Liverpool Chester Liverpool Sportive

big_phil

There was a feed station in Hatchmere - just by the cross roads where you turned right to go back through Delamere Forest....also you could have stopped at the Wirralians Rugby Club on the way back this was just after Raby Mere. Drinks (beer if required!!!!) cakes, sandwiches etc....also just water if you wanted. BTW I was the guy on the Litespeed in Sunlight colours in first group....good day out

dodgy

Oh yes I remember you big_phil, I've seen you at Eureka a few times, too. You were the chap who called out to the guy in our lead pack who jumped the red light as we waited by the a41 lights at Hooton (good call).

Mr Loverman

The water issue was the reason I went back to the hospital after the delamrere trip. I wasn't aware that we were meant to go to the hospital before going out to delamere.

Njord

Enjoyed yesterday. Good workout and pleased the rain held off until I got back home.

I was the novice in a blue top riding a Focus Cayo in the first group. Spoke to big_phil at the start who I knew casually through work, and then it was really a journey into the unknown for me.

I've never ridden in a group before so apologies for all the faux pas I must have committed. I tended to stay at the back of the group where I was less likely to cause anyone's death! Learn some strange hand signals and that a banana and an energy gel isn't enough fuel for 100+ miles.

I'm mostly a road runner that commutes by bike and occasionally rides long at the weekend (if the weather is nice 8) ). After yesterday, my respect for cyclists has grown a little - although admittedly from quite a low starting point .

Higs

big_phil wrote:

There was a feed station in Hatchmere - just by the cross roads where you turned right to go back through Delamere Forest....also you could have stopped at the Wirralians Rugby Club on the way back this was just after Raby Mere. Drinks (beer if required!!!!) cakes, sandwiches etc....also just water if you wanted.

I missed the Hatchmere one - was there a sign?

I did see the rugby club and cyclists stopped there but I'd gone past it by the time I realised that they were probably stopped for food/drink. I was a bit addled by that point. Logically I know that (whether it's an organised food stop or not) I could have just pulled up at a rugby club and asked for some water. Or anyone of the hundreds of houses I passed. Or bought some drink from one of the shops or pubs I passed. Instead I just pressed on hoping I wasn't too far from the finish.

I don't want to overdramatise this - I was a bit thirsty and a bit dehydrated and it affected my riding a bit.

Mr Loverman

Higs wrote:

I don't want to overdramatise this - I was a bit thirsty and a bit dehydrated and it affected my riding a bit.

I can well believe it as I drank about 3 litres of water yesterday and only went for a pee once.

dodgy

The stop at Hatchmere was actually just a sign pointing to a local cafe (The Delamere Station Cafe) where the owners were happy to take a couple of quid in exchange for some bottled water

aubergine

I also missed the hatchmere stop ! and was starting to parch badly, but the kind barman at the shrewsbury arms(lovely looking little pubgrub place) just before mickle trafford on the way back from delamere filled my platypus pack round the back from their drinking water supply .
I stopped too long at chester and took longer than expected on the delamere bit so I got caught in the torrent near port sunlight on my way back to the tunnel argh! Water was spouting upwards out of the drains on the roads and cars were spraying water upto 20 ft in the air .
I had to cycle on the pavement the last bit ,rubbish .The rain just ruined the last 10 miles or so for me .Must set off earlier next year

Marko1962

One observation I noticed was how some people just don't like being part of a group or want to be on the front of a group all the time which I thought is a bit weird but cool by me.

When myself and pal came through the tunnel we quickly got together with a group of about 6 others. This same bloke stayed on the front for quite a while so even though I was towards the back of the group I moved up to take my turn getting on the front maintaining the same pace. After 3 minutes at the most this bloke put himself back on the front, hmm I thought but heyho if he wants to put himself there that's fine by me. After a few more miles with no-one moving onto the front my pal decided to go up only to last a few minutes before the same bloke put himself back on the front.... he must have had his reasons...

On a couple of other occasions one notably in the Helsby area I can mention, myself and mate caught up with a bloke going at a fair lick on a time trial bike and we stayed on his wheel for a few miles. After a while I got on the front telling him as I went past that it was my time for a turn on the front, a minute later I glance behind to see he had dropped back 50 yards or so.... again he must have had his reasons.... this happened on a few occasions with others, some I suspect just wanted to do their own thing or were relatively inexperienced so didn't know what to expect or do...

One thing I enjoy about riding in a group is for everyone to work as a group, I think it's fantastic when that happens and although I realise on a Sportive such as this there are riders of all abilities it is a slight disappointment when people don't want to play ball boohoo, I guess that's what club rides are for

Anyone else notice this?

dodgy

Hi Marko,

The guy you're talking about had short grey hair and no helmet? In the lead pack we christened him Levi because of his apparent turn of speed But he did stay on the front a long time, I accellerated after him when it looked like he was trying to leave the group but as I caught him he slowed down again.

Mr Loverman

I just done my thing, I said hello to everyone that went past and I just kept going. I wasn't aware that there was any cycling etiquet as I am not a serious rider. I didn't race anyone apart from when I got caught up by the people who where way behind me when I was stuck at the main road after being around delamere and a couple of miles before we joined the chester road again. That was the time I put my head down and missed the sign and the very same peopl shouted that I had missed the turn, after that i thought so as not to be an arse hole that I would let them stay in the front but after a couple of miles just before we turned of the chester road and was about to head back towards liverpool they stopped and drank some water and got their breath back. I never seen them after that as I went to the hospital to refill my camel back, get an ice cream and take a pee.

Does anyone know what papers the photo from the start was in? I have tried every website and looked in tonights echo and nothing, i have also been told that it wasn't in the post either.

Marko1962

dodgy, I cannot for the life of me recall what he looks like but I'm sure this bloke had a helmet, I lost him when we came to the first gate of the cycle path, there was a group of people waiting their turn to get through the gate when these ar**#8ole mountain bikers just rode right to the front pushing their way through, annoyed me that did. We caught up with him again later but finally lost him when I slowed down to go through the cow poop smothered lane only for him to just plow through literally. :roll:

Lunty

I came across a few people who didn't seem to want to sit in my wheel as well...told myself I was just too quick for them

Haven't found anything in local papers, a few amateur photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eclecticpi ... 989158542/

The Pennine Events page has a 2008 gallery, can only assume a 2009 one will appear eventually.

Higs

I was snapped on the Delamere loop by a guy sat in the boot of his estate car. Looked like a 'proper' photographer to me.

big_phil

I think it is just simply that a lot of people are not used to riding in a group, they tend to train by themselves so will often just ride events like this by themselves. I have been in a club for many years and you do get taught early on the "etiquette" and more importantly the advantages of riding safely in a group - sharing the effort, alerting people to dangers (pot-holes etc) and junctions. It also makes cycling a bit more sociable.

You often find on events like this that if someone is particularly strong then they will sit on the front for long stretches. I am happy for people to do this for as long as they want - if they want someone else to do a turn then the usual approach is for them to move off the front.

Marko1962

A few shots from the LCL

Waiting for the off





We're OFF, into the tunnel



Chester Hospital feed station





On the road



Not fantastic shots but better than nowt. The better shots are the ones taken by my ridding buddy Phill

dodgy

It's funny how the novices always seem to have bulging rucksacks

I reckon I was just behind you when you were taking the pics, I only got to the lead pack on the way into the tunnel.

Lunty

"Results" are online here: http://pennineevents.co.uk/News/LCL_Spo ... sults.html

Seems like there's a problem though, I finished in around 4hrs 30 and there were a few others around me. One of the organisers ran over at the end to check my number so I'm not sure what went wrong between the finish and the publication. Anybody else have any ideas what may have happened?

Mr Loverman

Did none of you people stop at the hospital or the rugby club? I stopped at both for a little while but just my cycling time was 5 hours 30 mins and my name doesn't seem to be on the list, but that maybe down to the fact that I changed my ride from the 54 mile to the 90 mile on the day and that is why they never got my name as the numbers where different.

Higs

Looks like I didn't do it either.

I know my time was always going to be out as I didn't set off 'til well after 8 but it would be nice to actually feature on the list.

dodgy

I'm not on there either. I got back to the finish line at 12:55 exactly (from my Garmin Edge and Sporttracks), so that's under 5 hours. I reckon they didn't start recording finishers until after 1pm.

To be honest, I'm quite annoyed over the supposed 'Sportive' status of this ride, it is not a sportive! It's a charity ride, and a bloody good one, too! But once you raise the stakes and call a ride a sportive, you attract a whole new type of rider with high expectations of nutrition, timing, organisation etc. If you wanted water you had to divert off the course, sportive riders are trying to record best times in the main, there should have been water at strategic roadside locations.

I might be bothered to write to Pennine Events and politely suggest they either rename the event for next year or up their game a bit.

dodgy

They've also written this at http://pennineevents.co.uk/NewsUpdate.html :

Online Results for the Liverpool Chester Liverpool Sportive

The new 90 mile sportive was a great success for all involved.

The finish was tight with Brian Power and Alan Braclay both completing the race in 5 hours 6 minutes, followed closely by Stephen Riley at 5 hours 9 minutes.

Hang on, I finished before their time and even I was nowhere near the first back!

Higs

There are also duplicate entries for Jennifer McCarthy and Bernie Hollywood.

While I enjoyed it and I'm not very familiar with sportives (this was my 2nd) I agree that the organisation was much more 'charity ride' than 'sportive'. Even if they get the finish times right they'd need to have recorded start times. Otherwise I guess everyne goes off the event start time (and then it's a race?)

I think I'd do it again as a 90 (85?) mile charity ride. I'm not sure I'd bother with it again as a sportive.

If I was really going for a time I think the think that would frustrate me most would be the hordes of slower cyclists on the 2nd half to the 54 once we'd finished the sportive loop. Don't get me wrong I think it's great that there were loads of families, groups of friends, people on FS MTBs etc enjoying themselves on bikes. But they were slow and, as a result, they held up cars on narrow roads which in turn held me up.

I can kind of understand the organisers hailing it as a 'great success' - they are after all promoting it. I just hope that internally they feel it's an event with potential that could have been a bigger success if they sort one or two things out.

dodgy

Well put Higs, I don't want for a minute to appear to be too negative on what is ultimately a charity event. But the rules changed when they started calling it a sportive.

I've written to Pennine Events, pointed a few things out that they could improve. I actually forgot to point out that it is definitely not a 90 mile route either!

Mr Loverman

My name wasn't on the list so I copied the document and pasted it into a word doc and done a find with my number which was 2915, it found the number but it come back with the name Mike Lownsbrough with a time of 5hrs 52 mins. The time is correct as I stopped for a pee and ice cream at the hospital after I doen the loop around delamere and I also stopped again at the rugby club for some OJ and lucozade sport.

I emailed them as well to find out about the pics but they haven't got back to me and as I sent them an email a few days ago I don't think they are going to get back in touch. I have looked at the pics that have been posted on this thread from the start of the race but I don't think they are the pics from the 8.00 am start as I am not on it or if I am then I am being blocked by the crowd who are infront of the guy with the number 1690.

dodgy

You don't need to copy and paste into Word to do a search on the page. Just hit Ctrl-F and type your search word

Marko1962

Mr Loverman wrote:

I have looked at the pics that have been posted on this thread from the start of the race but I don't think they are the pics from the 8.00 am start as I am not on it or if I am then I am being blocked by the crowd who are infront of the guy with the number 1690.

They are pics taken immediately before the 8 am start so you either arn't there or are hidden...

The whole timing thing imo wasn't very professional but that was to be expected seeing that this was a charity ride and not a proper sportive but saying that there was lots of good things about the LCL - the way the route was signed was pretty good and the numerous Marshals was a defo bonus especially when they held up traffic on busy roads or signalled you through red lights, didn't get that on the Cheshire Cat and that's viewed as a 'proper' Sportive.

I came in at 5:25 according to list with my mate coming in at 5:27. The gap was not that big he was only a 100 yards or so behind me but as already pointed out the timing wasn't very accurate, did you see the woman with the clipboard at the end leaping out into the riders trying to get everyones number, lots of things asking to go wrong there...

Still it was a good experience and can only get better...

This a shot taken by my mate as I went through the finish line, I'm the guy in blue. You can see the woman with the clip-board eagerly attempting to get my number to the left of the green lamp post, (might need to scroll the pic). She couldn't see it so you can just see me sticking my chest out so she can get an eyeful....... of my number

Mr Loverman

Well if it before the 8 am start I am right next to this guy then in this area.

dodgy

Just realised, I am in this picture after all, that's me in the white sleeves carrying my bike nearer the front (as instructed by the guy on the PA).

Marko1962

Ah I think I remember you, you were on a Dolan? I did ride alongside someone on a Dolan at the start going into the tunnel. In the pic of the tunnel start I'm the guy in the blue with white stripe Castelli top, riding on a black Focus, you must have been just in front of me at this point because I caught up with a black Dolan not long into the tunnel.