Evans Hatfield Ride-It Sportive tomorrow (June 12) anyone?

optimisticbiker

Just making a last minute decision whether to ride this tomorrow... its 11.5miles to the start from home, then thinking of doing the 30miler (actually 27.5) so making it a nice 50mile day in some 4.5hrs inc stops. Would do the longer '60' but that will mean finishing & riding home in pouring rain and missing the start of the Canadian GP.

Anyone else planning to be there?

ForumNewbie

It would be better to take your bike there in the car if possible and do the 60 miler, which will be the Medium ride. I've done an Evans Sportive a few months ago and the majority of people seemed to go for the Medium Ride. The Long route was for the really serious riders and I got the impression that the Short route was mostly rode by beginners or families looking at the average times afterwards.

My Medium route was a hilly 56 miles and a real good challenge, so I took the car the 10 miles there and back .

optimisticbiker

ForumNewbie wrote:

It would be better to take your bike there in the car if possible and do the 60 miler, which will be the Medium ride. I've done an Evans Sportive a few months ago and the majority of people seemed to go for the Medium Ride. The Long route was for the really serious riders and I got the impression that the Short route was mostly rode by beginners or families looking at the average times afterwards.

My Medium route was a hilly 56 miles and a real good challenge, so I took the car the 10 miles there and back .

Yes i thought about that, but means faffing with the bike rack and stuff... not made a final decision yet...

CiB

Didn't know about this. At v short notice I plan to be there, despite the late hour. Look for a yellow & black BMC & a Phil Corley top + red Goretex jacket. Rain? It's only water.

optimisticbiker

@CiB decided to do the 60miler

plan to be there for early start, look for red top/black short & red goretex jacket. going to pretend its not going to rain til after i finish... light rain forecast for 1pm, heavy at 4

targetting 5 - 5.5h so doubt i'll keep up with you.... its a bit of step up for me...

CiB

Just got back. Didn't start till 9:48, finished at about 1:50 which usually would be disappointing but given the hills over the last 15 miles plus the wind & rain and a slow flat (pumped it up 3 times). I'm relaxed about it.

Very good event though and very sociable. Thanks for flagging it up.

optimisticbiker

Hi CiB, missed you there but then I started at 8:39, finished at 1:17, moving time was 4:04. I agree weather was atrocious and whoever said that was flat..... my garmin recorded Holy Cross Hill (at 77km) as 22% & the only one I had to walk a small section tho! But even the smaller hills at the end were punishing... for me anyway...

Also missed a turn so a small group of us went via Bramfield rather than Tewin - meant crossing a few more contour lines... so the official route was 87.8km and 719m climb and I did 89.1km and 952m climb, but I am more than happy with it given the weather...

Was very sociable, had some good chats at the food station. Hot drink there would have been nice tho...

You can't live too far away from Brookman's Park then if you were back that quick..

ForumNewbie

OptimisticBiker wrote:

Hi CiB, missed you there but then I started at 8:39, finished at 1:17, moving time was 4:04. I agree weather was atrocious and whoever said that was flat..... my garmin recorded Holy Cross Hill (at 77km) as 22% & the only one I had to walk a small section tho! But even the smaller hills at the end were punishing... for me anyway...

Also missed a turn so a small group of us went via Bramfield rather than Tewin - meant crossing a few more contour lines... so the official route was 87.8km and 719m climb and I did 89.1km and 952m climb, but I am more than happy with it given the weather...

Was very sociable, had some good chats at the food station. Hot drink there would have been nice tho...

You can't live too far away from Brookman's Park then if you were back that quick..

Well done - I see you opted for the Medium Route rather than the Short Route you were considering. I assume you put the bike on the rack after all rather than cycling there and back.

itboffin

mods mods mods they posted in the wrong section of the forum, ban them ban them both and remove all of CIB miles from the stats :twisted:

:roll:

optimisticbiker

ForumNewbie wrote:

Well done - I see you opted for the Medium Route rather than the Short Route you were considering. I assume you put the bike on the rack after all rather than cycling there and back.

Thanks. Yes I did in the end... decided it was more of a challenge... and it was...

CiB

itboffin wrote:

mods mods mods they posted in the wrong section of the forum, ban them ban them both and remove all of CIB miles from the stats :twisted:

:roll:

Oi. I'm self-appointed numbers man. I'll do the undoing, if it's merited. Kuh eh? Kuh.

Good do yesterday, but it took it out of me. I registered 56.6 miles in 3:44:02 on the bike. I don't count time spent gassing at cake halts or blowing the tyre up again.

Nice touch at the finish - a garden hose to rinse the bike down. It's amazing how much black water collects on the rims, the frame etc. Plus my bike has a design flaw with the fancy seat post that means the frame collects water, then when the seat comes out to put the bike in the boot, a pint of dirty water falls out. And when it goes on the workstand in the garage for a sort out later a further steady trickle comes out. Thus, the uberbike weighs twice as much at the finish due to it lugging a few pints of rain around inside. Tsssk.