Otley sportive

ianbar

anyone doing this? route looks well hilly to say the least but might be a nice challenge to finish the summer!

trappy666

link???

mattbabs

http://www.otleysportive.co.uk/
There are 12, 40 and 70 mile routes. The long route includes Norwood Edge and the Cow and Calf.
I'm thinking of doing the 40 mile route. I was planning to do the 100 mile Big Leeds ride the following day but just got back from 2 weeks in Spain at an all-inclusive resort - not good for the fitness levels!

RichTeaBiscuit

Entered the 40 miler yesterday, will be first time on the bike after a weeks holiday excess.. seemed like a good idea at the time

mattbabs

Does anyone know if you go up or down Norwood Edge on the medium route? The Garmin map says down but the info on British Cycling says you go up!

ianbar

i was thinking of doing the 70, looks a beast though so plenty of stops for food! never ridden round there which is part of the appeal but also the slight worry on very steep decents that i dont know!

plodder73

I have entered the long route but am now seriously reconsidering. I have looked at the map on the site and looks like their is a beast of a hill at the start, is that right? Anyone can calculate the total climbing involved as I have done a maximum of 4000ft so far, don't like the names of hills like Norwood edge and Cow and Calf, that means they are infamous .This is the first proper sportive I have entered although have done the Manchester 100 mile but that was flat. Seriously worried!!

ianwilliams

I'm doing the medium route, should be a big challenge for me but I am looking forward to it. I'm doing a dry run of the route this weekend.

The organisers are on Twitter and very responsive to questions. I asked them about Norwood Edge on the medium and you go up Norwood Edge; looking at the Garmin Connect I don't think there's any contradiction - you go up the main bit of Norwood Edge but the approach is through some lanes rather than over the reservoir. Again, be worth checking with them if you're not sure.

In terms of the long route, this whole area is really hilly. I like it although I'm still finding my way! I believe you should be able to skip from the long to the medium route during the event if you so wish. Again, it might be worth checking. But on the day the adrenaline should lift you up!

plodder73

Ian.. You should do the long route, I have just checked my Strava and I have done Norwood edge before and got up it albeit slowly . I remember it there is a sharp steep left hand turn. I am not as worried now but I have no clue about the cow and calf so going to do some research. Once you have done the dry run of the medium route, there is little point doing it again so you may as well do the long route !

ianwilliams

Plodder73 wrote:

Ian.. You should do the long route, I have just checked my Strava and I have done Norwood edge before and got up it albeit slowly . I remember it there is a sharp steep left hand turn. I am not as worried now but I have no clue about the cow and calf so going to do some research. Once you have done the dry run of the medium route, there is little point doing it again so you may as well do the long route !

Hey dude. I've only been cycling about six months so this is my end of summer challenge! I'm going up this weekend because I live down the road and always cycle around there anyway - I've just never done Norwood Edge or Pateley Bridge. I'm not convinced I'll be able to complete it this weekend - like I say its a challenge - but if I do somehow find it easy (!) I'll probably contact the organisers and see if I can go long (its the same fee).

ianbar

going to wait till almost day before to decide if i am doing it, dont see the point in only doing the 40, so would be 70 fo rme.

mattbabs

I ride a lot in the Otley area but I'm not super-fit. The Cow and Calf isn't too bad, it never gets really steep so you can easily pace yourself up it. I personally find Norwood Edge harder because you come at it from a descent but then hit the steepest section first so you quickly lose momentum. It also has a false flat at the top so seems to go on for ever (to me anyway). I've done a few rides over the summer with the "Social series" group from Otley CC. Some of these riders are relatively new to cycling and have been building up to the 40 mile ride. They like to ride at a fairly leisurely pace and wait for each other on hills, so whatever your speed I think you'll find someone to ride with. They're not afraid to tackle steep hills, you don't have much choice around here!

The Real Gromit

I did the long route last year and it was a grand day out! The route was different I think but it was great fun and a great bunch of people doing it. The only reason I'm not doing it again is that I've got to work.

bikergirl17

any idea on the amount of ascent on the long route? the organiser told me 3,000 ... but didn't specify meters or feet. meters, it sounds like *a lot* given that doesn't get into the major hills in the area ... but 3,000 feet sounds pretty light for a 70 mile ride.

ianwilliams

Ride with GPS has me doing over 3500ft on the medium. I think it was 7-8,000 on the hard.

bikergirl17

I live over 3 hours away -- so debating whether worth the trip for that ride & the 100 miler to York the next day. Would also be an expensive weekend given current train fares. And dubious weather.

Are there better rides in the area that should do instead?

ianwilliams

There's lots of good rides in the area; its got to be one of the best for cycling in the country - easily out to the Dales, Pennines or even to the North Yorks Moors.

By the sounds of it you're a better cyclist than me, but what I've found to be largely true is that around this area you can easily do 1,000ft of climbing per 10 miles all day long. And almost all of it has beautiful views.

In terms of organised events, I think its quite late in the year and so not many others on. I could be wrong though.

plodder73

It better not be 7000 / 8000 on the hard, I've not gone past about 3800 ft on any ride. Now I am worried! I thought I had read 4000 ft on the hard.

bikergirl17

The organiser told me about 3,000. Which ironically is why I'm NOT doing it as looking for something that's at least 7000 feet over 70 miles. From profile looks like it stays well out of the major hilly area. That said having never been there rural roads can be pretty nasty too (see: parts of Monmouthshire Wales & Heresford, which seem to be endless 15% drags up & down valleys).

If it turns out to be more than 4000 just pace yourself even if everyone flies out at the start. I managed a 200 km, 3500 m ride this summer that I thought would be impossible -- head down I just plugged along steadily, even when felt could go faster.

ianwilliams

Hmmm. I could be wrong then. I guess I'll find out on Saturday, and report back.

plodder73

ianwilliams wrote:

Hmmm. I could be wrong then. I guess I'll find out on Saturday, and report back.

Any chance you can find out before Saturday!!!!M

ianwilliams

I can't convert the Garmin Connect routes into something that has altitude, but Garmin Connect has you gaining almost 800 foot alone on the first hill (the Chevin, eastbound).

I'd send them a tweet - they're very responsive. Alternatively, you could map out the route from their Garmin Connect into something like RideWithGPS that will give you total ascent figures.

plodder73

Well, not having much to compare it with I thought that was tough. Norwood edge at 52 miles, cow and calf at 63 miles ish, really hard. Good signing apart from the one junction I whizzed past on a downhill. Tremendous cakes at the end and overall really good value . I made it about 7000 ft of climbing but thats just on Strava, someone with a Garmin mentioned 8000, whatever it was tough. Finished yesterday and said never again, this morning I am aching but changed my mind, I'll be back.

ianwilliams

Hi Plodder,

I did the medium and really struggled. My GPS had me at around 2900ft ascent in the first 25 miles alone.

It was a really nice event but a bloody hard ride. The hardest climb on the medium for me was Dacre Bank/Dike Lane, followed by a really fast, tight descent, before turning straight onto a road and another 16% gradient. I was not happy

But I would like to go back again and do it next year. I found it a bit hard how you hit the first hills straight away (it was the Norwood Edge on the medium), but then it forced a selection and the group to span out. Which is always good for traffic.

That said, I thought the medium route was a bit dispiriting because the first half was so top heavy with climbs! But it was a good event, well run and I'll happily come back and do it (better) next year.

plodder73

Yes was tough, I didn't realise you went up Norwood edge and other big climbs on the medium. You would have thought that they would have tailored the medium to be substantially easier than the long route,it doesn't sound like it was. If I had known about the two massive climbs at 50 mile plus I'm not sure i would have done it. As I was climbing Norwood there were cyclists coming down Norwood, so did you come down it as well?

ianwilliams

Plodder73 wrote:

Yes was tough, I didn't realise you went up Norwood edge and other big climbs on the medium. You would have thought that they would have tailored the medium to be substantially easier than the long route,it doesn't sound like it was. If I had known about the two massive climbs at 50 mile plus I'm not sure i would have done it. As I was climbing Norwood there were cyclists coming down Norwood, so did you come down it as well?

Well, we only went up the end bit of Norwood Edge on the main road - the rest of it we went up this windy path that runs parallel to it - Cinder Path & Pill White Lane I believe they were called. They were really steep. At the end the Medium route came down Norwood Edge, yes.

I was talking to a mechanic and he said the medium had more short, sharp hills, but the longer had more undulating roads. I don't really know; but I would suspect that the combination of 'medium' '38 miles' and the message about it being a fun day confused a few people - me included! Maybe a Medium & a Medium Hard would be a good solution to next year.

thefog

Have to admit, as above, the medium was a real workout. I wasn't feeling 100% anyway, but even so, after some much longer sportives in recent months, expected a 40mile to be no problem - I suffered - even walking up Hardgroves Hill [the climb from Dacre back towards Menwith Hill/A59].