Cheshire Cat 2009
Comments
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Not sure of the postcode - but isnt it knutsford leisure centre ? Google that ?0
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Great, cheers0
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one more question.... Is there enough space for parking at the start point?
Cheers,
Tim0 -
It's in the middle of Knutsford. Plenty of car parking nearby.0
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There's usually space at Booths Supermarket carpark down the road.0
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I've never done any racing other than mtb's in the 90's.
Do you need to be a club member to do stortives?
As I only live in Stockport and ride the Cat & Fiddle route most weeks I'd like to give it a go.0 -
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Wappy - no club membership needed but you do need to enter quickly - lots of events fill up so quickly and its easy to miss out. Its not a race as such - more of a personal challenge.0
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Wappygixer wrote:I've never done any racing other than mtb's in the 90's.
Do you need to be a club member to do stortives?
As I only live in Stockport and ride the Cat & Fiddle route most weeks I'd like to give it a go.
Wappy, as Cougie says, it's a personal challenge and a real adventure - give it a go, I'm sure that you'll love it.0 -
I think I'll sign up for it and see how it goes.
I need to get a few more miles in as I'm stiff as anything after today's ride.
Went over the cat & fiddle and was freezing fog up at 350m.Not the most pleasant ride I've had over their.0 -
As a sportive newbie soon to enter his first sportive I have a quick question or two, I will be travelling to the Cheshire Cat in April by car with a pal, do I travel the short distance to Knutsford in my cycling gear or are there facilities where we can get changed once we get there?
I presume the riders will all be assigned a number, will I need to bring anything with me to attach the numbers etc? Anything else I need to aware of?0 -
It's in a leisure centre, so full changing and shower facilities.
Last year the numbers were self-adhesive labels, you stuck one on your chest and the other on your helmet.
They don't send anything out, you get instructions by email and then get your numbers and chip and so on at sign-on.
Sign-on is open on the Saturday, so if you're local or staying the weekend you can do it then and save queuing on the Sunday morning.0 -
I always get into my kit at home and just throw some tracksters and a top over. Much easier. Didnt think to take a towel or anything but only an hours drive home anyway.0
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Going to Spain instead for a club training camp. PM me if you want my entry.0
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Heads up on entries so far. We have 1,600 just now and will be closing entries soon. Anyone who hasn't entered and is serious about riding the 2009 event would be advised to enter quickly.0
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Hi kilotogo
I went up Artists Lane at the weekend and they were resurfacing it (or at any rate patching potholes), so that'll perhaps be a bit safer a descent
- have you had a word with Cheshire County Council or it's just a coincidence ?0 -
I rode this event last year although the route has changed a bit this year. I enjoyed the ride and it was well timed ahead of later season rides and forced me to do some training over winter. However it wasn't the most interesting route and I'm glad more climbing has been added. Like most sportives every junction was signposted, at least until a farmer had a paddy (paddy-field geddit?) and removed some of them close to his land. Riders who weren't local waited for riders who were and so hopefully no-one lost more than a few minutes. Sportives aren't officially races, though lots of people ride them as hard as they can to achieve their best time. Read into that what you will.
How hard is it? 100 miles isn't hard if you train for it, so after a bit of training the ride is as hard as you choose to ride it.
Mow Cop? It's a long hill made famous by being a "killer climb" running challenge. The bit everyone talks about is close to the top of the overall climb. You'll approach it in your lower gears on an already fairly steep section (sorry not ridden it with the Garmin yet so I can't give gradients, maybe someone else can?), and you'll have plenty of time to see the obvious "kink up" in the gradient just before the pub on the left towards which most of the photos are taken. The steepest section is very steep, briefly 25-30% I believe, so steeper than pretty much anything else you will ride with a few exceptions. I don't believe anyone who says it's not hard. But the very steep section is not long. You've climbed some hills before, right, you know what to do. So stand up on your pedals (or you'll probably be off the back of the bike), zig-zag if you like, and you will get to the top. Have fun and watch your heart rate rise as you go:P Maybe a new max. Or get off and walk.
I'm not sure about Swiss Hill. I'm local but never thought to ride up a filthy cobblestone track for some reason. I think I wanted to avoid a puncture. But I'll reserve my judgement.
If the weather is bad I'll ride my Pedal Force 18.5 pound bike with 50/39 12-27. If the weather is good I'll ride the new bike with 50/39 11-25 Super Record 11. I ride high cadence so compacts suit me. Each to their own....
rama
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"These go to 11"0 -
ramador wrote:I'm not sure about Swiss Hill. I'm local but never thought to ride up a filthy cobblestone track for some reason.
Its not bad really.0 -
It's not 'filthy' and it's not a 'track'...
I'm sure those people with Porsches and the like who live in those fancy big houses off it would not be impressed with your description
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andy_wrx wrote:I went up Artists Lane at the weekend and they were resurfacing it
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... erley_edge
:shock: not an omen i hope!0 -
a_n_t wrote:andy_wrx wrote:I went up Artists Lane at the weekend and they were resurfacing it
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... erley_edge
:shock: not an omen i hope!
Why're you quoting me ? :oops:
It was definitely closed for resurfacing last Sunday, as there were 'road closed except for access' signs top & bottom, which I ignored assuming they wouldn't be working on a Sunday, but no there were two men in a digger and a van digging-out the verges.
Perhaps I annoyed them by ignoring the sign and they caught the next cyclist who tried it...
I like the quote from 'a man in the pub'
"The police have been here all day. It's not something that happens here."
- what, bodies being found, battered to death ? No, you'd hope it wasn't the sort of thing which happens a lot anywhere...0 -
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