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Ha, I think calling yourself a noob is a bit of understatement. Good smash! Spotted your bike at the end, @Tor has a near identical custom Restrap frame bag.
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That’s me with the camera on my back and my friend, Stu, in the orange gilet!
I got quite a few skid requests to which I obliged of course!
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@Eamesy Top work. I saw a few fixed riders, guessing you were one of them!
Top event, first year I've done it. Fantastic scenery / route. I thought it was going to be a little bit more of a mixed crowd tbh, didn't see anyone else in a flannel shirt on the route except the fella I was riding with.
Came away with a huge dent on my bike though, took a rock on the down tube.
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I think there was 3 of us in all.
Was it you or the chap you were with that had a front basket? Vaguely remember a couple of guys in shirts and gilets?
Think next year I’ll do the 130 on my Ogre; flat pedals, beers in the basket, shorts and t-shirt and stop for loads of photos. I was planning on taking loads of photos this year, but I didn’t stop much so they’re all of people’s backs and asses taken while riding.
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Yeah I was doing it with the chap with the basket full of bananas.
That's pretty much what we did. Planned to do the full 200, but we spend far too long taking photos and chewing the fat at the second feed stop, that by the time we got to the cut off just after feed 2 we'd missed it by 1/2 hour. In a funny way pretty glad, as that bit after the dam was killer. Not sure I'd have enjoyed it with another 50 miles in the legs.
Will be back next year i think, have to tick off the 200km. Also didn't realise there were so many MTB trails around the castle. When we got back from the 130, we headed up to the observatory and played around on the reds there. Recommended!
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The DR was fantastic. I did the 130, single speed. Rolled on my pompetamine with 650b*42 WTB Resolutes.
Bike was great. I finished. I enjoyed it. But I am still shattered and it's over a week later!
Must have met a few of you during the ride. (Not counting @Eamesy and @mostly_by_bike)
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Signed up for 2020...already regretting it.
Managed to book a bunkhouse 30 mins drive from event start for the Friday and Saturday. It's £20 per night beside a pub / chinese takeaway. Basic but probably beats freezing in a tent (I'm a bit soft).
If anyone needs a place drop me a message.
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2021 entries opened today, event taking place on 17th April. Limited places as I imagine a lot of entries were rolled over from this year and it looks like there are no more places for the 200 but I just signed up for the 130... I don't have a suitable bike and my off-road experience is limited to a few jaunts on a rented MTB around Swinley Forest. This should go well!
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The gravel is pretty untechnical for Dirty Reiver, from my experience (2018, 2019). It's still a tough day - plenty of climbing - but enjoyable of course!
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Anyone going this year? I managed to get a place a couple of weeks ago as it coincided with some annual leave I’d already booked.
Probably do it fixed again.
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What about this year then?
Myself and a pal who's on the way back from a horrible year last year with knee problems. Probably wont ride the whole thing together.
Is there still a techy bit on the route or is it all royal standard gravel?
Staying in Hexham, hope thats not a terrible idea.
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I think since the numbers have gone up a fair bit it’s all standard gravel now.
I remember a pretty steep singletrack climb one year, and a river crossing the year before that.
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@Tor & I rode up from Leeds with a tailwind pretty much the entire way. Really nice route via Fleet Moss, Aisgill Moor, Shot Moss & Langdon Beck (after staying in the YHA), & then into Kielder Forest on some lanes we did in reverse on the day. I was glad for those last few gravelly miles as I was riding slicks & wanted to see how they'd cope (turns out they're fine). Had a bit of a stressy time about ten miles from the castle where my shifter got incredibly stiff & I had to use two hands to shift at all. Was relieved to resolve that with only a bit of grease, but had me properly worried for a while.
Anyway, DR was great again. An even colder start than last year (frost everywhere) made for a difficult start, but it soon warmed up a little. The first sections felt pretty easy, & I thoroughly enjoyed descending the biggest climb of the day (the one with the cattle grids) even if it was a bit hair-raising. A friend saw someone descending that on TT bars - the absolute nutter - & one of the fixie guys with feet on their downtube, pedals spinning away freely - also absolute nutter!
After that, it was lovely to find @Tor at the top of one of the hills with the Bombtrack guys & a massive cowbell! Towards the second feed stop I was really starting to feel awful, just couldn't put down the power like I usually can, & my group started pulling away from me a bit. Thankfully one stayed back & gave me a tow. Friends said that they'd never seen me look so broken (I can't remember the last time I bonked) & it was weird that I was flagging like that, aha. Found my form again after eating so much at that feed stop, & a swig of whisky.
Hated that long open headwindy bit after that, felt like we were never going to get a tailwind. Liked the long straight rolling through the woods where it was fun to pick people off, & hot damn, that rolling bit of smooth tarmac after that felt so good. Coffee was definitely required at the third feed stop.
Rode most of the rest with the group, bug decided to empty the tank a bit after the dam. That Lauf special stage was truly the worst bit of the entire route, couldn't enjoy the ascent or descent. I've never used a Lauf fork, but I doubt even those could make that comfortable! Last flowing bit around the lake was lovely & a great chill way of finishing it off. Smashed the sprint at the end & came in two hours sooner than last year. Job well done!
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