Dragon Ride 200 km!

on-yer-bike

Has anybody been put off by this new distance? Last two years was pretty tough but this will be very demanding.

acidstrato

more put off by the new route, still tempted tho

Philip Whiteman

As somebody who likes the challenge of audax events and feels that cyclosportives can be a little too easy for me personally, this sportive distance sounds just up my street. Bring it on :twisted:

nickwill

I've really enjoyed the Dragon Ride over the last couple of years, but even with the added distance this will surely be one of the easier hilly sportives. Having said that, when a route is easier it often means that you ride it harder.

Brakeless

IT's not the distance thats off putting. It's the thought of queing for an hour to get through a pedestrian 'width restriction' at the start.

Ron Stuart

You might as well save yourself a lot of money and do this......
Wye Around Epyynt Audax 204k 3050m climb similar part of the world a couple of weeks later! £4.50 to enter instead of £30.
For some reason entries for the Dragon Ride have been going on the black market for over £50 last year.. nuts! and for £4.50 and the weather is rubbish you can have a clear conscience staying at home.

Brakeless

Ron Stuart wrote:

You might as well save yourself a lot of money and do this......
Wye Around Epyynt Audax 204k 3050m climb similar part of the world a couple of weeks later! £4.50 to enter instead of £30.
For some reason entries for the Dragon Ride have been going on the black market for over £50 last year.. nuts! and for £4.50 and the weather is rubbish you can have a clear conscience staying at home.

I'll think about it. I may be able to grow a decent beard by then

acidstrato

ofcourse another problem with the dragon ride is the food/drink dilemma. do you take your fair share and have a guilt free conscience but risk losing out later on or do you stock up on as much as you can carry at the first stop, becoming one of those you despise?

Ron Stuart

acidstrato wrote:

ofcourse another problem with the dragon ride is the food/drink dilemma. do you take your fair share and have a guilt free conscience but risk losing out later on or do you stock up on as much as you can carry at the first stop, becoming one of those you despise?

Think you answered your own question with "take your fair share" that should be what is expected of you. Let the organizes if they know what their doing fret over what a fair share is. You shouldn't need to take along arm fulls of energy foods from the feeds if you have started with the right amount of drink/feed and just use the feeds to top-up your requirements. The organizers should take special notice of fluid requirements on hot days and riders can get cramps by drinking too much plain water on hot days, this just washes out minerals and salts.
Training isn't just about banging in loads of hilly miles it's about finding out what your body ideally requires in the way of re hydration and feed to sustain optimum performance, remember, if you load your bike/self with loads of extra food/fluid it's got to lugged up all the inclines during the event.
I have seen often guys arriving at feeds on very nice £4000 or so bikes ultra light with all the right kit but still having what equates to 1 or so large biddons of fluid left in them around 1kg of weight in them more than their frames weigh. Now you should always have some spare fluid of course but why not take on some extra fluid at the feed and re-top up your biddon before leaving. The feed is still the best place to take on the gels and you don't really need them until 75% or so into the ride and please don't just chuck the empty rappers, we need as few grounds for complaint from the general public as possible.

Chiggy

Fair Share?

About 60 kCals/mile in my estimations.

For the cost of some Sportives, the 'Fair share' should be handed out in mussette bags with the ride's name printed on the side.

If some Audax organisers can give away bidons, a cloth bag shouldn't be too much to ask.

vorsprung

it clashes with my Audax, the Avalon Sunrise 400km. Technically this will all be over by 1:30am Sunday but staying up half the night welcoming back the finishers isn't the best way to prepare for a ride the next day

acidstrato

Ron Stuart wrote:

acidstrato wrote:

ofcourse another problem with the dragon ride is the food/drink dilemma. do you take your fair share and have a guilt free conscience but risk losing out later on or do you stock up on as much as you can carry at the first stop, becoming one of those you despise?

Think you answered your own question with "take your fair share" that should be what is expected of you. Let the organizes if they know what their doing fret over what a fair share is. You shouldn't need to take along arm fulls of energy foods from the feeds if you have started with the right amount of drink/feed and just use the feeds to top-up your requirements. The organizers should take special notice of fluid requirements on hot days and riders can get cramps by drinking too much plain water on hot days, this just washes out minerals and salts.
Training isn't just about banging in loads of hilly miles it's about finding out what your body ideally requires in the way of re hydration and feed to sustain optimum performance, remember, if you load your bike/self with loads of extra food/fluid it's got to lugged up all the inclines during the event.
I have seen often guys arriving at feeds on very nice £4000 or so bikes ultra light with all the right kit but still having what equates to 1 or so large biddons of fluid left in them around 1kg of weight in them more than their frames weigh. Now you should always have some spare fluid of course but why not take on some extra fluid at the feed and re-top up your biddon before leaving. The feed is still the best place to take on the gels and you don't really need them until 75% or so into the ride and please don't just chuck the empty rappers, we need as few grounds for complaint from the general public as possible.

I only wish that were the case...unfortunatly last year people clearly took more than they required to last them the 25-30miles between feed stop 1 and feed stop 2. They did this either because they felt they best take it while they could, or because they were taking them home after the event. The latter is what i believe.

acidstrato

my 2010 dragon ride...
first feed stop, i took 2 gels, banana, cup cake 2 drink mixtures
second feed stop, 1 gel, nana 1 drink mix and filled 1 bottle just water
third stop, a nana, no gels, no drink mixes

thank fuck i took my own stuff too or the 120miles would have been much more painfull! and i was one of the early riders, poor bastards who arrived at stop 2 to find them empty of energy food and drinks

Ron Stuart

acidstrato wrote:

my 2010 dragon ride...
first feed stop, i took 2 gels, banana, cup cake 2 drink mixtures
second feed stop, 1 gel, nana 1 drink mix and filled 1 bottle just water
third stop, a nana, no gels, no drink mixes

thank fark i took my own stuff too or the 120miles would have been much more painfull! and i was one of the early riders, poor bastards who arrived at stop 2 to find them empty of energy food and drinks

Not sure if the reason why at the third stop you only took a nana was because that's all there was or you were into your own reserves?
However, as far as advise is concerned to all that may read this it wise too take reserves as your experience seems to highlight.
I would not be taking gels (no matter what the sales pitch tells you) so soon into this type of event, better to take on solids some of which may have slow release sugars (dried fruit eg) fig biscuits work well pop a few in the pocket to munch as you go, savory stuff works well as a base for gels later in the ride. Stay away from anything too sugary in the first half of the event as this just gives a spike that burns the carbos and is likely to accelerate the depletion of stored reserves. You should be looking to as far as possible spread your energy expenditure equally throughout the event. Take the gels later with plain water plus a nuun tablet on a hot day.
As for the numb nuts taking stuff home well unfortunately we have a nation that is more self-centered than ever but there is an answer to this which is unfortunate and I have witnessed it being done and it is for the organizers to hand out at the feeds the solids/gels and ration them to what is reasonable (max 2 at a time for gels), the gels are what people would take home not cakes or bruised bananas. Water should be in abundance on a hot day and I doubt if that is taken home. Take your own powder with you sufficient for the whole ride and mix that with water for your liquid fuel, this is recommend as your stomach may not like the particular stuff presented and/or the proportions that it has been mixed.
Lastly have you made your experiences known to the organizes, most aren't city bankers and do care if there has been problems with their event.

acidstrato

yes they ran out, there was a massive deal made about it during the days following this years even and Highfive actually made an apology. so many other found the 2nd stop empty towards the latter part of the day which is not what you want. But it was all there for the taking and people just helped themselves. Rationing would be better but requires more man power and time i guess. I always take plenty of my own just for this reason.

its just a shame, tis all.

wicked

Entries now open..........

bendertherobot

I have it on authority that they will be subcontracting the "catering" this year. So should see an improvement.

markyone

wicked wrote:

Entries now open..........

signed up today 200km bring it on,i only live across the water from wales so will be over that bridge doing lots of training.
done it last year good event imo

twotyred

Me too for the 200km. Probably my last event before the Marmotte, looking for a nice long ride so the increased distance is welcome

I have it on authority that they will be subcontracting the "catering" this year. So should see an improvement

Hope so for over £30 entry!

markyone

acidstrato wrote:

my 2010 dragon ride...
first feed stop, i took 2 gels, banana, cup cake 2 drink mixtures
second feed stop, 1 gel, nana 1 drink mix and filled 1 bottle just water
third stop, a nana, no gels, no drink mixes

thank fark i took my own stuff too or the 120miles would have been much more painfull! and i was one of the early riders, poor bastards who arrived at stop 2 to find them empty of energy food and drinks

Need to get out early imo we were 3rd in cue for car park and when we rode out on our bikes the cue was way back to motorway and beyond to bridgend.

Ron Stuart

markyone wrote:

acidstrato wrote:

my 2010 dragon ride...
first feed stop, i took 2 gels, banana, cup cake 2 drink mixtures
second feed stop, 1 gel, nana 1 drink mix and filled 1 bottle just water
third stop, a nana, no gels, no drink mixes

thank fark i took my own stuff too or the 120miles would have been much more painfull! and i was one of the early riders, poor bastards who arrived at stop 2 to find them empty of energy food and drinks

Need to get out early imo we were 3rd in cue for car park and when we rode out on our bikes the cue was way back to motorway and beyond to bridgend.

You guys make the event sound well worth missing or is that the idea :shock: :?:

acidstrato

nah its a good event, bwlch and rhigos climbs are decent challenges and the scenary is 2nd to none! I thoroghly enjoyed last year. was just dissappointed in the odd few taking far moredrink mixes/gels than were required at the feed stops and High5 couldnt cope. there was plenty of fruit and savories though

i think ill sign up again for this year

bendertherobot

I would like to, again state, that I live 500 yards from the start

BigDarbs

Completely sold out in a matter of hours!

Dragons Eye

bendertherobot wrote:

I would like to, again state, that I live 500 yards from the start

Very handy that - don't ever move

Casbar

bendertherobot wrote:

I would like to, again state, that I live 500 yards from the start

Do you live in the Travelodge ?

Pirahna

With respect to feed stops, am I missing something by carrying my own grub? The only thing I use them for is water.

sampras38

acidstrato wrote:

Ron Stuart wrote:

acidstrato wrote:

ofcourse another problem with the dragon ride is the food/drink dilemma. do you take your fair share and have a guilt free conscience but risk losing out later on or do you stock up on as much as you can carry at the first stop, becoming one of those you despise?

Think you answered your own question with "take your fair share" that should be what is expected of you. Let the organizes if they know what their doing fret over what a fair share is. You shouldn't need to take along arm fulls of energy foods from the feeds if you have started with the right amount of drink/feed and just use the feeds to top-up your requirements. The organizers should take special notice of fluid requirements on hot days and riders can get cramps by drinking too much plain water on hot days, this just washes out minerals and salts.
Training isn't just about banging in loads of hilly miles it's about finding out what your body ideally requires in the way of re hydration and feed to sustain optimum performance, remember, if you load your bike/self with loads of extra food/fluid it's got to lugged up all the inclines during the event.
I have seen often guys arriving at feeds on very nice £4000 or so bikes ultra light with all the right kit but still having what equates to 1 or so large biddons of fluid left in them around 1kg of weight in them more than their frames weigh. Now you should always have some spare fluid of course but why not take on some extra fluid at the feed and re-top up your biddon before leaving. The feed is still the best place to take on the gels and you don't really need them until 75% or so into the ride and please don't just chuck the empty rappers, we need as few grounds for complaint from the general public as possible.

I only wish that were the case...unfortunatly last year people clearly took more than they required to last them the 25-30miles between feed stop 1 and feed stop 2. They did this either because they felt they best take it while they could, or because they were taking them home after the event. The latter is what i believe.

I did the long route last year and they screwed up a little bit with the carb drink and instead of ordering barrells of SIS they had boxes of sachets and people were just taking great handfuls of them. I tend to rely on my own supplies but there was a lot of moaning going on. I think there was even a little apology from the organisers afterwards.

GeorgeShaw

Pirahna wrote:

With respect to feed stops, am I missing something by carrying my own grub? The only thing I use them for is water.

I've always ridden on the basis that unless I know exactly what is provided and feel certain that it will be available, then I take my own. After all, when you're training, you should be testing what kind of food is best for you over that kind of distance - and on the day you want to eat what you're accustomed to eating and know works for you.

Same for drink - I take my own powder in freezer bags and just add water.