Circuit of the Cotswolds
Comments
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Did The Cotswold Corker 100k Audax today and it claims at the bottom of Bushcombe Lane that it is 25% and it certainly felt steep.
Several stretches today were coated in frozen streams of water causing mass dismounts and a somewhat chaotic experience!
I did manage to remount but I know others did not and again as we climbed up to Guiting Power at key points the road was coated in sheets of ice which was difficult even to walk over.
BUT WOW what a ride and what a day 2000 metres of pure Cotswold climbing!
The COTC is good but maybe not as great as the good old Corker!0 -
Well done! I popped over there and cheered a few ppl at the top of Bushcombe. They were their with smiles on their faces and even a cheery word... well all bar one grumpy git who was all like "who the f&*k you think you are, leave me alone, I never asked for anybody to come out and give morale support."
I was gonna follow the CotC route at the bottom of Cleeve Hill by turning right just before entering Winchcombe. I got about 1/2 mile before the bike just slipped from underneath me and I was on the deck in an instant. I went to stand up and my feet were sliding all over the place. I was in the middle of an slope covered in sheet ice! I looked further up the road and the slope was getting a bit steeper, so I decided to give up and take a different route.
I was wondering if Bushcombe would be icy, that's a bit treacherous, especially with a lot of riders.0 -
Yep, I am signed up for this.
Only prob is I have a 50/34 and a 12/27 so not sure if I can manage the 25% with that.
Any views?0 -
You should be fine with 34/27. I did Hardknott Pass 33% on 39/25 about 3 years ago in the lakes.
Put some practice in and you'll be fine. And what's the worst that happens... you walk up! It's no biggy, it's just 1 short hill, there's still the rest of the course to enjoy. Don't let 1 hill spoil your whole day. I'm training hard cos I've got the Devil Ride in Aug and I won't be that dissappointed if I have to walk. I may have to flog myself in the following few days, but at least I'll enjoy the day
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Ok, thanks for that. I hadn't thought of walking up!
I regularly do the White Horse Hill from Oxford (about 65k), but always find the last bit a struggle (as it's jolly steep).0 -
Well walking never occurs to me either. I mean, I didn't spend money on a decent bike to have to push it, bikes were made to cycle. But hey, when needs absolutely must then I'll do it.0
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Cleeve Hill is the only time I've ever got off and walked. I was on 34-26. I had plenty of company though
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Hey, I'm not proud! It beats falling off coz the hill's too steep and looking like a twerp!
And, as TechnoBuddhist so wisely points out, it would be a shame to let that spoil the day.0 -
Yeah, taking a dozen riders out while rolling back down the hill still clipped in won't earn you any friends 0
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i'll probably be on the 34 / 27 as well - should be ok , it's pretty low gearing. Problem for me is a lower back injury i has a few years back, pushing it up those sort of gradients and i can feel it in my lower back and i won;t risk slipping a disc for the sake of my shame at having to walk.... pretty confident i will get up, but at my own pace.0
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um..TechnoBuddhist, can I ask what that fancy gizmo is that you draw those profiles with? I try to use Google maps, but it's rubbish on long routes. keeps crashing...
Ta0 -
mapmyride.com is pretty useful - google maps/pedometer but easier as it allows you to use 'follow roads' to speed things up a bit. It does elevation (limited, but useful).0
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Are we all ready then? I'm not, but then I never am/will be as there is always something else you could've done. I've got up some funny old climbs this year but had to walk Hardknott on the Fred Whitton.0
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Look at this (albeit going in the wrong direction) :twisted:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmDiFm5kPPc0 -
Weird, that's nothing like I remember it from last time.........it looks harder that I remember it and longer. Which is odd because I remember it being very hard indeed.0
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I will be there bright and breezy on SUnday morning.
Doing the 70 miler option, really looking forward to it.Just a fat bloke on a bike0 -
The final details on the COTC are now available on their website:
http://www.circuitofthecotswolds.org/ri ... ctions.php0 -
just had a look at the route, all the talk of Bushcombe, you do realise that having to do Corndean straight after Bushcombe really wil hurt. And just to remind you of what cotswold climbs can be like, you get the Brockhampton Prime as well. Lucky people!0
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Corndean is hard in it's own right - it drags up for a bit then goes steep without you really noticing it, except that pedaling becomes very difficult. It doesn't look steep! It has people off and walking though.0
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It looks like "light rain" on Sunday with a temp of up to 18degrees.
Do people tend to have mudguards when doing sportifs in the wet? Given that it's not really cold what are you all planning to wear in terms of water proofing? I was hoping to get away with maybe a showerproof gilet or maybe just my normal cycling gear and hope it dries of quickly enough when the rain stops. If I wear my gortex jacket I commute in during the winter I'll overheat and it doesn't pack down small enough to go into the jersey pocket.
BreadOfHeaven.0 -
I don't mind the rain so much, but the forecast iss for 18mph wind. 3mph on Saturday - typical
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I dress for sun and heat and pack a showerproof jacket just in case my luck runs out.0
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MegaCycle wrote:um..TechnoBuddhist, can I ask what that fancy gizmo is that you draw those profiles with? I try to use Google maps, but it's rubbish on long routes. keeps crashing...
Ta
Sorry for the long delay in replying to this; I never got any mails telling me there were any more posts in this thread!!
It's all part of Polar Precision Performance software, came with my HRM.
I've just found out my mate isn't coming down for the ride, illness has taken it's toll so I'll not be going on it(too far to get there and more money to spend on transport and overnight stay). Just about to mail the organiser and give both places for people on the reserve list.0 -
"Do people tend to have mudguards when doing sportifs in the wet? Given that it's not really cold what are you all planning to wear in terms of water proofing?"
Good question on the mudguards. I'm debating riding my winter bike with mudguards and compact crank instead of my Roubaix with 53/39. I can switch over the light wheels to the winter bike but I'm undecided on whether to use 13-26 or 13-29 in the back. I rode the 70 last year and didn't have any problem with a 39-26 for low gear but sounds like the tough climbs are on the long route which I'd like to do this year. Definitely will use 13-29 if I go with the Roubaix.
As for clothing, bringing arm/knee warmers, rain booties, and Assos rain jacket with me and make the decision what to take at the start. All that could fit into rear pockets.0 -
That was a windy one!!
Thankfully the wind was on our backs for the last few miles, otherwise it would have been a grim day along those long straight lanes with the wind in your face.
I really enjoyed the ride, it wasnt sadistic like other events can be, and there was enough time to recover between the hills (on the 70 miler anyway)
A couple of dangerous corners on the descents that should have been marked, and a fair amount of gravel on some roads. But all in all an enjoyable 5:55:59 for the fat bloke.Just a fat bloke on a bike0 -
It was windy. But a nice circuit: quiet roads and the descents were generally fast and not too technical. And we were mostly protected from the wind by the hedgerows and stone walls. Some really pretty countryside around there.
Cleeve Hill broke me. I made it to about 100m from the top before my arms died and I had to get off and walk the rest of it (I had a 39x28 too!). A guy behind me managed to ride up, but I passed him after the top and didn't see him again. Corndean lane was not nice straight after Cleeve Hill.
Not sure what my time was, somewhere under 5:50, including a stop and an unplanned detour on the course of whatever that other ride was called (Anthony Nolan??).Jeff Jones
Product manager, Sports0 -
Enjoyed the ride despite the wind, although it was getting a bit wearing by the end giving me a headache! Good fun sitting in with the Bicester Millennium pace line early on. The last 10 miles was quite fast with that gale at your back wasn't it?!0
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Results are available on their site:
http://www.circuitofthecotswolds.org/20 ... =time#Long
I found found it a tough day and harder than I remembered from 2006.
I was pleased to get up Bushcombe again though and I could understand why most around me were walking. Brockhampton straight after was also harder than I recalled.
My time (6.54) was quite a bit slower than last time when I rode more of the ride in a group.
Still a great day and a ride I will definitely return to quite a contrast to last weeks Dragon Ride where a similar amount of climbing was achieved but mostly on gentle even gradients.0 -
Report now up here: http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/c ... ults-17168Jeff Jones
Product manager, Sports0 -
What a great ride
Good communication leading up to the event, simple registration, excellent feeds and a top t-shirt too. All the personnel I met connected with the running of the event were pleasant and informed.
I enjoyed the route and despite seeing the trees bent double, was only troubled by the wind on occasion - mind you, one of those was a side gust on a descent at 40mph+ :shock:
I blame my mate for finishing 4 minutes outside of my 6h 30m target - he came out to say hello at the first feed and kept me talking I can't complain though as I made it up Cleeve Hill without putting a foot down - I found it tougher than Winnats and Mow Cop, both of which I have been up this year.
Another one I would like to ride again
Rich0
