Magnificat (ex-Highclere) sportive

greeny12

Can't believe this event hasn't had a thread to date, surely other Bikeradar users were among the entrants??

This was the first sportive I did three years ago and it nearly killed me then...having done the long version for the first time this year it hasn't got any easier!!

For me, unlike the Dragon Ride (my previous wekeend's entertainment) there's just no way to gain momentum on the Magnificat event. It's never anything but short ups and short downs, with lots of road junctions and narrow lanes to kill any rhythm you might get into.

That said, it is an event for the better rider, and there were plenty of fast groups doing quite nicely as they whooshed past us in the early going.

And the feed stations - admittedly catering to much smaller numbers - could REALLY teach the Dragon Ride a bit about customer service and variety of offer. Those ham and mustard sandwiches were...well, mustard!

All in all a tough day out, topped off by a near-disastrous 30+ mph front tyre blowout on one of the very quick decents that is by a long way the scariest thing that has ever happened to me on a bicycle. I didn't think I was much of a bike-handler but how I stayed upright I'll never know...the alternative would have been waking up in hospital today so I can thank God for small mercies...

fnb1

a great event, Only did the 81 miler but very enjoyable even though I do not think there is a flat mile on the whole course. The last ten miles up through Greenham Common was quite a test for tired legs
good atmoshpere and some nice paced groups formed with on the whole sensible and courteus riding, chat seemed to die off a bit going along the drags to the first feed station though

The racecourse certainly makes for a good HQ, breakfast available on site, proper toilets and even showers if you wanted to use them plus a bar at the finish.

dcj

overall this is still probably my favourite UK event.

although the route is very similar to a number of other hampshire/surrey/berks events, for some reason the roads manage to seem more interesting more of the time.
the organisation is great, the signs are easiest to see at speed and reliable.

this years route was my favourite but there seemed a lot more traffic at junctions than ever which kept splitting the groups I was with.

having said that, i much preferred the old venue at highclere.
although i accept newbury racecourse is more convenient and has better facilities, the post event atmosphere at highclere was greatly enhanced by the layout.

the sponsor dispays and mobile food venders used to be arranged around a grassy area packed with finishers sprawled on the grass chatting.

this year the racecourse venue layout wasn't able to recreate that.

est.1984

Only did the 80 mile route, really enjoyed it except I probably went off a bit quick and blew on the last 10 miles. The headwind coming back towards the racecourse was fairly energy sapping. Thought the organisation was spot on, particularly impressed how quick they got everyone through registration. Also loved the first three big hills after the start and the subsequent downhills! Only thing I would take from other events is the pothole signage they used on the Hampshire Hilly Hundred, then I believe you would have the perfect event. Big respect to the guys in the long route, think the fastest time I spotted was a 6:04 for the 126 mile!!!

Butterd2

I too did the 80 miler, thought it was excellent, well organised and some really nice quiet roads. Glad to hear I was not the only one who noticed the headwind over Greenham Common I thought it may just have been my legs packing in.
The pace some of the 127 mile peletons which went past towards the end of the ride was truely impressive.

jnr_h

greeny12 wrote:

And the feed stations - admittedly catering to much smaller numbers - could REALLY teach the Dragon Ride a bit about customer service and variety of offer. Those ham and mustard sandwiches were...well, mustard!

+1

Did the long route. Got into a nice group pretty early and hammered off a decent time because of it. Had two crashes in front of me and one right behind so stoked that I didn't get caught up in anything.

jhop

As a first timer what struck me about this event was the slick organisation. Numbers with integrated time chips was new to me and surely this will be the future for other major sportives.
Feed Stations were well staffed and in good positions with toilets and the food was exceptional, abundant supplies and first rate quality, drinks too were of the highest calibre and the Mavic support was another excellent feature.
I did not ride The Dragon this year but have in recent years and they could learn a great deal from this one.
The route was rolling rather than really hilly and there were no steep climbs at all. A minor weakness was that there were a few too many main roads for me but the length at 127 miles helped make it a challenge.
Exactly 8 hours for the long route gave me a solid silver and I left feeling that Gold was certainly worth aiming for in the future.

cjcp

Cracking event.

Rode with JonGinge from here (we're in the same club) and had some nice guys in our groups, too - off the top of my head, RedGT from here (very impressive efforts on the front, btw), a chap from North Downs CC, another from Dulwich Paragon and chap on a silver Merida from Poole (not sure if it was titanium).

Feel a little better prepared for the Marmotte having got a bit more distance under my belt.

ketsbaia

cjcp wrote:

Feel a little better prepared for the Marmotte having got a bit more distance under my belt.

Likewise. And I'm heartened by the fact the Marmotte is either all uphill or all downhill. Much as I admire the prettiness of the thing, the undulating countryside can piss off, IMO.

Great event, though. But I reckon I might be tempted to take a few psi out of my tyres next time as some of those road surfaces were atrocious.

dizzydane

I rode the 127 miles yesterday and was really impressed at the how well organised the event was.

I too used this ride as my last long distance event before the Marmotte and it seemed as though everyone I spoke to is coming to France in 3 weeks!

Stuntman

Me too, I rode the 127 miler as my first sportive. Worked with a mate for 100 miles to get a good time. Unfortunately my mate had a chain incident as the Torq guys were passing us so we couldn't try and work with them.

It was very well organised, apart from the cheeky head wind they put in at the end. great views, some amazing roads, descents and epic climbs.

Definately going to do another sportive.

Any ideas for one just as good in the south?

Stuntman

Me too, I rode the 127 miler as my first sportive. Worked with a mate for 100 miles to get a good time. Unfortunately my mate had a chain incident as the Torq guys were passing us so we couldn't try and work with them.

It was very well organised, apart from the cheeky head wind they put in at the end. great views, some amazing roads, descents and epic climbs.

Definately going to do another sportive.

Any ideas for one just as good in the south?

phearnde

Shame on me! I only managed the 50 mile route


Respect to all the guys and gals who did the longer routes, particularly the 127 milers at just over 6hrs

Congrats once again to the organisers - keep up the good work

bigpikle

I did the 81 miler as part of a bigger group, and really enjoyed it. Probably my toughest ride to date but enjoyed the climbs and downhills and the final few twists in the route back over Greenham Common were mean :twisted:

Well signed, good route, generally good choice of roads although a little more variety at lunch would have been appreciated - didnt see any sandwiches and it was just cake and flapjack and banana. Didnt stop at either of the other drink stops so cant comment on those.

Big respect to the 127 milers as that would be a really testing ride IMHO. Maybe next year...

cjcp

Stuntman wrote:

Any ideas for one just as good in the south?

I've not done them, so can't vouch for them, but check out the Southern Sportives.

hitthewall

I did 3 of the Southern Sportives last year. All very good. Will be doing their Great Western 83 miler out of Swindon this Sunday. This is a similar route the last years that started near Wantage.

Stuntman

hitthewall wrote:

I did 3 of the Southern Sportives last year. All very good. Will be doing their Great Western 83 miler out of Swindon this Sunday. This is a similar route the last years that started near Wantage.

Excellent, I had found the Great Western Sportive and might try and take on their long route.

Cheers

Just need to buy more fuel now.

izza

I did the 81 mile route and joined a large group. Really enjoyed it and got close to my target time (achieving gold) due to their assistance.

Only factor that stopped me getting gold was my aerial detour into someone's garden at about 40 miles. Sharp right hander and guy in front braked on the gravel and locked up, I had no option but to avoid him and send the bike into someone's garden hedge. Bike stayed in hedge whilst I vaulted over it. No damage to me or my bike and thankfully the chickens in the garden - could have been messy had I landed on one of those!

100 yards later a poor female rider had her own aerial adventure but was not as fortunate as me and hit a car windscreen. Anyone see what happened (I was still picking goose grass out of my gears as I cautiously went by)? Can anyone confirm she was OK?

Thoroughly enjoyed my time in the saddle.

itboffin

Stuntman wrote:

Me too, I rode the 127 miler as my first sportive. Worked with a mate for 100 miles to get a good time. Unfortunately my mate had a chain incident as the Torq guys were passing us so we couldn't try and work with them.

It was very well organised, apart from the cheeky head wind they put in at the end. great views, some amazing roads, descents and epic climbs.

definitely going to do another sportive.

Any ideas for one just as good in the south?

Here's one for the calendar http://readingcyclingclub.com/anthonymaynardsportive/

Stuntman

itboffin wrote:

Stuntman wrote:

Me too, I rode the 127 miler as my first sportive. Worked with a mate for 100 miles to get a good time. Unfortunately my mate had a chain incident as the Torq guys were passing us so we couldn't try and work with them.

It was very well organised, apart from the cheeky head wind they put in at the end. great views, some amazing roads, descents and epic climbs.

definitely going to do another sportive.

Any ideas for one just as good in the south?

Here's one for the calendar http://readingcyclingclub.com/anthonymaynardsportive/

I definately would be doing that but the dates are when I am doing my End to End ride. cheers

Red GT

Had a good ride although I ended-up pulling a few guys around the course as they never really seemed to make it all the way to the front of the group :roll: so I was grateful when I hooked-up with cjcp and JonGinge from this parish. I wasn’t so grateful however when I saw JonGinge accelerating up another climb!

It’s a well organised event and although no single climb is shocking, at over 200K, the distance made it a real challenge. Good luck to all the guys who were off to do the Marmotte, I’ll be heading to the south-west a few weeks later to get humbled by the Tourmalet again.

pauln99

i'm surprised this event hasn't got the props it deserves

great route
great facilities
great feed stations
great signage
great support (mavic)
great website
great results posted the same day of the ride
great weather (not guaranteed each year of course)

congratulations to the organisers

p

jonginge

Red GT wrote:

Had a good ride although I ended-up pulling a few guys around the course as they never really seemed to make it all the way to the front of the group :roll: so I was grateful when I hooked-up with cjcp and JonGinge from this parish. I wasn’t so grateful however when I saw JonGinge accelerating up another climb!

It’s a well organised event and although no single climb is shocking, at over 200K, the distance made it a real challenge. Good luck to all the guys who were off to do the Marmotte, I’ll be heading to the south-west a few weeks later to get humbled by the Tourmalet again.

Good to ride with you Will. There weren't many pulling in our group were there? Oh well. One question I meant to ask: how are those DA wheels you were using? I've got a pair but with one thing and another I've not actually used them yet :oops: Time's running short to make sure they'll be my wheels of choice for the marmotte.

Was a really good event. Well marshalled; well-stocked food stops (even the water stops had food); lovely countryside. We were lucky with the weather, too.

Red GT

Sorry for the late reply, I’ve been out in the States trying to keep up with my DA’s up and down the Appalachians.

I’m a bit fan of these wheels (Dura-Ace 1380), not only are they light, they give a really good ride. I think they are almost the ideal sportive wheel in the fact that they are clinchers (easy inner change), use normal (non-carbon) brake pads so the performance doesn’t deteriorate in the wet and you don’t get punished in cross-winds.

I certainly felt them still ‘spinning-up’ at my normal top-speed in descents, I can’t really back it up but I think they’re worth a few kmph up and down hill.

If I was doing the Marmotte I’d put these on!!

ketsbaia

Red GT wrote:

If I was doing the Marmotte I’d put these on!!

Can I borrow yours, then?