Exmoor Beauty

MIG Rider

So the Exmoor Beauty is launched and is planned to go back to riding how we used to enjoy it.

What about a ride out with the guys and girls without having to kill yourself to battle the hills. Just a nice ride!

Anyone up for it.

MIG Rider

Theres always ONE!!! Its not £30 and its more than 60 miles, and its about the occasion. Funny thousands of other people enjoy Sportives, Come on Joe Cheer Up!!!

Bobbinogs

I think, to be fair to Joe, that he wasn't far off; 65 miles and £27.

Perhaps in prep for doing the Beauty, folks might like to try the Exmoor Spring on the 1st, although there are no timing chips...but at £3.50 (which included tea, clotted cream/jam scones last year) one could always buy a watch instead

islwyn

MIG Rider, by the hint in your name, I guess you're part of the team putting it on by MIG Events? Anyway - I've been signed up for a few weeks and looking forward too it. As much as I am Exmoor Beast.

rob21

im doing it and it will be my first sportive

is this the first year for this sportive?

im just wondering what the ride will be like,anyone got any clues.....

Bobbinogs

rob21 wrote:

im doing it and it will be my first sportive

is this the first year for this sportive?

im just wondering what the ride will be like,anyone got any clues.....

A bit lumpy, but without being too excessive. 1,200 metres in 100k is nothing to fear if you have your fitness sorted and there aren't any killer climbs on this one: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/55947436

The main bit about this part of the world is how you get up onto the moors (the Porlock/Dunkery climbs, for example) but this ride has a nice climb out from Watchet up to Raleighs Cross which can drag on but if you pick the right gear and get your pacing right, then it is an enjoyable one. There are also a few short/sharp bits (the hills out of Carhampton and Blue Anchor) so don't go mad in the first bit as they can sap your energy.

The MIG boys do organise a great event (I did the Beast in 2010) so the foodstops should be good and all that. The one element beyond their control will be the weather (think "Beast 2009"!) and the wind can get up a bit if you are unlucky. So, my advice would be to check the forecast and take layers (a small windproof jacket that is also showerproof is a great thing to have tucked into your back pocket).

Enjoy the event, it is a lovely part of the world for cycling.

gazwagon

Well, I'm up for it, its up to me if I want to pay for the privilege

islwyn

Do it, you'll get to see my face. :shock:

rob21

Bobbinogs wrote:

rob21 wrote:

im doing it and it will be my first sportive

is this the first year for this sportive?

im just wondering what the ride will be like,anyone got any clues.....

A bit lumpy, but without being too excessive. 1,200 metres in 100k is nothing to fear if you have your fitness sorted and there aren't any killer climbs on this one: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/55947436

The main bit about this part of the world is how you get up onto the moors (the Porlock/Dunkery climbs, for example) but this ride has a nice climb out from Watchet up to Raleighs Cross which can drag on but if you pick the right gear and get your pacing right, then it is an enjoyable one. There are also a few short/sharp bits (the hills out of Carhampton and Blue Anchor) so don't go mad in the first bit as they can sap your energy.

The MIG boys do organise a great event (I did the Beast in 2010) so the foodstops should be good and all that. The one element beyond their control will be the weather (think "Beast 2009"!) and the wind can get up a bit if you are unlucky. So, my advice would be to check the forecast and take layers (a small windproof jacket that is also showerproof is a great thing to have tucked into your back pocket).

Enjoy the event, it is a lovely part of the world for cycling.

thanks for the info mate,very helpful.last year i went from minehead to porlock on the coastal path,that was a experience and had to difficult terrain to deal with but i enjoyed it..

aw1808

I have done the exmoor beast for the last 3 years and im looking forward to the beauty as it looks like it will be a nice ride without being as hard as the beast . It will be nice to see exmoor at that time of year too .

Yeoer

I thought about riding this one as i rode the Beast last year, trouble with the Beast is we didn't get to see much of Exmoor itself! was way too foggy and the weather was pretty bad for the first half.

I don't think i'll ride the Beast again mainly because of the time of year, didn't go much on my bike getting so so so dirty... i mean riding through a farm yard with about 3 inches of mud (and stuff) everywhere on my carbon bike didn't exactly warm me to signing for it again!

On the other hand i didn't find it too hard a ride, I rode the 100 mile route, a couple of cheeky hills at the end but other than that they are just gradule climbs and to be honest i thought the 65 mile Dartmoor Classic i rode earlier in the year far harder (better weather, very hot, holne hill! now thats a climb), so a simular 65 mile route around exmoor would no doubt be quite a pleasant ride.

It does however clash with the tor of cornwall which i am signed for, i know its not an exact clash as its the week after but who's really going to spend £60 (+travel etc) on two rides in one month! err not me and i think i speak for most!

Hopefully the Exmoor Beauty being at that time of year will make it far more apealling than the Beast, just don't go setting the date next year as close to one of the other very few southwest based sportives again as your shooting yourselves in the foot with regards to southwest based riders.

Oh yeah and yes i have signed for the 100 mile Dartmoor classic this year along with my 2 brothers and a group from work, last year it was truely an epic ride, no wonder it sold out so quick... Exmoor was memorable but for other reasons!

vs

Yeoer wrote:

I don't think i'll ride the Beast again mainly because of the time of year, didn't go much on my bike getting so so so dirty... i mean riding through a farm yard with about 3 inches of mud (and stuff) everywhere on my carbon bike didn't exactly warm me to signing for it again!

That's Exmoor and it gets much worse than it was on Beast day.

Yeoer wrote:

On the other hand i didn't find it too hard a ride, I rode the 100 mile route, a couple of cheeky hills at the end but other than that they are just gradule climbs

You'd be hard pushed to find an easier way to ride 100 miles on Exmoor, the beast misses all the tough climbs.

Yeoer wrote:

holne hill! now thats a climb

Have a look at Porlock Hill...the hairpins are so steep they built two toll roads so that the cars of yesteryear could make it up to the moor. The fact that there is a much easier way up makes climbing it even more of a challenge.

Yeoer

"Have a look at Porlock Hill...the hairpins are so steep they built two toll roads so that the cars of yesteryear could make it up to the moor. The fact that there is a much easier way up makes climbing it even more of a challenge."

Yeap, driven up porlock and yes that is savage...!!! but you don't ride up it on the beast and thats a good thing! don't get me wrong i did enjoy riding the beast but if i'm limited to the number of sportives i can do in a year then its one i might not do again for a few years, but like i said its a shame i can't do the Beauty to see if that would show Exmoor off better.

islwyn

Beauty will be an enjoyable sportive, take in the smell of countryside and cow dung! Beaut. Beats London emissions.

AlistairTR

Islwyn wrote:

Beauty will be an enjoyable sportive, take in the smell of countryside and cow dung! Beaut. Beats London emissions.

So right Islwyn, the West Country is the place to cycle, but tis not flat my luvely.

Happy Pedalling
Alistair

rowman

I'm a little puzzled? Comparing the garmin route from the events website I get 2,300 meters of climbing. The mapmyride link above gives 1,250 meters? This is a significant discrepancy can anyone enlighten me please?

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/55947436
http://connect.garmin.com/page/activity ... cid=375849

gazwagon

It could be the garmin device. My old Garmin is always miles out and I have to enable the height correction on the Garmin Connect site every time I upload rides. This could be the reason possibly.

NITR8s

Dont forget the roads that the beauty takes are bakeroads so they are prob not as accuratly maped as the the main roads. I do often wonder this as I live in the west county and ride this back roads often.

I will see all you guys at the beauty then, also this is my first sportive too. Just got into cycling, coming from a running background.

briantrumpet

rowman wrote:

I'm a little puzzled? Comparing the garmin route from the events website I get 2,300 meters of climbing. The mapmyride link above gives 1,250 meters? This is a significant discrepancy can anyone enlighten me please?

It's all to do with the resolution of elevation data. Have a play around with various sites, (e.g bikeroutetoaster and ridewithgps) and you'll see some big discrepancies - depending on the route, it can be approaching 50% difference, as some sites (e.g bikeroutetoaster) have a low resolution of data, and therefore miss out much of the undulation.

hatone

With the Beauty coming up this weekend, it's a shame the weather won't be much of a beauty....

Time to dig out the waterproofs I guess. Anyone entered?

rowman

The BBC weather forecast for Minehead on Saturday night:

"Remaining unsettled with sunny spells and showers, especially during the daytime, the showers occasionally heavy and prolonged with hail and thunder possible at times. Breezy and often feeling rather cool."

Sounds fun...

Ron Keegan

Hey, a brand new event and nearly 750 are signed-up, so the punters must like what's on offer.
Just over 24 hours to go before entries close so, if you want to be part of it, best get entered now; it's going to be a beauty.

islwyn

Best buy a new rain coast... & Endura can go do one, my left zip on my overboot is buggered - Didn't even last a season.

NITR8s

Just MTFU its only a bit of rain.

islwyn

So it was the Exmoor Beauty today!

Apart from the thundery showers & ridiculous winds (can't be helped)
Chip timing issues (fixed in the end)
No free hot/cold drinks & food/snack bars at the end (can be helped)

It was good! Superb route, would've been even better if it was sunny at all times rather than intervals of 5 minutes.

Looking forward to seeing my ranking, think I did pretty well up against the 759 other riders. (If I'm being honest probably 100 failed to show)

Approx 6600ft of climbing.

NITR8s

Prov results up, I didnt realise there was a chip timing issue? Took me 6 hours 3 mins and looks likly that I was roughly about the 207 person to finish.

islwyn

Wave 8.30am all had multiple start times due to the readers setting you off approx 10 times rather than the once!

How did you find the wind and rain on the top? Bloody nightmare.

I just looked, I managed 4:32 = 18/759, wondered why my legs are aching more than normal.... I blame battling the moor weather!

_andy

I thought the course was pretty tough really, the rain and wind after that nasty climb out of Dulverton were pretty demoralising, I had a bloody puncture right at the end of that road, took me 12 minutes to change the tube as my hands were so cold by that time!!. Finished in 05:07 though with the puncture so thats about 65/600 finishers. Anyone who passed me whilst I was repairing my puncture and asked if I was ok, a big thanks, really good to see such friendliness and is the reason I enter events like this. Thought the finish was good with the support and thoroughly enjoyed the course.

NITR8s

The wind/rain/hail on top of the moors was horrible, I had no waterproofs and my shoes and gloves where soaked with water and were so cold I couldnt feel them. Almost came close to giving up, but managed to cycle through it, not sure how (I think it was because of the soggy Jelly babies and Fig cakes). As it was my first sportive and the longest I have ever cycled was 30 miles plus how tough it was I am pleased with my time too.

I guess you two guys were one of the ones wizzing pass me. What color/make bike was you riding and I will see if I remember you as spent alot of the time bike watching (the left of neck hurts because of it).

Anne S.

Yes it was certainly difficult with the wind and the rain, although I imagine that it would have been a beauty if the sun had shone all day. Managed to see a lot of the scenery mainly cos I was going so slowly. I'm amazed at some of the times -how do you guys (and girls) do it?.

Hope the rider who crashed coming off Dunkery Beacon is okay.

NITR8s

Yer was quite unpleasant seeing him trapped under the car, fingers crossed he is ok. TBH its not suprizing considering the speed some people were flying down those hills in the wet.