OK the Mayhem run in starts at 3am on Tuesday morning before.... I have just hooked up the trailer after promoting the National Points Race at Grizedale forest and I want to get down to Shropshire ready for the next round in August. I arrive in Shropshire and drop the trailer of the place it’s going to be stored for the next few weeks, then I start the drive back home to Norfolk after not being home for the last two and half weeks, as previously I was in Scotland working at the World Cup in Fort William. On the drive home at last, I start to work out what I’ll need for the team at Mountain Mayhem. This year I’m looking after the Salsa factory team, a 4 man open team and also a 5 person Thetford MTB Racing team. I have lost count on the 24hr events we have done now, but over the years my team and I have learned a lot about how we go about these events, and I thought it would be good to share these learning curves.
So here’s what I’m did, I kept a diary over the 24 hr hours of what went on and what we had to do, hope it helps you next year on at any enduro event you take part in!
18/06/08
Load the van with all the kit that’s going to be needed to look after 9 riders. This entails 3 eziups, tables, chairs, cookers, you name it we take it, plus the Team Salsa van is all kitted out for this type of event with mains power, it’s like little home from home, which is just as well as I’m very rarely there these days...
19/06/08 leave home at 9am and head for Ledbury via Cambridge to pick up some items for the team, on arrival get all the eziups sorted out and our base camp set for the weekend, we always do fairy lights and stuff, has to be done at these events. Finish getting the best part of this done by 7pm so we then head of to the Italian in Ledbury for dinner, come back to a comfy night sleeping in the van.
20/06/08
Today the team members start to arrive, I get the last bits done on the team home, talk to folks I haven’t seen for some time, generally chill out ready for Saturday.
Well this is Mayhem and I wake up Saturday morning to hear the rain coming down on the van. Bugger here we go again, 24hrs of cleaning bikes, ho well we just have to get on with it. The team are all feeling rather down in the dumps, several are suffering from colds. Jimbo’s bike goes off for some TLC at the HOPE booth, then took a trip to registration to get a rider change done on the Thetford MTB Team. Spent some time people watching, then I figured best get sorted out, so nose to the grind, first job is to put a shock back in one of the team bikes as it had been back to Tim Flooks for repair.
10am
We only have 4 hours till the start of another Mayhem. I’ve lost count of the number of Mayhem’s I’ve done but I like to think we have learned a lot of things over the years. One of the best things we’ve learnt is to have a Nobo board with the rider time return and the eta of the rider out, and a big clock, this way each rider can keep a tab on what is going on. Another thing we’ve learnt is to split the riders into pairs at night, so they do a 4 plus hour stint between them through the night, this then gives each rider at least 5 hrs sleep. And one more thing...you have to try really hard to get another rider out before the 2pm whistle goes, this generally give you an advantage getting that extra lap.
11am
And there is this mad panic as we have got all our paperwork for the event but we have not signed on, so rush up to get this done and now it’s big talks about what tyres to run for the first laps. It has not rained for some time but there is a lot of cut grass on the course so we are going to start the race on Schwalbe Black Shark Mud’s, if things start to dry out we can go back to a bigger tyre. The ground is so hard I don’t think we are going to have the mud problems we had last year, I hope not, I really don’t want to be washing bikes for the next 24 hrs.
12pm
2hrs to the start, riders are getting numbers on bikes, Paul S and James have had a big tidy of the kitchen area and I have got the 3 dirt workers filled with water and the generator is on getting lights charged, found the fan heater in the van ready to start drying clothing out just in case. Riders are starting to eat some lunch now, so it very relaxed and ready for the 2008 Giant Mountain Mayhem.
The race starts ,the rain is holding off, the bell goes, it’s a la mans start and all the riders are running. George and Michael run out of the arena together, this is going to be the lap to find out the conditions on the course; are we going to spend the next 24 hrs cleaning bikes, are we going to be doing rushed tyres changes onto alternative rubber if the course is wetter or sticker than we thought.
George returns after a 42 min lap and the news is good, the bike is pretty clean, looks like I am going to get away with just brushing the bikes down for the time being - famous last words...
5.30pm
The Salsa team are now on their 2nd set of laps and the course is really starting to dry out, My job for a change is fairly straight forward at the moment, just giving the bikes a brush down, check the gears and a lube of Purple Extreme. It’s going to be interesting to see if the damp starts to come out of the ground once the night falls.
We’ve been laughing in the Salsa pits about me writing on the lap top this report, I’m doing this new rider telemetry, if they start slacking I just crank up the watts to their bikes and they get an electric shock and they ride faster, dreaming I know but it sounds good, you never know it could be happening in the future.
The Thetford MTB Racing team are going along nicely with the first set of laps just about complete, the Salsa boys were sitting in 12 place after the first 2hrs, still and long way to go and we don’t know what the weather is going to do.
5.54pm
George Budd gets back to the pits after having argument with a tree, broken handle bars, ripped off bar end, after head butting said tree, not sure what the tree did to upset him,anyway, sent him off to the First Aid for a patch up job on his shin and leg. meanwhile, Mike and I set about robbing a set of bars off the spare team bike and put them on George’s bike, all this is done in about 20 mins and he is ready to go again. Debs has just come in from doing her lap for the Thetford MTB Racing Team. After going head first into a ditch she is OK and still made it back to the pits in our ETA time of an hour. So after 5 laps that puts the Salsa team in 6th place and the Thetford MTB Racing team are in 25th position.
7.00pm
9.30pm
It’s raining....we’ve had a big down pour of rain so with night quickly approaching this has made the course very interesting in the off camber places especially. I have managed to get some food down my neck from the Thai kitchen across the aisle, plus the pressure is now on the team as we have moved into 3rd place we just need to keep things steady through the night.
Paul S is getting some food sorted for other members of the team. Thetford are holding their place in the mixed teams at 25th. Right now is the time we change our tactics. After Nick’s lap we now change to double laps, this will give riders a good 4 to 5 hrs sleep. It works well and makes sure riders get rested too so we can put the pressure on come Sunday.
I now have to keep an eye on the fuel in the generator, water for the riders bottles, keep on top of bikes being cleaned and running well, as well as try and find the “pro plus” I know I have in the front of the van some place.
11.35pm
It’s raining cats and dogs out there now and I feel like I just want to go to bed and sleep until the sun comes up. I think being on the go for almost 3 weeks non stop is now catching up. The bikes are now getting harder to clean, one because they are picking up more trash from the trails as it is chucking down and I’m not happy, I would like to just do one Mountain Mayhem when it doesn’t rain.
George has just come to get ready for his next lap and is putting his 1.5 Schwalbe Mud Sharks on, I know that from now on with this rain it’s just going to become horrendous for some time now, this is a proper drenching of rain.
11.40pm
Right I’m off to bed, just for a couple of hours then I should be good for the next 10 hrs or so. In bed I hear the rain lashing down, I just cannot face having to get out and wash bikes.
2am
Beep, beep, beep, my alarm goes, ho here we go again, fight to get out of my warm bed, and I can see its starting to get light, look at the bikes and boy they are a mess, so off we go, getting bikes cleaned up. Wake Phil up so he can get himself ready for his lap, quick change of tyres to 1.5 mud’s.
More riders come back from the Thetford team and start getting their bikes cleaned up, desperate for something to drink, but the gas cooker keeps blowing out, I need a hot drink, I go up to the timing tent and check on the Salsa team, we are 4th and Thetford are 39th, the coffee man is open so get myself a coffee, get back and Phil has returned, OK lets go and wash another bike...
4.00am
Day light is starting to come through now so life seams that much better, but the wind has picked up big time, this is doing 2 things; drying the course out very well and destroying people’s EZiups that have not been anchored to the ground. Spent some time rescuing other traders shelters.
6.05am
Jimbo comes in with blood pouring down his chin, he fell off his bike pushed, the bar end in the wrong direction, the bike landed on him and smacked him in the chin. He’s sent off to the first aiders and 4 stitches later he returns. Mike Jones on the Thetford MTB team also came in with his bar end pointing in the wrong direction, plus Debbie came in with one bar end pointing at the sky.... some of the off camber sections are now very tricky.
Feeling very tired now with a little over 2 hrs to go and the Salsa team are chasing that elusive 3rd place. They’re are starting to pour the pressure on to gain that place, tyres are being changed to get that speed advantage over the last laps, if we can get another 2 riders out that would be very cool.
1pm
Into the last hour of the race now and I think we are going to be happy with 4th place.
1.16pm
Nick comes in from doing his lap, James goes out, I tell him not to go balls out as subject to no problems we should keep 4th place, we cannot get 3rd and we are over 6 mins in front of the next team, just put a steady ride in and we should be good. The course has dried out now it’s like concrete and lap times are coming down, why could it have not been like this for the whole event, I think from the first Mayhem at Eastnor it has only been dry one time, luckily that’s when I had a solo rider in and he got 3rd. The first year at Eastnor it rained I had a solo rider out there, she came from Idaho USA and just about coped worth the mud and ended up with 3rd as well.
2.06pm
Jimbo comes over the line to take 4th place, it’s been a fantastic effort from all members of the team and then the Thetford MTB Team come home in 18th place, after Danny got the last lap in and came over the line a little after 2.25pm.
3.00pm
Boy it feels much later, my body clock is all over the shop after getting 2 very poor hours of sleep, the wind is blowing very strong and lots of EZups are toast so we are very carefully packing ours away.
4.30pm
Go to prize giving; it’s a job to stay awake.
5.06pm
Leave for home, get near Birmingham and I cannot keep my eyes open so I pull into the services and have a sleep in the van.
7.10pm
Get woken by someone sending me a text; feel a lot better now so get back on the road.
10 pm ish
Home at last! Take a shower and crash into bed, ha comfy bed. Ho it’s good to be home after only being here for 1.5day in June.
Monday
Today is spent cleaning all the kit, getting stuff put away and catching up on the grass that is now 18” high. Tuesday will be spent doing paperwork and sponsors reports.
You know it’s a hectic life but I love it and am lucky to do what I do. Now I look forward to a month with no races, having some me time, then back to promote the 4th round of the NPS and of course its Sleepless in the Saddle, so see you all there for more of the same, I have 3 teams and a solo to look after at this one.
Paul Hore (Salsa Team Principle) Thetford MTB Racing.
SALSA TEAM REPORT FROM MAYHEM 2008
Eleven years old this year, Mayhem is the biggest 24 hour race in the world …. I think !
With over 600 solo riders and teams entered the total number of riders is around 2500. That’s a lot of wheels riding over the course in a 24 hour period, on terrain that is notorious for turning into a mud bath if it rains. And guess what … it nearly always rains!
Team manager, Paul arrived on Thursday to start erecting the ezee ups that create Salsa Factory Racing’s very own tented village. The design and equipment has been re-fined over the past 5 or 6 years and 2008’s set up was definitely the best yet. The team enjoyed a prime spot in the arena and the Moto Rapido’s attracted plenty of attention over the whole weekend – from their pristine pre-race condition before the action started to the heavily mud clogged bikes that they became in the early hours of Sunday morning.
As we drove towards the venue on Friday evening we were treated to a magnificent ruby red sunset … and hoped that the same conditions would be with us on Saturday evening as we headed into the night laps.
The team tents were pitched behind the Salsa stand and we got down to the serious business of saying catching up with everyone – we hadn’t seen each other for a whole week – and getting feedback and impressions of the course. One thought was consistent in everyone’s mind – I hope it doesn’t rain.
Saturday dawned gloomy and damp and the team’s spirits were pretty much the same … but they lifted immediately the rain stopped and everyone focussed on their own preparations for the race, prepping bikes, preparing bottles and sorting food.
The riding order was agreed as George, James, Nick and Phil. The awkward silence over selecting who would do the initial run was avoided by George volunteering! And so, at 2pm on a still overcast day the distinctive Salsa race kit was centre stage on the front row of the field. It is a measure of the respect that both George and the team in general have in the UK that allows them to occupy such a prime position on the start line of such a big race.
George got a trouble free start and we were rolling!
Normality is suspended for the next 24 hours as everyone in the team gets into the routine of calculating how much time they have before their next lap, decides what to eat and when, when to put on clean kit and when to suffer the discomfort of a damp jersey and shorts. The majority of the bike cleaning and checking is carried out by Paul although the guys do help out changing tyres, fitting lights etc. We had another Paul along to help with the cooking and tea making duties – not to mention a bit of massage thrown in for good measure!
The first position check came after about 4 hours – the team were 5th despite Phil losing about 10 minutes to a puncture on his first lap. Realistically, the team would be happy with a top 10 finish out of 60 starters so to be 5thearly on was a good omen.
The award for first proper crash goes to George who went over the handlebars on a gloopy descent and damaged his handlebars as well as collecting a couple of nasty gouges on his legs.
Gloomy and overcast, the day wasn’t particularly inspiring but the rain held off until around 9pm. James got the benefit of the first properly slippery lap and responded by crashing in spectacular style (or so he says!) and protecting his bike by allowing it to land on him. Undaunted, he finished the lap and it wasn’t until he was washing down afterwards that he found a couple of extra holes in his face – the medics stitched him back up and we are assured that his film star good looks won’t be too badly damaged!
By midnight the rain was serious – raining hard and showing no sign of stopping. A check by Paul showed that we were holding onto 4thplace and any thoughts of abandonment were put to one side. The guys dug in and saw it through til morning. Taking the second of the night sessions, Phil and Nick probably got the worst of the course conditions but both rode consistently and were incident free.
By dawn the pile of wet and muddy clothing was a laundry nightmare and the bike wash area needed to be approached with care and only in James’ wellies!
Up til around 6am the course stayed wet and muddy with some sections completely unrideable and success on others dependant on luck rather than skill or judgement, but then the rain stopped and the wind started to blow. And boy did it blow. Several trade stands lost their ezee ups and in the camp site gazebos and tents were being shredded. Thanks to Paul’s professional approach and comprehensive strapping system the Salsa stand remained in perfect shape. Although the incident of the saucepan lid Frisbee almost added to James’ injury list!
Going into the final 6 hours the course began to dry and all the guys concentrated on staying fast and out of trouble. By this stage the mental calculations are pretty much focussed on how many more laps there are to ride and how close the other teams are to you. This year the situation was pretty clear cut, there was to be no last minute rush to squeeze in an additional lap and no chance of catching the guys in 3rd or being caught by the 5thplace team.
And so it ended, James doing the final lap on what was now a fast and completely rideable course to bring the team home in 4th place - a tremendous result against top class opposition.
Bring on 2009 – but please, let it be dry!
