Military challenge - MTBO and foot-O 19th Dec

[Jon Brooke]

This is a great event with a range of MTBO and foot-O courses. This year I believe all the starts and finishes are in the same place so it is logistically possible to do more than one course.

I've entered the long MTBO (40km) followed by the long foot-O (18km)

Anyone else want to make a race of it?

[brooner]

I'm going to do similar, but going to run first as I find it much easier going foot -> bike than vice versa... think it could be pretty mudtastic on the bikes, so should be good fun!

[stsam]

Im down for the 40Km bike. Tempted for a run also. Need to check the timings - think Id have to do the run first to make the start window, although speed over the ground should be faster than 2 years ago, when a muddy 25Km took most people well over 2 hours.

[Adventure Racer]

I'm going to do similar, but going to run first as I find it much easier going foot -> bike than vice versa...

That's the attitude I normally take to competing in adventure racing events when both bits count and you have the choice. However when I did the double a few years ago (I think I might have been the only one doing it that year) I biked first as I'd be far more competitive in that.

[stodge]

anyone want to share a lift from the midlands ?

[Jon Brooke]

Yes,

I'm more interested in getting a good bike time.

The 18k run after is just to make sure I get a good workout.

[ifor]

So should I be fitting my spiked snow tyres? Anyone local care to give us an on the ground update.

[Snail]

This morning at about 10 miles from Camberley there was only 0.5 inch of snow. Could vary quite a bit - now about 20 miles further away, and it is 2 inches here.

Temperature around freezing, so off-road it isn't melting.

BBC indicates we should be currently having "heavy snowfall", but sky is clear in all directions!

[brooner]

hmm, could be interesting! the way i'm feeling i'm not going to be competitive at anything apart from staying warm, will probably end up giving the run a miss in favour of some slipping & sliding on the bike but should be good fun all the same.

[brooner]

update on the BAOC site:

The Military Challenge - Saturday 19 December - The event is going ahead.
Take care driving to the event, particularly on the Kings Ride estate road leading to the area which is likely to be icy throughout the day. Be careful entering the area and on the training area roads which are also likely to be icy. Drive slowly and carefully on the training area.

On the courses, no problems are expected other than the A & B courses will need to be careful on minor roads.

See the Start Lists to confirm entry details. These now include all postal and online entries. Limited EOD is available.

There are three MTBO courses and 6 Foot-O course (ranging from Orange to Black) with starts from 0930-1300. See the Flier for further details.

[Knee Deep Mud!]

So should I be fitting my spiked snow tyres?

Well about 10 miles north theres a couple of inches of snow. Main roads are relatively clear, but minor roads vary from clear to skating rink! Well below freezing at the moment, so no sign of changing.

[ifor]

Well I did not fit the studded ice tyres but would of liked them on a number of occasions especialy the small roads which were very tretchorous in places. Only time I have opted for a bridle path rather than a road when I almost came off going to 3, not a good route in the end I clearly need better ice skills. Overall I was probobly better off with the tyres I used as they sure roll better than the ice tyres.

A great event thanks to everyone involved.

[madmike]

It was an excellent event - bright sunny day, good views. Well done to all involved. It was interesting to hear all the MTBOers comparing the number of times they'd fallen off and where

Special thanks to Dave Rollins who turned up in the middle of the forest at exactly the right time to let 4 confused FootOers know that the control would shortly be moved into the circle

Well done BAOC thoroughly enjoyed it

[Tatty]

Hope thta was control 158 Had 7, yes 7, attempts before finally coming across it along way from the circle on a completely different gully

[David Young]

This was the first time I'd tried MTBO and I thought it was overall a brilliant event, helped by the beautiful weather and the firm snow under the wheels. The design of the B course to go all the way round Camberley was very ingenious.

There were one or two surprises for someone coming from foot-O though:
- much more on-road riding than I'd expected, a lot of it on fairly busy roads. I hadn't bothered to put on anything hi-vis, but would have if I'd known.
- no significant route choice on many legs. I guess that's harder to achieve with MTBO.
- a very strange route choice to control 8 (B course). The obvious route was via a major and busy A-road junction involving many multi-lane roundabouts. (Many other areas of the maps had been blanked out to restrict the route, but this wasn't.) However, it looked like it would be madness to try it. The alternative route, which we took, was a footpath and a cycleway, but the map didn't show the cycleway in detail, and you had to rely on signposts to follow it up steps and back across the flyover! Exciting, but quite a surprise!
- no scale given on the maps!
- a curious (though quite successful) mixture of orienteering and OS conventions on the maps
- maps B5 and B6 had been printed on the back of old Greenham Common maps, and the ink hadn't taken on the shiny paper. Mine were entirely unusable - the route overprint invisible and much of the map detail missing too. Fortunately I was with a friend and his maps were just usable, though I had to guess one control location. We hadn't got the maps wet or anything - they must have been like that from the start, but we only discovered the problem mid-course when moving from B4 to B5.

I'm grateful to the planner and organisers for a great day out, but it might be worthwhile addressing some of the points above in future, for example by giving more explicit advance information, and checking the sets of maps as they are being bagged up.