Burgess Hill Springtime Classic Cyclosportive 21st March

SRS Events

BURGESS HILL SPRINGTIME CLASSIC CYCLOSPORTIVE 21ST MARCH
http://www.srs-events.cc

Places Still available on any of the three rides on this cyclosportive.

Distances are:-

CLASSIC 71 MILES
CHALLENGE 53 MILES
TOUR 35 MIles

Go to http://www.srs-events.cc to find out more

flix23

I've entered the Classic route. Anyone ridden it before? Any thoughts or advice?

PocketRocket42

As you no doubt know FLIX23 the Burgess Hill Springtime Classic is the first in the series of the SRS EVENTS 2010 CYCLOSPORTIVE SERIES.
http://www.srs-events.cc

The Classic route of 71 miles is a tough route for the time of year and not to be taken lightly. get plenty of miles in if you can before hand. Mind you you only have 20 days maybe get the miles in for the next 10 days and then have 10 days active rest before the event :-)

Hills to be aware of are Kidds Hill, Groombridge Hill, Cobb Lane and the Ardingly reservoir.

Cobb Lane is short but steep and many get off and walk on this ride Check out the video on the SRS Website.

Three Feed station for the Classic Ride.

1ST AT HEVER
2ND AT FOREST ROW
3RD AT ARDINGLY

All feed station last year had SIS energy drink and flapjacks and other food suffs to keep riders going. And free energy bar at the Start was enough to get me up to Hever for the first stop.

If your in a hurry and your doing the Classic ride ,you only have to stop at Hever to log your timing chip in.
Although you can stops at the other stops too if you wish. All the stops have toilets and places to sit down and rest a while if it's proving a little tough. If you log in at each stop you do get a time for each station to workout how well you did at each point.
I recommend taking it easy up to Hever and saving your legs for Cobb Lane and the Ardingly Reservoir Hill.
It's a little bit lumpy to try to ride it with a group that's stronger than you and going hard on the hills but there should be around 500 riders riding so usually there are a few people to ride with that is the same ability as you as the ride forms into natural groups.

There is food available at the HQ in the morning and when you get back -- usually lots of free stuff too.
The smell of bacon butties in the morning at these events I find irresistible. But you can pretty much guarantee burnning off more than a solitary bacon buttie during the ride.
On the day if your not feeling up to riding the whole distance of the Classic you can ride either of the shorter routes, Challenge at 53 miles and the Tour at 35 miles, mind you none of the routes are easy no matter their distance. They all go up Cobb Lane.

I would say most club cyclist can get around the Classic course but what time you set is another matter.

Route is marked very well and the map you are given probably is only needed in an emergency

OTHER RIDES ORGANISED BY SRS EVENTS ARE

The Tour de Weald 2nd May 2010
The 1066 Ride 4th July 2010
The Brugess Hill Rumble Cyclosportive (note this ride is nearly the same route as the Springtime Classic but longer at 95 miles)

flix23

Thank you, for the very comprehensive answer

Touch wood I shoud be ok on the mileage/training front, I've done more than 600 miles so far this year, including 2 x 60+ mile rides, but I'll certainly be approaching the ride with due seriousness.

bobtbuilder

The problem with Cob Lane is that the first part of the climb is ALWAYS wet and slippery - oh, and it's 22% :shock:

I rode it on Saturday - the road also has a covering of rotting leaves in places. Very hard to maintain power without back wheel slippage.

SRS Events

35 places left
as of 21.36hrs 4th March 2010

SRS Events

It's not to late to get a place on the Burgess Hill Springtime Classic but hurry only a few places left.
http://www.srs-events.cc

bcss

signed up for the classic some time ago, hope i can go

bobtbuilder wrote:

The problem with Cob Lane is that the first part of the climb is ALWAYS wet and slippery - oh, and it's 22% :shock:

I rode it on Saturday - the road also has a covering of rotting leaves in places. Very hard to maintain power without back wheel slippage.

:shock: sounds challenging

Does anybody has any recommendations on transport from central london? Back up is to rent a car (could share if somebody interested)

mroli

You can get to Haywards Heath dead easy by train from Victoria/Clapham Junction I think and I think Burgess Hill is prob about a 5 mile ride or so from there?
Takes about 1hr 30 min - is just past Gatwick and there seem to be plenty of trains. Costs under £20 return as I seem to remember.

Can get busy in the summer with Brighton day trippers - but I guess not a problem at that time!

bcss

mroli wrote:

You can get to Haywards Heath dead easy by train from Victoria/Clapham Junction I think and I think Burgess Hill is prob about a 5 mile ride or so from there?
Takes about 1hr 30 min - is just past Gatwick and there seem to be plenty of trains. Costs under £20 return as I seem to remember.

Can get busy in the summer with Brighton day trippers - but I guess not a problem at that time!

great many thanks!

bobtbuilder

There is no need to get off the train at Haywards Heath.

Burgess Hill has two stations within the town, Burgess Hill and Wivelsfield. Both stations are on the London - Brighton line. Trains from both London Victoria & London Bridge operate this service.

Burgess Hill station is the nearest to the event HQ.

SRS Events

BURGESS HILL SPRINGTIME CLASSIC

Entry Numbers now increased to 550, There still time to enter.

Closing date 14th March 2010

what brakes

You buggers! ive only gone and booked into the challenge ride (53miles)

Its my very first event!

I have however booked into a 100miler in april, 100miler burgess hill in May and another 100 miler in july! just gotta book one for June although im off to spain for a week to train and a holiday at my mums! kills 3 birds with one stone!

SRS Events

Well done for entering !

IF you think we're buggers now just wait till you hit COBB LANE :-)

You can if you like change the ride you are on to the Classic on the day which is 71 miles.

Anyway ........further information will be going up on the Entry Pack page soon, You will be informed when this info has been put up on the site via e-mail.

http://www.srs-events.cc/event1/entry-pack.htm

In the mean time if you need any advice don't hesitate to contact us

SRS Events

Keeping in context of a Classic Event

The Film ROAD TO ROUBAIX will now be showing at the HQ when the riders return from their ride.

The film makers David Deal and Dave Cooper of Masterlink Films have produce an excellent documentary which shows the viewer behind the scenes coverage of the Paris Roubaix that most people never see.

Well it will be something to watch whie riders are enjoying the HQ FOOD.

SRS Events

Burgess Hill Springtime Classic

ONE DAY TO ENTER Closing date 14th March 23:59 hours

http://www.srs-events.cc/event1/riders.htm

parajba

Hi everybody,

I'll be doing this sportive tomorrow (long route).
I'm tempted to use my carbon Zipp 404 (tubulars) wheels. What's the general consensus and what does the event organiser suggest?

Cheers

Mccaria

I rode the shorter version last year and will be riding the Classic tomorrow. My choice for wheels is 36 spoke wheels shod with with gatorskin tyres. Some of the road surfaces are not brilliant and with the amount of rain today there is a good chance of parts of the hedgerow being in the road.

robmurr2000

just got back,that was good but hard.Cob Lane Hill....a testing little climb :shock:

Umberto

yeah likewise - Cobb Lane's a killer! I only just managed to stay on. Some other nasty little surprises towards the end too.

I was most impressed by a couple of blokes doing the classic ride on Pashley Guvnors, complete with plus fours and woolly jumpers Amazingly, they managed a time in the 4:40s and didn't get off to walk on Cobb Lane. Hats off to them I say.

cjw

Well that shows how a sportive should be organised - unlike a recent one near Jodrell.

There were about 10 staff logging people in (I had the grand wait of 2 minutes ), free drinks at the start, well stocked feed stations (SIS Gels, bananas, water, hot drinks, cakes etc). Really well signposted with repeater signs every so often on long strait sections so you knew you were still on the right track. Selection of free rolls + soup + hot drink at the end and a certificate saying how bad I did

5 hours 34 minutes (agreed exactly with my Garmin). It was the hardest course I've ever ridden - 1,670m of climbing and I don't recall any flat sections at all - everything was up / down. It got to the stage where you find the gradient is only 7% and you think, phew a nice bit

Anyway great day out, great weather after the showers at the start, but perfect temperature.

taz3611

Hi. Just out of interest, maybe for future reference, what was the milage?D

Umberto

72 for the classic - shorter options too: http://www.srs-events.cc/event1/event-details.htm

what brakes

Just wish my bike didnt meet its demise with a car! and i dint head the car last weds otherwise i would have been there today! :x Unfortunately im still in too much pain and have no bike at the mo!
Hopefully the car drivers insurance will payout asap so i can get back on the road and claim back my entry fee!
Glad it went well guys.

Noclue

Damn that was enjoyable, getting slicker every year chaps, good to see you take on points raised.

Out of interest did anyone come across a swiss guy called Roland on a cannondale supersix, was riding with him for a bit and he had 2 punctures on Kidds hill, i know he was out of innertubes and then i lost him on the decent towards Groombridge, hope you got round alright mate!!

SteppenHerring

The organisation was very smooth. Everything worked well. Now if you guys could just do something about those hills, we'd be sorted. I made it up Cobb Lane without walking, but walking might have been faster.

Seriously though, it's what I was looking for in an early season challenge. Thanks. Good job.

mroli

First "long" ride of the year. Felt great up to the first (40 mile stop) - 2 1/2 hours. stopped too long and totally blew up on the back 30. Felt rubbish and just gritted my teeth and grinded round. Cobb lane too much for me on a compact and 23, but thank god for the weather! Very slick event - hot drinks at each of the stops. Good timing and organisation. See you again in May.

flix23

My first event of the year too, and I was very impressed. Big thanks to all concerned for organising such a slick and well organised day and on a challenging but fun course.

Was pretty chuffed to ride the Classic in 4.03 and manage Cobb Lane on my regular 39 x 23. Rode with some very nice, friendly people at various stages - thanks to them too!

SRS Events

A big thank you to all those that complimented us on our first event of the year.
It's so important for us to get that support and your encouraging feed back will be delivered to all on the SRS Events team some of whom are feeling very tired this morning.

We at SRS Events do our best to create events that we would enjoy ourselves. we have ambitions to make all the events even better, but all of this takes time and further support of riders, sponsors and most importantly all those that marshal the rides on the day.

We have few things in the pipeline that we know will make the events even more enjoyable but more of that another time.

We hope you can all make the next event on the 2nd of May
The SRS Events Tour de Weald (not to be confused with the tour of Weald)

Results of the SRS Events Springtime Classic will be going up on the site very shortly.

mroli

Oh and probably worth noting - all drivers that I came across were courteous and polite - the only incident I heard of was 2 cyclists not stopping at a zebra crossing when two little kids were on it - resulting in one irate parent.

wigsy22

Burgess Hill Classic was first sportive i've done, wanted to say what a fantastic day it was - i thoroughly enjoyed and thought it was organised brilliantly. As above posts say, it was very clearly signed, the feeding stations were well stocked, the timing devices were excellent and the whole pre-post race registrations was seemless. i travelled dwon from leeds do it and had to drive 6 hours home via central london and it was all worth it. silver time as well