Battle Mountain 2022 <== Note subject change!

[Kim]

Latest Laibach* Bike Report has a lengthy feature on the genesis of Russell Bridge's weapon for BM 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEzGECgVCNg  Warning: contains more than just trace amounts of Barney Harle

Watched that live on Sunday evening.  Much to the irk of barakta, who was unimpressed by the lack of craptions (yes, even for Barney). 

I thought it was rather good (as a Wintergatan fan, I can't not appreciate livestreaming CAD as a presentation tool).  I get the impression that the USAnians are in awe of the mad-BRITONS-in-sheddes aspect.   

[Mr Larrington]

The decidedly USAnian Larry Lem is another mad-bloke-inna-Shedde and has probably built more different BM bikes than anyone else.  He even had a world record until those pesky Canuckistanis brought their tandem out to play in 2019.

[peterc]

Russell Bridge's and trace amounts of Barney Harle

Having just watched the video and seeing what efforts Russell went to to get his feet in as small a space as possible (ripping out the padding/liner of some size 8 shoes)
Making some carbon shell shoes made round a buck taken from a mold of Russell's feet should given them about as small a shape as is possible. (Certainly the ones I made seem so much smaller than my regular shoes.)

If someone has their contacts I'd be happy to talk to them about the process etc.

[Kim]

The shoe-clearance discussion came up at a recent BHPC event, after my recent attempt at fitting in Lee's Snoek was thwarted by shoe-rubbage, even while wearing his shoes (apparently there's a knack and shorter cranks are in the pipeline).  Some other rider (I forget who) showed us his cycling shoes, which had the entire toe end cut off for extra clearance...

Ripping the padding out seems restrained in comparison.

[Beardy]

I seem to remember that James Hunt needed the toes of his racing shoes removing so he could fit into a McLaren F1 motorcar. I mention this because it is another sport the frontage size is everything.

[Mr Larrington]

ISTR the Boy Russell had a few problems with his outsize plates that time he depped for Surlewis when the latter got Teh Plague.

@peterc: YWHPM when I've dug out the details.

[peterc]

YWHPM when I've dug out the details.

Thankyou, both you and he were very quick of the mark, connection made, links shared.

Should anyone else ever need/fancy some very silly shoes and have access to the right sort of SHED, feel free to reach out.

[Mr Larrington]

Idly perusing the divers documents attached to the WHPSC webby SCIENCE I note that there is to be neither an Awards Dinner nor a Show'n'Shine this year, because Plague   The latter will be particularly missed because:

• Good chance to poke a camera into the nether regions of the machinery, and
• One, or MOAR, free lunches (if you manage to get seconds before notorious hungry-guts Larry Lem has scoffed the lot)

Bah!

[Beardy]

Wasn’t Mr Burrows recently involved in the design and construction of a BM contender? Soup Dragon?? Do you know if there are plans to complete the attempt at some point, of has it been canned already?

[Mr Larrington]

The Aim93 project from London South Bank University continues with the legacy of the Soup Dragon.  The body is still the same shape but everything inside was changed between 2018 and 2019, and then mostly changed again in the car park of the Big Chief motel during the 2019 event.  They’re back again this year, hopefully with internals not cobbled together from a couple of road bikes and odd bits pilfered from the Optima Baron training bike.

As shipped to BM in 2019 the only part left from the original Soup Dragon was the final drive sprocket, which I somehow doubt they’ll be reusing due to the difficulty of servicing components custom made for small-pitch industrial chains when in the middle of nowhere

[Mr Larrington]

Lengthy piece with event Organisators Al'n'Alice Krause on the most recent edition of Laidback Bike Report.  Meanwhile this Unit is looking with dismay at the ever-growing pile of Stuffs that need to be put in the appropriate bits of The Luggage

[Mr Larrington]

Bumped into LSBU's Barney Townsend and Russell Bridge – who had bagsied the seat next to mine – at Thiefrow.  Took more than four fucking hours from touchdown to driving away because massive queues, serious understaffing by Budget Car Rental and some cretinous foul-yob having concealed the make-it-go fob of the Blackstang under the front passenger seat.

Now in Modesto CA where it is hours 21:00 and thirty-eight of Mr Celsius' degrees outside, and I hate everybody.

[Mr Larrington]

Hurrah!  I am in Battle Mountain without even an horribly sunburned nose to show for it.

[Beardy]

When do the fun and games kick off?

[Mr Larrington]

Sunday morning local time - results from the qualifying runs should be available by around 8pm in BRITAIN and from the Sunday evening runs - the first on the long course - about 4-5am Monday morning.  All teams present and correct now, though we're still missing a few of the Usual Suspects among the volunteers.  Particularly surprised not to see Paul Gracey here as he's the only person to have attended all the previous twenty runnings of the event.

The wretched hive of scum and villainy that is the pre-event briefing, just now:


P9100053 by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

[Von Broad]

[I was beset with one overwhelming thought when I looked at that photograph. And it had little to do with cycling.
Best leave it there, I think.]

Have a good week Dave, look forward to the updates.

[Mr Larrington]

Euurrggh!  Twenty past five ack emma!  Call this a holiday?

[Mr Larrington]

No Not many wrecks and nobody drownded in morning qualification runs.  Francois Pervis fastest with 69.95 mph.  Andrea Gallo a DNS after a video malfunction.  Titan - the Toronto 2WD tandem - had some launch issues but clocked ~48 mph running on only one engine after Captain Calvin's chain came off.  Noble BRITON Russell Bridge did 53.53 with the "English gearing" fitted - he's going to change the final drive sprocket now he's qualified.  LSBU's Noah did 35.37.  All winds legal save for Alyssa Miller (11) who also suffered the ignominy of a timing .  Ran out of voles at the crucial time or something.  Martina Stirano decked TaurusX after coming into catch way too fast.  She was pretty upset about the whole business but the bike is unhurt and she should be running this evening.  More Stuffs later, Stuffs fans!

[Pingu]

 

[Mr Larrington]

Sunday evening = teh suxx0r.  Noah Philips went down in heat 1 - in which he was the sole rider.  Undamaged rider and superficially damaged bike.  By the time we'd got the road cleared, re-opened, closed again and got the course car back to the start the wind had picked up to "Criminally Insane".  Nevertheless three riders - Russell Bridge, Adam Hari and Martina Stirano - started and three finished, albeit with wind speeds somewhere between 3 & 4 times the legal limit.  Martina was particularly stoked after her mishap this morning when she crashed after coming into catch way too fast, crashing spectacularly and being led away in tears.  Very much like Ilona Peltier in 2019.  Who smashed the women's record twice later in the week   According to team boss Guillaume de France Ilona claimed to be too busy to come back and try to get the women's mark over 80 mph chiz.

The third heat was delayed by 10 minutes in the hope the wind would drop, and further tardiness ensued when a law-abiding citizen passed through just before we closed the road and pootled up at 70 mph.  After which François Pervis in Altaïr 6 decided not to run.  As Titan had already scratched that just left Peter Borenstadt in the DF velomobile.  His wind speed was only twice the legal limit...  MOAR details of today's fun and games in the Automatic Diary as soon as I've finished padding out the rest of my notes.

[Mr Larrington]

Too windy Monday morning for any legal runs but François Pervis hit >84 on his first run on the full course.  Weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow morning looks pretty poor chiz.

And we have…

a new car park attendant! by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

[Kim]

And there was much rejoicing.

[Mr Larrington]

Wind. Rain. Thunderbolts and lightning.  Monday evening cancelled by Teh Weather chiz

[Kim]

Boo, and indeed, hiss.

[Mr Larrington]

Forecast for Tuesday morning doesn't look much better either.  Depending on which app you use the weather might be utter shite until Thursday.  Or not.