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Sleepless in the Saddle 2010
7-8 August 2010, Catton Park
Report: Joolze Dymond (joolzedymond.com)
Results: www.provelosupportuk.co.uk
There's a full report from Joolze Dymond below, along with video of the start and finish and riders interviews. Plus lots of lovely pics from the 10th Sleepless in the Saddle.
Images: First up is a great slideshow of images from an event blessed with some great summer weather, making the Catton Park course a real pleasure to ride.
Video 1: Next up, a time-lapse look at the organised chaos that is the start of this event. With a mixture of teams, pairs and solo riders, there's a representative of each time on the start line for a short run before a return to the start area to mount up an get 24 hours or so of bike riding underway. The super-fit and the super-keen are always on the front row and the rest just slot in behind them. There's more than a hint of Wacky Races about the whole process!
Video 2: The finish of the event is, naturally, a quieter affair. Watch the clock count down, again in time-lapse. The rule is that all teams need to have a rider on the course after the 24 hours are up. Watch out for the eager-beavers crossing the line with minutes and even seconds to go. They are committing themselves or their team-mates to doing another 8 mile lap, which produces scenes of hilarity as reluctant riders look on horror-stricken as their incoming team-mate just squeezes in under the time limit, forcing them to go out again.
For the less sadistic (and in the case of solo riders, masochistic), there's the alternative option of slowing down in the latter stages of your lap and timing it so that you cross the line just after the 24 hours are up. Watch out for the flood of "malingerers" crossing the line just after the 24 hours. And look out too for legendary organiser Pat Adams doing his traditional handshake routine where he welcomes in every single rider and team. It's a great tradition and riders treasure their handshake moment before going off to collapse, down some food and begin the endless post-event analysis and banter.
Video 3 - Rider Interviews
Report:
Endura Sleepless in the Saddle - Ten Years of being Sleepless...
Who'd have thought we've been Sleepless now for ten years? And I guess as fits this laid-back version of Pat Adam's ‘other' 24 hr race, this milestone went relatively unmarked, though the weather gods paid their respects, delivering a dusty dry race that none thought they would ever see at Catton Park!
The several hundred riders who'd opted to ride were well rewarded with an excellent 8 mile course that had more surprises than Santa's sack. For seasoned campaigners, a burst of new singletrack sections, coupled with a few old favourites, plus some intriguing twists and turns made for a thrilling and entertaining event. For those new to the delights of Catton, they were spared the rocky horror mud story that usually occurs and so all were happy!
With the Expert field a bit thin on the ground, the major battles unfolded in the enthusiast ranks and amongst those hardened men and women of the solo field, with races going right down to the wire in some cases.
As is traditional riders lined their bikes up in a queue that snaked the length of the finishing funnel, all ready for the "Le Man's" style start, where you run hell for leather, in your unyielding cycle shoes, find your bike and head for the hills.
Geoff Beetham was the man on fire as he sprinted his way to the line, opening a clear gap between him and the rest of the field as they surged hungrily towards an endless loop the loop of singletrack fun for the next 24 hours.
A rush of dark clouds just after the race started seemed to signal a downpour of the dreaded rain, but as soon as it emptied its reservoir it soon went leaving no trace!
Riders then settled down to the long haul, riding, changing, eating, sleeping, and shopping!!
The arena had plenty to take your mind off riding at least for a wee while. Sponsors Endura where once again holding a clothing amnesty, where you could trade in your knackered shorts or sunnies and grab yourself some brand spanking new threads and glass for a few bucks!
Then as heat of the day slowly faded into the chilly night air, riders soon became just a blur of lights and a whirr of gears as they kept up the constant vigil of lap accumulation... As dawned raised it's sleepy head, a dreamy pink mist heralded thee start of a new born day, just 8 more laps to go...
As the very important cut off time of 2pm began to inch ever closer, then began the usual mad dash for that all important last lap. Riders crammed into the threshold, some urging their team-mates on, some quietly wishing they didn't make the cut off... And then it's all over and a rush of riders flooded the finish line relieved it's all over for another year!
Having ridden Sleepless in every conceivable category bar one, Amy Baron-Hall remedied that by taking on her second 24 hr solo, taking a commanding lead going on to win with a convincing 20 lap tally, despite having to walk some laps as she was falling asleep on the bike! Roy Davies on the other hand had an incredible battle in the solo men's race with the lead being in constant flux.
The first 3 finishers all clocked up an impressive 30 laps around a course so dry and bumpy that it rocked you to the core numbing parts you didn't know you could numb, proving a braking bump too much for a few. However Davies battled on challenged by Charles Newton Mason, Mike Hall and Tom Ward, finally scooping the win with less than 1/2 a lap to spare.
A mention has to be made for the epic gamble played out by Mike Hall, who with an hour remaining was looking pretty in second but had his eye on the top step. He turned the gas up to full pelt and nearly made it, only to crash and burn 30 minutes later - the effort was a step too far, one that cost him a podium but what an heroic effort on his part and shows the true spirit of racing, in fact those who dare win, though sometimes they may just miss out, but I'm sure he'll be back fighting just as hard next time!
With a distinct lack of women out in the field, the Salsa Factory Girls Expert team just kept plugging away racking up 27 laps to earn themselves the win. There were slightly more in the women's pairs, well two teams, which gave the pairing of Jane Curwen and Nikola Butler at least the sense of a race as they clocked up their 25 laps, against rivals Abbie Prestle & Alison Muir.
With 7 teams in the mixed pairs it looked like it might be a closer affair, though the pairing of Ian and Kali Taylor soon stamped their authority on the race recording some pretty consistent laps to rack up 31 a clear 4 laps over closest rivals Bob Hughes and Freya Johnson.
In the mixed teams the top 4 all recorded 36 laps, but it was Live 4 Ridin who, playing by the rules and putting their lady rider out just twice, had the edge over Team Sludge, whose female rider Hannah Welling played a full part of the team, racking up a healthy 7 laps.
Salsa Factory Racing were the soul representatives of the expert field in the race racking up a cruise-tastic 36 laps to take their place on the top step unhindered. Meanwhile their team mates George Budd and Phil Lenney, riding the male pairs, decided not only to take on the might of 30 other teams, but decided to race their way through the field to see where they could finish overall! After 24 whippet like hours they finished with an astounding 38 laps, 3 clear of rivals John & Stuart Prentice, and also just 2 short of the enthusiast Men's Mammoth Lifestyle RT tally of 40 laps to place them squarely in 3rd overall!
In all it was a fabulously understated event that for some draws a line under enduro racing for this season - a chilled two days with friends plus miles of dusty trails what more could you want for the perfect weekend?
More Images - just a few key images from the 24 hours.
Riders heading off after the run, right at the start of the event
Waiting to go out - riders look out for team mates in the handover area, the scene of much chat, banter, bonding and laughter
Classic Joolze Dymond shot capturing two happy riders out on the course as darkness approaches
After hours - swaying grasses, whirring chains and lights moving through a darkened landscape. The magical night hours of a 24 hour race
Spent Force - no real need for a caption here. The look on the face of this solo rider says it all after 24 hours of bashing round the Catton Park course.
