BB 200 ... and so it begins

[Bearbonesnorm]

So that's it then, the 2012 BB 200 is underway. Heavy rain overnight made gaining access to the start a slightly interesting prospect. The forecast looks set to improve so hopefully all those hardy souls who set off will stand a chance of a dry night ... but we'll see.



Whoever brought the quad along really misunderstood the whole concept!



The bikepackers 'arms folded and primed for action' stance proved popular.



Chris shoots and scores.



All ready for a stealthy night in the woods or possibly a mountain side?

[gairym]

been following a few folks via their spot trackers - the distances covered are already pretty wide ranging.

think i'd have been more at the back than keeping pace with Ian but it's interesting seeing how things develop.

let's see how it goes.....

[valleydaddy]

looking good, no idea where Taylor is going

gutted I was double booked this year, oh well hopefully will make it next year in some shape or form.

I hope the leaders have learnt their lesson from last year Stu/Dee

[99percentchimp]

Ian looks to have a march on... 70km in after ~5 hours
Looks to be along Claerwen already!
Good dip in and watch the progress every so often!

[Anthony]

I remember back when I'd tape my Lynskey up to protect it!

I now tape my framebag to protect it from the Lynskey!!!

All looking great, cant wait to hear the reports.

[gairym]

Ian looks to have a march on... 70km in after ~5 hours

yep - he's not hanging about!!!

'D Faff Master' seems to hot on his tail though.

good stuff!

[Bearbonesnorm]

Conditions haven't been as good as forecast, plenty of fairly heavy showers throughout the day. Now the cloud's clearing so it looks like a cold night's in order.

Kevin (Nostoc) was 10 minutes late getting to the start, so I imagine he'll be pressing hard.

I found someones set of maps 1km from the start, so they'll be having an interesting time of it.

Someone managed to get lost and quite a way of course within sight of the start

All in all it's going rather well!

[gairym]

Jesus - Ian is ON IT!!!

I pop out for a quick curry and a pint and he manages another 1/3rd of the course.

Nice work sir!

[Bearbonesnorm]

Well there's a few black badges going out this year ... Ian recorded a return time of 01.18am, so a new BB 200 record of 15H 18M

[Anthony]

Well done Ian!

That's pretty amazing going, I suspect his kit was tailored to not stopping. Not that Ian's lightweight set-up is a hindrance even fully loaded!

Need reports......

[gairym]

Wow - bloody impressive!

Well done Ian.

Anyone else back yet?

[pedalhead]

Incredible ride Ian! Looking forward to hearing about it...

[Ray Young]

Now that is amazing, well done Ian.

[Dan_K]

Wow. Superb ride Ian. Congrats.

[99percentchimp]

Cripes... not even really a late night
Well done Ian for bettering last year's ride significantly. Amazing!

[Ian]

Well there's a few black badges going out this year ... Ian recorded a return time of 01.18am, so a new BB 200 record of 13H 18M

I make that 15 hr 18 mins, but 13 hr 18 would be a good target

Thanks all for the congrats. Did push hard all the way around. Report soon once I've recovered...

[Stevemorg]

Well done Ian - superb effort!

[Ian]

Strava link here: http://app.strava.com/rides/24986795

[D Faff Master]

What a great ride.

My fast start wasn't sustainable and luckily I punctured and this made me see sense and slow down. Really struggled on the return leg especially after a second puncture and some GPS issues. That's the first time I've ever cycled through the night and it is also my first ride longer than 14 hours. So all in all, very pleased with my black badge (although there were none left I presume these will be posted out as anyone who went sub 24hours has definitely earned it)

I'll be back next year with much lighter 'overnight' equipment that hopefully I won't have to use :idea:

I enjoyed riding with Mark and Kevin. On such a long ride it's nice to have some company and also useful to have someone check how deep the puddles/rivers are!!

[Nick]

Well done everyone who completed this, the weather in Shrewsbury has been really nice all weekend and I was hoping that this extended to those riding last night.

Incredible time Ian, that is some going!

[Ian]

So, who put the whole route up as a Strava segment then?
http://app.strava.com/segments/2574211

What I find both interesting and impressive is the number of riders to post under 24hrs was much higher than last year, even though the conditions were undoubtedly harder this year. Credit to all the finishers, and especially those <24 hrs.

What made the difference to my time this year compared to last was reducing the stopped time from 2hr 30m to about 1hr. The remaining 40 mins gain came from pedalling harder and probably being a bit lighter on the gear.

Also, kudos & respect to all the people that bivvied out last night. When the skies cleared at about 5pm the temperature plummeted and by 1am there was ice in places and thick frost on everything. I remember my jacket being slightly crispy when I took it off and my helmet covered in frozen droplets of water. The frost was thicker when I got up at 8am. Must have been minus 2-3 or more in the valleys

[FLV]

aye, very well done to all finishers. 15 hours is frankly superb!

I got myself a blue badge this year, although I did sleep for a fair while.

My lights proved hugely inadequate, as did my legs... :D

I'll be back next year chasing a black badge.

[FLV]

Also, kudos & respect to all the people that bivvied out last night. When the skies cleared at about 5pm the temperature plummeted and by 1am there was ice in places and thick frost on everything. I remember my jacket being slightly crispy when I took it off and my helmet covered in frozen droplets of water. The frost was thicker when I got up at 8am. Must have been minus 2-3 or more in the valleys

I bivvied at abotu 130K ish just before the devils staircase road section, I was covered in ice in the morning. Brrr.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I make that 15 hr 18 mins, but 13 hr 18 would be a good target

Sorry, yes it should be 15 hours not 13 ... it was early

Nearly everyone back, just waiting for the last few. Massive range of times this year, I'll get a list up once everyone's back and I've sorted stuff out. A very well done to all those riding on their own, who'd never done anything 'bikepacking' before and to all those who suffered "ill health' while out there but pushed on through . If you stood on the start and set off then congratulate yourself, no matter what your time ... it's not easy.

So all in all, very pleased with my black badge (although there were none left I presume these will be posted out as anyone who went sub 24hours has definitely earned it)

Anyone who didn't get their badge ... yes they'll be posted out to you. The number of sub 24h finishers took us a little by surprise.

One last very big thank you to Dee for feeding you all and generally putting up with everything

PS: Next year is Bear Bones Backwards!

[Ian]

Next year is Bear Bones Backwards!

?Senob raeb

...gnitseretni eb dluoc taht