Cheshire Cat Road Conditions

jagx400

I am doing the Cheshire Cat on Sunday with some friends. They are all taking their 'best' bikes. I have a Focus Variado 1.0, which to me, is my best bike, I also have a Specialized Allez Sport.

Question is, what are the road conditions like, if there are loads of pot holes then it will be the Specialized, dont fancy damaging my Focus.

Anyone from up that way or been on the route comment on the road conditions please.

napoleond

The roads are absolutely SHOCKING.

jgsi

It aint looking too good for Sunday. If you have a functional second bike like an Allez then I'd be using it.
The back lanes will be a bit grim.
You wont exactly damage your best bike but you are going to have concentration levels up high as you might clatter a pothole and nick your rim and puncture as i have done 3 times on reliabilities this season... but that has been more down to really atrocious weather conditions - the main enemy being standing water
Also, a lot of riders will NOT have their road sense enlivened having spent the winter on their backsides, so the concern about unpredictable riding should be also high in your mind.

Bozman

The weather looks cracking, you couldn't hope for a better day. :shock:

Gpfanuk

I'm using a Massey Ferguson...should be fun up Mow Cop....

jgsi

the forecast for Sunday has changed overnight... takes your choice really... but doesn't alter the state of the roads sadly.

cougie

What are the road/pothole conditions like in Coventry ? I cant imagine that they're much different from Cheshire ?

I wonder if the pros are asking about potholes for Paris Roubaix this year.

The only exception is if its going to be slippy and you think it could get dodgy. Then I'd take the cheaper bike just in case the worst happens.

napoleond

The roads here are seriously bad, many of my favourite roads are I rideable. The difference to the pros being you aren't riding with other pros, you are riding with people of vastly differing ability, furthermore, you can't adjust your line if being overtaken by all the cheshire Sunday drivers who only leave 1ft of space.
It's that bad I'm thinking of sacking the annual spring fling.

laughingontheinside

As NapD says the roads around Cheshire are shocking. My daily commute and the start of my weekend rides take in many of the roads in the Congleton area. The decent from 'Killer Mile' through Mow Cop and down to Moss Road are terrible even tough parts of Moss Road have been resurfaced over the last couple of weeks. The road through Mossley is also in a terrible state. Most of the the smaller roads are covered in dry mud so once the rain starts expect things to get dirty. My commuter bike and my weekend bike are both fitted with full mudguards and they won't be coming off for the forseeable future. You will still have a great ride out though so enjoy but keep an eye out for potholes

hipshot

The roads were bad enough last year - saw at least 2 people go down. One on gravel in the gutter the other on pot hole gravel. Had to bunnyhop a crater after the guy in front failed to point it out, could have been nasty.

jagx400

cougie wrote:

What are the road/pothole conditions like in Coventry ? I cant imagine that they're much different from Cheshire ?

I wonder if the pros are asking about potholes for Paris Roubaix this year.

The only exception is if its going to be slippy and you think it could get dodgy. Then I'd take the cheaper bike just in case the worst happens.

Pros don't pay for their bikes, I do.

smidsy

NapoleonD wrote:

The roads here are seriously bad. It's that bad I'm thinking of sacking the annual spring fling.

Whoah there Nap...are you sure you are not using it as an excuse for your lack of riding

So if the BR Spring Fling does go ahead you would recommend the winter bike with sensible wheels?

shropshirelad

Mmm, just come back from a recon ride of the first 25km of Cheshire Cat - from the startline to the top of Mow Cop.

Roads this afternoon were generally clean, no gravel or mud. BUT there are pot holes - big ones, sometimes in unexpected places. I counted about 10 lethal ones on the way to Mow Cop, and yes they will scare people and get them dodging about.

I was really riding to see if I could get up Mow Cop - full story, suggestions about how to get up it and piccies on the blog tomorrow.

frazered

I did a recce ride last Sunday. Generally ok apart from back lanes covered in mud. The usual rough patches and potholes. Descending from mow cop was testing and I was full on with the brakes as quite dodgy. Thinking about downgrading to the 62 now !

ziggerman

I was riding around mow cop last week. Some very nasty pot holes on the decent. I was on my own so could see them in plenty of time to avoid but going be a bit more difficult with so many cyclists about. Stay safe everyone. :P

napoleond

smidsy wrote:

NapoleonD wrote:

The roads here are seriously bad. It's that bad I'm thinking of sacking the annual spring fling.

Whoah there Nap...are you sure you are not using it as an excuse for your lack of riding

So if the BR Spring Fling does go ahead you would recommend the winter bike with sensible wheels?

Nah f*ck it, bring the Zipps

shropshirelad

Pictures of the Mow Cop climb on the blog as promised.

Friday weather forecast is now for rain/snow and then very cold on Saturday so I suppose left over snow plus gritting salt could be an addition to our woes.

Just so you know - the first set of pot holes are about 300m from the start - you go down a little hill and head under a railway bridge and in the gloom of the bridge there are the first nasty pot holes.

Mikey23

I ain't doing it but if I was, I think I would take the spesh. I think it will be a day to survive and enjoy and not for a quick time...

napoleond

shropshirelad wrote:

on the blog

Are there only two kinds of bike? Carbon and non-carbon? What difference would a carbon one make as opposed to 'non-carbon'? My fastest time up there was on an aluminium Colnago.

Anyhoo, there are usually harder hills than mow cop on the Cheshire Cat. If they are using the duo of Danebank/Wincle, they are a biatch, unless you are running very low gearing like compact 34/28, but then you may as well walk

rinko

Cold and windy, but hopefully not wet and snowy - just have to ride faster to get (and stay) warm!

One thing I hadn't realised, was that the mow cop medal is for completing the 25% bit without putting a foot down - rather than the whole killer mile.

Has anyone looked at the revised route? This years looks quite a bit different to last year already, as we don't go out towards Rudyard lake after Mow Cop, and so miss Wincle - I'm not sure where Danebank is?

Mikey23

Just switched on tv randomly and there was Michael portillo doing his railway journey thingy and supping at the Cheshire view... Boy does it look steep!

okeydokey79

looking at weather report looks like we could do with a snow plough ready for sunday morning lol, loads of talk on facebook page on if the weather is bad on when/if they call it off for safety reasons!! this is my 1st sportive so how bad does it have to be to call it off and what happens?how do u find out?

dodgy

okeydokey79 wrote:

looking at weather report looks like we could do with a snow plough ready for sunday morning lol, loads of talk on facebook page on if the weather is bad on when/if they call it off for safety reasons!! this is my 1st sportive so how bad does it have to be to call it off and what happens?how do u find out?

I don't do sportives, but if I did, I would follow @KILOTOGO on Twitter and make sure you have SMS alerts enabled.

I reckon there's a fair possibility of bad weather, I wouldn't be surprised to see it cancelled but a lot can change over the next few days.

dodgy

Kilotogo seem to be avoding the issue so far. No idea what weather forecast they're looking at, but all the ones I've seen show heavy snow starting from early hours Friday and continuing until Saturday, then very low temperatures on Sunday.

https://twitter.com/KILOTOGO/status/314485264573665280

http://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/macclesfield

okeydokey79

just had email its been cancelled!!!!

shropshirelad

OMG! Just got an email from Kilo to Go saying the Cheshire Cat is postponed till 7th July!

Still absorbing news so check you own Inboxes. Sounds like a sensible move.

ugo.santalucia

[quote="NapoleonD"
It's that bad I'm thinking of sacking the annual spring fling.[/quote]

Move it to a more favourable day in late April... Easter was never a good choice anyway...

napoleond

It was a good date as it was the only one in a 2 month period both Colin and I were available!

ugo.santalucia

NapoleonD wrote:

It was a good date as it was the only one in a 2 month period both Colin and I were available!

I just think it is more difficult to move people on Easter day due to family committments, various holidays and stuff... How was the turnout going?

napoleond

It's Easter Monday...
Never know about the turnout until we set off!
Last year was huge, possibly too big. This year won't be any where near as big.
Not secured any sponsorship either. Then again, I haven't tried!