Mersey Roads 24hr 2011

[mattc]

Dates anyone? It's not on CTT yet (but then neither is the Sussex one).

I've guessed at Jul 23rd. Full moon is Jul 15th, don't know if that is a consideration.

[teethgrinder]

July 23rd sounds like the best bet. Maybe Blackburnrod will be along soon?
The Sussex one will be in June, probably on the last weekend too. I don't think that the moon is taken into account when the date is planned. The Mersey has always been the last or second from last weekend of July as far as I can remember, since 1997.

[blackburnrod]

It's usually the 4th w/e in July.

[mattc]

Well I've scheduled my Audax event provisionally for Jul 17th, so you guys let me know if you want to move yours

[Climberruss]

There is a link to the Sussex one - can't remember it though. 

[hippy]

Sussex 24 Hour - Home Page

This (the Sussex 24) is the one I want to attempt.

[mattc]

Sussex 24 Hour - Home Page

This (the Sussex 24) is the one I want to attempt.

I had a go at digesting the course description, but my head exploded. All I managed was:

This appears to be the main afternoon leg, with the shorter night circuit at the western end. The start (and intermediate turn?) is in upper Dicker, just W of Hailsham, and the

finish circuit is based around the Eastern end (Pevensey). This has some Dual sections, interesting after 24hrs, and you might finish your ride 12miles from the HQ.

(but I will gladly be corrected!)

A more complicated route than the Mersey (so harder to learn, but less dull).

[Climberruss]

I'm hoping to have a go at both. I did the MR24 this year and really enjoyed it. Next year, the 2 x 24's are a month apart and the 2nd is a month before PBP. I intend to use these as final prep for PBP. I also hope to better this years distance (354mls).

[Karla]

That's something that's been niggling me, Climberruss.  I'm going to enter the Sussex 24 and PBP, but wonder if entering the Mersey Roads would be biting off more than I could chew.  What do the panel think: will these two would tire me out sufficiently to impact my performance on PBP, or will the month gaps be enough to fully recover?  I'm in my mid twenties and I've not done a 1200 or a 24 before, but have ridden the odd shorter distance TT, plus audaxes to 600km in the last two years.

[mattc]

A month is plenty. (If you look at some PBP discussions, folks are worrying about losing form with just 4 weeks off the bike; it's a long time in training/recovery terms.)

I really don't fancy the Sussex event, but riding both strikes me as excellent PBP prep, they would make a nice change of atmosphere from the Audaxes ridden in the spring, and PBP would be yet-another-change.

There may never be two 24s in a season again!

Then again, you might find one 24 a bit tough at such a young age ....             (that should get him going )

[Jasmine]

Then again, you might find one 24 a bit tough at such a young age ....             (that should get him going )

That's definitely fighting talk Matt.  You'll have to let him know your distance from last year. 

Mind you, I did find one a bit tough at my age.  I don't think I'd manage 2 a month apart because 4 weeks isn't long enough to forget how unpleasant the first one was.

[frankly frankie]

I'm hoping to have a go at both.

Sheila rode 2x 24s one year - North Roads and Mersey.  Although she won both (ladies' prize that is) that's more a reflection of the poor state of the competition at that time, neither was a good ride by her own standards, but the 2nd one was about 10 miles better than the first.  Mainly due to being more familiar with those roads, I think.

[Karla]

Then again, you might find one 24 a bit tough at such a young age ....             (that should get him going )

That's definitely fighting talk Matt.  You'll have to let him know your distance from last year. 

Let me know Matt, I fancy a resolution for 2011 :p

[mattc]

Then again, you might find one 24 a bit tough at such a young age ....             (that should get him going )

That's definitely fighting talk Matt.  You'll have to let him know your distance from last year. 

Let me know Matt, I fancy a resolution for 2011 :p

Sadly my existing PB wouldn't give you much of a challenge. Perhaps this year we could run an unofficial handicap contest, add a bit of interest for those not threatening the podium?

Oh, and for the record, I recall breezing past Jasmine's team in 2008        <now I'm really for it ... >

[Climberruss]

FWIW..With regard to the idea of doing both 24's. When I did it this last year, I found that I fully recovered in a month (well actually about 3 weeks).

[teethgrinder]

I'm hoping to have a go at both.

Sheila rode 2x 24s one year - North Roads and Mersey.  Although she won both (ladies' prize that is) that's more a reflection of the poor state of the competition at that time, neither was a good ride by her own standards, but the 2nd one was about 10 miles better than the first.  Mainly due to being more familiar with those roads, I think.

The last time we had the Brighton Mitre 24 hour the month before the Mersey, I rode 410 miles in the Brighton Mitre and 410 in the Mersey. I could only manage about 395(or maybe much less? can't remember now, but I struggled to stay awake at night) on the North Road the following month, allthough I did start the North Road 24 about 39 hours ish after finishing PBP in under 70 hours (so I could catch my flight back for the NR24)

I reckon you'll be OK if you get the early season miles in.

[hippy]

Is it considered bad form to enter both of the 24hr events with a mind to doing only one of them but keeping the other as a 'backup'? There's a month to cancel/confirm the second event and I understand they don't usually fill up. Thoughts?

[mattc]

Is it considered bad form to enter both of the 24hr events with a mind to doing only one of them but keeping the other as a 'backup'? There's a month to cancel/confirm the second event and I understand they don't usually fill up. Thoughts?

From browsing the relevant forums, I've gathered that this happens a lot with the shorter TTs, and is considered bad form! However, I think that's about events on fast courses where this is competition for places, so probably doesn't apply here.

As an event organiser I'm happy to take money off people who DNS, but some orgs take the opposite view (i don't know why). Not much help really ...

[Ian H]

Clubmate Mike and I collected our age-related medallions yesterday evening.

[vorsprung]

Hmm... this is a month before PBP and in some senses sounds like ideal preparation

PBP is no tri bars though so I'd probably have to ride on the drops only

[Exit Stage Left]

Cycling Weekly used to do a two page write-up on the National 24, which alternated between the North Roads and the Mersey. So the National always got a bigger field as people liked to see their name in the comic. Coverage is more low key these days, so it's down to how far you want to travel.
Many felt that the Mersey was friendlier than the North Roads, I did both and found the North Roads just as friendly, but lacking the distinctive Scouse sensibility, which can be a bit bewildering for those who don't realise that every comment has to have two meanings and joke.

[Paul D]

PBP is no tri bars though so I'd probably have to ride on the drops only

Why not ride the 24 hour Time Trial as a time trial using tri bars and a more aero position, then ride PBP as an audax using your audax bike?

Your legs'll love you for it either way.

[Riggers]

Crikey. Good luck to those wishing to cycle the Polegate-Hastings bypass, especially after doing a huge amount of cycling beforehand. You're basically cycling with cars/lorries doing motorway speeds.

Hhhmmmmm, not for me methinks.

[mattc]

Crikey. Good luck to those wishing to cycle the Polegate-Hastings bypass, especially after doing a huge amount of cycling beforehand. You're basically cycling with cars/lorries doing motorway speeds.

Hhhmmmmm, not for me methinks.

Arr, but thems be faarrrst conditions, matey !!! Nothing beats a 40-knotter tonner helpin ye along!

[and just for clarity, that road is on the SUSSEX route, not the Mersey]

[vorsprung]

PBP is no tri bars though so I'd probably have to ride on the drops only

Why not ride the 24 hour Time Trial as a time trial using tri bars and a more aero position, then ride PBP as an audax using your audax bike?

Your legs'll love you for it either way.

On my old Ti audax bike this would have been easy to do.  It has tri bars, which I used all the time.

My new bike doesn't have tri bars, it is probably has unsuitable geometry for them.  So I am not using tri bars at the moment.  If I was to aim to use tri bars for most of 24 hours I'd have to fit bars and then do lots of practice in that positions to get the right kind of core strength.  This would be a bit of a waste of effort in PBP year given that for the main event I can't use the tri bars

And I'd probably have to switch saddles too to go such a long time on tribars.

You are right though, my legs/lungs wouldn't care