# Hell of the North Cotswolds - 2010



## AlanW (2 Jan 2010)

Entries are now open - here

I'm in, number 36.


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## Dave5N (2 Jan 2010)

Quick work. We registered at about 11:30 and barely scraped the top 600.


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## Young Un (2 Jan 2010)

Registered, number 1010!


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## maurice (2 Jan 2010)

Thanks for the reminder, registered.


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## AlanW (3 Jan 2010)

Young Un said:


> Registered, number 1010!



Crikey, you were lucky to get in!

1010 riders at £15 per head = £15,150 

Not bad for less than 12 hours is it!


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## Young Un (3 Jan 2010)

AlanW said:


> Crikey, you were lucky to get in!
> 
> 1010 riders at £15 per head = £15,150
> 
> Not bad for less than 12 hours is it!



6 quid for me  In the time I looked it went from 990, to 1010, in about 5 minutes? So even though it was late in the day entries were still piling in!


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## mattsccm (3 Jan 2010)

# 1156 and I entered at 10.40 last night! 
Cross bike but not sure if its the SS Tricross or the geared Kaffenbach.


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## AlanW (3 Jan 2010)

mattsccm said:


> # 1156



Crikey, how many more I wonder?


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## Young Un (3 Jan 2010)

Limit is 1200 is it not?


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## AlanW (3 Jan 2010)

Young Un said:


> Limit is 1200 is it not?



I thought it was 1100, with a additional reserve list? 

But no matter, entries are now closed anyway.


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## the_bing (4 Jan 2010)

your all mad. that looks like hell. 100k off-road? think i'll stay in the pub, thanks...


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## Young Un (4 Jan 2010)

the_bing said:


> your all mad. that looks like hell. 100k off-road? think i'll stay in the pub, thanks...



Aye, and those of us on cross bikes must be full on mental


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## AlanW (4 Jan 2010)

Young Un said:


> Aye, and those of us on cross bikes must be full on stupid



Fixed it.


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## Young Un (4 Jan 2010)

Young Un said:


> Aye, and those people who have full carbon mountain bikes should give them to kids, like myself




Corrected!


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## Speicher (4 Jan 2010)

If you win the prize as a Youth entry, I am sure they might be able to find one in my size. You have enough bikes already YoungUn!


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## Young Un (4 Jan 2010)

Speicher said:


> If you win the prize as a Youth entry, I am sure they might be able to find one in my size. You have enough bikes already YoungUn!




SShhhhh don't say that! I might keep it if I win it actually - need a mountain bike just to muck around on and stuff


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## Speicher (4 Jan 2010)

I have to bribe Tim then, to find out where you live? 

I have, by the way, noticed that on the Echelon website, there is a space at the bottom of the Team's photo page. Do you know anyone who would like their photo there?


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## AlanW (4 Jan 2010)

Young Un said:


> Corrected!



In your dreams sonny.........


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## AlanW (4 Jan 2010)

Young Un said:


> SShhhhh don't say that! I might keep it if I win


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## Speicher (4 Jan 2010)

It is not necessarily the fastest young person who wins it. I think they assume that the fastest person already has a fast bike, as it were.

Names of all the young people who complete the course, will be drawn out of hat.

Once I know the route, I might try and work out where to spectate. Winchcombe, I presume, will be a very crowded place that day. There is a lovely Tea Shop  called the Lady Jane Grey or something.


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## AlanW (4 Jan 2010)

Speicher said:


> Names of all the young people who complete the course, will be drawn out of hat.



Now that's just not fair.


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## Young Un (4 Jan 2010)

Speicher said:


> I have to bribe Tim then, to find out where you live?
> 
> I have, by the way, noticed that on the Echelon website, there is a space at the bottom of the Team's photo page. Do you know anyone who would like their photo there?



I'm working on it don't you worry. There's now about 19 team riders, so that list is quite outdated, but the team meeting is next sunday so I'm sure it will be updated after that. I asked Tim the other day about joining the team, and he said that he is going to set me some targets (I presume TT times) and if I can match those early on in the season then he will think again about adding another team member.


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## Young Un (4 Jan 2010)

AlanW said:


> Now that's just not fair.



Alan, be quiet, you haev quite enough bikes I mean, I only have 5, with another one coming in February.


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## very-near (4 Jan 2010)

The hills which this ride is routed on are the reason why I got into motorcycles 

I try to steer clear of them when I go out on my cycle as they are killers. Some of them are monsters 

Big respect to anyone who takes part and good luck on your ride


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## 02GF74 (5 Jan 2010)

I did that once and it was dead easy ... but then I was dead fit and it hadn't rained for weeks so ground was firm and fast.

hmmm pity entries are closed, would haver considered doing it again - a goal to train for, oh well, back to eating pizza then ..............


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## 02GF74 (5 Jan 2010)

I did that once and it was dead easy ... but then I was dead fit and it hadn't rained for weeks so ground was firm and fast.

hmmm pity entries are closed, would haver considered doing it again - a goal to train for, oh well, back to eating pizza then ..............


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## upsidedown (8 Jan 2010)

We did it the year before last, it was a right mudbath.
Brilliant atmosphere at the start line though.


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## MickL (8 Jan 2010)

Looks like fun  Still getting used to my bike let alone be fit enough to manage some thing like that !


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## flashes (9 Jan 2010)

I did it last year on my SS, which was nice...not doing it this year as it's the weekend before SSEC in the Forest of Dean


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## Young Un (2 Apr 2010)

Just over a week to go! Better get the cross bike's brakes working otherwise I could be ending up with brown shorts at the bottom of some of the descents!


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## AlanW (2 Apr 2010)

I do hope that the weather will be kind to us again this year.


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## bonk man (4 Apr 2010)

Just got in on a late entry thing via Retrobike.... so will be using my retro Stump Jumper or even more retro 3 speed Holdsworth road bike.. for a laugh

I am hoping for extremely deep mud and snow, to make it hell..


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## AlanW (5 Apr 2010)

bonk man said:


> I am hoping for extremely deep mud and snow, to make it hell..


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## AlanW (7 Apr 2010)

When do they normally send out the 50km and 100km .gpx routes?


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## AlanW (8 Apr 2010)

Both routes are now downloadable from http://www.honc.org.uk/


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## Dave5N (9 Apr 2010)

Had an e-mail today with routes. See you all there!


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## AlanW (10 Apr 2010)

Dave5N said:


> Had an e-mail today with routes. See you all there!



Not that it really matters coz I have downloaded the routes from the HONC website now, but I haven't had an e-mail?

EDIT
Just recovered it from my Spam folder!

I also notice that there has been a revised route done to avoid a lambing area since a couple of days ago. Its actually a couple of miles shorter now.


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## Young Un (10 Apr 2010)

Does anyone know where the feed stop thingy will be? Does it tell you somewhere? Dads needs to know so he can get the support car there


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## AlanW (10 Apr 2010)

Young Un said:


> Does anyone know where the feed stop thingy will be? Does it tell you somewhere? Dads needs to know so he can get the support car there



Church Road, Guiting Power, same place as last year I think?

As for a support car .....you bloody kids don't know the meaning of life do you....


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## maurice (10 Apr 2010)

Did they send out an entry confirmation email for this years? I know I'm on the list but can't find a confirmation in my inbox to print out.


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## AlanW (11 Apr 2010)

maurice said:


> Did they send out an entry confirmation email for this years? I know I'm on the list but can't find a confirmation in my inbox to print out.



Yes, look in your Spam folder, thats where mine was.


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## Young Un (11 Apr 2010)

Ouch.


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## maurice (11 Apr 2010)

That was a good day out, nice conditions for it.

Did the 100k in 5hr 20min. I'm knackered now, left the house at 5.30am this morning, just need to eat something then goto bed!


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## AlanW (11 Apr 2010)

Young Un said:


> Ouch.



+1


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## bonk man (11 Apr 2010)

That was easy..... well the easiest for some time anyway, I am not saying that I am not knackered, just not as knackered as some years.... 
got some good video.. 
here are the first 3 clips... 

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heFp2dvqigA



View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_8r391JedM



View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsdGsYQWbVM


By the way, has anyone lost a Garmin? I found one today on the 100k route, it will need a new screen but still works, I assume they can be fixed..


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## bonk man (12 Apr 2010)

more vids..



View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrfJGseZOvs


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AWaxm4C11k


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8QboLapiso


from early in the ride..


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## AlanW (12 Apr 2010)

Nice clips, that first climb is always a right b'stad isn't it. 

Mind you, going round the edge of that crop field after the walk up that short sharp, unrideable section was nothing short of bloody evil.


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## bonk man (13 Apr 2010)

AlanW said:


> Nice clips, that first climb is always a right b'stad isn't it.
> 
> Mind you, going round the edge of that crop field after the walk up that short sharp, unrideable section was nothing short of bloody evil.



Did anyone manage to ride that steep climb? I was having a go but the knees were not having it, too far into the ride.......on our local hills or in a race I might have got up it, but that field was amusing  

The first climb is ok, just long and slow, it is ok as a gentle warm up, later on it might be a blow a gasket climb, the longest of the day so better go up it gently. 

There were a few people on the last bit across the common who were in a state and walking.
It caught a few out just before the wet track down to the road, bottles everywhere and a bloke sitting by his bike having recently taken a trip over the bars he said he hadn't broken anything so I left him to get himself together. I fell off there in a previous event that came down that track, just when you think it is all over and your arms are feeling nearly as tired as your legs there is a cratered trap waiting to grab your wheel and chuck you on the deck excellent .............


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## AlanW (13 Apr 2010)

bonk man said:


> Did anyone manage to ride that steep climb? I was having a go but the knees were not having it, too far into the ride.......on our local hills or in a race I might have got up it, but that field was amusing
> 
> The first climb is ok, just long and slow, it is ok as a gentle warm up, later on it might be a blow a gasket climb, the longest of the day so better go up it gently.
> 
> ...



I would not have expected anyone to have ridden all the way up that climb to be honest, no matter how low a gearing set up you had, that last little bit was far to steep.

And as always the drag across the Cleeve common was taking its usual toll, even more so into that cruel headwind. Unlike last year when I admit to having to walk it, this year I rode it, ok very slowly, but I still rode it.


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## maurice (13 Apr 2010)

That corner on the field was awful! I'm glad it wasn't just me that had a problem as I felt a right plum not being able to get round a fairly shallow looking bend.

Had a crack at that short steep climb too. Got most of the way up but that last stoney bit defeated me, just ran out of leg-power at the crucial moment, it's definitely possible. (I had an 11-34 cassette on)


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## bonk man (13 Apr 2010)

I think we all need to meet up at the hill in question one day this summer and have a crack at climbing it, the quickest wins some knee balm


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## AlanW (14 Apr 2010)

bonk man said:


> I think we all need to meet up at the hill in question one day this summer and have a crack at climbing it, the quickest wins some knee balm



What a great idea, if only I knew where it was...............


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## bonk man (14 Apr 2010)

I am sure we could work it out.... start at the finish and ride back round. 

Wouldn't it be great if they put it in near the start of the event, perhaps in a downward direction

I think it was near the 70km mark on the map, looks like the right contours and switch back in the track.


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## AlanW (14 Apr 2010)

bonk man said:


> I am sure we could work it out.... start at the finish and ride back round.
> 
> Wouldn't it be great if they put it in near the start of the event, perhaps in a downward direction
> 
> I think it was near the 70km mark on the map, looks like the right contours and switch back in the track.



I wish that we could, but isn't some of the route on private land?

In fact, I must look in more detail on my GPS log, I'm sure that I could find it?


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## bonk man (14 Apr 2010)

Most of the route was on public roads or permissible routes, bridleways etc by the look of it. Could make a weekly ride out of it, just imagine how fit you would be


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