Fred Whitton - everybody ready?

vermooten

I'm f***ing not, but will I ever be?

Weather looks like it might be ok.
http://metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/today.a ... =ambleside

Bring it!

Brian B

I feel am ready. I did the Drumlanrig Sportive to test my legs on Sat.(as well as enjoy it - it was a good day out and well run) and felt that I am going well and climbing faster due to a slight reduction in weight over the winter.

I climbed Hardknott and Wrynose a few weeks back into a galeforce headwind and felt that was a good comparison as to how I felt at 100 miles last year. Hope the weather holds up and everyone has a good day out.

nasahapley

Hell yes!

Did 117 miles on Saturday which included Fleet Moss both ways, Buttertubs both ways and a lot else besides - and felt good all day. I think I've heard it said that if beforehand you can do about 2/3 of the distance of a sportive solo then you'll be fine on the day - so I reckon I'm well on track, can't bloody wait!

By the way, my ride number's 379, I'll be on a black n' yellow Scott and starting at 8, say hi if you see me

LeighB

I started training in earnest after Christmas and was too eager to get out and ended up falling on ice and breaking my ribs; this set me back about a month. I have tried to make up for lost time and three weeks ago did a ninety mile trip taking in Honister, Newlands and Kirkstone from Ullswater side; I felt ok. Last week I was sick (whole family had it- house smelled lovely) but this may have been a good thing as it enforced a rest. Went out this morning and had a ride round Windermere and came home over Gummers Howe road (quite a good little hill) and my legs felt fine. Looking forward to the FWC just hope we get some good weather, not too fussed about rain it’s the wind that does me in. Rider no 206.

Anonymous

Don't know about looking forward to it but I've trained hard,lost weight and feel ok (apart from maybe a groin strain or hernia disruption I've developed doing DIY), did a 100 miler solo on Saturday....hit Glen Quiach from Kenmore at 90miles...did that not hurt like hell...this Sunday with 10 more miles on top we hit this:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aOZmWrvfy4

Good stuff from Mark from Cyclosport....a good reminder on what awaits...and oh yes I nearly forgot...theres a wee climb shortly after

looks like we have a good chance of very good weather...christ do we not deserve it after the real Sh*te weather weva had for the last 4 months!

shockedsoshocked

RICHYBOYcp wrote:

looks like we have a good chance of very good weather...christ do we not deserve it after the real Sh*te weather weva had for the last 4 months!

I'm sure after the other sunday it'll seem like a doddle with a bit of sunshine :twisted:

kmahony

My first Fred Whitton and I'm bricking it.

Managed the Forest of Dean this weekend in under 7hrs, so I'm thinking that, plus 40km, plus another 1000m of climbing (.....oh and some walking!!) ???

shazzz

My training has consisted of about 200miles this year (in about four rides) and giving up smoking two weeks ago. So you could say I'm not well prepared.

I did a solo hilly 50 mile ride yesterday and felt OK. My main worry is that my bottom seems to have softened up and so the prospect of many hours in the saddle is not appealing.

I'm gonna start early and give it a go. I can bail, either at Keswick or after Newlands, and ride back straight to Coniston if things are really bad. My aim is to finish before night fall and I'll be bloody pleased if I do. I have done it before, after a proper training regime, so I know what I'm letting myself in for!!!

arranandy

8 from my club (East Kilbride RC) doing the Fred Whitton. 50% are quietly confident and 50% are looking a bit worried.

Anyway good luck to them and everyone else doing this event

vermooten

uh-oh weather forecast suggests Big Rain for Sunday....

skavanagh.bikeradar

Depends where you look dunnit? BBC says big yellow sun, Metcheck light rain. Either way I'll make up my own mind on Sunday morning.

I'm not ready, but never will be for it. Just hope to get round without cramp and beat my previous time of 8.59.54. Any groups on here setting off at a particular time? I'm not keen on doing the whole bloody thing on my own.

The Mechanic

Son and I will be starting as early as poss. That way we might have a chance of finishing before closing time. Son has just come back from a month mountain biking in Tibet so will probably be as fit as the proverbial butchers dog. Humph!

timcla

ill be starting as near to 6am as i can. Then i might stand a chance. My goal is not to get off the bike and walk (and finish) :? Bring it on

nasahapley

Planning on starting at 8 in order to get a good bit of kip beforehand, but if I'm ready earlier I'll go earlier. The latest forecast on the BBC site says 20 degrees, no wind and 80% humidity! I might start earlier just so its a bit cooler - didn't think I'd be saying that two weeks ago!

ash68

looks like the best idea is to stick ya head out the window on sunday morning and see what the weather gods have given us on the day. let's hope it's dry with little wind and a nbice mild day. better start praying now me thinks!!!!! Good luck to everyone , hope we all get round safely and enjoy the day.

xio

Have swapped the look keos out for mtb spd's and rubber soled shoes. Can't help thinking that (a) if I have a bail-out there's a chance I might use it and (b) how crap the bike looks with those shoes/pedals - it's just plain wrong.

Might change my mind on the morning if I'f feeling confident of not having to walk at some point.

Anyway, it's my first Fred, and the important thing to know is where everyone goes to drink afterwards - there's no bloody way I'm driving back to London after that...

shazzz

I think you're a wise man to swap the Keos for SPDs - in my experience the majority of people walk at least part of Hardknot and there's a lot of slipping and sliding from those in road shoes. Having said that, I guess it depends on how flexible those rubber soled shoes of yours are (I have stiff soled MTB shoes). Another option is to keep the Keos and, if necessary, walk in your socks.

There's a bar at the ride HQ where the beer will be flowing post ride....

John C.

Why is it as soon as I make my mind up to do somthing someone tells me why I shouldn't. My mountain bike shoes weigh nearly 3 Kg my race shoes 700g so I decided to take the race shoes, my goal is to ride Hardknott, guess I'll have to
Starting at 06.00 say hi if you see me.

brucey72

shazzz wrote:

Another option is to keep the Keos and, if necessary, walk in your socks.
Good idea. I did the lakeland loop in april and took a thicker pair of sports socks in my back pocket to put on over my cycling socks for the bit of walking I did up hardknott. It worked really well

vermooten

Socks:

Brian B

I am hoping to start at 7am. I will be on my black Storck - give me a wave if you see me and we can dicuss the finer points of how mad cyclist are to put themselves through this sort of punishment and enjoy it afterwords.

Good luck :?

rhnb

Was round a bit of the route today. Absolutely scorchio! Even got a bit sunburnt. Now if the wind drops to the 2mph they're predicting, it could be a warm one. Not complaining though!

Give us a wave when you pass ('cos you will!) - I'll be on the front on a blue Santana Tandem, with some young upstart on the back ;-)

Hope every one has a good un.

Cheeers... Allan

arranandy

rhnb wrote:

Was round a bit of the route today. Absolutely scorchio! Even got a bit sunburnt. Now if the wind drops to the 2mph they're predicting, it could be a warm one. Not complaining though!

Give us a wave when you pass ('cos you will!) - I'll be on the front on a blue Santana Tandem, with some young upstart on the back ;-)

Hope every one has a good un.

Cheeers... Allan

All the best Allan.

John C.

rhnb wrote:

Was round a bit of the route today. Absolutely scorchio! Even got a bit sunburnt. Now if the wind drops to the 2mph they're predicting, it could be a warm one. Not complaining though!

Give us a wave when you pass ('cos you will!) - I'll be on the front on a blue Santana Tandem, with some young upstart on the back ;-)

Hope every one has a good un.

Cheeers... Allan

Alan I'll give you a wave and grab a hold when YOU come past, and I'm starting at 6.00
Sticking with the race shoes so I'll just have to ride it, walking isn't an option.

Once_In_A_Blue_Moon

Good luck all. Not doing it this year, but I'm fortunate enough to live in the area so I' can do as and when I feel like it (or as and when I'm fit enough)!

Is it this Sunday then? May watch some of it through Gosforth (one of the stops should you choose to take one).

andy_wrx

I did a 5K running race last night, the chairman of the running club saw me and said "I'm surprised you're running tonight, as you're doing the Fred, it's this weekend isn't it ?"

"It's on Sunday, but no, I'm not doing it, I didn't get in"

"You didn't get in ? I thought you did. That's a shame, a guy at work had to drop out a couple of weeks ago so there was a spare place. I thought you were doing it or I'd have said..."

Aaaaarrrrgghh ! :x :x :x :x




Good luck anyway, you lucky people !

Once_In_A_Blue_Moon

What a gorgeous day for the ride. Hope you all enjoyed yourself, Hardknott must of been torture in that heat!?

vermooten

Torture would have been a blessed relief... The heat was bad (real bad) but the thing that got me was the threat of cramping up on every hill for the last 50 miles.

The hardest ride I've ever done, I think. Alpe D'Huez in last year's Marmotte was hotter but that only lasted a relatively short time. This was constant. This was sparta.

Seemed to be a lot of bad accidents - helicoptor taking some off at the foot of Hardknott, I heard somebody went over a wall down a ravine, a very bad situation on the descent from Honister... Fingers crossed for all.

On the good news front, I beat my time from last year by a whopping 46 seconds! How does that work? But this is the vital thing: last year I did 8h0m34s which was 35s too slow to get '1st class'. This year I managed 7h59m48s. Thanks to the guy who I guilted into taking a turn at the front on the run into Coniston - he did good work.

Ken Night

vermooten wrote:

This year I managed 7h59m48s. Thanks to the guy who I guilted into taking a turn at the front on the run into Coniston - he did good work.

Good one Andy

Anonymous

I know I was over the moon not long ago at the prospect of good weather for the Fred but yesterday was something I don't want to ever put my body through again, it was by far the toughest run I've ever did...much harder than last years Fred..me and 2 friends decided that steady pacing was the name of the game...Hawkshead / Kirkstone / Matterdale / Horrid A66 all taken at a very sensible pace....then the Sun came out in all its glory at Honister...it was sweltering...and this is where the carnage started....many many people straight off there bike...descended CAREFULLY off this to 1st feed...quick refuel...then Newlands...this climb slaughtered the field...felt like I was back in the Pyrenees...its really killed so many this climb...Whinlatter was also the scene of utter disbeleif...so many barely able to push the pedal round...and it was getting hotter...I had Sports Factor 50 cream on and boy was I not glad...Fangs and Coldfell was oven materiel...and I seen so many pushing there bikes up even the small inclines round that bit of the course....I was feeling still ok here but all through the run I kept thinking 'Hardknott' in this heat....and it was a horrible feeling...even when feeling not too bad....into 2nd feed...quick top up with nice Sausage rolls...then off for the funeral paradinto Eskdale...the climb at Santon Bridge buckled many riders nevermind what lay ahead..oh yes this indiscribable heat was taking a toll...I rode slightly ahead of my mates here and gathered my thoughts...didnt want to look up but had to...oh my god! For as far as the eye could see not one guy on his bike...I was sh*tting it bigtime..I was in 30 x 27 just over the hump back bridge...and what I went through for the next 20mins is something I'm never wanting to experience ever again in my life....I hit the first steep section...managed to hold off impending cramps...and I slowly forced myself upwarsd and onwards...the words of encouragement from ALL riders on the climb was very special...those guys knew exactly what I'd came through are were so appreciative of the effort...thanks a lot!....I managed to get upto the middle 'flatter' section'...My body was near shaking......I've never felt heat like that apart from when climbing Pla D'Adet in the Pyrenees or a day in Provence with Veloventoux...I emptied half a bottle of sticky orange juice over my head!...there were moments I even forgot where I was or what I was doing...I had to totally focus....I then hit the top steep section...my legs near full cramped...however I pushed on and slowly hauled my ar*e to the top...my goal completed...no walking...but it had taken me to new depths and is the toughest climb I've EVER did....my other mate just behind me just managed aswell. but collapsed at the top...the other mate succumbed to cramps on the 2nd steep section...I seen no one else manage as it was so hot....off this then major cramps at Wrynose Bottom for me and my mate...the other mate tried to get in the stream for a cool off but it was closed off! after a 10 minute 'cramp' rest we hammered up Wrynose...no problem...then off into a Thunderstorm...very slippy roads....up the most horrid last climb of Colwith Brow before the descent into Coniston.

Times...6 mins slower than last year...8.56...never walked(my goal)

Accidents - Bad one on Honiser (again)...why do people not read about this event before enetering...EVERYONE should know thats so dangerous...my brother (BrianB) had a bad accident at speed on the A66 section and his helmet could have saved his life!...it smashed to bits and he is in some state! and he still finished in 8.40! He hit a bloody Cats eye...so did I (around 5)...so dangerous that section...and it looked like someone had a bad one at Hardknott Descent...

Orgainsion - Brilliant - Signposted brilliantly...many many helpers directing the way...superb!

I'm definately not doing this for a few years now...it was just so tough...and as many guys want to experience this Challenge I think its fair to give them more of a chance of getting in...and TBH I've had enough of Hardknott Pass...its so hard it almosts wastes the rest of the run with the tought of it....

Conclusion - Its the hottest run I've ever did in the UK...without even the slightest of breezes..it was a furnace..and with such gradients and repetitive hills....and I do NOT fancy putting my body through that EVER again...this was no doubt survival!

Ken Night

RICHYBOYcp wrote:

I ....and I do NOT fancy putting my body through that EVER again...this was no doubt survival!

give it a couple of weeks and you'll be ready for more!