Is this the Top Dog for 2011?

parky53

I did the Fred and Le Terrier this year (injured runner 3 years cycling experience and 57yrs old). I managed to scrape under 8hrs for the Fred (14mph av. speed) but was significantly slower on Le Terrier despite it being only 77 miles and I was trying just as hard. The venue, route, scenery and organisation are great and I found the terrain of the last 15 miles of the Terrier harder than the last 15 on the Fred (and yes, I did get up Hardknott/Wrynose without walking).

With Le Terrier now extended to 102 miles it is a genuine challenge and is top of my list for 2011. The people who organise it are the genuine article and mean well even though some of the posts haven't come across too well, and if I was putting on an event it would be the sort of thing I would want to achieve.

This is a *genuinely* unsolicited "plug" based on my experience of doing the event and I am in no way connected to the organisers - either as individuals or as a club.

See you all there!

KEITH

Tom Butcher

I don't mind people plugging non profit making events on here - it's no different to someone appealing for entries to a road race. OK so perhaps the OP could have been a little more up front that it was his event but I don't think he was really trying to hide it was he - did anyone not realise ? What Bike Radar's policy is on this I don't know - of course if people are making money from something they should pay to advertise.

Anyway back to the event - what are the hills like - gradients? many real set piece climbs or just a lot of up and down all day ?

parky53

Tom Butcher wrote:

Anyway back to the event - what are the hills like - gradients? many real set piece climbs or just a lot of up and down all day ?

Very much in the "lots of ups and downs all day" department, with the biggest at the end from Wray onwards. The gated roads of Roeburndale are very steep (25%+?) and more cyclo-cross than road riding. The Scout Camp climb is a mini-monster. Too many climbs to mention.

To be honest, I lost track of where I was and just got on with the relentless climbing along endless quiet lanes. I find this pattern more exhausting than putting most of the climbing into a few ultra-steep "signature climbs".

By the way, I've just entered and I'm the first on the list!

KEITH

ColinJ

I think it would probably be a good idea if young dog went back and edited the original post and introduced himself properly, but that aside, the route looks rather splendid.

I've ridden large chunks of it at various times and it covers one of my favourite areas for cycling. In fact I've been up there twice in the past 3 weeks.

On Sunday a group of us rode down the steep descent from Cow Ark to Whitewell and encountered other cyclists grovelling up in the direction that Le Terrier takes you. That one is a testing little climb. So is the one from Quernmore. Oh, and the ones from Slaidburn, and...

parky53 wrote:

Very much in the "lots of ups and downs all day" department, with the biggest at the end from Wray onwards. The gated roads of Roeburndale are very steep (25%+?) and more cyclo-cross than road riding. The Scout Camp climb is a mini-monster.

I was wondering why I'd never ridden that section before but when I checked my OS map, I saw there is no official road though from Salter. Google Street View only goes as far as the first gate. I think I'll have to go and check it out in the Spring!

Bikiebob

Tom Butcher wrote:

Interested in this one - how much is entry and is the route easy to follow and/or very well signed ? I don't mind avoiding A roads but personally I don't like sportives where you are forever looking out for the next turn.

Hi, Bikiebob here AKA Bob Muir.

I'm resposible for the website www.le-terrier.co.uk (live but still a work in progress!)

I think the route is well signposted but then I would say that as I spent nearly two days putting out signs last year and a day collecting them in!

I also prepare a pocket sized route card for each course which gives turn by turn directions.

I think with the changes we have made to the courses this year we have made a great event better!!

young dog

Thanks for the kind words and confirmation of what I have said. I wish that I had worded my 1st post differently and have previously apologised. It was meant to provoke a response, but I was being a bit tongue in cheek; Top Dog - Le terrier. Yea, not that funny eh?
We are not the biggest club, we cannot afford huge advertising costs, we just want to put on the best sportive and all the money that we make goes to charity.
Colin J, did I chat with you on the road up to Cross o Greet 3 weeks ago?
My best description of the terrain is this;
Imagine sand spread flatly. Take your fingers and scrape through it, leaving furrows. If you ride with the furrows is one thing. Riding across them will be difficult. Riding a circular route will be very hard.
I believe our route will be 'top dog' based on the ave ride speed. I will bet that none of the top riders will get over 20mph as they do with the other difficult rides.
Now is not the time to discuss Le Terrier- Le Olympian 2012 is it? 2 routes up a grade from this.

Garz

Sounds good then. Just have to make sure im fit enough :shock:

bam49

fair play to young dog & co for putting on what seems like a great event ..Might have rubbed folk up the wrong way with the 'hardest ' talk but he is only trying to generate a fair bit of interest, thats how it came across to me. Have you settled on an entry fee ? even though its for charity I hope it is not too much.. I think some of the pure commercial sportives are taking the p*ss a bit really with the steep entry fees.. I want to do the Etape du Dales ( 5th time), the Rydale Rumble ( 1st time), and this as it does look really good. It gets a bit pricey though with entry fees, travelling from the SE + b&b costs...

Brian B

What are the road surfaces like on this route - that can make or break it for me??

parky53

Brian B wrote:

What are the road surfaces like on this route - that can make or break it for me??

Apart from the couple of miles of gated roads at Roeburndale all the surfaces are OK. The gated roads are poor - disintegrating tarmac - but you will be going very slow over them so it doesn't really matter. Put plenty of air in your tyres and you'll be OK. I am sure you will like this one Brian - get in there!

KEITH

ColinJ

young dog wrote:

.
Colin J, did I chat with you on the road up to Cross o Greet 3 weeks ago?

No, t'weren't me - I haven't ridden up there since the Pendle Pedal a couple of years ago.

3 weeks ago, we rode over Waddington Fell to Newton, round to the Riverside Cafe at Slaidburn and then headed South again.

I do like the Cross o Greet though!

Brian B

parky53 wrote:

Brian B wrote:

What are the road surfaces like on this route - that can make or break it for me??

Apart from the couple of miles of gated roads at Roeburndale all the surfaces are OK. The gated roads are poor - disintegrating tarmac - but you will be going very slow over them so it doesn't really matter. Put plenty of air in your tyres and you'll be OK. I am sure you will like this one Brian - get in there!

KEITH

Thank Keith - I'm dead cert for entering now

Jonny7c

Hi, I'm new to this forum but picked up on Le Terrier thread and thought i'd contribute. I'd agree with most of what's gone before i.e. no single killer climbs but it really is relentless up and down for the whole route with some very short sharp climbs one after another in the last quarter.

This was definitely the toughest sportive I did last year and not helped by the fact that the first feed station was not in position when the early starters (including me) passed through. But apart from that the organisation was good with decent visible signage and timing.

I've not done FW but struggled pathetically on Wrynose pass this summer so my feeling would be that Le Terrier would not be as difficult as FW. However, my physique is far from that of a climber so maybe it's just that i'm no good on much longer climbs than those included on Le Terrier.

The roads were very very quiet which was one of the best features of the ride and as the OP says although groups form initially they soon seemed to break up and I rode the vast majority alone. Would still recommend it though.

donkykong

i love a tough hilly cycle sportive, sure ure legs are gonna hurt, thats what you pay your money for plus its a great day out rain or shine. and you can bet your bottom dollar that when you get back to the HQ theres always some moaners, saying they don,t like hills and they suffered like dogs, - wuff wuff, grab a cuppa & a cake and quit wimping ... :twisted:

young dog

Ah but Jonny7c, you only rode the 77mile route which is not harder that The Fred.
This years 102mile HC route is a different kettl of fish altogether. 25 miles of Terrier countryt before you turn left in Wray for the hardest finish. Glad you liked the routes.

Jonny7c

young dog wrote:

Ah but Jonny7c, you only rode the 77mile route which is not harder that The Fred.
This years 102mile HC route is a different kettl of fish altogether. 25 miles of Terrier countryt before you turn left in Wray for the hardest finish. Glad you liked the routes.

Even with an extra 25 miles I'd be surprised if the ride could be tougher than any ride that includes Wrynose and Hardknott (and numerous other lengthy climbs). Especially for an average sportive rider.

I'm hoping to do the HC route this year though so will happily eat my words in June if proved wrong.

young dog

Jonny.
It will be me eating my words and eating the biggest piece of humble pie.
The consensus amongst us is that The Fred has a lot of signature climbs, but also a lot of very easy miles as well.
We think that ours is the more difficult because it is completely unrelenting.

Variance

I had planned on doing this but am now doing the C2C that weekend. I live in scorton so know the roads well. I also work in kendal so know the roads in the lakes pretty well too.

Imo Le terrier seems more intense without any MASSIVE climbs but also with out any mileage on main roads.

Can't say which is tougher but would like to have a go at both

DaveMoss

If you want a really hard sportive, enter your local event, keep off the bike for 3 months and put on loads of weight. Then ride it on a mountain bike with knobbly tyres and only blown up to 20 psi.