Kirklees Sportive now known as Brian Robinson Challenge.

langsett

Hi

Thanks for the comments.

The closure of the cafe at the rugby club was beyond our control, i think they ran out of food and i'll certainly be dealing with that for the future, to ensure clear communications.

I don't know why there weren't marshals ahead of the fast guys, the size of those motorbikes you'd have thought they would be ahead of you!!

I left HQ after all of you had ridden out, and then rode up through the field, to arrive back in about 5.25 hrs, and there was a marshal on every point i passed.

We had to move feeder 2 after the route was printed due to a diversion operating on the original road which would have meant riders potentially crossing a busy road twice, but there were signs from 1/4 mile out of the feeder, again those will be better next year

With regard to one comment, "Food-stops were 'basic' but well placed" always difficult to know what to supply on a challenge ride , all food supplied by the caterer unused could be easily used afterwards in this case, what reasonable requests suggestions have you got?

See you next year?

CumbrianMan

suze Posted: 27 Apr 2009 16:49 Post subject:

Big thanks to the guy who rode a nice pace up Woodhead, I wasn't sure I could come around and help, not sure I had the bottle to overtake with the traffic wizzing by my right elbow. But your pace was just right. I have no shame, I did thank you, and good look for the Dave Lloyd.

Suze, that was me ! Thought it must have been your goodself when I saw your comment about it lashing down in Newhey, as you said where you were from when we rode side by side for a while.

Glad to have been of help. It's the first time I've done that sort of group riding thing. And your right, it was a bit dangerous on the Woodhead, and Id've done the same if you were in front of me.
And if I recall, you dragged a group of us (all blokes) up some long drag. Afraid I tailed off not long after.

Now for a bit of warm weather stuff in Lanzarote in a few weeks time, then the DLMC. Hope the weather is as good as on the Robbo !

cheers

CraigGarnett

I had a good day out there too, I just managed to scrape a silver award which I'm happy about.

just out of curiousity, does anyone know the numbers of gold/silver/bronze awards?

Craig

johnbirkby46213

I "left" :evil: my Madison D'ark sunglasses somewhere at the start HQ. Long shot but if you've got them, I'd really appreciate getting them back.

Mossrider

Langsett: you must have beaten 5.20 as we were shortly behind you (I was the HSW chap you rode with to the crest of Buckstones). I've said elsewhere it was well organised (should have told you on the day but you were busy at the end...and I was in the bar). Would also like to say that it was good to see Brian out at the feed stations and helping at the end, it gave me a chance to say hello to a local legend (and hopefully I'll now be able to recognise him if I see him out). PS Compliments on the flapjack - the "special ingrediant" must have worked,

ColinJ

I've finally found the energy to write a (lengthy) blog report on our (ColinJ + johnbirkby46123) Brian Robinson Challenge ride 2009 if anybody has the inclination to read it.

langsett

Hi

very interessting blog, and good luck with the rest of the OJ meter.

If anyone has any photos of the ride i'd appreciate it if you could email them through as we may build the web site for next year, yes already thinking forward and if all goes well entries will open 1st january and may well have a limit for future rides of 500.

A small , friendly ride?

cheers

BasilBrushTheFirst

CumbrianMan wrote:

suze Posted: 27 Apr 2009 16:49 Post subject:


And if I recall, you dragged a group of us (all blokes) up some long drag. Afraid I tailed off not long after.

Might have been one of those "dragged up the drag" by Suze

One of my mates came across these:
http://www.flamingphotography.co.uk/portfolio55216.html

APWood

Had a great day doing this. This was my first sportive and i found that i was a bit unprepared for the hills, despite having grown up in Marsden, because i live in York now and have a bit of a shortage of 'proper' hills! Didn't help that i fell going up(!) the first hill.

ColinJ,
Great blog, the picture of the viaduct made me laugh as it's my car all alone parked under it! Gives a clue to the time it took me to finish :?

Apologies if this is wrong as it's my first post!

popette

Hi APWood - your first post is a good one! welcome to the forum
Wow, that was a big ride for your first sportive - well done to get round after your fall. I know what you mean about the empty car park. I thought i'd done brilliantly but was surprised how empty the car park was when I got back.

Glad to hear you had a good day - I think that sportives are addictive. When is your next one?

APWood

Sunday/Monday AM i didn't fancy one again ever but now i'm thinking about one but probably not for a while.

roadrider84

Poppette, ColinJ, your blogs are fantastic. I really should start one of my own.

Poppette I'm sure I signed you in on Sunday. I was signing in people with surnames between S-Z. Pretty sure I recognise you! I had a Green and White Ravensthorpe Jersey on....

popette

Thanks roadrider.
Yeh, I remember you I didn't know it was you otherwise I would have thanked you for answering all my questions about flapjack.

roadrider84

Lol. The flapjack was very tasty I must say!

And I didn't know it was you until I saw your profile picture on your blog about 30 minutes ago!!

CumbrianMan

Popette

It's good to put a face to the name !

I'm the guy who said hello on the stairs, at the end of the ride, and recognised you from CPlus fame.

Just had a read of your blog. A great read, and well done on the ride, especially with last years events !

Are you doing the DLMC ? That's near enough to Cheshire.

Cheers

popette

Ah, CumbrianMan - that was you
I'm not doing the DLMC - I'm already doing the trossachs ton in scotland on that weekend. It's my husband's 40th on that weekend so we're going up to see his family in Edinburgh and will squeeze that one in while we're there.

My next sportives are:
Etape Caledonia
Bike Radar Sportive
Polka Dot Challenge
Trossachs Ton
and then I need to decide about doing white rose challenge or the 3 counties challenge (or both). I like the look of the 120 mile white rose challenge and I think it's perfect training for etape but to have 3 sportives in June might be a bit much for the rest of the family to put up with.

Is DLMC your next? The big route of that looks hideous.

llanberispass

Just read you blog in the other place.

Regarding clothing and feed it is possible to think too much about it!

I ran on water only as sports drinks upset stomach and need to fuss decanting powder. Ate 2 bagels for breakfast (600 calories) and had 2 flapjacks and 2 Maxim large sachet (300 cal each ) during ride. Large Maxims are fantastic - no stomach upset.

Regarding lots of stuff on bike and clothing. My recipe (which worked well on Sunday) was 2 coolmax base layers, club jersey with front (full) zip, arm warmers and leg warmers . Fizik saddle with clip-on saddle bag for tools. One of those tool bottles with Maxim sachets (not ideal as have to stop to get out) but hate weight in back pocket due to bad back. Light weight Decathlon windproof in back pocket. Pump on bike.

As you know weight is everything! Keep down to absolute minimum if poss.

CumbrianMan

Popette, DLMC is next sportive on the list, followed by the Big G in July, over in the Yorkshire Wolds (one of the lads is in the Hull Thursday RC, who I think organise it).

Before the DLMC however, off to Lanzarote in a few weeks, so seeing as the Ironman is on, I'm gonna do the cycling course that they cover.

Need to get a few things organised for July and Aug, and then it's off to the Alps in early Sept, to the Bourg D'Oisans area.
At the moment, our plan is to ride the Marmotte route, with one of our mates following in car for support purposes. Hopefully he'll pop his bike in the car, and when we get to Valloire, he can dump the car and join us on the bike, and then we'll cycle back from BDO the next day to collect the car.

That's the plan any way :!: :!:

Know what you mean about the family. At least I can combine the two with the trip to Lanz !

Flaming Photography

Not Another Hill

Flaming Photography wrote:

My God! Who is that handsome , athletic, HSW cyclist in the top photo on the left, leading a peleton of riders out of Huddersfield.......? Oh ...it's me

The smile changed into a grimace of increasing intensity as the ride unfolded and the hills unfurled themselves before me. God knows why I'm smiling: I knew Wessenden and Holme Moss were just up the road :shock:

biker_ben

haha you can just about see me on that bottom photo, well lest make out my helmet from behind the HSW...typical, covering up a grimacing face :P

langsett

Someone raised an interesting point at a cycling club tonight and the photos partially illustrate it.

Whilst i was pleased with the photos of big bunches of riders enjoying the event, I hadn't actually looked at how they were riding on the open road.

As was pointed out to me some are on or over the white line, several abreast etc and the road wasn't wide or straight at that point.

This was about 4 miles into the ride so one can wonder about the thoughts of a driver coming across 400 riders in such a fashion.

Thoughts?

CraigGarnett

Langsett wrote:

Someone raised an interesting point at a cycling club tonight and the photos partially illustrate it.

Whilst i was pleased with the photos of big bunches of riders enjoying the event, I hadn't actually looked at how they were riding on the open road.

As was pointed out to me some are on or over the white line, several abreast etc and the road wasn't wide or straight at that point.

This was about 4 miles into the ride so one can wonder about the thoughts of a driver coming across 400 riders in such a fashion.

Thoughts?

Well as someone who doesn't regularly ride in groups, I found the first big climb out of Meltham pretty hairy, there were just too many people around for me to get into a rhythm. After that I saw a few riding three abreast but nothing really untoward.

Craig

CumbrianMan

Langsett

I must say that when I was going up Wessenden, I did notice a few times, riders bunched across most, if not the whole of the road, as cars were coming up the hill.

I think that was due to the numbers early on in the ride. After that, it tended to spread out a bit, and never noticed any real problems after that.

Certainly not on Woodhead Pass anyway !!!!