BLACKRAT

prana-ferox

Anyone doing the Blackrat challenge on sunday ?

will be riding a battered colnago say hello if you see it

TheBullet

Yeah, me and a few mates are doing it. The weather forecast has been changing everyday but it would be great if it was dry as it's a good route. Old Bristol Road out of Wells is a bit of killer but in general there's a nice mix of hills/rolling/flat I think.

Here's another thread started a couple of weeks ago:
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12698655

Hav a good one

Philby

Yes - doing the 100 mile! Weather forecast isn't great, so usual dilemma of what to wear.

TheBullet

This was a tough ride especially with the wind and rain. The hills were long and steep and there seemed to be alot! I'll be surprised if there are many Gold standards.
I did it in just under 6hrs ride time but had a few stops so official time will prob be more like 6:10 - 6:15

How did anyone else find it?

Brewsterwmb

found it ok myself. Wet, 'dank' start but loved climbing up the Gorge being able to switch form side to side! Cant do that everyday.

Had a few mishaps with the signs in Wrington. Someone had taken them down, so after 5 mins figuring out which way we stuck them back where we thought was best - the organisers were aware of this. Also some other signs could have been better. I did a total of 108 miles in 5:40, so all good training. Overall a nice event not to far from home. Always glad of a cider at the finish 0 nice touch.

Dragon next... ?

gert_lush

I was pretty cold and wet for the first few hours, and the hills definitely took more out of me than I thought, but enjoyed it and thought it was a good demanding route. Although yes thought a few signs were a bit hidden.

...only reason I wasn't faster as I wanted others to sort out the missing signs

Did about 103 miles in 6hr10 and happy with that, the cider eased the pain for the cycle home! Broken now though! Legs hurt

Philby

That was a toughie not helped by the incessant rain and wind. A puncture near Wedmore didn't help as was buzzing along nicely before that - took ages to get the tyre on and off. Rode the whole 100 miler on my own - a lesson for the future is find a group to ride with - as it was a little dispiriting at times particularly on the descent to Weston sub Mendip when I couldn't see a thing due to rain on my glasses.

Was a great route though and would have been a smashing day if it had been fine!

That's two sportives in 3 weeks that have suffered from incessant wind and rain. Hope it will be warm for the Dragon Riide!

prana-ferox

it was a tough day

my computer said 5.57 did 105 miles took a wrong turn in Kingston Seymour and Clevedon

did most of it on my own and had a very slow puncture in Wells managed to get to Bad Ass bikes and got it sorted ...great service

was it just me or was the wind in yer face all the way round?

jangle

I did the 65 mile route as it was my first. Although I ride round those hills as part of my commute it felt much harder yesterday. The wind did feel like it was in your face all the time. I wasn't aiming for a time, just to finish because I didn't know what to expect and it was the longest I had ridden. I really enjoyed it though and watching everyone fly past me has definitely given me an incentive to push on with the training.

stevo1602

Did the 100 miles, thought the hills were not too bad, nothing drastic. Riding up through the gorge was a blast...loved that......shame about the wet miserable weather.
The pre race organisation was excellent, web site and plenty of communication, but on the day the signage was CR*P. I know some scroats had taken some signs down which did not help, and sent me the wrong way for a few miles, but generally there were just not enough signs compared to other sportives. Lots of blind bends on the narrow lanes...could have done with a warning sign...lucky no tractors coming other wise I would have been toast a few times. Also thought the route crossed over too many main roads too many times......bit dangerous.

The cider at the end was welcome though.

thesquireofbanwell

Having only been 'road' cycling for 6 weeks was pleased to finiish the 100 miler in a little over 7 hours on a borrowed 'bike-thanks for the loan Mark, I didn't break it!
Being local I had ridden most of the route previously but would agree that some of the signing could have been better.
Like stevo1602 I too enjoyed the Gorge but understood it was closed to traffic so was v.surprised to be confronted by a couple of cars even if I was on the wrong side of the road!
Clothing was a problem and my socks were wet throughout.
A steep learning curve for me but think I will supplement my MTB with a road bike now.
Must also mention how friendly a lot of riders were.
Thanks to both the organisers and Lee for looking after me on the way round.

jangle

Bah. was feeling proud of doing my first sportive and then someone comes along having 'only been a roadie for 6 weeks' doing the longer course and finishing it.

Thanks a lot thesquireofbanwell

pantsani

Turned out to be a bit of a trial with the weather, 2 punctures and also got lost , although due to a sign being tampered with rather than lack of them.

I think the route was pretty good and only let down by the weather, the organisation before and after, and at food stops was good, and a nice touch with the cider. So apart from the signs which definitely could be improved upon next year I think overall it was well run.

Think I'll be back next year, hoping for better weather and no punctures.

jonginge

Weird. I didn't notice any missing signs. And there were plenty of 'slow' warning signs on the tricky bends. The only sign I really missed was with about ten miles to go because it was on the other side of the road. I also used the Garmin tcx course they posted so within a few metres I knew I'd gone past a turn. I thought having the blackrat logo on the bottom-right of each sign was a good idea so you could tell if they'd been tampered with.

Anyhoo, enjoyed the ride despite the weather. Cheddar gorge was a lovely climb, especially spinning up through the forest. The sun coming out for the last 30miles was very welcome, though

smithyt68i

O i think i might have saw you ! playing with garmin i was on the left turn trying to catch ppl that had missed it

thesquireofbanwell

Sorry jangle, just stating facts :!: