Dartmoor Classic - last 15 miles

FoldingJoe

Doing the shorter of the two Dartmoor classic routes at the end of June.

Anybody who has done it can let me know what the last 15 miles are like?

It looks like a gradual descent, but is it fairly technical, or is it a section you can make good time on?

Cheers,
FJ

drphil

In my experience (2010, 2011) the last 15 miles are pretty good. Steady descent through a tree-lined valley, you can keep up some good speed, but a few sharp bends and also relative to the rest of the ride, a few more cars around. If you are lucky you can get into a group and really get rolling. The last 2 miles are pretty flat, with a few short rises, so keep a tiny bit in the tank for them. Good luck, it's a great event.

bikergirl17

did it in 2009 so route might have changed. i recall big ringing it and flying the last 20 miles--and this was my second sportive ever so it must have been really flat (or at least seemed to be relative to what came prior) for me to have done that. looking at my split times later, i did the second half appreciably faster than the first.

major backups with traffic when close to finish, and i bled time there as had to come to a complete stop in a few places.

mamba80

Once you are at the top of Docombe - you ve a few fast twisty bits and then its flat or slightly down hill all the way, well almost! there is a steep and short hill a few miles from the finish, probably inside ring - the traffic delays have gone as you now come in on the same road as you left on, for the last couple of miles.

Pumpkin Positive

I ride this road twice a week in the summer although I'm usually going the other way.

The last 15 miles or so from Docombe will be a blast. It's a fast decent from the top of the hill under the trees alongside the southern slopes of the Teign Valley. It's a little technical but nothing to slow you down. The road surface is OK mostly but there is rough patch on a hard LH corner about half way down the hill. when you're at the bottom of the hill it's a flat(ish) ride home - big ring all the way until the short sharp rise that others have mentioned. There certainly isn't the usual sting in the tail that you might expect on other sportives.

CakeLovinBeast

This Strava segment shows the Teign Valley element of the ride back: http://app.strava.com/segments/1475760

We use the Teign Valley for both our chaingangs and out 10TT course. It's downhill overall and easily big-ringable. If you find yourself in a decent group then it's possible to get some really good speed along it.

FoldingJoe

Thanks all,

Sounds like I should be able to make up some good time after the rest of the route!!

symo

Teign Valley run in, Big ring all the way!

CakeLovinBeast

OK, so I rode the whole of the 65-miler yesterday as a training/scouting run, here are a few points to note:

- The recent bad weather means that there is more than the usual amount of road detritus about - lots of twigs, sticks and stones. Hopefully the coming week will clear a lot of it away, but it's always worth keeping in mind. The descent from the moor down to Holne, and from the pub at Hexworthy down to the Dart, were particularly manky at the edges. Please don't go off too fast, and don't follow anybody you don't know too closely.

- The top of the ascent out of Bovey Tracey onto the moor has what appears to be the mother of all potholes about 18 inches out from the kerbside. I hit it yesterday and immediately punctured on both wheels. We'll try to get it marked, but beware!

- The road from Holne to Hexworthy has been resurfaced by "surface dressing" it - where they spray it with tar and cover it in gravel. It's bedding in quite nicely, but there are still loose stones at the road edges. Same again for the road from Two Bridges to Princetown - this has been done more recently and there is correspondingly more rubbish on the road surface.

- The descent to Moretonhampstead is currently having a few sections resurfaced and there are currently 3 sections where the top layer of tarmac is missing. We're working to find out if this will be sorted by Sunday, but it's another one to be aware of.

Everything else is good, and we're all crossing our fingers for decent weather on Sunday!

djsoftware

That is a good clear report above, I can't add much apart that there are also traffic lights just after the end of the teign valley road about 3 miles from the finish. These are temporary so hopefully may be gone by the weekend (they've been there for over 3 weeks and there has not been much activity).

The massive pothole is just after the top of the climb at Trendlebere on the run down to the cattle grid and is massive but easily seen.

Just hoping the weather clears up in time.

symo

Good luck everyone, Uncle Ken has me helping out in Mortenhampstead.

Pumpkin Positive

djsoftware wrote:

That is a good clear report above, I can't add much apart that there are also traffic lights just after the end of the teign valley road about 3 miles from the finish. These are temporary so hopefully may be gone by the weekend (they've been there for over 3 weeks and there has not been much activity).

The massive pothole is just after the top of the climb at Trendlebere on the run down to the cattle grid and is massive but easily seen.

Just hoping the weather clears up in time.

Those 'temporary' lights have been there for about three weeks and were definitely there last night when I went past. I've been past half a dozen times in the last few weeks and I've yet to see anyone working there so don't hold your breath for the road being clear by sunday!

djsoftware

I got stuck at them today and calculated the whole sequence takes just over a minute so that's the worse case.

FoldingJoe

Thanks for all the extra info, chaps.

Weather looks OK for Sunday.

djsoftware

Good news the traffic lights have magically moved off the road so will no longer be a problem on Sunday

Just need the weather sorted out !

Pumpkin Positive

Great event today. But saw three riders come off on the cattle grid just after Houndtor. I think one rider looked like he'd broken a collar bone. Hope they're OK.

Cornish-J

Yep i saw someone come a cropper just after the princetown feed station, those cattlegrids can be a nightmare in the wet.

In terms of the day, very hard ride ... and i only did the 100k! wanted to get round in under 4 hours and clocked a hollywood 3.59.53, certainly would've been quicker in the dry - some of the descents were very sketchy in those conditions.

FoldingJoe

Yep, saw the guy with blood covered face after what looked like a coming off on one of the cattle grids.

Maybe some sort of warning might be useful for those ones at the bottom of a fast descent and you can't see.

Overall a good day for my first Sportive, although the headwind all the way to Princetown was a bit of a sod.

Will be back next year, probably with lower gearing.

CakeLovinBeast

The famous Dartmoor headwind... I've never known a place with 360 degree wind before! ;-)

I had a nightmare of a day with punctures - six in total, all between leaving Princetown the first time, and arriving back there - CO2 pump packed up after the second, so I was stuck trying to inflate with a mini pump that I suspect wasn't putting enough air in and hence me getting snakebites. Also managed to totally overdress for the (afternoon's) weather. Aside from that, had a great day, and a lush ride to do my first century.

Cornish-J

well done for doing the 100miles! I wouldnt have been able to do that, struggled big time with the 100k - bonked with about 10 or so to go!

just seen the results are available, i came in 77th out of 1375 - reasonably pleased.

CakeLovinBeast

Were you on your Air? I saw someone on one at the start...

The hundred was fairly hellish for me - mainly down to the 6 punctures! I'm a Mid-Devon member, but as I signed up for the Classic before I joined, I was able to ride it. Next year I'll look to help out in a more official capacity. I rode the 65 last weekend as a club run and was seriously doubting my ability to finish the long ride. In the end I just gutted it out, and I'm glad I did!

Cornish-J

Yea was on my air with a 404 rear and shallow front if that rings a bell? Started about half 8

FoldingJoe

Cornish-J wrote:

Yea was on my air with a 404 rear and shallow front if that rings a bell? Started about half 8

You past me on one of the climbs!!

Either my memory is failing, or somebody else was running a similar config, but was it your bike making a bit of creaking?

CakeLovinBeast

Cornish-J wrote:

Yea was on my air with a 404 rear and shallow front if that rings a bell? Started about half 8

Must've been someone else then - I was away in the first group, and the Air that I saw definitely didn't have a 404 on the back!

FoldingJoe

Cornish-J wrote:

well done for doing the 100miles! I wouldnt have been able to do that, struggled big time with the 100k - bonked with about 10 or so to go!

just seen the results are available, i came in 77th out of 1375 - reasonably pleased.

Don't sell yourself short, Jamie, you were 76th...

Cornish-J

Yea that was me...when I got out the saddle the brake block rubbed against the zipp as its so wide, it was like going up all the hills with the brake partially on!

Never done that before though, maybe I knocked the calipers putting it in the car or something!

djsoftware

Bizarre, I noticed that noise going up a climb and looked over and saw the AiR ! Enjoyed the classic once again and thought the re-route added a bit more fun as I did not know what was coming up. I just hope everyone who came off is o.k. as I heard on the radio today that the air ambulance was called out twice to cyclists with head injuries on Dartmoor near Manaton. Compared to last year I have never seen so many people mending punctures but I'm sure the weather had something to do with that. Well done to MDCC for another great event.

mike101

I saw the ambulance on the Doccombe descent. That road is definitely treacherous. Nearly lost my rear wheel on a Cattle Grid earlier in the day - scared the crap out of me! Had a great ride, although the climb up Pork Hill/ Merrivale nearly finished me off. Once I got to Princetown the second time around I got a second wind and really enjoyed the last 30 miles. Managed 7 hours 19 for my first 100 miler, pretty chuffed as I was aiming for 8 hours. Great day and fantastic organisation from MDCC

mustol

This was my first 100 miler. Really enjoyed the day, felt strong on all of the hills - the only part I struggled on was that stretch into the wind and rain heading towards Princetown, after that I gradually felt stronger as the ride went on. Fantastic organisation, marshalls at every junction - feed stations well stocked (loved the spinach and feta quiche), nice goody bag to finish with. Those who complain about value for money at Sportives, obviously have't done this one. Finished in 8:00:32 - slightly disappointed to not break the 8hr mark (and 5 minutes behind Martin Johnson!), but overall very pleased. Will get my entry in for the Moor2Sea event in September.

symo

Well done everyone, I got sunburnt whilst doing a bit of marshalling cover in Moretenhampstead. What was nice was that people kept telling everyone in an MDCC crew shirt how much they liked the marshalling and organisation.

Was ace for me too to see a lot of old faces and catch up. I was camping on the Saturday night, but took my tent down bone dry Sunday afternoon. I even hung around to clap the 11hour people.

FoldingJoe

symo wrote:

Well done everyone, I got sunburnt whilst doing a bit of marshalling cover in Moretenhampstead. What was nice was that people kept telling everyone in an MDCC crew shirt how much they liked the marshalling and organisation.

Was ace for me too to see a lot of old faces and catch up. I was camping on the Saturday night, but took my tent down bone dry Sunday afternoon. I even hung around to clap the 11hour people.

Symo, you didn't call out to a group of riders as they went past, "only one more climb", and were on a bike yourself?

Think I replied something along the lines of "Yes, but it's Doccombe".