I think the time cut offs are right. Under 24 hours requires no sleep strategy, and if you find black “too easy”, Stu’s all inclusive approach makes room for you with the 300.

The blue badge is under rated in my view. There's a difference between getting round in under 24 or 36 hours and getting round in between 24 and 28 hours. Too fast or too slow and you miss it. It’s a fine balance and difficult to judge.

I did wonder (briefly, early on Saturday afternoon when things were going fairly well) whether the 300 route would go in under 24 hours (I did the first 75km in 5.5 hours). Similarly, would there ever be a sub-12 hour finish on the 200? The conclusion I came to by Saturday night, with a sub-24 well and truly out of reach, was that while Stu is setting the routes, then probably not!

But that’s not why we do these rides. Differences in physical fitness aside, getting bike and kit around in one piece is part of the challenge, irrespective of the time you complete it in. Diligent judgement of self and gear is the constant challenge everyone faces; not over cooking yourself on the climbs, or going balls out on the descents and risking injury or mechanical etc. I minced a good few descent on my 40c tyres for fear of ripping a sidewall on a sharp rock (especially that first descent down onto the mountain road. That was grass last time I rode it…)

I see it a bit like this ....

Love that!

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Mon Nov 08, 2021 12:16 pm Cue an absolute shocker of a route next year....

My thoughts exactly, the only time I swore this time was at some turnips that delivered a front wheel washout!

The 2017 route I swore many many times over tussocks, bogs, trails I couldn’t find/see, you know the stuff I’m talking about!

I am miles away from my fitness of 2017 yet completed the route quicker this time, I am older and wiser but don’t think I’m any tougher!

I think it's great how it is - a different route each year, but some consistency over the badges and times for each colour. It is meant to be a challenge, and always will be for those who haven't done these distances before. There's a facebook group for the King Alfred's Way - and there are huge numbers of people doing that in 4-5 days, but Matt P showed it could be done in about 18 hours or something like that. It's all relative to fitness, lung capacity, mental resolve and all the other things. Even some people with bags of history on BB rides have struggled with some of the events - and that shows (in my head) that they're human and also that the routes can make you suffer if you let them.

This year there were a lot of people who hadn't done a BB event before - that's great as well - and having a double header was a way of making it more manageable and inclusive. Hats off to Stu and Dee as I think they've got a good format that keeps delivering. I'll be back next year I hope.

The only thing I would consider as somewhere "more" than a 200 and not quite as tough as a 300 is a 250. The faster 200 riders could do a 250. Not sure how the badges would work though.

And Stu still has about 58 Orange badges to give out, so you lot had better get your acts together for the next few years as giving out 3 per year is going to make Stu very very old by the time he runs out...

Braunton 150(miles) is 240km and bloody hard. The extra distance seems like it should be OK when you’re sitting at home but not when you’re slogging through Horner Woods in the dead of night with another 100km to go

lune ranger wrote: ↑Mon Nov 08, 2021 10:07 pm Braunton 150(miles) is 240km and bloody hard. The extra distance seems like it should be OK when you’re sitting at home it not when you’re slogging through Horner Woods in the dead of night with another 100km to go

Braunton is up there with the 300, Hero Dolomites and Leadville in terms of the hardest stuff I've ever done.

Utterly brutal.

slarge wrote: ↑Mon Nov 08, 2021 9:52 pmAnd Stu still has about 58 Orange badges to give out, so you lot had better get your acts together for the next few years as giving out 3 per year is going to make Stu very very old by the time he runs out...

Maybe Stu should make the 300 compulsory if you've got at least 3 black badges

Maybe Stu should make the 300 compulsory if you've got at least 3 black badges

Or perhaps just one black badge ... it'd be like the SS championships where the winner got given a tattoo, so most people aimed for second place. I could see the amount of blue badges going up

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Tue Nov 09, 2021 10:21 am

Maybe Stu should make the 300 compulsory if you've got at least 3 black badges

Or perhaps just one black badge ... it'd be like the SS championships where the winner got given a tattoo, so most people aimed for second place. I could see the amount of blue badges going up

Just in - Powys Police are responding to reports of large groups of dirty, dodgy looking, cyclists hanging around on the outskirts of Llanbrynmair

Many years ago I did dusk til dawn.
There was a rule that you had to finish the lap once started.
There were quite a few of us waiting for 8am, then a mass finish.
A group waiting outside the school gates.

whitestone wrote: ↑Tue Nov 09, 2021 10:25 am

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Tue Nov 09, 2021 10:21 am

Maybe Stu should make the 300 compulsory if you've got at least 3 black badges

Or perhaps just one black badge ... it'd be like the SS championships where the winner got given a tattoo, so most people aimed for second place. I could see the amount of blue badges going up

Just in - Powys Police are responding to reports of large groups of dirty, dodgy looking, cyclists hanging around on the outskirts of Llanbrynmair

I typed too slow.
Great minds think a like
Or do fools seldom differ.