Cheshire Cat ride reports!
Comments
-
SBezza wrote:I had 105 miles as well. Perhaps some of the riders that finished in front of you did not stop at the feed stations, don't forget the one before Mow Cop, equalled 2 miles off the route, so plenty could have just carried on.
Very true. One lad in question had a time of 4hrs 50 something. Reckon he did well to put an hour into me!
0 -
Yeah, I am sure some down for the 102m ride chose the medium route instead. I wouldn't worry about what other people got, it is a personal challenge at the end of the day.0
-
Did the 66 miler and found the hills hard could of done with a couple more gears, and that is with a triple with 27 on the back (I am a big guy Honest ).
I need to lose a stone for next year.
I was surprised how well I managed the hills only stopping on the steepest.
Nearly lost if coming down from Mac Forest should pay a bit more attention.
Should have taken a bit more food and had a bit more at the first stopped as getting low on energy in last 20 miles.
Good learning experience for my first sportive.0 -
no not at all gumball, i take it you needed some air at the top of that one?
http://www.robcrayton.co.uk0 -
Long day on the bike ! Was shepherding a pal round and she blew after about mile 60 - unfortunately we were doing the 102 miler ! So hats off to her for sticking it out, but she did have to walk a lot of the big climbs.
First 50 miles were great werent they - no hills ! Then after that they certainly crammed them in ! Macc Forest was very hard, but the only hill that foxed me was Mow Cop - rode it on 39*23 last year, this year 39*27 wasnt enough for me ! Age eh ?
Fantastic organisation, and a great if tough route.
Where are the results ?0 -
ARRHHH, I'm sore!
I did 105 miles in 8hrs 12. I wanted to be under 8, and at 102miles I was. I was still pleased though because......drum roll......I made it up Mow Cop (34x27) with much swearing and gnashing of teeth. Those ladies clapping and cheering really spurred me on so thanks for that ladies. After that, my legs were on the verge of cramp but I felt bloody brilliant and Macc Forest didn't hold quite so much fear for me. I made it up without having to get out of the saddle this time - thanks to the walkers who were shouting to me to "go on girl, squeeze those pedals!!" that was just the encouragement I needed. At the 3rd stop, I felt tired. My brain was starting to go a bit - I thought I would demolish a sausage roll but when it got to it, I couldn't face it and had another banana. I was starting to flag by the time I got to swiss hill. A huge group went up in front of me and I thought, what the hell, I'm going for it. I started off ok and got as far as the flats but then the cobbles were so bad, muddle, uneven, slippy and I just fell off. I've got a huge bruise on my knee and hip - that's what is really hurting me now. Thanks to the guys who stopped to pick me up. I walked to just past the flats, got back on and carried on to the top with even more swearing. I'm sorry if I offended anyone with my industrial language! At this point I was still aiming for under 8 hours and was trying to get a move on but when I went past 102 miles, I slowed down and just coasted home.
I had a massage and then a kind gent called Alan offered to give me a lift home - thanks Alan, that was so kind of you. I wasn't really thinking straight and felt a bit drunk by this stage.
I could really have done with something hot to eat at the end - couldn't you?? I think all other sportives I've done have offered something in the way of food at the end and I really needed it.
We had a huge chinese which I started shovelling down but then got indigestion and couldn't finish it. :?0 -
SBezza wrote:Perhaps some of the riders that finished in front of you did not stop at the feed stations, don't forget the one before Mow Cop, equalled 2 miles off the route, so plenty could have just carried on.
There was a feed before Mow Cop ??? Never saw that (i didn't read any of the bumpf, so my fault). I had 103 on my Garmin.0 -
How hard was that. 66 miles in 7:09, a little gutted as i wanted a sub 7 hour ride. Once again, it was too much weight that has let me down, and the diet starts today, honestly.
It was bloody cold at the start and at least there was enough gentle rolling roads to get warmed up, other sportives often throw the first hill at you after a mile or so. Got to the first feed and just topped up with water, didnt need any food then tootled off to Mow Cop. Using the secret weapon backfired on me. Being a rather large chap, when the road goes up, body mass goes to the back of the bike, and unloads the front wheel grip, and on the lower part near to the kerb there was lots of gravel, which i examined at close quarters as the front wheel just went from under me. So a little walk, and in order to get the photo of me riding and not walking, and it wasnt so steep at this bit, i remounted, rode maybe 100yards, go the photo and duly fell off again, that one hurt though. Right knee has a lovely bruise this morning.
Some of the other hills were killers, and Macc Forest was hard. Second feed was good, but like Popette said, i couldnt finish a sausage roll. On the final fast descent some geriatric old git came up behind me in his car with the horns blaring. He came past me and then decided to give me a brake test. I left more than one skid mark. Sadly for him, i caught him at the bottom, and unleashed a tirade of abuse. My HR peaked at 182.
55 miles in i had the cramps, oooh that hurt. Decided to miss out Swiss Hill, not too keen on falling off again. And enjoyed the rolling roads to the finish.
Great weather, lots of boys and girls said hello, which was nice.
Recovery was a night out on the lash in Liverpool until 3am and then a CHinese. Oh my head hurts.
Bring on Lakeland Loop next.Just a fat bloke on a bike0 -
Yesterday was a strange day. If I didn't have the company of Will & Jason I would have pulled out before Mow Cop.
Until I passed the accident black spot on the Lamaload descent it all felt very bizzare and somehow wrong.
My total time for the 66 was 5 hours 32 mins, the ride time on my Garmin 4 hours 28 mins. I'm sure I could have done it quicker if I'd actually wanted to ride or not had my chain snap twice.
Well done to all who took part and finished.0 -
Well, like Howie, the diet starts (has started) today.
That was hellish. The first feed came and went at over 30kmh average, which I should have known better than to do.
Made it to within 50 paces of the top of Mow Cop when cramp hit. Not in the legs but in the ribs. If the legs cramp up, you have a chance of pushing through it, when the ribs cramp up you stop breathing and vision starts to go fuzzy. Gutted.
Following that I was off another 4 times on the later climbs, and crawled home (past the odious little kid firing his poxy little pellet gun at passing cyclists) in 8:25.
Disappointed, fat and a little bit worried about the North Cornwall Tor in 3 weeks. Actually a lot worried. if fact scard, very, very scared.0 -
The best part of the day was one particular chap asking the question "are you the real Will Hub?!"
Will Hub, cycling legend. Move over Eddy Merckx!0 -
Glad to see that none of last years problems were repeated - which put me off entering this year.
Reading the accounts above, 2009 appears to have been quite a good event.0 -
Signing was brilliant - couldnt fault it at all on the 102m route.
(apart from it maybe being a 105m route anyway !)0 -
The day - brilliant. After being extra careful on the icy roads for the first hour, the weather was fantastic (a little bit of sunburn on my mate's face!), the route was really good, and the extra numbers in the ride meant that you always had a fellow rider with you, as opposed to long periods on your own that can happen sometimes. Well done to Kilotogo - organisation was excellent. If I had one gripe it would be that the capacity at feedstations needs to be upped to cope with the extra rider numbers.
Personal performance - really disappointed, 6 48 for the 102(5) miler, when I was hoping for close to 6 hrs. Partly because I went off too quickly, but mainly because (as I found out on the complementary massage table afterwards - nice touch that - from the osteopath that I was fortunate to get) that my worn lower discs are causing major problems with the way muscles are working in thighs and lower back, hence the bad back pain, cramp and too much time recovering at feedstops yesterday. I'm starting Land's End-John O'Groats a week Weds, and there's no getting out of that even if I wanted to, but looks like I'll need to have 3 months off the bike afterwards combined with a recovery programme.
"Or you won't be able to get out of bed one morning" was the warning.
So, summary, great day out, bit sobering for me afterwards.0 -
Anyone got any idea of standard times?0
-
Did the 102 mile route in 7:49 and it was REALLY difficult.
Mistakes that I made:
1. Riding the first 'flat' 60 miles or so quicker than I usually do - result = nothing in legs by time the hills started;
2. Too many layers and not enough space to stash them all - result = baked in my own sweat once the weather warmed up;
3. Believed Kilo that the distance was 102 miles - result = when 102 came and went I was very demoralised. Route was actually 105 or thereabouts;
4. Could barely eat by about 70 miles - result = utterly bonked out for the toughest bit of the course;
5. Thought that a 39x27 would be enough to lug my lardy arse up the hills. It wasn't - result = got off on all the major hills (especially Swiss Hill - just how slippy was that!)
6. Rode the entire route on my own - result = knackered and had no-one to talk to or boost my flagging resolve
7. Punctured at the very start (had done less than 1 mile) and saw lots of riders streaming past me - result = felt a right lemon!
There were some positives though:
1. I DID IT!!!!!
2. Sure I spotted Howie at the very start - a C+ celebrity
3. Realised that I now have a valid excuse for purchasing a Dura Ace compact chain set and front derailleur
4. Saw some truly awesome countryside in an area that I don't normally cycle around (but will be doing so again)
5. Didn't fall off once despite some hair-raising opportunities to do so - especially on the decents. I am certain that a few people must have come a cropper trying to shed some speed before hair pins or junctions
6. Sorted a bloke's saddle out because he didn't have an allen key and his saddle had come loose. Made me glad I'd brought the Topeak multi-tool with me.
Now that it is all over I can say that I enjoyed parts of it. The main thing it taught me though is to eat regularly (drinking isn't a problem, but eating is for some reason), lose some weight and for God's sake get fitter!
When I was signing in (on Saturda) I saw that Popette had changed her distance to 66 miles so I thought that might be a bit of an advanced warning, but it turns out she did the "full-fat" distance anyway so well done!
What do I ride? Now that's an Enigma!0 -
How did Lastpubrunner do ? He was saying he'd only ridden 150 miles this year, and longest ride was 50 = and he was doing the full 102 mile distance ! Is he back yet ??? :?:0
-
Eating on the bike can be a pain, I struggle to do it. I must admit I did make sure I eat something at each of the 3 stops, even though trying to eat a sausage roll was a hard ask.
Also fast starting is an easy thing to do, especially when the first 50 miles was flat, I took it easy at the back of a bunch, it soon broke up as the hills started appearing though.
The mileage would have been nearer 102 miles if you didn't stop at the 2nd feedstop, as this was a mile off the route, so added 2 miles on to the actual distance.0 -
I rode with him for some of the flat part and from the top of Mow Cop for a bit, he seemed happy enough. I went ahead coming into Macc Forest though, so I don't know what happened to him after that.cougie wrote:How did Lastpubrunner do ? He was saying he'd only ridden 150 miles this year, and longest ride was 50 = and he was doing the full 102 mile distance ! Is he back yet ??? :?:0 -
I got up mow cop on 53x25! Ayone beat that? 0
-
meh. I freewheeled up from the bottom. 0
-
I got up mow cop on 53x25! AnyONE(oops!) beat that? 0
-
I levitated up using my Mekon-like mental powers :!:
What do I ride? Now that's an Enigma!0 -
I thought the ride was a great improvement on the prevoius two years and the weather was brill. The second half reminded me of the Legbreaker Challenge at times. Lots of steep climbs and twisty descents. I didn't expect the second half of the ride to be as hard as it was.
:shock:
I too made the mistake of going of too quick on the first part of the ride. Mow Cop was a lot easier than I remembered. I think the new killer climb on this route is the Macc Forrest one to be honest. It was much harder for me and I suffered there. :oops:
Swiss Hill was a challenge. I had to walk the steep bit on the bend near the houses. I got in a nice fast group on the way back to Knutsford and mangaed 6 hours 44 for the 102 ( I registed nearer 105 on my computer though)
Well done to all who got round. It was atogh ride so early on in the year.0 -
Eating on the bike is something I just cannot get right, I took far too much food with me and came back with almost all of it. I chose to eat Soreen Go's on the bike but because of the temperature they were almost solid instead of just firm, eating them is that state and trying to breath was a difficult thing to do!! Oh I had a pack of Jelly Babies as well in a zip pack but unfortunately forgot to open the bag before I set off so had to await the first stop before I could get to them.
At the first feed station I had a banana and a doughnut, I regretted that choice not long after when I wanted to puke and this was even before I hit Mow Cop...
Still enjoyed it tho 0 -
McBain_v1 wrote:7. Punctured at the very start (had done less than 1 mile) and saw lots of riders streaming past me - result = felt a right lemon!
When I was signing in (on Saturda) I saw that Popette had changed her distance to 66 miles so I thought that might be a bit of an advanced warning, but it turns out she did the "full-fat" distance anyway so well done!
I may have seen you at the beginning then - I definitely saw someone within the first mile who had puncture. I commented to someone that if you punctured so early into the ride, it would take really enormous will-power to repair it and do the ride - well done you! I was looking out for you all the way round but we didn't meet again.
I should have changed Mr P's distance to 66mile - I hope I didn't put it in the wrong row. :?
Datameister - Was lovely to catch up with you again. I'm sorry if I was a bit crap at the end - my brain had completely gone and I just wasn't functioning properly. Hope to catch up with you over the summer and good luck in Cornwall.0 -
Here's me gurning my way up mow cop
http://www.robcrayton.fotopic.net/p57194145.html0 -
Saw loads of punctures yesterday.
And I hope the guy who lost his Cateye round by the MX field found it in the end.0 -
Lookin' good in black Karen!0
-
I think I was somewhere around 8:20.
Oddly, Mow Cop seemed easier than last year (made it up this time), but the rest of the ride seemed a lot harder.
Somewhere around the forest climb I lost all my power. From there it all seemed like hard work.
But enjoyed it. Great day.
Training/Diet starts today (well, yesterday really).
0
