Author Topic: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013  (Read 40436 times)

Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« on: 23 February, 2013, 09:07:51 pm »
Who is thinking of doing the 24 this year?
I am planning on having another bash.

If you've not done it and are considering it, it's the flattest 600 you'll ever do, and you can wave at people you know as they pass on the other side of the road, every couple of hours!  Also, there's a great atmosphere, and you will sleep well afterwards.

jogler

  • mojo operandi
Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #1 on: 23 February, 2013, 10:09:52 pm »
That will be an easy date for me to remember.It'll be my birthday.

Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #2 on: 24 February, 2013, 05:34:36 pm »
I'm considering this, but haven't decided. It's only a week before LEL, which means I should be approaching peak fitness for the year.

eck

  • Gonna ride my bike until I get home...
    • Angus Bike Chain CC
Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #3 on: 24 February, 2013, 05:56:51 pm »
Yep, hoping to do this again. When I say "again", I really mean do the whole 24hrs this year, not the ICBA with this 22hrs that I did last time.  :-[
It's a bit weird, but actually quite wonderful.

Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #4 on: 24 February, 2013, 06:19:44 pm »
Hmm.

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #5 on: 24 February, 2013, 08:25:11 pm »
Yes (but you knew that).

Bairn Again

Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #6 on: 25 February, 2013, 10:29:03 pm »
yes, im definitely planning 2013 around this.

its addictive. 

and my support crew is taking shape (14 year old son happy to travel for a Raven breakfast). 

Bairn Again

Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #7 on: 25 February, 2013, 10:36:52 pm »
Yep, hoping to do this again. When I say "again", I really mean do the whole 24hrs this year, not the ICBA with this 22hrs that I did last time.  :-[

that was about 3 hrs more than me.. ;)

Tomsk

  • Fueled by cake since 1957
    • tomsk.co.uk
Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #8 on: 26 February, 2013, 07:22:31 pm »
My support crew has rebelled [day after the end of term = not happy] but I'd like to defend my 29th place ;D

We'll see....

Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #9 on: 09 March, 2013, 08:52:39 pm »
I got an invitation to a friend's wedding in hungary today. On the 20th July.
Damn!

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #10 on: 10 March, 2013, 01:33:53 pm »
Looking on the bright side, you can now concentrate all your efforts on LEL.

Tomsk

  • Fueled by cake since 1957
    • tomsk.co.uk
Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #11 on: 15 March, 2013, 09:18:50 am »
I've been offered the use of a proper TT machine, with disc wheel n'all, by a kind sadist at FlitchBikes- now I've got to do it ::-)

I can't mimic the position on any other bike, so I'll have to get some long rides in on it somehow....don't laugh if I turn up for an Audax on it!

Oaky

  • ACME Fire Safety Officer
  • Audax Club Mid-Essex
    • MEMWNS Map
Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #12 on: 15 March, 2013, 10:33:04 am »
I look forward to seeing it on an MEMWNS soon :)
You are in a maze of twisty flat droves, all alike.

85.4 miles from Marsh Gibbon

Audax Club Mid-Essex Fire Safety Officer
http://acme.bike

Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #13 on: 18 March, 2013, 02:02:13 pm »
I've been offered the use of a proper TT machine, with disc wheel n'all, by a kind sadist at FlitchBikes- now I've got to do it ::-)

I can't mimic the position on any other bike, so I'll have to get some long rides in on it somehow....don't laugh if I turn up for an Audax on it!

Have you got a pointy hat as well?  No-one will laugh if you wear that too!  :demon:

Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #14 on: 19 March, 2013, 04:26:25 pm »
YES!

This is my main event for the year (getting around LEL will be a nice bonus) and is what I'm aiming my training at. I've wanted to do one for years but never have, so am finally doing my first this year :)

I've entered quite a few Audaxes to get the distance in, but need to schedule in some TTs (up to a 100 I guess) for TT training. TTing is all a new world to me really so I may well be asking tips on here in the coming months, though my clubmates have been helpful with that.

Really looking forward to it (apprehensively)!

Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #15 on: 19 March, 2013, 10:08:49 pm »
If the logistics work for you, there is a 100 mile TT on the D100 course, which uses pretty much the same roads as the main Mersey Roads 24 circuit, a couple of weeks before.  It's a good way to get a last tough ride in and recce the course beforehand.  There's another one on a variant of that course at the end of May
http://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/Default.aspx?&gv514__gvac=2&tabid=134&gv514__gvff0=100m&gv514__gvfl0=1

Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #16 on: 20 March, 2013, 12:42:42 pm »
If the logistics work for you, there is a 100 mile TT on the D100 course, which uses pretty much the same roads as the main Mersey Roads 24 circuit, a couple of weeks before.  It's a good way to get a last tough ride in and recce the course beforehand.  There's another one on a variant of that course at the end of May
http://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/Default.aspx?&gv514__gvac=2&tabid=134&gv514__gvff0=100m&gv514__gvfl0=1

Thanks for the heads up but that one is just one week before the 24hour which seems a little close to me.

There is an Anfield Bicycle Club one at the end of May though which is tempting: http://cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/Default.aspx?&ge514__geka=MoeMaZhZdmGPSYuQ8onYwr5VtT1MpzEe2fhLDMJ2raIcqkycJrweT-tOSegOH8lwEB63Z4jLgVoj_3jukNhph9jUECIWddZxpEEWihhSQOLbueXnz2fBpoWTELA_GbxH_-xpPHAIfAFk2Dgia3Rl_Q&ge514__gevi=_lvJ4CyRv9DNC_QU2qgPLQ&gv850__gvac=2&gv850__gvff0=57447&gv850__gvfl0=0&tabid=361


Out of interest, how practical is it to do a 100 unsupported? I realise people even do the 24 unsupported, but I'm not going with that option! On a 100 it seems that it may be doable by stashing some spare water bottles somewhere to pick up half way (or something like that)?

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #17 on: 20 March, 2013, 12:53:55 pm »
The Anfield event has a bottle hand-up service.  You start by doing a dogleg, then do four laps of a circuit.  You label your bottles with your race number beforehand, then half way round the circuit there's a guy with a walkie talkie.  Shout your number to him, he'll radio the guy 200 yards down the road who will hand you up your bottle.  Fill them with coke or something else sugary and they'll help you get round.

I did the Anfield last year as my first 100.  Read the report here.  Also, see the map below.  On the Anfield I started with two bottles (one coke, one water), four gels and two bars.  I managed to drop a gel and ate all my other food and could still have done with a bit more, but then I'm quite slim and need to keep eating.  I only got through three of my bottles though.  I then started two more 100s last year, where I started with two bottles and stashed an extra bottle in the grass to pick up on a subsequent lap.  The first (the YCF) was a complete fail, I wasn't rested enough and quit after 20 miles, so I never got to use the stashed bottle.  On the second (the Team Swift) I ran out of food on lap 2 of 3, so I stopped at a garage and grabbed some Lucozade and Red Bull*, which meant that I didn't need to pick up my bottle I'd stashed for the start of lap 3.  Unfortunately I didn't finish that one either, as the race was abandoned after a rider was rear-ended and killed :(




*Imagine the scene: there is an orderly queue for the checkout, when suddenly a sweaty, skinsuited Bunbury runs in, jumps the queue and throws a fiver on the counter, with a "Sorry, I'm in a race!"

Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #18 on: 20 March, 2013, 04:43:32 pm »
Brilliant, that must have been a funny situation in the garage (though not at the time I'm sure)!

I'm pretty sure I'll go in for the Anfield one, though it's only just a week after the Bryan Chapman   :-\
I'll use it as practice for a feeding schedule for the 24 hour (which I haven't worked out yet) so I'll have time to adjust as necessary before the 24.

Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #19 on: 21 March, 2013, 12:32:22 pm »
Having now actually looked up about entering some time trials, it's hard to see what all the fuss is about the Audax UK website and entry system - it puts the CTT one to shame!

marcusjb

  • Full of bon courage.
Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #20 on: 21 March, 2013, 03:07:16 pm »
Having now actually looked up about entering some time trials, it's hard to see what all the fuss is about the Audax UK website and entry system - it puts the CTT one to shame!

Agreed!  I've pondered the idea of entering a couple for fun (and I have a longer term eye on the 24 - possibly next year).  Seems I need to actually join a proper club and all that!  But beyond that, the process seemed unduly hard work.

I promise to never complain about A5 envelopes and badly photocopied routesheets again in my life!
Right! What's next?

Ooooh. That sounds like a daft idea.  I am in!

Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #21 on: 21 March, 2013, 09:54:54 pm »

Thanks for the heads up but that one is just one week before the 24hour which seems a little close to me.

Out of interest, how practical is it to do a 100 unsupported? I realise people even do the 24 unsupported, but I'm not going with that option! On a 100 it seems that it may be doable by stashing some spare water bottles somewhere to pick up half way (or something like that)?

So it is: it was two weeks before last year!   

I think it is fine to do a 100 unsupported.  If all goes well, it might cost you perhaps a minute if you have to stop to pick up bottles.  If you have a problem, of course, it will cost you more, and you don't get the encouragement from a supporter. 
 
I did that one unsupported as my first 100 last year.  I don't have such good stories as Mr B but I loaded up with three bottles and a little frame bag of food.  Food was ok - possibly could have done with slightly more.  For the drink I left two bottles to pick up at Prees Island at half way.  Next time I would consider adding a behind-saddle carrier so I could load up with 5 bottles and not have to stop, and eliminate any worrying about whether the bottles will be there. 

The other thing to think about is getting home.  A 100 at racing pace really takes it out of you.  I had a long drive at the end of mine and had to stop for a 45 minute nap at a service station.

I felt my unsupported 100 was the ride I enjoyed most last year!

Tomsk

  • Fueled by cake since 1957
    • tomsk.co.uk
Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #22 on: 12 June, 2013, 05:29:43 pm »
Closing date for the M24 is 25th June - decision time approaches. I've got a lot of miles in this year, but speed still seems a bit low....I'm doing a sportive this weekend, so we'll see how that goes if I give it some welly.....

The support crew are well up for it, despite my earlier concerns  :thumbsup: Still playing around with on-bike nutrition. Unfortunately the expensive stuff works!

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #23 on: 12 June, 2013, 09:57:39 pm »
Thanks for the heads up.

I'll be doing the ECCA 100 on June 23rd, which is really the test event for the Mersey Roads.  I've been doing fewer miles than I'd have liked this year, so if I don't get below 4:30 on the ECCA, I'll have some serious doubts about the Mersey. 

Fortunately, I see that the Mersey allows online entries, which means that Sunday 23rd isn't too late to make a decision about whether or not to enter  :thumbsup:

Re: Mersey Roads 24 hour TT, 20-21 July 2013
« Reply #24 on: 18 June, 2013, 12:56:19 am »
I've just entered online.

I rode once before in 1992 when I clocked 367.1 miles without support.
Not sure what I can do this time as I've been pretty slow so far on audaxes and I'm not as fit as I was 21 years ago.

600km would be nice, but it might be nearer 500km :-\ I'll soon find out ;)