The big FW

holmeboy

jfw wrote:

FH : When you do a century - how hilly will it be/ how hard will you ride (ie pace compared to target pace?)

HB: you can keep your trashed thighs then! - you recovering?

Won't know till Sunday, been total rest this week.

hammerite

A friend is doing 10 FW in 10 days. He usually runs 10 Windermere marathons in 10 days but has a bad knee at the moment, so while the 10 in 10 marathon event is on he's going to do 10 Fred Witton's!

http://10fw-in-10.blogspot.com/

Fat Head

jfw, it's hilly where I live so a four hour ride will typically include 4500 feet of climbing according to garmin data. a 6 hour ride or a century would typically be at least 5500 pushing north of 6000 if certain routes are used.

effort for these would generally be the same as a sportive (155-160bpm average) although effort is generally more constant compared to a sportive as there is no bunch riding, while in a sportive, certainly the Fred anyway, I will be maxing out big style by the end!

jfw

FH - I ride in the peak - did 49 miles today with 4500 feet (garmin data - prob more like 5000 memory map)

how does your average effort HR compare to your max?

Hammerite for someone like me - for whom 1 FW seems an almighty challenge -10 in 10 days seems crazy (though i guess the pressure to do your best time isn't there - but even so!)

holmeboy

holmeboy wrote:

jfw wrote:

FH : When you do a century - how hilly will it be/ how hard will you ride (ie pace compared to target pace?)

HB: you can keep your trashed thighs then! - you recovering?

Won't know till Sunday, been total rest this week.

OH SH*T I'M IN!
Havent done nearly enough miles, what am I to do?

Brian B

I got in too and raised cash for charity into the bargain. I am off to the L Loop this Sunday and will test my fitness on Hardknott. Think I am going well but suffered on this route last year with cramping but still managed to cycle all and do it in 5hrs.

Aiming for a slightly better time this year in the LL and Fred(if possible as I really pushed my self on the Fred last year) as I think I am going better this year.

AndyD2574

Well.................registration pack arrived so all real now.
Only 5 more sleeps!

Anyone know teh long range weather forecast?

glasgowbhoy

AndyD2574 wrote:

Well.................registration pack arrived so all real now.
Only 5 more sleeps!

Anyone know teh long range weather forecast?

Heavy rain showers which I hope prove wrong as those descents on the Lakeland Loop were really sketchy in the dry!

AndyD2574

Glasgowbhoy wrote:

AndyD2574 wrote:

Well.................registration pack arrived so all real now.
Only 5 more sleeps!

Anyone know teh long range weather forecast?

Heavy rain showers which I hope prove wrong as those descents on the Lakeland Loop were really sketchy in the dry!

Heres hoping.......have been spoilt with teh weather for the Loop and FW last year and this!

Dont fancy those hairpins in the wet!!

maddog 2

anyone with carbon rims is going to be bricking it

Brian B

Lets hope the wind picks up and blows Sunday nights weather a bit quicker in time for the Fred. Dont mind a few showers but not all day rain.

lochindaal

I got a chance to cycle kirk stone this week. Write up on my blog in my signature.
Hope it may be helpful. Enjoy the fred unfortunately I never got in

badgerlurve

how did everyone enjoy today then? i was just hitting newlands when the worst of the weather hit.

glasgowbhoy

What a day! If the course isnt hard enough anyway, the conditions made it much tougher.
Waited till 8am for a break in the torrential rain but wasn't long before I got caught in it.
By the bottom of the winlatter pass I was ready for phoning a taxi. I couldn't feel my toes or hands and was having trouble changing gears/ braking. My teeth were chattering and I couldn't get warm. A few climbs later I was warm again but it had sucked a lot of energy out of me. Climbed hardnott and wrynose with no stops or walking and drilled the final 10 or so miles for a 6.48 finish. Reckon in better conditions might have got closer to 6.30. Next year maybe .......

badgerlurve

Well done Glasgow boy, I did the same as you but didn't drill the last time I kind of limped home! 7:07 for me which I'm happy enough with. Etape du dales next weekend I hope it's not as hard as today and if it is I hope the weather is A LOT better.

racetog

My mate had a camera at Ullswater and I had mine at 25miles.
see our photos at

www.athletesinaction.co.uk

Brian B

Glasgow Bhoy and Badgerlurve both bloody good times. I was 7.37 this year and 10mins slower than last year but given how many time I had to stop put jacket on/off etc would have easily been that and the weather really WAS a factor - really bad conditions.

I was on Newlands when the sleet/hail whatever it was came on and then it rained for another 2hrs or so but it was raining heavy at times from the start really with a break in the weather for an hour or so. The wind was also quite strong at times and I think with good condition could I get to 7:15 if I really pushed it like I did today

I never had to walk though but suffered a bit on the top of Hardknott as I really dug deep today to get a similar time as last year despite the awful conditions. Felt ok at the end but I always loose time after Hardknott as I have put so much into getting up that I suffer the rest off the route home.

Saw that Dobbin bloke pass me on Hardknott and he was on a 39/25 set up but he was on the 21 and he was flying - I was plodding in comparison but gave him a shout off encouragement as he deserevd it.

tarquin_foxglove

A girl at work was driving down the descent from the Kirkstone pass yesterday & said she came across the aftermath of a couple of accidents, one looked like a cyclist and car had collided head on.

Hope it wasn't serious and all are well.

HOOFRACE

Hello
All
What a day!
Set off at about 8.20. I didn get wet till the bottom of honister. then the heavens opened.
I was 10 mints slower to Buttamere than the last time I did the event. I was on my own along the A66. Picked up a group after Whinlatter and was 8 mints slower at Calder bridge. Finished with a 7.22, three mints slower than the last time I did it. So not bad considering the conditions. It was dangerous on the descents. I saw one bike at the side of the road with a back wheel at 90 deg bent. I think that was on Kirkstone or Honister not sure it a bit of a blur. Hope he/she is ok. Next year sub 7. 3rd time lucky!

Phoenix flyer

Hats off to everyone who gets up Hardknott, my 2nd attempt and this time failed 'cause someone decided to zig zag across my path and knock me off, gutted, as it's so hard to get back on!!
Why don't people relaise there are others trying to get up and zig zagging is just selfish.

badgerlurve

You can't help zig zaging if your finding it hard

Phoenix flyer

No thought for others then ?
It's a lot harder getting knocked off.

Brian B

Read this guys blog and though I would share: It pretty much sums up the day

http://road.cc/content/feature/35389-fr ... no-fun-sun

rolf_f

Brian B wrote:

Read this guys blog and though I would share: It pretty much sums up the day

http://road.cc/content/feature/35389-fr ... no-fun-sun

Interesting - sounds like he was pretty close to me en-route. Liking the sound of his gearing as well!!

Phoenix flyer wrote:

Hats off to everyone who gets up Hardknott, my 2nd attempt and this time failed 'cause someone decided to zig zag across my path and knock me off, gutted, as it's so hard to get back on!!
Why don't people relaise there are others trying to get up and zig zagging is just selfish.

If they could get up zig zagging then hats off to them indeed. It is a bit annoying (I had some of that to avoid on Honister but I couldn't keep the pedals turning on Hardknott) but it's tough. I'm sorry you got knocked off but if you don't want to have to worry about what other riders are going to do, don't ride a sportive with 1400 entries.

A relatively humble 8:22 here for my first attempt. Aside from group riding and lower gears, I'm not sure what I could have done to improve on that! Pedalling time was about 7:44.

AndyD2574

Very Very Very hard day!!

Thats the coldest I have been on a bike in a long time!! Think I was going slower down the hills than up! Some nasty crashes on thsoe greasy roads.......hope everyone is ok! Saw a real nasty on other side of Honister

Improved on last years time by 25 minutes and got a better average by 1 mph so chuffed as conditions were......brutal!!
Still only managed a 8.50 mind! (riding time was 7.54)

Real achievement I think from everyone!

holmeboy

Hats off to ye All!
9 38 for me, happy Wi that considering lack off training/cycling and dodgy knee. Really wondered what i was doing there the night before as expected to jack in the first 10 miles or so.
Still Hardnought's Eh? Anybody gets up that deserves a Large Golden Medal never mind after 100 Hilly bloody hilly miles.
Suffered from the cold too going over the fell towards Calderbridge, lost feelings in hands, bit worring when you might need them for breaking on the way down.
Seen a guy with an exceedingly buckeled wheel at the food stop, he seemed ok though. Seen quite a few guys abandoning too.
Not my fastest or slowest but it's the most happiest at the finish.
Will I go for it next year, ask me again much later, have to think about a visit to hardnought and try it fresh.

Phoenix flyer

Honister was the most difficult of descents because of the bumps in the road, the bike was leaving the ground far too much!!.

Harder than Sunday is to have a go at climbing Wrynose from the side you came down and descending Hardknott from the side you came up.
A lot more difficult.

jezzers1

hi,managed to get round the fred whitton challenge course in 9 hrs.19mins, and was well chuffed with that, was only my second sportive event, travelled over from teeside at 3am in the pouring rain, and those who done the ride will know it continued for most of the day,really enjoyed the early climbs by far the longest and steepest i had been on, really felt the cold round the 75mile mark and couldnt wait for feed stop number 2, got refuelled and off we went again,had never seen hardknott or wrynose before, and the first glimpse is awesome, came a cropper on the cattlegrid as did about 20 others i was informed, but got back on and continued, didnt make it all the way up hardknott but sure gave it my best shot, and hope to get further next time, wrynose was the same for me i fell short by about 100 mtrs by which time i was well nackered,the descents terrified me lol, but down i went, with a big grin as i completed the challenge,route was well singposted, organisation re toilets feed stations registration etc was excellent, and fantastic to see people enroute offering support and engouragement, big thanks to young matty my coach, for getting me up to spec for the challange, hoping for a bettertime next year, must get up hardknott before my 60th cheers