Mersey Roads 24 Hour 2015 (July 18/19)

[marcusjb]

^ and again from me!

Just an amazing distance. 

Massive chapeau to you and your crew.

[simonp]

+1

[mattc]

Good work by toby, 428 miles on the provisional result.

Shows that it was a good year that this didn't even get top ten

There were two people with over 500

I'd say that many distances were slightly down on most years. Michael Broadwith said that he actually liked the cool wet conditions overnight, he rode 537.35, for a new comp record. Stuart Birnie rode in the same general range that he has in recent years. Alex Kirk had a puncture early on, and lost about half an hour, so he was playing catch-up after dominating in the first few hours.

Apologies for ignorance in advance, but:

how is this a comp record? Wilko's 541 was also at the 24h National Championshp - the course doesnt matter. Does it?

I'd have thought the high winds cost him quite a few miles, but high July afternoon temps ARE detrimental usually,  so I guess its was swings and roundabouts for riders that werent mentally affected by the rain (I hate rain at night).


Any news on Toothy's result? Did he not make the finishing circuit?

[Delph Cyclist]

This makes my eyes water:
Wheels of Fire's 24 stats
Incredible!

How is the profile for this generated?  After 300km there is a succession of increasing higher peaks, and between 620km and 720km we seem to hover around the 150km mark.  Is this measuring something else, such as air pressure?

[MikeH]

Looks like they've credited me with far more miles than I did. Probably double counted loops of the Quina Brook circuit when I had something to eat. I recorded 479km from Hq to start and final timekeeper.

Looks like they've credited me with about 11 less than I did (should be 412).  I've used the distances in the A5 booklet, taken the number of times round the various different loops, plugged that into a spreadsheet, and hey presto that matches GPS and simple bike computer and what my crew had calculated.  I've sent an e-mail asking for clarification.

[MikeH]

Any news on Toothy's result? Did he not make the finishing circuit?

I passed him on the finishing circuit, so he definitely made it.  His Strava I think shows two loops of the finish circuit.  Maybe he didn't keep going to the timekeeper after his 24hr expired - I think that's the requirement to be classified.

[Bairn Again]

well done to those who finished and managed to reach their goals

I experienced three incidents on the first Shawbirch circuit that were as close to being wiped out on a bike as Ive ever experienced, and gratefully DNFd after 56 miles.   

[mattc]

Any news on Toothy's result? Did he not make the finishing circuit?

I passed him on the finishing circuit, so he definitely made it.  His Strava I think shows two loops of the finish circuit.  Maybe he didn't keep going to the timekeeper after his 24hr expired - I think that's the requirement to be classified.

(thanks, thats useful)

No,  I'm pretty sure you can stop any time on the FC (cos I've done it!)

Odd. Maybe they're triple-checking his distance - he may have spent odd times off the bike, and his numbers may get a lot of scrutiny.

[Exit Stage Left]

Good work by toby, 428 miles on the provisional result.

Shows that it was a good year that this didn't even get top ten

There were two people with over 500

I'd say that many distances were slightly down on most years. Michael Broadwith said that he actually liked the cool wet conditions overnight, he rode 537.35, for a new comp record. Stuart Birnie rode in the same general range that he has in recent years. Alex Kirk had a puncture early on, and lost about half an hour, so he was playing catch-up after dominating in the first few hours.

Apologies for ignorance in advance, but:

how is this a comp record? Wilko's 541 was also at the 24h National Championshp - the course doesnt matter. Does it?

I'd have thought the high winds cost him quite a few miles, but high July afternoon temps ARE detrimental usually,  so I guess its was swings and roundabouts for riders that werent mentally affected by the rain (I hate rain at night).


Any news on Toothy's result? Did he not make the finishing circuit?

I meant event record. Steve rode 235.41 according to the result sheet. He didn't stop at his last timekeeper, but just rode on. We were pre-occupied with filming the winner, and assumed he'd been sent to the next TK, and followed him there.

[jsabine]

keep going to the timekeeper after his 24hr expired - I think that's the requirement to be classified.

No,  I'm pretty sure you can stop any time on the FC (cos I've done it!)

I thought you had to keep going to the timekeeper too - but I've never ridden one, so what do I know .... (Maybe next year. Or the year after ...)

Any news of Assasin and Jes on the longbarrow? The screenshots on twitter show 'em at 316 miles going into the finishing circuit.

[rob]

You are credited with an official finish and distance provided you get to the finishing circuit.

If you do 24hrs you finish at the next TK after you have gone over 24hrs.   If you get to one in 23h59m you can ride to the next or pull up there.   Depends how much you really need the extra fractions of mile.

[blackburnrod]

To clarify:
You can stop at any finishing circuit timekeeper before your time has expired if you want to.If you don't get to the finishing circuit you can claim your distance at the last checkpoint before your time expired.You should stop /be stopped at the first circuit timekeeper after your time has expired and your distance covered between the penultimate and last timekeeper will be calculated on the recording spreadsheet.

Rod Goodfellow,Chief Timekeeper,MRC 24

[Peter]

Some great efforts here, well done everyone!

[TOBY]

Great rides alround! Especially Wheels of Fire !!!!!!!!!!!

I was going well up to my first puncture which I managed to sort myself and shrug off, the second one on Quina Brook when I had to wait for a wheel left me somewhat dispondant 

I rode round trying to think what to do? The answer of course that there was nothing else to do, so I sat down had a Cheeseburger and got on with it

In a reversal of events this year my provisional distance was down on what I thought I had done (I'd lost track of my Garmin resets so had been figuring it out in my head - good luck with that!), but got amended before I was even back to Cardiff. As always there's so much to knit pick through what went "wrong" on my ride etc - but I'm pretty happy I salvaged my ride.

So in the end 467.65 and 6th place. 

[thesloth]

So in the end 467.65 and 6th place. 

Glad they sorted you out. When I saw the provisional I thought that was a bit off as you'd come past me at a pace.

...and so the mystery of the Quina Brook stop is solved. I didn't quite catch your reply as I rode past, but the way you were standing arms folded, bike parked up I figured it was something more than a toilet break.

[tonyh]

Great rides all round!

Including yours! Very finely persisted and salvaged!

[PloddinPedro]

Any news of Assasin and Jes on the longbarrow? The screenshots on twitter show 'em at 316 miles going into the finishing circuit.

https://flic.kr/p/w1Spvr
A storming ride to 347.95 miles, despite three punctures, for the winning tandem, the VTTA Tandem Championship and the Johnson Tandem Trophy. Chapeau!

[jsabine]

Chapeau indeed.

A fine shot of Mr B's aerobelly in that photostream too, as well as TG and Jim Hopper caught side by side.

[24hourmaths]

Great rides alround! Especially Wheels of Fire !!!!!!!!!!!

Great ride yourself, Toby, especially the mental strength to get past the punctures.

You came past me at just the right moment (for me) - I found the transition to the finishing circuit really tough and was feeling pretty down about 4 hours going round and round there. I'd just stopped outside the HQ declaring to my chief support that I couldn't do this any more. He said something rude, I ate a banana, you came flying past - that was just the combined kick up the backside that I needed to strap on a pair and get on with it.

A grand day out all round.

[Jes]

Not one for posting but I feel the achievement of my Trainer and Captain deserves recognition.

This was Assasin's first 24hr TT in 22 years after having looked after me on the Mersey and the ESCA 24 for the past few years, and only his second tandem trike TT in all that time.

By winning the Mersey Roads tandem competition this year,  he joins a very elite group of only three riders (Pat Kenny and the Brabins) who have won the Mersey tandem section three times - one with a comp record in 1993 which was only broken in 2012 by Ralph Dadswell and Marina Bloom.

The only person to have a longer gap between Mersey wins - 22 years - is one George Berwick who left it 30 years to win the tandem section in 2004 after his solo win in 1974.

Chapeau Captain   

[MikeH]

I now have an official revised distance of 413.97.  Happy now.    Might scrape top 20 if too many others haven't been revised upwards.

Chapeau to all those that took part, especially WheelsOnFire - amazing ride.

[Ian H]

Chapeau Captain   

You looked pretty good pedalling that big beast round (the trike, I mean).

[Assasin]

Not bad for the fat kid.
I will be back to do it properly and try not to break anything next time.
Not bad for a comeback.
Need those Angry bird disc wheels to make it go faster.......

Shame The VTTA chap doesn't think tandem trikes count for the vets tandem championship.
It will get sorted one day...............................

[Exit Stage Left]

We did a film of the winning ride. We've got loads more stuff, as we were doing a technical test for PBP. I'll have to do the definitive 24 film sometime. We've left most of the finish footage in, it needs cutting a bit. Dave Robinson did most of the editing, as I've been busy applying for a job, and having a cataract operation.

https://youtu.be/RsEt3FI1Ld0