Tour of Wessex

13

Comments

  • bahzob
    bahzob Posts: 2,195
    Above sums it up well. Was prepared for worst but funnily enough once up and riding conditions did not seems so bad. In fact worst bit was if you stopped as start to feel wet cold very quickly. That said I was lucky. Friend of mine punctured 3 times and broke a spoke on his back wheel. On third puncture he had run out of inner tubes and had cold wet wait until some friendly car passer by (wife of a rider) gave him a spare. Still he finished so all credit to him.
    Martin S. Newbury RC
  • attica
    attica Posts: 2,362
    I was on a training ride on Saturday and rode some of the course backwards from about halfway across the Levels up to Cheddar and on over and down Burrington, strangely I had one hell of a headwind all the way across the Levels too.

    Go figure.

    Just wish I'd known it wasn't cancelled or I'd have been out to play too!
    "Impressive break"

    "Thanks...

    ...I can taste blood"
  • Pathfinder
    Pathfinder Posts: 6
    reaper2 wrote:
    Pathfinder. If you want to keep up the miles talk to people on TOR2000.co.uk as we are a somerset club that races and does sportives. We train at ilton airfield on tuesday nights and most people go out for rides everyday or weekends and are happy to have new people with them. On the web site go to news, then noticeboard which is a basic forum to contact people

    Cheers Reaper, I will check that out. I recently joined the Yeovil club as this is where I live but will keep take a look at that site as well, you can never have enough ride buddies :)
  • fizz
    fizz Posts: 483
    Pathfinder wrote:
    Cheers Reaper, I will check that out. I recently joined the Yeovil club as this is where I live but will keep take a look at that site as well, you can never have enough ride buddies :)

    Sorry for the deral, but how are you finding the Yeovil club with regard to newbies ?

    I'm in Yeovil to and I've been uming and ahing about joining the Yeovi club. I'm a bit shy when not in front of the computer screen and I'm apprehensive as to what it'll be like belonging to a club.
  • Pathfinder
    Pathfinder Posts: 6
    I am yet to go up myself to be honest. I joined a couple of weeks ago as the president/chaiman works for me and he knew I was into cycling. I am planning to go up on a Sunday soon and do the club run with them so will let you know :)

    I here they are a friendly bunch and welcome all newcomers so am looking forward to meeting them all. They do a TT on Thursday nights and a few people ride out to Podimore and watch from there so maybe nip on over and meet a few of the members if you get a chance.
  • fizz
    fizz Posts: 483
    Pathfinder wrote:
    I here they are a friendly bunch and welcome all newcomers so am looking forward to meeting them all. They do a TT on Thursday nights and a few people ride out to Podimore and watch from there so maybe nip on over and meet a few of the members if you get a chance.

    Cool I might do that, I can then suss them out that on the sly as it were 8)

    Cheers
  • Pathfinder
    Pathfinder Posts: 6
    Good idea :)

    Get any probs then give me a shout and I will sack the chaiman ;)
  • reaper2
    reaper2 Posts: 55
    please dont sack the chairman as i'm chairman of tor2000 and dont want a trend to be set. :cry: I recomend that you come to the training at ilton on tuesday night . It starts at 7.pm but be there earlier to sign on. If you are already members of yeovil you get 2 free try out days and then its only £20 for the season. If not already signed up Yeovil or tor2000 can give you temporary membership for a month to try out for free. Its great fun and good training for the series of races we run on every other thursday (the KALAS series). Happy to meet up in local pub afterwards to chat as thats were some of us end up. Looking forward to meeting you. Clubs are great but all different. Find one that fits you.
  • firsthippy
    firsthippy Posts: 639
    reaper2: Are you the guy I rode with at Whitehorse Challenge and then spoke to briefly at the HQ on Day 2? I'm that Aussie guy with the dodgy beard.. :)

    I did all 3 days and I'm pretty damn chuffed I made it through all of them, mostly riding solo since I'm too heavy to climb with most groups and too fast on the flat/downhills. :)

    I actually found Day 1 to be the worst, torn between going 'fast' and leaving fuel in the tank for Day 2 and 3. Day 3 was quite mental! I'll get a ride report up on thehippy.net soon..

    I'd like to do this again next year, it was good fun!
    hippy 1029 4312
    Others
  • vermooten
    vermooten Posts: 2,697
    Pictures are online now: http://www.tourofwessex.com/sportivephotos.html
    You just have to ride like you never have to breathe again.

    Manchester Wheelers
  • reaper2
    reaper2 Posts: 55
    Hi hippy. Yes i am he. Also Reaper on cyclosport. Glad you managed all 3 days. Only did the 35 on last day and still worn out now.
  • firsthippy
    firsthippy Posts: 639
    I'm taking a few days off trying to mend my achillies - bit of overuse tendonitis methinks.
    Possibly doing the Chiltern 100 this Sunday haha more frickin' hills!! :)

    Your younger team mate was setting a wicked pace through the lanes on the Monday.. I left them be as soon as the gradient increased. :)
    hippy 1029 4312
    Others
  • fizz
    fizz Posts: 483
    vermooten wrote:
    Pictures are online now: http://www.tourofwessex.com/sportivephotos.html

    Yep, really good pictures I think
  • portuguese mike
    portuguese mike Posts: 695
    Just clicked on the results link which sent to to a page with loads of triathlon results - no sign of the TOW - any one else found the same thing?
    pm
  • fizz
    fizz Posts: 483
    Yep I got the same
  • mozwyn69
    mozwyn69 Posts: 170
    talking of which I have never seen so many riders with tri bars in a sportive. Did you see the guy with the Time trial bike and aero helmet on day one? Hope he put a good time in!
    Sometimes you have to lose yourself
    before you can find anything.
  • fizz
    fizz Posts: 483
    mozwyn69 wrote:
    Did you see the guy with the Time trial bike and aero helmet on day one? Hope he put a good time in!

    I parked next to him and was chatting to him as he was unloading his bike. He said to me he was regretting his bike choice as with the wind he thought he wasnt in for a fun day.

    He went belting past me just before the burrington combe climb. I would have thought he put a good time in
  • JWSurrey
    JWSurrey Posts: 1,173
    Given the day1 return headwind, probably not such a bad choice - not sure I would have wanted to have rattled a set of best TT wheels down those roads though!

    Last year a lot of Tri teams turned up too.
  • firsthippy
    firsthippy Posts: 639
    Cervelo + Zipps + SRM power meter = £££ :)

    There was some bling out there definitely.

    At least this time I had the S-Works out and not the Rubble like Whitehorse (and of course it pissed down whereas Whitehorse was dry!). :)
    hippy 1029 4312
    Others
  • fizz
    fizz Posts: 483
    firsthippy wrote:
    Cervelo + Zipps + SRM power meter = £££ :)

    Yep was a nice bit of kit.

    He actually helped me loads. I was really apprenhensive about my ride, first time I'd done a ride that big and my nerves were getting to me and as I was getting my bike out the car he was just chatting away about all sorts of stuff and it took my mind of things and calmed me down quite alot.
  • GeorgeShaw
    GeorgeShaw Posts: 764
    portuguese mike wrote:
    Just clicked on the results link which sent to to a page with loads of triathlon results - no sign of the TOW - any one else found the same thing?

    The correct link for day 1 is http://www.blacksheepsports.co.uk/publi ... raceid=483, but the server seems to be overloaded right now.
  • GeorgeShaw
    GeorgeShaw Posts: 764
    I got mine and my mates' in the short window that it was working after lunch yesterday. Seems to have been down since then ... :(
  • GeorgeShaw
    GeorgeShaw Posts: 764
    By coincidence ... you can't help looking, can you :)

    4:44:23

    Two hours faster than me ...
  • danseur
    danseur Posts: 70
    And the gold standard cutoff was 4:45.

    Makes me feel happier about how long it took me...
  • fizz
    fizz Posts: 483
    Results page seems to be working now
  • firsthippy
    firsthippy Posts: 639
    Not for me..
    hippy 1029 4312
    Others
  • fizz
    fizz Posts: 483
    Its definately working if you go through the Tour of Wessex website. You need excel to view the files though.

    I havent got any file hosting capability, but if somebody has I can email them the spreadsheets if that helps ?
  • mjs110
    mjs110 Posts: 7
    Sat. looked like good day.

    Some photos from the Cheddar Gorge section here; who knows there may be one of you...

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/booksnake/2518964626/
  • fizz
    fizz Posts: 483
    I feel a bit disappointed now having looked at my time compared to everybody elses.

    It was my first big sportive and thats the furthest I've ever cycled in one go. So I supposed i shoudlnt be to hard on myself

    I was 547 overall on the first day which is the only day I did. At least now I know what to expect next year and what I need to do to improve my time.
  • danseur
    danseur Posts: 70
    Sounds like a very respectable time to me.

    It certainly wasn't the easiest 95 miles to start with!

    You were still quicker than a third of the riders on the long route and if you compared yourself to the overall standard (including those who'd chosen the shorter routes)...

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