Dragon 2012 difficulty compared to previous years

galatzo

Hi

In for this years Dragon Ride and just wondered how it compares in terms of difficulty to previous years, particularly 2010 ?
Can't remember how far it was in 2010 but don't recall it being 128 miles !

Cheers

Davey C

I've never ridden the dragon but I live locally and I can tell you that this years route is a beast. It must be the hardest one yet.

galatzo

Davey C wrote:

I've never ridden the dragon but I live locally and I can tell you that this years route is a beast. It must be the hardest one yet.

Thanks, I think !

itsnotarace

The Gran Fondo route in 2011 was 200km with 3000m climbing. This years route loops through the Brecons so it will be pretty tough, I think the total overall is 3350m climbing and distance is 204km

Good luck to those attending

ugo.santalucia

Traditionally the hardest parts of the Dragon ride are

1) Parking your car

2) Getting started before lunchtime

3) Finding anything to eat at the feeding zones

Davey C

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Traditionally the hardest parts of the Dragon ride are

1) Parking your car

2) Getting started before lunchtime

3) Finding anything to eat at the feeding zones

benno68

I did it last year and got around with a couple of bouts of cramp here and there, mainly due to my stupidity in tweeking my bike fit days before the event! The hills were manageable for me and I'm certainly no fan of hills.

This year includes the Devils Elbow - been up there once and it's the only hill so far that I had to stop on for a breather. Mind you the weather that day was awful (Easter Monday) and we cycled up from Cardiff so I was feeling cold, wet and miserable.

Just to give you a taster:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzU-8OR05KY

I'm not sure about the route out to Brecon so I'll just have to hope it's ok.

To those of you that may wonder why I'm doing the Dragon Ride when I'm not a fan of climbing...I have been asking that question myself, I think it's the reward of lovely descents!

Road Red

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Traditionally the hardest parts of the Dragon ride are

1) Parking your car

2) Getting started before lunchtime

3) Finding anything to eat at the feeding zones

4) Getting to a loo.

5) Having a time recorded.

Still going back this year though........ :roll:

benno68

Road Red wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Traditionally the hardest parts of the Dragon ride are

1) Parking your car

2) Getting started before lunchtime

3) Finding anything to eat at the feeding zones

4) Getting to a loo.

5) Having a time recorded.

Still going back this year though........ :roll:

6) Finding your way to the back of the queue (a sportive in itself)

7) Keeping warm during the 1 or 2 hour wait to get going

Edward H

Huge advertising, huge cost, poor organisation, better sportives with better/harder routes than this, if you can manage to register in time to make the cut off points.
Still arsey from last year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :evil:

Edward H

Oh, by the way.. Never again, not even if they paid me.

flamite

first time dragon rider here using as a tester for the marmotte... what time should you be able to get round in as a benchmark for completing the marmotte?? any ideas?

Also i see the start/carpark is different from previous years? will this mean fewer queues/hassle at the start??

ugo.santalucia

flamite wrote:

first time dragon rider here using as a tester for the marmotte... what time should you be able to get round in as a benchmark for completing the marmotte?? any ideas?

Also i see the start/carpark is different from previous years? will this mean fewer queues/hassle at the start??

They try to change it every year and they cxck it every year... big events are best left to Italy and France, where local people help to deal with the massive number of riders. Here a few blokes try to cater for an event with thousands of entrants as the locals in Bridgend (or wherever it starts now) don't care about the dragon ride, it's the UK capital of teenage suicide after all, it can't be cheery...
overpriced and understaffed is the reality of it...

cwm

done all the route in segments and this year compared to 2010 and 2011 is gonna be a right bastard, 10hrs for me or a failure

Valedoc44

No cruise even from the top of the Bwlch back to Margam Park. Expect a headwind blowing up the Afan valley to slow your descent. Some nice newly-laid stretches of tarmac are interspersed with old stuff with random potholes, keep your eyes peeled.

bendertherobot

With the potential weather on the day I'm already thinking medio and winter bike.

twotyred

first time dragon rider here using as a tester for the marmotte... what time should you be able to get round in as a benchmark for completing the marmotte?? any ideas?

For last years Dragon route I'd have said sub 8 hours. I did it in 7:40 and finished the Marmotte OK. What's more important is how you feel at the end of the Dragon because how you feel then is how you're going to feel at Plan Lachat or at the top of the Galibier so you need to be able to finish the Dragon with plenty still in the tank.

bendertherobot

I'm bothered at the weather forecast and remoteness of some of the locations. If any farmers have been cutting back hedges there could be a load of p******res.

Half tempted to take my winter bike. But head says do the Gran Fondo, wear some shit gear but stick Durano Plus on.

alex1rob

Oh god I'm actually dreading it after reading this. the difficulties, the organisation and the weather. Eugh.

symo

ugo.santalucia wrote:

flamite wrote:

first time dragon rider here using as a tester for the marmotte... what time should you be able to get round in as a benchmark for completing the marmotte?? any ideas?

Also i see the start/carpark is different from previous years? will this mean fewer queues/hassle at the start??

They try to change it every year and they cxck it every year... big events are best left to Italy and France, where local people help to deal with the massive number of riders. Here a few blokes try to cater for an event with thousands of entrants as the locals in Bridgend (or wherever it starts now) don't care about the dragon ride, it's the UK capital of teenage suicide after all, it can't be cheery...
overpriced and understaffed is the reality of it...

didn't realise you were a fan of the Film Heathers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEYIoJRCSXg

bendertherobot

ugo.santalucia wrote:

They try to change it every year and they cxck it every year... big events are best left to Italy and France, where local people help to deal with the massive number of riders. Here a few blokes try to cater for an event with thousands of entrants as the locals in Bridgend (or wherever it starts now) don't care about the dragon ride, it's the UK capital of teenage suicide after all, it can't be cheery...
overpriced and understaffed is the reality of it...

What relevance does children being so desperate that they take their own lives have to your criticism of a mass cycling event?

mog1404

this will be a hard ride pace yourself is all i can say... just to let people know they were patching potholes on the hill from the golf course in maesteg down to bryn when i was out for spin today

bendertherobot

Yeah, coming down from there is quite crappy, noticed that last week.

I think the climb out of Maesteg is going to shock some people.

Davey C

Agree with that! That climb is on my local training route, will really take some of the bounce out of peoples legs!

b45her

i rode the medium route last saturday, pretty much a cruise with a few ramps until you get to glynneath then the 3 hardest climbs on the route hit you in quick succession .