étape pennines....

1246

Comments

  • issacforce
    issacforce Posts: 112
    i also think it too late in year for it, i did it last year and we were so lucky with weather, looks like not so lucky this year
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    The forecast for Sunday is good - for the time of year - but the morning will be cold, and fog on the hills (and in the valleys) is fairly common in the early hours.
  • issacforce
    issacforce Posts: 112
    Well i hope u all hav gud day ,long climbs and a few short sharp ones, wud b there but at work, but i can ride them any time ad live in durham
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    ???
  • issacforce
    issacforce Posts: 112
    ??? About wot was jst saying hope everybody has gud day, and there,s some long climbs n some short sharp ones. Cant b there as working, but can ride them anytime as live in durham
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Nope, didn't get a word of that.
  • pollys_bott
    pollys_bott Posts: 1,012
    markhewitt1978 wrote:
    ???

    :lol:

    A clear example of 21st century short hand - do keep up... :wink:
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    C'est comme une autre langue, je ne comprends pas du tout ;)
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    issacforce wrote:
    Well i hope u all hav gud day ,long climbs and a few short sharp ones, wud b there but at work, but i can ride them any time ad live in durham
    Same here issacforce, wish everybody a good day, but at that price I will give it a miss and ride those hills as usual on different weekends, some good ones for sure!
    http://www.snookcycling.wordpress.com - Reports on Cingles du Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, Galibier, Izoard, Tourmalet, Paris-Roubaix Sportive & Tour of Flanders Sportive, Amstel Gold Xperience, Vosges, C2C, WOTR routes....
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    markhewitt1978 wrote:
    Nope, didn't get a word of that.
    Zzzzz
    http://www.snookcycling.wordpress.com - Reports on Cingles du Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, Galibier, Izoard, Tourmalet, Paris-Roubaix Sportive & Tour of Flanders Sportive, Amstel Gold Xperience, Vosges, C2C, WOTR routes....
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    Bit annoying that they're starting it from a town with sod all accommodation in it. I'm staying in Darlington as a result - going to have to get up stupidly early to get to start line in time
  • issacforce
    issacforce Posts: 112
    Especially chapel fell out of saint johns chapel, the one they will be going down fast 2 moro
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    Weather was good in the end. Had a great ride and was pleased with my time. Closed roads were fun in parts but the route went through some remote areas where you wouldn't expect traffic anyway so not always a real bonus. Decents were a lot of fun though!

    How did everyone else get on?
  • jaxf
    jaxf Posts: 109
    It was my idea, I signed my husband and a friend (who doesn't like climbing) up for it. I have now done it, and don't want to do it again. When I looked at the course profile, it seemed as though the last 35 miles would be quite benign. They weren't. I got blown of my bike at a summit somewhere between 20 and 30 miles in, and I'm not that small. (with bike, 54kg) There were a few nasty spills on the descents. I am not a good descender, but I loved them - arrow straight roads, see for miles, woosh. Good chat and friendly people all the way round. A really nice man who let me wheel suck his excellent line for a fair few miles (and nice arse btw). My husband came in 85th, I came in 5th woman, and my friend did the best climbing - with no walking - he's ever managed. Not bad for old ones. My husband wants to do it again next year, I really don't, think he'll sign me up anyway.

    Beautiful countryside, lovely people.
  • mpatts
    mpatts Posts: 1,010
    rodgers73 wrote:
    Weather was good in the end. Had a great ride and was pleased with my time. Closed roads were fun in parts but the route went through some remote areas where you wouldn't expect traffic anyway so not always a real bonus. Decents were a lot of fun though!

    How did everyone else get on?

    Good weather? I guess you finished early then!

    I had a really bad day in the saddle, rookie errors mostly, but the wind in the last 30 or so miles just about finished me off. The last 10 miles took me over an hour. I'm no slow coach, but cross winds with aero wheels was a real struggle.

    Nice scenery though!
    Insert bike here:
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    rodgers73 wrote:
    Bit annoying that they're starting it from a town with sod all accommodation in it. I'm staying in Darlington as a result - going to have to get up stupidly early to get to start line in time

    Starting in Barnard Castle is fine, the problem for me was that you had to turn up there on Saturday too, meaning an afternoons round trip adding about £20 fuel costs, just to go and sign on.
  • mpatts
    mpatts Posts: 1,010
    markhewitt1978 wrote:
    rodgers73 wrote:
    Bit annoying that they're starting it from a town with sod all accommodation in it. I'm staying in Darlington as a result - going to have to get up stupidly early to get to start line in time

    Starting in Barnard Castle is fine, the problem for me was that you had to turn up there on Saturday too, meaning an afternoons round trip adding about £20 fuel costs, just to go and sign on.

    I would agree with that - cannot work out why they can't send the race packs in the post.
    Insert bike here:
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    mpatts wrote:
    I would agree with that - cannot work out why they can't send the race packs in the post.

    Yeah I guess they have their reasons I suppose. Fair enough they say there's too many people to have signing on in the morning, yet I've been to sportives with many hundreds taking part, doesn't seem to be an issue.

    Or do like the Great North Bike Ride and Durham Big ride and send your number etc in the post so you just turn up on the day and set off, I guess the issue with that is that you don't know who's actually turned up on the day, but then with signing on the day before you don't know that either, there's any number of reasons why you might sign in on Saturday but still not turn up on Sunday.

    I think they're creating a problem where none exists.
  • BigGeordie
    BigGeordie Posts: 19
    The timing chips would tell them who has turned up on the day. Kilo to Go manage to send everything in the post pre-event, with a contingency to sign on the day if the pack goes missing. They also use timing chips that stick to the side of your helmet and are disposable and do it for a lot less than £63. Surely the cost of closed roads can't be that high?

    Other than the pain of having to register the day before I really enjoyed it- much more fun on closed roads! The people were really friendly and the scenery fantastic. Didn't much like the last 20 miles uphill and into wind, especially when I was expecting a descent from the route profile, but that is the Pennines in October for you.
  • ajkerr73
    ajkerr73 Posts: 318
    Sign on the day before may be a sweetner for the local councils to allow the closed roads??

    Revenue for an overnight stay and a feed for a lot of cyclists.??
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Ajkerr73 wrote:
    Sign on the day before may be a sweetner for the local councils to allow the closed roads??

    Revenue for an overnight stay and a feed for a lot of cyclists.??

    I suspect that's part of it, yes. That they get to sell it as creating tourist income for the area. It's just one council isn't it, it's all within County Durham?
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    any sign of OPQS?
    http://www.snookcycling.wordpress.com - Reports on Cingles du Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, Galibier, Izoard, Tourmalet, Paris-Roubaix Sportive & Tour of Flanders Sportive, Amstel Gold Xperience, Vosges, C2C, WOTR routes....
  • mpatts
    mpatts Posts: 1,010
    durhamwasp wrote:
    any sign of OPQS?

    No, but I overtook a number of Sky team members on a number of climbs.
    Insert bike here:
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    mpatts wrote:
    rodgers73 wrote:
    Weather was good in the end. Had a great ride and was pleased with my time. Closed roads were fun in parts but the route went through some remote areas where you wouldn't expect traffic anyway so not always a real bonus. Decents were a lot of fun though!

    How did everyone else get on?

    Good weather? I guess you finished early then!

    I had a really bad day in the saddle, rookie errors mostly, but the wind in the last 30 or so miles just about finished me off. The last 10 miles took me over an hour. I'm no slow coach, but cross winds with aero wheels was a real struggle.

    Nice scenery though!

    I came in about 1.30 and my last hour or so was mainly sunny. For some reason I had endless energy for the event - rode it without stopping and got 49th place - and the wind didn't seem to bother me at all. I've never managed better than a bronze time on any of the big sportives I've done before, so lord knows where this one came from.

    Managed 57mph on the long descent after the KOM section - anyone tell me the name of that bit??
  • issacforce
    issacforce Posts: 112
    Hi that hill is called chapel fell nice to descent, but a pain to ascend, glad u had gud ride in a beautifull part of the country well done
  • htsw5
    htsw5 Posts: 72
    I think the descent is called Chapelfell but I've also seen it called Harthope. I had heard it was the highest road in England but don't know if that's true.

    I got up to 55mph on the way down and was being passed!!

    Saw a few poor fellows wrapped in space blankets at the corkscrew at the bottom though... Hope it was nothing serious.


    The route was a tale of two halves for me...

    I knew there were some big climbs and descents, so mentally could cope with the repeating of 10mins of granny gear slog followed by 2mins of white knuckle descending, which seemed to sum up the 15-45mile section.

    The last half was harder to get into a rhythm, lots of short descents and steep climbs through trees where you couldn't tell how far away the top was. And then there was headwind...

    At times it felt like a slow-bicycle race in our little packs doing about 8-10mph, with no one wanting to be in front.



    I finished at about 2pm and to my surprise got a reasonable position overall - it didn't feel that way out on the course.


    All in all, I thought it was a good event. Not cheap but well organised. Definitely a lot harder than the Etape Caledonia.
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    It was my second of the Etape series - I did the Cymru version last year. Both of them have given me some fantastic speed thrills that I doubt open road events could match. Well worth the money I'd say!
  • jaxf
    jaxf Posts: 109
    one of the fallers at the Chapelfell / Harthope had a broken bone in the neck, broken rib and substantial road rash. He was kept in Durham hospital overnight. He was staying in the same B & B as us, and our lovely landlady gave us an update on him today. My husband stayed with him for a wee bit until help arrived, as he saw him very shortly after he fell. Hope all is well with all of the fallers.
    My friend said it was like the zombie walk when he descended, with the bloodied survivors coming over the rises to slow people down - and that was a great description; thanks to the man with the head wound freely flowing who slowed me - so top speed down there of only 47mph (mind you, I'm never fast, I try to blame the weight, but its fear .... )
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    Not much option for me. My brakes were useless on that descent. Managed to get it down to 50 in time for the cattle grid but otherwise it took a long long time to get down to a sane speed. Big deep breath as I went across the grid - think the bloke next to me would have heard my whimpering!
  • Cool4catz
    Cool4catz Posts: 76
    This was by a steep country mile the toughest cycle event I've done. I was told the big hills were in the last 40 miles so 30 miles in I was nearly bubbling as hill after hill hit me hard. No one told me they reversed the course from last year with the second half easier, though I use the term easier with some caution. Weather was great for October but very windy and nearly blown off track a few times. Cold on the hills too. I don't mind registering the night before. If you're going to give the locals headaches by closing the roads at least we can fill the B&Bs, get a meal and drink the night before. Give something back. Fabulous etape but not one for the beginner. I've been cycling nearly two years and found it really tough going. But I did it and that's something. Awesome.

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