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2005 Events

Here's a complete list of events Team Chicken Skin Handbags will try to enter in 2005.

Check out how we got on below:

Click here to see the total listing (Duncans appears in the pairs section)

Take a look at all the photos - Mick, Duncan, Dave and Joe

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The event is a fund raising weekend for the charity CLIC, which offers advice support and hands on care for children effected by cancer or leukaemia and their families.

Mick competed in the event solo. On arrival the wind was near gale force and the start area seemed tiny compared to the bigger events. The first imprssion was it was much more extreme and isolated than other events. However after an hours sleep the camp filled out more.

The camp itself was based on a farmers field. The size matched the builth wells campsite. There was the single white start/finish tent where all riders checked in and out for each lap. Then there were two other tents situated nearby, one for charging lights and one was the massage tent. Across a small country lane was the local centre which stocked all the food, coffee and tea.

The Start Tent

The Course

The course was a rocky affair with two big climbs to keep your legs moving. From the farmers field the riders turned right onto a country lane before turning left after about 500 metres to hit the first climb. The climb itself was steep, a granny ring was often required, but not tricky as the terrain was flat. The climb last a good three quarters of a kilometre.

From the top of the climb the fun began. Immediately the riders hit a single track rocky path that went slightly downhill between the fields. This was the first and least of the boneshakers on the course. A slight climb at the end of the descent and the riders went through the first of four gates, took a sharp right where the land levelled. It was no ride in the park though as the constant rocks along the way took it out of the hands and knees. This section went on for around a good three miles or so. There were short descents and inclines along the way (below).

One of the many short sharp climbs

At the end of the section the riders came out of the fields onto some open space, did a few right and left turns before heading into the wood. Once in the woods there was a slight descent that passed through the second gate. From the gate to another entrance in the wood was the most boneshaking path that even rivalled 'the field' in the past 'Red Bull' 24 hour event. It was a real challenge not to let go of the bars. Once the smooth section appeared you were deep into the woods. The course then hit the fire roads. The first road came out of the trees with a slight downhill where some speed could be gained. At the bottom the riders went round a slight left bend before hitting a sharp right turn and heading on the straight to the bottom of the big climb.

  
The Mile Long Hill

At this point you were easily into the last third of the course. The mile or so long hill started from a sharp left turn hitting a 20 metre steep incline. This was a definate granny ring until you reached the small brow where the steepness was still there but the rider could relax a little more. At the top of the first section the riders completed a little S'bend, grabbed a drink, and then hit the first of three long slogging sections to the top (above). These really took it out of you. Each section was possibly 400 metres in length.

Then, to rub salt in the wound, if you had managed to climb that you got a sense of security with a 20 metre flat fire road before taking a sharp right and being faced with another steep tricky incline of around 50 metres (another granny ring).

Then the riders passed through the third gate and onto the open land. Motorbike tracks and groves made this flatter section a little tricky, but it was still a slight relief from the climb before. The fourth gate appeard where the riders turned right through it and started the fastest downhill of the course (below). This took the rider between two fields and again shook the hands to numbness. At the bottom of the decline was a left onto the fast country lane for a mile or so back to camp. This sounds boring but was light relief for the hands and knees. All in all a challenging, enjoyable course (if you only had to do it once)

Rocky Downhill - Anyone for numb hands?

The 24 Hours

Lap 1 - To start the event off all the riders, solo or a member from each team, lined up in number order. The event began with the starting of the clock dead on 12pm. All riders swept through the field and onto the country road to reach the first climb. The plan was to reach around 20 laps leaving 2 to 4 hours in total of interval resting. The first lap was an eye opener and Mick wondered if the rocks would really take it out of him placing some doubt as to whether it would be an enjoyable event. The lap was completed at probably around the hour mark.

Lap 2/3 - As the event went on the laps seemed to get more enjoyable, possibly because the riders were getting spread out and there was more room to move around on course. Mick noticed a large abundance of cockney accents and the in colour for the season surely is red, as most people seemed to be wearing it. Anyway these two laps passed by quickly and the final flat road really was becoming the area to gain time. After the third lap a well deserved break was taken to refuel.

Lap 4 - By now all laps were rolling into one. However during the next couple of laps two major accidents took place in the exact same spot. It was strange as it wasn't a tricky section and must've left the majority of riders thinking how such bad injuries could've occurred. The first was on this lap. After a particular corner a guy was slowing everyone down with an ambulance behind him. There was a rider curled on the floor with blood pooring from his face. It was later established that the guy had been rushed to hospital and had to have plastic surgery (not nice!!!). This was definately a wake up call to take your time.

Lap 5 - Everything was going swimmingly until the seat slipped on the stem, probably due to the rocks. So lap 5 became an on course 20 minute break. Time to fix the seat, eat and call home to let everyone know of the progress (there was no mobile signal in camp). The lap must've took around 1hr 20mins. However the last section on the country lane was increasingly becoming a part of the course to aim for. It was light relief from the rocks, the end of another lap and a section to pull a lot of time back. Riders took it easy on the road which was strange as it was one of the fastest sections particularly if you could hang off the back of a team rider.

Resting on Course

Lap 6 - This lap was the second of the two accidents. This time the helicopter ambulance had to land and stretcher the rider away. It was never established what happened to the injured party.

Lap 7/8 - Two laps that were uneventful. Again as mentioned before the course seemed to get more enjoyable in certain area's. The last mile on the road was enjoyable, but also, as wierd as it sounds, the mile long climb was becoming more enjoyable and a rest from the rocks. The endless hours of spinning classes were definately paying off for the climbing. After lap eight it was around 9.15pm, a chance for a 30 minutes rest, refuel and time to put the lights on the bike. That pasta salad was really doing the trick.

Dusk in Camp

Lap 9/10 - Unsure of how long the light battery lasted, energy had to be saved on the hills by switching down to the 5 watt bulb. These two laps were tricky in the dark and Mick dismounted the bike twice with school boy errors. The first was due to a post sticking out that had been there the whole race, however Mick was sure it had disappeared in the dark only to find it hadn't. The second was in one of the motorcycle ruts, unable (forgetting really) to un-clip from the pedals, Mick decided to lay on the ground (well it was nightime). Lap 10 was finished at 12.30am. Halfway to the target of 20 laps and 30mins behind.

Lap 11 - It was now pitch black, very strange on course and this lap was to be the slowest of the 24 hours. Lap 11 was done totally without seeing anyone on course. The climbs were scary as things move in the bush and make you jump. These were the slowest two laps and fatigue was setting in. Lap 11 was finished at 2.30am. The second battery time was close to running out so Mick made the executive decision to stop, eat as much as possible and get an hours kip.

Lap 12 - At 4am it was getting light. A hearty breakfast was consumed before heading back out at around 4.30am when the course could be seen fully. Totally refreshed and ready to go for the day, what seemed like one of the fastest laps was completed. However hands and knees were beginning to hurt. Worse than that though was the aching in the back when climbing

Singletrack

Lap 13/14 - The thinking by now was to to get 15 laps and then anything was a bonus. 13 and 14 were long slogs but very rewarding. A 20 minute rest on course allowed for some photos, food and another progress call home.

Lap 15 - A milestone was reached with lap 15. The pace had picked up, the pain had picked up. Even sitting was hurting, nevermind holding on to the bars. However the final road to finish this lap was one of the most enjoyable of the event. Knowing the 150mile mark had been reached was great!!!

Lap 16 - After a quick 10 minute stop the energy had picked up knowing that the last two hours had been reached. The end was near. Psychologically this was a massive boost. The pace picked up and the lap was finished at 10.45am. This meant that the final lap had to be done in 1hr 15mins. Was it worth attempting was the question?

Lap 17 - The pace was alot quicker knowing the time the lap had to be done in. By now everthing hurt but to get that final lap was very important. The first climb was finished as quick as on lap 1. Things slowed down on the rocks but the mile long hill was attacked with energy. There were a big group of riders from Wales on a morning ride climbing the hill for the first time. It was a great feeling for Mick knowing 165miles had been done previous and still had the energy to overtake them. The final road was a whirlwind and was attacked in top gear. The final lap was completed in just under an hour, maybe the quickest lap of all. The pins were dead and strowling back to the car hurt. The feeling was great though. The last lap was completed with 16minutes left on the clock.

Short climb

Results

The big result was the success of the event and the money raised. However the feeling of completing a 24hr event is a result. Mick finished in joint 3rd (but it wasn't a race). Check out the results by clicking here. Notice that Paul Newman entered, must've been for his latest film.

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click here for the official results

Click here for some of the pictures. Notice they are sporting the new Chicken Skin Handbags Jersey.

By all accounts the course was very challenging and had the full mountain biking spectra. It contained rocks, climbs, man-made and even north shore.

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Sport Men Results

Chicken Skin Handbags Results

Sweaty Ninjas Results

Photo Gallery

Race Photos

Support Photos

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Merida Builth Wells 100k

Pete and Mick entered the Merida Builth Wells marathon. This time the guys opted for the 75km instead of the 100km.

The boys arrived on the Saturday at around 7pm after listening to some of Live8 on the radio. The tent was pitched in the quickest time possible and then it was out on the town for the usual 4 pints and a takeaway. This is such a nice little town it would be rude not to enjoy the towny pubs. One year there has been word that the nightclub will be tried out and the guys will only enter the 50km.

Sunday morning arrived after a good rainfall overnight. The rain proved to be a problem later in the day when all riders entered the singletrack in the Forest. The boys did the usual messing around with the bikes and after Pete had fixed the same puncture twice they lined up on the start line.

The course started in the usual manner with the steady climb out of the village. Pete was showing good strength which later pulled him away from Mick. The route seemed very much the same as usual apart from the new section in the woods. The hope was that the MD ground would be missed out on the 75k. Well that was the hope anyway.

The ride pasted by without any problems. Both went off track at some point only to turn around and rejoin in the same place. The main area missed was in the fire road sections half-way around the course. This meant that the elite riders passed Pete and Mick twice.

Everything was going well and it seemed the guys were heading for good times. However, strangly or not, the 75k mark on the bike computers seemed to come and pass. Both thought that over the next hill there would be a great downhill to the finish line. But hills came and passed, came and passed until the clocks were measuring 80k. It seemed the boys were familiar with the last bit of the course as being the finish to the 100k. It was strange though cause they remember it being quite a bit further. After being dragged screaming through another 7k the guys reached the finish. The route totalled 87k!! Not what they had paid for.

This year seemed a tough course although the weekend was enjoyed by all. Have a gander at what Michael Wilkins from Merida had to say about it all.

Michael Wilkens from Merida reports...

"Almost 1,100 riders made it to the birthplace of the ‘100’ series to tackle one of the hardest and longest courses Merida have ever had. The Saturday started in familiar manner with lots of people enjoying the relaxed atmosphere around the event village and the camp ground. More than 40 riders then headed out for the Pedro’s Spin to get a gentle warm up for the challenge of things to come on Sunday. Unfortunately, and to our surprise, the rain decided to have a brief but rather heavy appearance over Saturday night which turned some of newly added forest trails and singletrack sections into harder work then they usually are. Come Sunday morning, the sun returned and made for some perfect cycling weather, but due to the sudden weather change the ride turned into a real challenge with the last rider coming back to the event village at around 8.15pm. But don’t worry as we will address the length and the difficulty of the course for next year.

Results

From starting at 10:00 Pete came in at 15:11 (5hrs 11mins) and Mick came in at 15:42 (5hrs 42mins). Take a look at the official results by clicking on the Adobe Results or if you prefer the excel version click on Excel Results

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Sleepless In The Saddle 2005

Another fantastic weekend was had by all. The site was a totally different set up to normal with the actual living area being across the road from the start/finish line. The usual stalls were there offering every bit of bike possible.

The weekend started on the Friday evening with the usual couple of cans to relax the team. Pete set up the camp earlier in the day. Then Mick arrived and Duncan later in the evening (without any eggs). Tim decided to have a comfortable nights sleep at his mates so didn’t arrive until the morning (big girl).

Saturday morning was spent tinkering with the bikes to see who could break it first. Pete won that one as normal. The weather was excellent conditions for biking in; overcast, cool but no rain. Before everyone knew it 2pm came round and everyone were making their way to the start line ready for the event.

The Chickens line up started with Duncan doing the run. Then the baton was passed to Pete who handed it to Mick. Finally Tim finished the chain.

Duncan got a fantastic start for the team with his first lap, including the run, totalling the 35 minute mark. This consistent lap time continued all the way to the night stage. The only problem was a snapped chain on Micks second lap and a puncture during one of Pete and Tims laps. Going into the night stage the team were positioned around the late thirties.

The approach to the night was a new concept for the team. Because the lap times were quick it was decided that the team would be split into teams of two. This would allow for the other two to get a good 3 hours sleep. The starting pair (Duncan and Pete) went from 11pm until around 3pm and did four laps each. Then Mick and Tim took over and finished the night stage, again with four laps each. At this stage the team were positioned around 28th.

The plan seemed to work and all were nice and fresh for the last 7 hours of biking. With no further problems the time flew by. The weather got hotter as the day went on and the course got dryer. Mick ended up finishing the race around 2.20pm with a team position of 26th out of 150 teams.

Check out the full list of results and how the Team did. Click here

To see all the photos of the event take a look at the gallery

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