Been thinking about whether I want to try again for Lanza next year am I not sure I do. Entry fee, flights, accommodation is going to run to £1K and that’s a lot to spend on myself these days. I know we could take the kids but its easier to just go on holiday elsewhere.
So been thinking about doing something in this country with a bit of a sting. Lanza has wind and hills and is tough. But there are plenty of tough ones over here.
So looking at Triathlon X or the Brutal. Triathlon X looks mental and I massively worry that I could even do the bike course. I’m 6’5’’ and the lightest I have been in years was 94kg. Even at that 33% is going to destroy me. Also its quits early in the year.
Brutal looks good, is later. Bike loop looks boring though. I know at least one year I read they had to bin off the Snowdon run because of weather and if that happens its pretty rubbish.
Anyone got some recommendations on either?
ETA - Also are these bike courses TT or better on a roadie? Guess I could look at going for a triple the front. My roadie is a piece of shit though, so might need to squeeze a new carbon frame from somewhere.
Tri X looks brutal, but have just read the 220 write up on the extreme version of tri x they put on this year. Noticed shout outs for@chrace and @Toyota_Crown who may be able to help. Almost reframed it that maybe the normal tri X suddenly doesn’t look so bad, especially the half
The bike course for the X is so extreme is caused BBS to have a brain fart. Current FTP and weight it puts me at 9 hours, if I put it at my lightest and best FTP it says 7 hours 9 mins which is basically what last years winner did. Think I’ll be 9 hours even at my best.
Looking a gear option going for a triple is going to be quite a big cost as I’ll need new cassette, shifter and front derailure. Possibly swap the rings for super compact and a long cage rear mech and larger cassette might be cheaper.
How much climbing is the full…?
Local guy rides a super compact off a gravel bike on a trek, 11/28 on the back, says he can get up anything and he’s not small…
9 hour bike…
Is there a cut off for it?
Bolton’s hard and shit slow but this is a whole new level …!
Total cut off is 21 hours. Start at 04.30, got till 0.30 next day to finish. There are a load of intermediate cut offs too. You can be half way up the mountain, get timed out and told to turn around. Have to carry usual fell running kit on the run as well including water so that is going to add probably a kilo at the least.
Total climb is 17,000ft roughly. Only a half Everest. Easy.
Funnily enough I have a couple of events planned that are taken directly from SAS selection. AEE arrange them. Humping over the brecon beacons with 50lbs of kit.
Ultegra do a 11-34 cassette in 11sp for about £50.
Tiagra do an 11-34 in 10sp for about £20.
Stick a 50/34T front on and you’ve 1:1 gearing at the back.
I imagine there’s quite a bit of chain slap between gears with it, as when I was using a 55/39T, the slap was awful in the lower teeth on the rear cassette.
I have crewed at The Brutal and enjoyed it.
The bike lap is just okay - I rode it in reverse.
It’s four loops of 47km, so 188km.
You ride out to Caernarfon (well, that direction) and round to Beddgelert - which is all generally flat to rolling. Then it’s a pretty monster climb up to the Capel Curig/Llanberis turn off. The view of Snowdon up that road is immense on a clear day.
The descent down into Llanberis can be a bit hairy in the wet and is quite winding.
However, with the Carneddau on your left and the Glyderau to your right, you’re pretty sheltered from the wind.
There’s then an annoying little bump when you reach Dinorwig, to “climb” and get back to the bus stop aid station at Llanberis.
I ran a couple of laps of Llyn Padarn country park - which is a little technical in places. The Llanberis Path is a piece of pie. The first bit is the worst.
We beat sunset to the bottom and it was pretty incredible
One thing to note is that YOU NO LONGER NEED SUPPORT CREW FOR THE MOUNTAIN RUN IF DOING THE SINGLE
The youth hostels are all decent and low cost options for the night.
I’ve known five go for selection… a long time ago…
The guy who passed was easily the “ slowest “
He was very very strong mentally though… he was one step down from bonkers to be honest.
Ultra fitness events probably like the x are a huge mental test… I’m intrigued but I’d crumble like stale cake in a hot wind…
Sounds like mentally you’re already defeated before you even start?
Anyway, I did put a report up here under Tri X for 2019 think - mostly my boring blah blah but there may be useful snippets for you. I used a super-compact on the front 30-46 and I think 11-34 on the back. Seemed to help me fine and for me worked much better than my previous compact and seemed to tire my legs far less than previous times I’ve climbed Hardknott and Wrynose with a compact. I think triples are becoming less common nowadays, the world seems to be moving towards super compact type doubles.
I am already running a 34 up front. Biggest I can officially get on the back with current mech is 28, which I have, but plenty of people say a 30 will fit ok. Changing to a long mech I can officially get a 32, or unofficially a 34.
I dont think I need to go to extremes if I do the Brutal. The X has roads that are stupidly steep. Brutal has a lot climbing but nothing over 30%
I think that is one of my strengths, my mental edge. I am not the fastest and never will be but I will keep on going and going and wont stop. Even when in pain. As long as I am fast enough to avoid he cut offs I will be ok.
That’s the spirit !
Went from 28 to a 30 on the back with no adjustment at all…?!
Could tell the difference straight away and easier to spin up steep stuff etc.
SRAM red and the old di2 both 10 speed with compact chain sets
