Race report: Sleepless in the saddle 2011

Sleepless in the Saddle is another of the big MTB race events. Others include Mountain Mayhem, 2412 and Bristol Bikefest.

MBSwindon had an official team in the twenty four hour team race. There were also several other teams with club members in them.

Race start at Sleepless in the Saddle 2011Running at start of Sleepless in the Saddle.

The route was just over 8 miles of mainly singletrack round the Catton Park venue. A similar length to the Bontrager 2412 but less hilly overall.

The event started out bone dry at 2pm on the Saturday. There was heavy rain for about half an hour in the early evening which completely changed the conditions. The trail went from dusty to claggy in a short space of time. It then spent the rest of the event gradually drying out.

Rain at Sleepless in the Saddle 2011. Rain at Sleepless in the Saddle 2011.

The team put in a consistent performance and ended up about half way down the field – 54th out of 102 teams. This was an average lap time of 56 minutes. Our fastest rider (there on the day – we have faster in storage) managed just under 50 minutes per lap, the equivalent of around 30th place. To get into the top ten would have required sub 45 minute laps on average.

Night at SITS Sleeples in the saddle 2011.Moonlight at SITS 2011.


View Sleepless in the Saddle 2011 in a larger map

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *