Mountain Mayhem Introduction - a small history of a big event.

In the beginning...
Many years ago a man had a dream, a big dream. Could he put on an event that would expect riders to ride off road for 24 hrs and enjoy it? Despite setbacks, Pat persevered and the answer was a resounding YES and Mayhem was born.

10 years on and that dream is still a reality and now Mayhem is regarded as THE prestigious endurance event both in the UK and abroad. It's held in esteem by many, copied by many more, but as yet, never bettered...

- Since it's inception in 1998, Mountain Mayhem has seen 13,000 riders made up of 3,000 teams and 500 solo riders, complete 75,000 laps of various size and shapes at it's 3 venues. Clocking up enough miles to take them to the moon three times or 28 times around the equator.

Between them:
· they've spent 3,500 days in the saddle
· used 26 metric tons of energy gel
· produced 35,600 gallons of sweat
· and drunk 40,000 cups of tea

Going it solo...
The usual response is - why? Why would you want to ride your bike off road, in the dirt, rain and dark for 24 hours non-stop? Well, having ridden Mountain Mayhem a few times before as part of a four-man team, we thought it time to have a go solo - call it a mid-life crisis!

After 5 months of hard training Kieron and I, with family in tow, set off to Eastnor Castle Deer Park in Herefordshire. The drive up was pretty smooth, although relying on the GPS for navigation was a little frustrating. What was meant to be a three hour drive, turned into a five hour green lane tour.

Having found the site and stocked up on water, bread, fruit and more bread we set-up camp next to our other Jersey team, right alongside the track. This allowed us to monitor and feed each other without having to leave the course.

Within half an hour of setting up, Holly my five year old daughter, fell off the back of a camping chair and cut her lip badly. Much panic ensued and after being told by the on-site paramedics that it was 'too bad' for them to handle and that it would 'have to be stitched by a surgeon', we were forced drive her to the nearest hospital 20 miles away - a great start to the weekend!

Luckily, a very helpful and friendly staff nurse was able to clean her up and glue her lip back together.

Back on-site, all to soon the race start at 2pm was upon us. The start format is a half a mile 'Le Mans' style dash, before jumping on your bike and off into the first lap. Kieron and I had decided to just jog the start and then ease ourselves into it slowly. The run went to plan, but before we knew it we were racing, elbow to elbow with everyone else, jockeying for positions as if it were a two hour cross country race. Finally, after a lap or two we settled down a little and began to ride at a steadier, more sustainable pace. The course was a fantastic mix of long steady climbs, technical but muddy descents through the woods, more climbing and then more fast flowing descents right back through the main camping ground. From here we faced another stiff climb, then a long drag out into some technical single track, before finally swooping back down into the start/finish arena. The average lap was about 10 miles long and took us nearly 55 minutes to complete.

The forecast had not been looking good for the entire weekend and true to form, the wind and rain started to roll in by early evening. By the time lights had to be fitted at about 10pm, it was steadily getting worse, with condition becoming un-rideable in places. Our pit crews (Lucy my wife, Jo, Kierons wife and brother Liam) all did a fantastic job of feeding and maintaining and cleaning the bikes throughout the entire 24 hours. By 3 am the rain had stopped, but the mud had turned into a horrendous, mud and clay mix which just stuck to anything and everything. Lap were taking double the usual time as 3 to 4 stops were necessary per lap to clean the mud from the wheels and gears.

The support from other teams and supporters was overwhelming and continued throughout the day and night. Many had come to party as well as race and had set-up marquees with lighting and sofas, with some even going as far as carpet and functional bar.

By the time the sun started to rise the course had clearly taken its toll on the riders, with many soloists and teams retiring during the course of the night. Kieron and I had managed to avoid any major crashes or mechanicals, and apart from the odd aches and pains, were feeling pretty good - but with six hours still to race it was far from over.

By 10am the lack of sleep and physical effort was starting to kick-in. The course had started to dry and what were un-rideable sections were now becoming rideable again. With the ticking clock forever in the back of your mind, the last laps were more mind-over-mater and wouldn't have been possible without the encouragement and support of our crew and fellow Jersey team mates.

The finish line was a truly welcome site, and although we both reached it within the 24 hours cut-off, we had both agreed that it was to be our last lap. The finish straight was an unforgettable experience, with hundreds of teams and family clapping and cheering everyone home. Awesome! Before the event we had set our sights on firstly finishing, but secondly finishing somewhere in the top half of the soloists. By the time the dust had settled, or the mud had dried, I had managed 15 laps and 14th place and Kieron 14 laps and 21st place, with the difference between the two of us just one lap! To illustrate the level of competition and conditions, of the 122 soloists who started only 72 finished with the winner and reigning champion completing 20 laps.

So what now...
The aches and pains have now finally subsided, and with the National Cross Country Championships at the end of July...it's time to get on with some more training!

A big thanks...
A special thanks go to Lucy Ovenden, Jo Mills and Liam Mills for all their help, support and encouragement before and throughout the event. Thanks also go to the Caesarean Cycling Club for their financial assistance.

Reference:
The Event - http://www.mayhemworld.co.uk/Mountain_Mayhem/Intro.html
The Report - http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/mtb/EventReports2008/20080621_mayhem.asp
The Results - http://results.singletrackworld.com/category.php?id=289

Robin Ovenden, July 2008