Broken Spoke Sportive - Chester - North Wales

cougie

Did anyone ride this yesterday ? Great event I thought - and fantastic value for money.

£15 for 85 miles and 3 proper tea stops - cakes, biscuits, beans on toast, pasta and a free water bottle. Bargain !

pdstsp

I rode and thought it was generally good event. I have a bit of a quibble over the first climb - very high proportion walking when I was on it on the gravel/tarmac/pothole section near the top (when the gradient is over 20% I like a decent road under the wheels!!), but more of a quibble about the descent which I though was potentially very dangerous. The road was very slippery and very very steep, twisting and narrow - I was glad I'd stopped to let my rims cool down when the tesco delivery van went past!! I spoke to several experience cyclists who all said the same thing. I would do the ride again but would want to see a different route over to Llangollen.

Also what a prat of a farmer who removed the signs near the end - cannot understand what damage 120ish cyclists were doing that led him to these actions - I spoke to a girl at the end who had been shouted at by said farmer when she tried to replace the signs - what a dick.

But, as said above, good value - decent food stops, nice route, showers and knackered - good day out.

redddraggon

What was the route?

cougie

Aah I missed the fun and games with the farmer - what an arse !
Er the route - out of chester and out to shropshire way, and then back into wales and up some nasty climb - summat like pant-yr-dog (approximately).
Apparently the road surface had broken up since the route had originally been scouted out maybe they'll resurface it for next year ? I liked the descent into the back of llangollen - steep as anything and bendy - but I thought the road surface was good there ? I think I may be in the minority though after speaking to others !
Then through llangollen, up the horseshoe, down the nant-y-garth, into ruthin for beans on toast, and then back up the bwlch. Bit tough after a stop ! Then after loggerheads a right up to maeshafn, (that the chester rc guys ahead of me on the climb sailed past) then back thru higher kinnerton and ecclestone to chester.

I thought it was a great route - tough but not stupidly so.

pdstsp

Yeah - agree about the route - really good day out without being an absolute killer - farmer added a couple of miles so I clocked just over 88 and the garmin reckons the max gradient was 31%!!! A different first climb/descent next year would please me - I never felt like letting go of the brakes this time and quite a few got off and walked a bit of it! Cougie you must be one brave man to enjoy that descent - I was quite scared at some points, particularly when the guy in front hit the deck!

Beatmaker

I set of at 9am with the longer route riders but only did the short route due to family commitments later in the day (the short route joined at Ruthin I believe). I thought the route was excellent with a few nice climbs, what I would consider 'rolling'.

I had to turn a couple of signs around near the finish earlier in the day which someone had tried to hide on the opposite side of the posts they were fixed to, I thought it must have been kids but assume it was said farmer.

I emailed Steve yesterday to thank him for an excellent event and I know he has plans to improve on this year already.

cougie

LOL pdstsp - was that a North Ender going down - I know one of my mates did. I did used to race mountain bikes - and they do even stupider descents - so that could explain it. I think he's changing that descent. As my pal said - how the hell did they tarmac that bit of road !

pdstsp

Not a North ender when I was there - guy who was recovering from double knee surgery!! He was suffering from a mechanical on the bottom of the Horsehoe so hope he made it back in the end. Quite some climb for a recovery ride. Love the tarmac line - you can imagine the stuff slipping down the hill.