South-West TourRide vs. Tour of Dartmoor

TheDrunkMonk

Hi guys/gals

I know this can be hard to answer, but have any of you that rode the 110 mile TourRide the other day, also ridden the Tour of Dartmoor 106 miler? I'm trying to get a comparison of the difficulty.
I've been doing 60-70 mile sportives for a few years. Always a bit tubby, I guess I'd always called myself an enthusiastic commuter. I've tried to take this year a bit more seriously, but still only done 3 x 100+ milers (all this year) . I did the TourRide and I didn't struggle too much, but I have memories of doing the 85 mile short Tour of Dartmoor when I was just starting out, and it's still the toughest day I've had on a bike. Obviously I'm a bit fitter now, but how would it compare to the TourRide?

vs

Tour ride was fairly easy in comparison. Tour of Dartmoor is way, way harder... more comparable to The Black Rat North Devon which is harder still...hope that gives you an idea

TheDrunkMonk

Oh...

matt581

vs wrote:

Tour ride was fairly easy in comparison. Tour of Dartmoor is way, way harder... more comparable to The Black Rat North Devon which is harder still...hope that gives you an idea

I'm doing the Tour of Dartmoor this Saturday as my first sportive. Wish I hadn't read this!!! :shock: lol

vs

Well, be prepared for perhaps the hardest start to any sportive. If it is the same course as the last couple of years there is a 25% hill in the first couple of miles which catches everyone out; it's the only sportive where I have seen people walking so very soon. Then it continues to climb on to the moor; if I remember rightly there is 1500 feet of climbing in the first 10 miles. However it's a rewarding ride to complete. Good luck!

shakey88

I thought the tour of dartmoor was fairly easy compared to the tour ride.
horses for courses i s'pose 8)

vs

SERIOUSLY!!!!

AND YOU'VE REALLY DONE BOTH?

You're not talking about the far easier Dartmoor Classic?

BTW many walkers did you see in the first 2 miles of the tour ride?

TheDrunkMonk

I remember that start. I was looking at the mate I was riding with wondering if he'd get violent if I'd quit and left him to it in the first 3 miles.

stfc1

Tour of Dartmoor is no easy day on the bike, that's for sure. Especially if you've eased off a bit since the height of summer

alex1

i did the tour ride and the black rat which are both 100+milers the black rat is much much much hader than the south west stage. alot harder than most because im 16!! :!:

TheDrunkMonk

I can now completely agree with vs, it doesn't even compare. The last 25 miles felt as bad as when I did the 85 miler, all energy gone, my right knee burning inside (might get that checked out), stupidly watching the miles tick slowly away on my computer.

It's a brute. I think other than the actual physical effort of going up the hills, the fact there are so many of them and they're so varied, it's very hard to find your rhythm. It's also SO up and down, you have limited opportunities to eat and drink as you might on easier courses, I think that played a part.

My conclusions. If your a beginner or an 'improver' like myself, be prepared for a gruelling day in the saddle.

Shock and negativity over: Sense of acheivement for finishing, near perfect weather (little nippy), well organised and what a fantastic peice on Britain to cycle through. Going for a gold time next year, chortle.

vs

There you go. Some think that because the pros ride a course and they say it's the hardest of the TOB it's somehow comparable to these sportve rides. The fact is they wouldn't send the pros over these kind of courses. They have to ride day in day out and are used to rhythm riding, whether on the flat or up an alpine pass, these rides would just be too much out of their comfort zone.

I rode under 6.30 for the 106 mile ride and it was hard. The block head wind didn't help any. The first 7 miles are brutal, 1500+ feet of very steep climbing in these 7 miles, then all you have to do is ride a century

Congrats drunkmonk for completing the whole course, the 20 mile extra loop seemed endless ridden alone I know that, also I think many had had enough and took the 85 mile route. Well done indeed. For a even tougher challenge try The Black Rat!

TheDrunkMonk

I rode under 6.30 for the 106 mile ride and it was hard.

Excuse the public mutual back slapping, but having experienced it.... 6.5 hours that's some feat. :shock: I noticed that to get a gold time you have to come under that, which again I can't imagine. But the Gold/Silver/Bronze table's got 'Tour of Wessex' next to it, which was my first 100+ this year, and like the TourRide, it doesn't compare. Loads of flats breaking up the hills, and not half as 'choppy' (can't think of a better way to describe them)

Anyhows, Chapeau Vs!

vs

yeah, the standards were tough but as I'm 46 I managed a gold for getting under 6.5. I have to say I felt tired on my recovery ride today!!

shakey88

If it's a proper 'ard sportive you're looking for,try the dave lloyd mega challenge.
It'll put hairs on your chest

vs

But you thought the tour ride was hard?

Seriously though the DLMC is a long ride but the climbs are longer and steadier and allow for more rhythm than the likes of TOD or BR in which the hills are more numerous and much steeper and make for a more 'choppy' ride as drunkmonk says.

bam49

well that was the 4th T of D for me and it seemed the hardest of the lot . Not sure if there were any significant route changes to the 106 ml route ( the feed zones were in diff positions ),that added to the climbing or whether it was all in my head !
Low number of entrants combined with strong northerly winds made for a tough, lonely day on the bike.. I did the last 15 or 20 miles on my own and it seemed like prob the toughest day out on the bike for me this year - and I have been going q well ..I clocked 6:46 for the 106, same as last year but I'm convinced they made it harder !. I must e mail Pendragon to find out about the route..
One good thing is I now know exactly where the killer climb is on this ride...It was the 2nd steep one, within first 5 miles ..on the main little road/ climb from Ashburton onto Princetown / the moor , there is a right hand turn on a bend, few hundred yards down this road, follow sign for Buckland on the moor. Road goes to a house then starts to go up under the trees - this climb must easily get to 25% in places, and surely averages well over 20% ? goes on for a while too :oops: I did not see anyone fall over on it this year but it normally claims a few victims every time...
well done to all who took part

vs

Having also ridden T of D 3 times before the route seemed very familiar but It felt harder for sure this year. I was about 20 minutes behind last years' time despite feeling good. Strong enough to drop one of the 'elite' Pendragon boys on two consecutive climbs around Princetown. I won't say who to spare his blushes, but I didn't see him again after I dropped him for the second time.

He was the last person I saw until I passed a few '85ers' towards the end. Not sure how far it was from Princetown to the finish but it seemed like an eternity on my own. In fact I think I probably rode about 90% of the whole course on my tod, just picking up the odd person/small group on some of the 'flatter' bits then losing them on the next climb.

A tough day!

bam49

oh well , if you say course was much the same I guess it was - must have been my head playing tricks with me on those quiet roads from Newton Ferrers to the end.. there must have been about 50 miles between Princetown and the end I think..
sounds like you must be going pretty good vs , well done !

davoraph

i rode the todm last year got round in under 8 hours which aint bad for me this year this year i was hoping for about 7 30 which i managed but only for the 85 miles instead of the 100 i was supposed to do a stinking cold last week meant as soon as i hit the first climb my legs didnt have any power at all just about managed to grovel my way round still enjoyed it though better than working any day its a cracking route way tougher than dartmoor classic

bam49

hi davoraph, welcome to the forum and well done for completing the 85 ml Tour soon after a cold ! I felt pretty good on the first few steep climbs soon after the start - I do not think I could go on if I had felt way down on power on the first climb , as I know how hard the course is....