Wiggle Super Series Mendip Sportive

notsoblue

Just thought I'd repost this from Commuter Chat...

I did the Wiggle Mendip Sportive on Sunday. The ride was pretty awesome, I'm still buzzing (and hurting) from it. This was the course:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/106693229

I had my sights set on a Gold time, which unfortunately I missed, but this was mainly due to having to go slow or wait at feed stops for my mate. Overall though I'm really quite pleased with my performance. My time was 5:55 which is Silver, but my moving averages suggest gold would have been in my reach (Avg for Gold 16mph+, my moving avg was 16.6mph, and solo sections were 17mph+). I know its not a race, but I like to have targets

The other participants were really friendly, I was riding with this chap from devon for about 40 miles and had a nice chat. We were in a bunch with a load of incredibly fast riders, but managed to keep up. We blasted up Cheddar Gorge thanks to a lovely tailwind, and some competition. It was only once we got to the very top that we realised that the guys we were riding with were on the Standard length which is "only" 70miles so they were pretty much sprinting home stretch. We still had another 40 miles to go! Irregardless, I didn't burn out, so again quite happy with that.

The Sportive was really well organised. Well signposted. Marking up potholes on fast descents was a nice touch too. The feed stops were superb. They were manned by helpful cheery staff. At every stop we could fill up our bidons with energy drink, pick up an energy gel, and scoff flapjacks, fig roles, jelly beans, peanut butter sandwiches and energy bars. In the end I didn't eat any of the food I brought myself. The three stops were spaced pretty evenly so it was possible to pace yourself.

All in all, great fun and I would recommend Wiggle Sportives based on this one.

ADIHEAD

Probably came across you at some point! Did see somebody on a P/ex bike so you never know and we only finished 3mins apart! Here's my Garmin data http://connect.garmin.com/activity/106430808.

Generally well organised, bit of confusion over whether it started in Bath or Keynsham however! When I registered it said Lansdown Racecourse and don't remember an email telling me it changed - spotted it when I viewed route though.

Also, I'm a local and would say to include the descent down 'Draycott Steep' from Cheddar Gorge on a mass event was irresponsible. If it were any more wet I was going to skip it and drop down into Westbury instead, which would have added half a mile or so but have been much safer. 20% plus descents down country lanes full of wet gravel and potholes are ok if you know what your letting yourself in for, but not for people who don't know the roads and are being timed. I trust they'll review this for next year as I saw 2 riders very nearly skid into an oncoming car!

Rest of the route was fantastic and signs great.

nferrar

Yeah enjoyed it to, best organised sportive I've done so far as well. The feed-stops were really good, I've been used to just bananas or fig rolls as options so to have some other things available was a bonus, they seemed well stocked to. The signage was impressive to, must have been thousands of arrows put up! I think the course on the whole was good, 3 long climbs and a couple of nasty steep ones thrown in to. I think I know the descent the guy above is talking about, given the slimy road surface and the steepness it was a bit hairy but tbh I'd have felt safer if I could have let the bike run rather than have to drag on the brakes stuck behind a couple of people, I never felt far off locking up. A lot of descents had pretty broken up road surfaces so I never felt I got to truly enjoy them after the climbs but that's not really the organisers fault!

derek48

Really ejoyed the ride despite snapping rear gear cable and being stuck on 14 cog till the first feedstop. I'm trying to contact the really helpful guy (number 1216 I think) who gave me a spare cable and a pair of needle nosed pliers. Couldn't find him in the car park at the end and the organisers were unable to give me his address. I think his name is Terry and if you are reading this e-mail me at derek.o.lee@btinternet.com or if you know him let him know I'm trying to contact him to replace the cable and return the pliers.
Thanks

ADIHEAD

nferrar wrote:

Yeah enjoyed it to, best organised sportive I've done so far as well. The feed-stops were really good, I've been used to just bananas or fig rolls as options so to have some other things available was a bonus, they seemed well stocked to. The signage was impressive to, must have been thousands of arrows put up! I think the course on the whole was good, 3 long climbs and a couple of nasty steep ones thrown in to. I think I know the descent the guy above is talking about, given the slimy road surface and the steepness it was a bit hairy but tbh I'd have felt safer if I could have let the bike run rather than have to drag on the brakes stuck behind a couple of people, I never felt far off locking up. A lot of descents had pretty broken up road surfaces so I never felt I got to truly enjoy them after the climbs but that's not really the organisers fault!

Yeh that's my point, on an event like this you may have to brake for others, which is very difficult on a 20% descent when it's damp and poorly surfaced. Would have been a disaster if it rained. The organisers should have got us to turn down the left turn before into Westbury, it runs parallel and comes out just half a mile further east. I suspect they used this road to avoid spending so much time on the A371, which was quite busy. Trust me though, amongst us locals, nobody descends it on a road bike. It's very popular on mountain bikes though. I climb it a few times a year and would certainly rather do that, even at 20% than descend it again. Small point in a way but could have been a major one if it was wet , especially if there was a mass pile up, or serious injury there.

Pumpkin Positive

Is Draycott Steep the one we went down after the gliding club? Not much fun that one - the surface was awful and when I did it I seem to remember it was wet from a shower and a bit too slippy for comfort.

Otherwise a great ride in great scenery and the organisation was superb right down to the red arrows who appeared over the finish line just as I was sitting down with a cup of tea and a sandwich!

ADIHEAD

Yep, Draycott Steep is also known as 'Glider Hill'! Still haven't heard of any casualties yet? Great ride overall though as you say. Will put something in the review to Wiggle about it anyway to see if they'll consider leaving it out next year, should the forecast be for rain. Would be easy to skip anyway as I said.

Probably harder for us tall riders, I'm 6ft 4 and ride a 60cm frame with a tall headtube, than a smaller rider with lower centre of gravity I suppose? But anyway I feel it's the sort of thing that should be left to MTB riders with disc brakes! Would pity anyone with carbon braking surfaces in the wet put it that way :shock:

6654henry

Nice one. Missed this but have done a few Wiggle sportives in the past, in the New Forest. They put on a good show and I've been blessed with the weather the past few times.