The Exmoor Beast

WiggoLeGreat

Bonjour Fellow Cyclists,

I have been cycling for over a Year or so now and have COMPLETELY got the bug and have now set myself a Challenge for Le Finale to the season, "THE EXMOOR BEAST"

I have been Training as Much as Poss and cannot wait for THE BEAST. However, i was just wondering have any of you Fellow Cyclists taken part in The Exmoor Beast? If so could you please let me know your overall opinion? I am really looking forward to it but would like an idea of How hard it is? What the hills are like? How well organised it is? and basically .......... What am i letting myself in for? haha!

It is my Debut? 8)

Cheers All!

WIGGOLEGREAT

ShutUpLegs

Is it a Race or a Sportive :?:

WiggoLeGreat

It is a 100m Sportive,

Cheers All!

WIGGOLEGREAT

ALaPlage

Good for you. Nothing like committing to your first sportive and setting a target to build up to. You should find it great fun, bloody hard work and extremely fulfilling when you finally get over the finish line. Good luck and enjoy.

nickel

Haven't ridden it but I know the area well, to be honest the route largely avoids the really tough climbs like Dunkery Beacon (the route turns off before the really hard section), Porlock Hill etc. Having said that its still a 100 mile ride with 10,000 feet of climbing so if you don't feel too strong on hills, get some training in! Otherwise with correct pacing, nutrition and gearing it should be perfectly manageable! Good luck! Thinking of entering myself.

ugo.santalucia

Nickel wrote:

Haven't ridden it but I know the area well, to be honest the route largely avoids the really tough climbs like Dunkery Beacon (the route turns off before the really hard section), Porlock Hill etc. Having said that its still a 100 mile ride with 10,000 feet of climbing so if you don't feel too strong on hills, get some training in! Otherwise with correct pacing, nutrition and gearing it should be perfectly manageable! Good luck! Thinking of entering myself.

Porlock hill...ouch!
The toll road is a lot nicer... Actually one of the most pleasant climbs in England... For 1 pound is well worth it... 8)

rodgers73

It got a review in Cycling Plus/Active this year/late last year if you can be arsed to track down the back issue?

Maybe email the publishers to work out which one and buy it?

WiggoLeGreat

Thank Guys, Mucho Appreciatado,

Really Looking forward to it to b honest and just want to prepare myself as much as poss with the correct training etc.

Any Training tips would also be much appreciated? At the moment i am mixing my rides up with a few long rides and more importantly i am cramming in a few Short and Sharp Hills along with some Long Steady Climbs? Any tips would be much appreciated,

Thanks Once Again,

10000ft of Climbing? Ooooof! LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE,

WIGGOLEGREAT!

nickel

A good rule of thumb is if you can ride 80% of the total distance of the ride then you'll be able to do the 100 miles on the day just fine, i.e you don't need to go out and do lots of 100 miles in preparation, just build up to say 70-80 miles (if you're already comfortable with riding these distances then I apologise for sounding patronising!).

Sounds like you're already on the right track, the terrain on Exmoor can be quite varied with some long drags mixed in with plenty of short sharp climbs, so basically do lots of long hilly rides with varied types of climbs and you'll be fine!

WiggoLeGreat

Cheers for advice m8,

I am glad you said that because i feel like i am on the right track and feeling stronger and better with every ride to b honest, was just searching for as much advice as poss so that i make sure i "Tame The Beast",

Really Looking forward to this 1, it sounds like a Cracker,

CHEERS!

WIGGOLEGREAT!

robu

Don't read on if you're feeling a bit nervous about it.

I did it last year and it's tough. Really tough.

But it's spectacular and beautiful and (relatively) well organised. And you'll have a massive sense of achievement when you finish, which comes at the end of an exceptionally long and exhilarating descent.

It was my first century (the longest before that was 150 miles off road in three days, which is sort of similar), but I met many old hands who'd ridden countless 100 milers and they all said it was the hardest century they'd ever done. As one of them (20 years a member of a Chilterns cycle club who rode a 60-80 mile loop every weekend and completed 3-4 centuries a season) said at about mile 65: "this is a ride you only do once."

I rode it with a pal who had previously ridden the Cornwall Tor, which is similarly hilly, and he reckoned the Beast was harder. His one word verdict after finishing in 8 hours 15 minutes: "torrid".

I say all this not to put you off -- because it is really worth doing -- but to forewarn you to get lots of miles, preferably uphill miles, under your belt. If you're well prepared you will love it. I did (sort of).

Last year, the gap between the first and second feeding stations was ridiculous large. I think the first was at 25 miles and the second at 75 miles. EVERYONE was moaning about it from about 50 miles onwards. Take plenty of spare food and drink to keep yourself moving.

I've got a pdf copy of the Cycling Plus article (called No Beast So Fierce) on last year's Exmoor Beast. Send me a personal message if you want me to email it to you. Here's a couple of quotes from it: "Don't underestimate the Exmoor Beast: its 100 miles of gruelling slog will feast on your muscles and devour your self belief - if you let it..." and "The Beast is a lethal combination thigh-busting climbs, treacherous descents and often filthy weather".

It's not called the Beast for nothing. But you can tame it.

aw1808

I have ridden it for the last 3 years and its a hard ride . There is plenty of hard little climbs and also some long drags .

Getting your clothing right is important as the first 30 miles you spend most of it climbing and you can get quite warm but you also get very strange weather on the moor and its very exposed and quite often rains !

The feed stations are well stocked but it would be worth taking plenty of your own food as they are always busy and the fist feed station was at lynmouth last year just before a relatively long climb but not too brutual . The views are amazing and you get a huge sense of achievement at the end of it too.

I have always booked a B & B and had breakfast and get early to the start in the morning if you want to get away as there are plenty of people taking part. The other riders have always been encouraging if they see you struggling too .

Best tip - look out for the women who dresses up as the beast including a long black tail ........

Mikey23

Oh what a shame ... I thin k the entries are closed!

ugo.santalucia

Mikey23 wrote:

Oh what a shame ... I thin k the entries are closed!

Don't let that stop you... just ride it on your own, start half an hour ahead of the official start time and play the hare with the hound dogs

the playing mantis

thought this was going to be about the panther...!

and that ic ould tell my story of when i saw it and its cubs. well not the exmoor beast but certainly a big cblack leopard and its cubs, in remote coombe in the quanock hills, above the village of east quantoxhead. fairly shat myself and got out of there pronto.