Evans Ride It sportive Peak District - this Sunday

snaffledog

Hi

Doing this with work colleague so only doing the short route (30 miles).
I wondered if anybody has any route details, or did the event last year and could give details of the climbs?
On the website it just says heading to Edale, so assume that to be out to Hayfield,Chinley Head,Rushup Edge, then down Mam Nick (then u-turn to retrace our steps back to New Mills)?

Thanks.

rdt

If it follows the longer routes, they've previously gone New Mills, Buxworth (via Dolly Lane), Chinley, Rushup Edge, Mam Nick, Edale, Hope and onwards.

Lasy year, I saw the short ride returning through Dove Holes (then down to Chapel via Meadow Lane/ Long Lane - ie avoiding A6). Not sure how they got to Dove Holes from Hope - maybe via Bradwell?).

As an aside, date-wise it's bad planning by Evans: the Polka Dot / Spud Riley is on the same day, and it has a great route, so I can't see there being too many people on Evans' longer routes.

snaffledog

Thanks alot for the info rdt,
Looks like its going to be better weather than for the 2009 "Spud", torrential rain and cold! :shock:

rdt

How did you get on snaffle?

They seemed to have changed the route a bit this year. Late morning, I came across a number of long route riders going up the Jenkin Chapel to Pym Chair climb - there was a brutal headwind and they'd all cracked and were pushing. This was early on in their route, apparently, so must've been a long day for some of them

snaffledog

Just did the short route, ok apart from that early stretch uphill and down dale on heavily gritted surface, pretty nervous on the descent (I crashed when I hit a stretch of heavy gravel on the road last September in the Cumberland Challenge, breaking collarbone and rib). Would have been bad if it had been wet.

On a few miles between Peak Dale and Peak Forest, there was a proper road race with poilce escort with the main group and marshalls on the junctions, not sure what race it was?

I know the Pym's Chair climb pretty well, so must have been a killer into the headwind, especially the very top steep section where its really exposed to an easterly wind. That would have ripped everybody's legs for the remaining climbs :shock:

Organisation was ok though, signage was reasonable. Its a bit cheaper than other sportives.

rdt

The tar-spraying/gritting of that road was done just a few days before, so that was just bad luck for Evans.

I think the race must have been this:-
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events ... ley-Cycles

Race report:-
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/road/a ... oveholes-0

snaffledog

thanks alot for that rdt.
The race added a bit more interest to the ride, after the main group there were a few solo riders and small groups that passed me that were working really hard to get back on, not sure whether they were simply dropped or had a bit of a prang/mechanical.

Been on the road when a local TT was happening, but not an actual road race.

Not sure whether Evans were aware of the race sharing the same route as this sportive.