to 5 sets been needed for one solo - but the pads have improved since. Nonetheless make sure new pads can be fitted without taking the callipers off the bike, otherwise valuable time gets lost. (Or do what I do, use drum brakes ).
Oh, and bring ice tyres and hope you don't need them.
No doubt I'll think of more.
The critical thing is the cold. Worst is sleet, give me -20ºC any day. The recent races have been lulling folk into a false sense of security because they have been so mild, almost Spring-like.
Priority is stay dry IMO. That's why my bikes have huge mudguards. You lose heat 40 times faster if you're wet, and even if you have waterproof clothing it's easy to lose heat when you are being sprayed with freezing slush. Your body tries to compensate and uses up energy best used for turning pedals. So stop the spray at source.
Moderate your output - once you are tired/exhausted you've used up all the fuel that your body also uses to generate heat. It's next to impossible to add heat externally, eg heaters, so keep your heat in you or risk hypothermia. Everyone I have beaten in the 'Puffer has been fitter/faster/younger than me, and it's really been the conditions that have beaten them, not me - I have simply survived longer.
NO cold drinks - a cold drink uses up watts being heated inside you to body temperature so it slows you down.
When you stop throw on a fleece dressing gown, drink a hot drink and eat something suitable right away. I try to avoid having someone looking after me, so when I stop I use the hot water in my thermos to make a hot drink, and while I'm drinking that I make some more hot water. I usually eat something like a Snickers bar, or make soup if it's really cold. I prioritise hot food before stripping off wet clothes.
Lights - always have 2 lights. I've had a light fail on the zigzag descent. Instant blackness. Make sure to do rundown tests on the batteries beforehand outside in the cold.
Totally reliable bikes. When your fingers are like numb sausages at very dark o'clock and your brain ceased to operate 3 hours ago, the simplest jobs take ages.
Rather than take a complete bike workshop, just take only the tools needed for simple adjustments on the bike, and a spare bike. You have to train really hard to be fast enough to recover time lost to pit time. I have seen plenty of trackside derailleur problems - so carry a chainbreaker. If it's slushy and you stop, clear the slush from the drivetrain before doing anything else or it may freeze solid and wreck your derailleur when you take off. (I doubt this has been a problem in the last few races)
Disk pads can get chewed up - it has been known for up to 5 sets been needed for one solo - but the pads have improved since. Nonetheless make sure new pads can be fitted without taking the callipers off the bike, otherwise valuable time gets lost. (Or do what I do, use drum brakes
).Oh, and bring ice tyres and hope you don't need them.
No doubt I'll think of more.
Similar threads
