Silly Commuter Sportives

tailwindhome

Just completed my first sportive.

60 miles + 8 miles to the start and back

That makes it my first metric also.

Will maybe do a report later

Right now I'm rubber ducked!

suzyb

I remember the good ole days back when I was above you in the stats. Now I have no hope of catching

Jay dubbleU

Nice photos CJ - anything else is going to be a bit of an anti-climax

tailwindhome

Well, as posted above I completed my first sportive ride on Sunday, The Causeway Cycle Challenge promoted by local Coleraine club, the Bann Wheelers. The 60 mile option proved to be a great route taking in some of the best scenery on Ireland’s North Coast, including Ballycastle, Ballintoy, Bushmills, Portrush, Portstewart and finally back to Coleraine.

The day got off to an ominous start, after pumping up my front wheel I tore the top off the presta valve. The pressure seemed to be holding okay so I took the chance and carried on; it’ll need replaced soon though.

Nutrition wise I started the day with a coffee and a huge bowl of porridge and brought 2 bananas, 1 water bottle and a Lucozade sport with me.

Rode the 4 miles to the starting venue, Coleraine Rugby Club and soon met up with a couple of the guys from the newly reformed Ballymoney Cycling Club (BCC), with whom I had been doing a couple of Saturday morning social rides.

At 10.15 the Bann Wheelers assembled on the main road, the rest of the peleton (250 riders I’m told) filed in behind them and with the distinctive sound of 250 left feet clicking into their pedals we were off. As this was my first experience of a massed start ride the first 8 miles were a bit of a blur as I was frankly terrified, the pack was moving at about 25mph and I was sure I was going to touch a wheel and bring everyone down. The speed was enough however thin out the main group and I rode with 2 guys from BCC; Charlie and Jack, gradually falling back from the main group.

We rode together for the next 28 miles, Charlie and Jack doing the Lion’s share of the work, which were covered at around 16.5 mph, a reasonable enough pace I thought, but the main group were well ahead by this stage. Unsure of were the food stops were, we stopped at a shop in Ballycastle.

This proved a big mistake.

I bought a coffee and a muffin thinking we would stop for 10 -15 mins, but we were on our way again in double quick time, the first task being the 10% climb out of Ballycastle. The steep section of the climb wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be but the climbing continued even after this first ‘summit’. Charlie and Jack waited at the top but my muffin wanted to make a reappearance and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t turn the legs quickly enough to hold their wheel.

The next 10 miles were really tough as I plodded on at my own pace in a very low gear, just trying to keep turning the pedals into the coastal wind. XC Weather can f*** right off BTW, there’s no way that was a 10mph wind. I continued on through Ballintoy and Bushills and began to get a second wind and started to catch up with other riders in ones and twos.

I started to sip on the Lucozade Sport to keep the energy levels up. It’s a drink I’ve never tried before and never will again as it has such a cloying sweet flavour. I now understand the mantra of testing these things in training.

Riding through Portrush I was very tempted due to nip home an call it a day, however I carried on through Portstewart were I stopped to put the rainjacket on and have a banana, witnessing a hybrid rider taking a sneaky short cut. Is it childish that this really, really annoyed me?

The last couple of meals flew by and I was soon back in the Rugby club having a pint of the Black Stuff ( full of iron for recovery don’t you know)

Overall it was a great event, and very well run (though the food stop could have been marked on the Mapmyride map on their website. Though this criticism should be tempered by saying that one of the guys in the support vehicle realised that riders were improvising their own feed stop in Ballycastle and stopped to hand out water and Mars Bars.

I don’t know where I finished in the field, many of the riders ‘behind’ me would have turned off to do the 30 mile route and I’m not sure how long it took but frankly I don’t care. A great first ride out and a good stepping stone to Lap the Lough. Where next?

cjcp

@TWH - congrats! Know what what mean about Lucozade. Yak!

What gearing did you use?

tailwindhome

cjcp wrote:

@TWH - congrats! Know what what mean about Lucozade. Yak!

What gearing did you use?

Thanks CJ

I bought the bike secondhand and have never checked the gear ratios...It's a double chainring though and I spent most of the day in the small ring. Not the that there was much climbing (2000ft in total maxing out at 450ft).

That 10% hill out of Ballycastle wouldn't have been such a problem if I hadn't stopped just before it. Lesson learnt.

coopster_the_1st

Anyone doing the Wiggle Haywards Heath Howler on Sunday?

From the GPS download the Epic route is 94 miles and 6500ft of climbing. I thought the south of England was meant to be flat! :?

Jay dubbleU

Well done - and no its not childish but bear in mind he's not cheating anyone but himself - how would you feel if you'd taken a short cut ?

stuaff

Coopster the 1st wrote:

Anyone doing the Wiggle Haywards Heath Howler on Sunday?

From the GPS download the Epic route is 94 miles and 6500ft of climbing. I thought the south of England was meant to be flat! :?

ROFL (wish that were true)....
Not me. Bit out of my way, and even though I might be in shape to get back on the bike then, I'll be at Knebworth.

londonlivvy

I'm going to do the Luciano Sportive next Sunday if anyone fancies it - a couple of friends did it last year and said it was well organised.

OldSkoolKona

TWH, great write up. Will look out for you at lap the lough :-)

bigmat

londonlivvy wrote:

I'm going to do the Luciano Sportive next Sunday if anyone fancies it - a couple of friends did it last year and said it was well organised.

I think I'll be doing that. Doing the Richmond Park time trial first (at 6:45 am :shock: ) so will probably be one of the early starters.

Jay dubbleU

Anyone doing the Evans Cotswold tomorrow ? I've signed up for the 60 8)

EArmstrong

Anyone doing the 'Phil and Friends' tommorow? I am, but only the short one.

Fireblade96

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Anyone doing the Evans Cotswold tomorrow ? I've signed up for the 60 8)

Nah, not this one - too much work, today was my first day back on the bike after my little "off", too much work, etc.

Plotting how I can fit Lap the Lough into my holiday in Ireland without the GF realising until it's too late :twisted:

OldSkoolKona

Lap the Lough is turning out to be a bit of an SCR outing :-)

Our team of 5 just got a bit of coverage in the local rag on Friday

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/ ... 99726.html

rubbercolin

@ TWH

Great write up

@ TWH & OSK

I've entered for lap the lough as well

Pity we haven't got SCR jerseys for the LTL




D

Jay dubbleU

Fireblade96 wrote:

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Anyone doing the Evans Cotswold tomorrow ? I've signed up for the 60 8)

Nah, not this one - too much work, today was my first day back on the bike after my little "off", too much work, etc.

Plotting how I can fit Lap the Lough into my holiday in Ireland without the GF realising until it's too late :twisted:

Fancied that but at present the is no way I Mrs JW will allow me to go to Ireland for a weekend

tailwindhome

Anyone planning to do Lap the Lough would need to move quickly ..... entries close on 22th August and are limited to 1500 ( there already over the 1000)

itboffin

I'm really missing cycling

rolf_f

EArmstrong wrote:

Anyone doing the 'Phil and Friends' tommorow? I am, but only the short one.

I did - the long route. Really nice ride even if the Lancashire side of the Pennines was gloomy like it always is!

Felt pretty good today and I got into a group a couple of times for a fair distance which probably helped! Did it in just under 6 hours pedal time, 6 and a half overall (stopped just the once in Edale). Aside from the damp bit, the weather was pretty good - not cold, not too hot, sunny and cheerful towards the end.

You were lucky to miss out Winnats - it is a nasty climb. I prefer shorter and steeper; Winnats is almost perfectly the wrong gradient for me and it just goes on......

Met a bloke (on one of only two other Looks I saw) who also did the long route - he lived in Buxton. He'd cycled over in the morning via Millers Dale and was debating whether to cycle back that way or via Winnats again which was shorter :shock:

The Running Man

Got quite a bit coming up :

In 2 weeks the club are doing a Challenge Ride of just over 100 miles to get us ready for the Tour of Britain Pro Ride, 2 weeks later we do the Ride itself. The week after there's another 100 mile Sportive up around Gloucs / Chelt, then in early Oct I'm riding with some pals from Lands End to London so a pretty busy schedule ahead.

Sorry to hear you're crocked ITB ...

cjcp

The Running Man wrote:

Got quite a bit coming up :

In 2 weeks the club are doing a Challenge Ride of just over 100 miles to get us ready for the Tour of Britain Pro Ride, 2 weeks later we do the Ride itself. The week after there's another 100 mile Sportive up around Gloucs / Chelt, then in early Oct I'm riding with some pals from Lands End to London so a pretty busy schedule ahead.

Sorry to hear you're crocked ITB ...

:shock:

rjsterry

The Running Man wrote:

Got quite a bit coming up :

In 2 weeks the club are doing a Challenge Ride of just over 100 miles to get us ready for the Tour of Britain Pro Ride, 2 weeks later we do the Ride itself. The week after there's another 100 mile Sportive up around Gloucs / Chelt, then in early Oct I'm riding with some pals from Lands End to the Moon so a pretty busy schedule ahead.

Sorry to hear you're crocked ITB ...

:shock: Indeed. It's a wonder you don't get through several bikes a year TRM.

The Running Man

I'm spending a small fortune in servicing, chains and cassettes I can tell you : then there's all the bloomin' cleaner, degreaser, wet lube, dry lube, tyres, tubes, chamois cream .....

I do have a confession though ...



I ran 4 miles on the treadmill on Saturday afternoon and quite enjoyed it


:?

The Running Man

THE MOON

:shock: :shock:

londonlivvy

itboffin wrote:

I'm really missing cycling

Poor you. Take it easy ITB. And I'm told that swimming is ace for cardio fitness if you can't ride - perhaps just hold a float to your chest and kick with legs and so not put pressure on the shoulder?

Jay dubbleU

ITB's problem is how does he lift a pint without putting pressure on his shoulder

itboffin

I'm in jersey this week, nice sunny and relaxing I did of course bring my kit but have so far been unable to find anything other than BSO for hire ;-(

I did find a couple of hills that were so steep I had to stop for a breather halfway and I was walking!!!!

I also stopped taking all my drugs this afternoon nice to be back in the real world.

rjsterry

Wondered if you'd spot that TRM

@ITB: I've just PM'd you about the Mercian, but see you are off tax-havening. Maybe next week?