Hell of the Ashdown

Parts of the course can be soggy, even on dry days. Especially at the moment when nothing's drying out. But I've never ridden it with mudguards or anything larger than 23's and never had a problem.

Not CX bike time then?

^ Thought you only rode 60mm carbon tubs on the HoTA?

last time I did it was on some 50mm heds; got a puncture a mile from the end and just rode them in flat because I couldn't be bothered to deal with it. Was outblinged by a guy riding some enves.
It's standard kent lanes/b roads. ride whatever you want. full sus mountainbike will still get you to the end.

First official ride representing the LFGSS CC
Will be riding in shorts as my way, very slowly at the back on a geared specialized.
With Mudguards.

I'll be on my Planet X crabon, forum cap and too much rapha. May well meet you near the broom wagon.

top day,.... Weather, views,route......glad I had a late start looked icy for the early ones.....

It was a glorious day. I can confirm it was icy and dicy all the way down to the south side of Toys. A very slow start with many walking and a fair few falling.

tb and I are marshalling again this year, maybe see a few of you out there.

Did not spot you. Did the car not start this morning?

There were a lot of crashes on toys - I saw about 15, people didn't seem to catch the shouts of "Ice!".

^and yes, didn't see 6pt either despite keeping an eye out

Nice weather except for the icey bits at the beginning, not happy with my fitness compared to six months ago but that's life. Well organised and very busy, top marks to Catford CC for coordinating the event.
Hai to the couple who gave a DAS as we were leaving to go home too.

Ice really wasnt that bad - I didn't crash so it can't have been.
The mud however was truly horrific.

Brilliantly marshaled as in all previous years.
Feed stations a bit of disappointment considering the money they take in,
when did chocolate cake become a form of race nutrition?

Gave a poor cyclist who went down some ibuprofen to see him home at the top of Toys. (who doesnt go cycling with a supply of painkillers?)

Well I went over Idle Hill. And then Idle Hill Road was closed as a car had wrapped itself around a telephone mast.

^power line, I believe. Just this second back from an evening spin over toys and back over ide (thwarted), chatted to the police about it at the bottom, and then the electricity guys on my way back up toys (fml).

tb and I were posted at the little green on the downhill side of toys along with another marshall, and I shouted "nice hat" at upstart (I think, we cross paths so infrequently these days) to zero recognition, saw one other forum cap on a ginger chap and no ludwig. we left our spot when the riders stopped appearing at about 11:30. It was nice, sunny, and nowhere near as cold as last year.

On my way out through elmers end this evening I think I saw another forum cap wearing london phoenix kit pootling his way back home.

I see, pity I missed you. You had to be at this place of all. How did you get there? Like I said I detoured went up Toys, then turned back and went over Idle and then rejoined the route in Hever.

It was brilliant, really well ran and very friendly. Had a long chat to a chap called Ian on a B-Twin who was great and made some miles fly by, if by some chance you're on here then PM me.

3.57 - anyone else owning up?

also whoever I DASed leaving the carpark at the end - HI!

6pt - I think that was me on the end of the nice hat shoutout.

Was a nice mooch around the countryside with Katie and YAL. Organisation was amaze and the cake tasty.

I knew it was someone of about average height and reasonably-frequent-cycling skinniness who looked familiar. It being you would make sense.

I wasn't there for quite a long time because I went to find a stealth pee spot and had to walk about 5 miles, fell down a rabbit hole and got trapped in a thorn bush.

Well done to everyone who didn't fall off; I rode out and saw at least 15 people go down on the ice.

3.57 - anyone else owning up?

Yeah, that was pretty much our time too ...

Was a nice mooch around the countryside with Katie and YAL. Organisation was amaze and the cake tasty.

... with maybe a little time on top for the two official feedstops, a stop for me to stretch my back, a stop almost immediately afterwards to fix my puncture, another stop for me to stretch my back and eat, a stop for me to put my gloves back on ... a few little stops for Dan and Howard to wait for me to catch up at the top of hills ... but yeah, pretty much that.

cough

Not sure why everyone is talking about the nonexistent 'ice'

The sponge cakes provided to the riders were very real

@6pt - sorry not to spot you out there - but thanks to you, and all of the other marshals, for giving up your sundays.

The non existent ice I pretty much spun the car on on my way up toys this morning?
^It was only a Sunday morning! Had a big lunch somewhere nice on the way back in to town and then rode a chunk of the loop this evening = nothing given up at all. It's actually quite a lot of fun standing around watching all you mugs go by.

Gave a poor cyclist who went down some ibuprofen to see him home at the top of Toys. (who doesnt go cycling with a supply of painkillers?)

Er, most people?

Ice was bad, saw lots of riders on the floor. I fell off and my mate bent his rear derailleur. Going down the first hill the rider in fronts back wheel kept wriggling like a snake, not sure how he managed to keep it upright.