Essex Roads Autumn Leaves sportive

gattocattivo

Anybody else doing this? About 95 miles, starting and finishing in Billericay and heading up to Finchingfield. I've signed up for it - that'll be the furthest I've ever ridden. Fortunately there won't be any sapping hills.

http://www.essexsportive.com/

max1234

I think I may enter, it'd be me first event too. Is it a fairly flat route?

Blinsters

I am in.

It is advertised as a 'hilly and challenging end of season sportive.'

Gazzaputt

I did it last year and it isn't 'hilly'. Small climbs nothing major at all. Lovely route and you can get a fair speed on it.

May do it again .Last year I think only about 70 rode the event although the weather was good was a real shame.

Hopefully there is more than the one feed station this time although it was well stocked.

Blinsters

I had a quick scout of the route and your right, it isn't hilly. There isn't many hill in essex. I suppose the advert is trying to pull people into doing it!

cjw

I'm in Billericay and this is around the routes I ride on Sundays. There are some short steep hills south (Laindon Hills) but this route goes north and there are only a few gentlish climbs (about 11% is maximum as I recall).

I'll probably be riding part of the route on Sunday as part of my normal ride.

gattocattivo

Yeah, I know virtually the whole route and I can't think of any proper climbs. I mean, it's not pancake flat, more gently undulating, but there's nothing anyone would have trouble getting up.

jamlala

I live in Brentwood and wish I was here this weekend to do this ride, signed up for the Dartmoor Classic next year and need to do some rides to lead up to it!! Any suggestions?

ruffhams

Hi, My wife and I rode the Spring Lambs Sportive earlier in the year (same route organiser) There was 2 feed stops and they had everything you could wish for..gels, bars, water, cakes etc - all free. Signs were a bit small but I have been told that on the Autumn Leaves Sportive there will be big and dayglow yellow - We have entered and are now looking forward to the day - see you on sunday

Blinsters

ruffhams, was the spring lambs challenging??

rogerthecat

Will the route be signposted? I have not done one of these before, and would hate to get lost :oops:

ruffhams

Blinsters, Yes in a way the spring lambs sportive was challenging. I dont consider myself a slow rider by any means - in fact quite quick but as the ride went along it seemed to somehow throw up some interesting hills (not long, but long enough and challenging enough) but saying that there was fast monents too! As I said in my earlier post the food stops were great and well managed, plenty of water, gels bars etc. A mistake I made which cost me some time was cramp due to not drinking enough fluids. I realised this after 60 miles and suffered for the next 15 - 20 Miles whilst trying to repair the damaged I had already done - My advice to anyone doing 100 miles or so is to drink lots and make sure you eat along the way - Fill up both water bottles and take bars at both the food stops! (When I fill up my water bottles I also put a couple of Hydration tabs in each bottle) - see you on sunday

ruffhams

rogerthecat - YES the route will be well signposted with large bright dayglow Yellow signs - see you on sunday

Blinsters

sounds good!

see you all on sunday

rogerthecat

Thanks and great stuff. See you Sunday

rogerthecat

Not long back from the Essex Autumn leaves Sportive, I would just like to say, thanks to all at the club for putting on a most enjoyable days ride, the Organisation was on the ball, 2 food stops with more than ample bananas, gels, energy bars and fluid which were all part of the entrance fee. As this was my first, all others have a high benchmark to meet.

The weather made this a most perfect day,

PS to all those in Suffolk like me, we have no hills face it, Semer Hill, Higham Bank, Aldam Mill Hill, are mere blips on the landscape.

jamlala

I'll be there for the local rides next year, was too busy throwing some shapes on the dancefloor in Reading last night.

explosifpete

lovely ride, really enjoyed it.
regeting riding home how tho as my legs don't feel so good

toontra

Superb organisation, a well-thought-out route and the best day's cycling weather of the year (IMO!) made this a very enjoyable ride. Thanks to the club for putting this on. I'll be back next year without a doubt.

gattocattivo

Great day: fantastic weather and beautiful countryside.
That's the furthest I've ever ridden (my computer clocked 94 miles, which includes a little extra bit when we went off-route at Felsted) and I managed to keep an average speed of over 18mph which I'm pretty pleased about (the riding time on my computer was 5 hours 9 minutes, my actual start-to-finish time was nearer 6 hours which includes a frustrating puncture repair stop).
I was with a bunch of mostly MPCC riders up to Matching Green and got there about 10.45. I was just about to leave again when a clubmate turned up, so I waited another ten minutes for him. Then, just after we set off, he found he had a puncture. by the time that was sorted out I'd lost more than half an hour near the first feeding station and all the buches had been and gone.
The two of us rode in isolation for ages and I wondered if we'd ever see another rider, but then past Molehill Green we started to pick people up and form groups again and were back in the thick of it by the second feed station.
I was starting to suffer on the final leg and was about to throw in the towel and stop trying to keep up when a bunch of Essex Roads riders suddenly came towards us telling us we were going the wrong way. This was just after Felsted - we probably only added less than a mile to our route, but I don't know how far they'd gone before the realised. I didn't see a sign for the right turn which we'd missed - probably some kid nicked it. Anyway, we formed another decent group then and that helped to grind out the remaining miles.

ruffhams

This was my wife and I's 2nd sportive (spring lambs earlier in year) and we had been training hard all summer for it so's to better our time. Well we had good furtune and no punctures - weather was ideal and feed stops were well stocked. We both came in together with a time of 4 hours and 57 minutes. Ruth clocking the best female time and I clocked 9th in my category. We rode most of the 150km with a bunch of about 25 riders and took advantage of the light winds by zipping alone at a good pace. Last 10 miles Ruth and I went off the front and powered home - Lovely ride, Lovely Day out. Thanks goes to the organisers and also to the weather gods - See you all at the Spring Lambs 11/4/2010