Wiggle New Forest Spring Sportive

thefilbertfox

Anyone doing this? I'm down for Saturday with a couple of work colleagues and friends.
I see there's the usual backlash from a small minority
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-26975056

slowbike

not this time - I love riding through the forest, but tbh I'm bored with the "fight" ... so I'll just stay away ... just as well really as I've got a cough/cold and wouldn't enjoy it anyway.

PerformingMonkey

Five of us taking part. Three who would not have ridden down here except for the event. Hopefully a minority opinion from the residents, whenever I ride there at any other time (road or MTB) there is nothing but friendliness from all users of the National park. Shame as we were planning to stop for pub lunch after the ride but might give it a miss.

We're aged between 21 and 30, so as we are all MAMILs I can expect to live to around 60

peat

Doing it with 7 mates.

Ridden down there before and it's nice enough, a bit flat for my liking.

I too saw the bit on South Today this morning and it has soured it a little for me. It does seem to be a maniacal minority, but I do get annoyed with some, what i call 'irresponsible', sportives. They are getting so big now and they do tend to attract some people that treat it like a pro race and put their enjoyment above all others.

That said, I can't actually think of anywhere in the British Isles more suited to hold a mass cycle event. We just need to make sure we do our bit not to peev locals. Take your rubbish with you and don't p!ss on someone's drive......

simona75

thefilbertfox wrote:

Anyone doing this? I'm down for Saturday with a couple of work colleagues and friends.
I see there's the usual backlash from a small minority
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-26975056

Off topic but are you an LCFC supporter?

thefilbertfox

Yes, I am a supporter of a Premiership club (been waiting a few years to say that)

Back on topic. A parody of the posters that have appeared in the New Forest
https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/downfader/13720958055/

veterangaz

Last year the only problem I saw on re-arranged date was some guy driving around shouting at any cyclists that were cycling 2 abreast to 'GET IN'. Other than that harmless. But yes, bit of a long flat ride so didn't bother this year as a bit of a drive for me to get there.

Grantmk

This will be just my second sportive, gone for the longer event. I'm hoping illness and holiday the last couple of weeks haven't drained my fitness too much as this will also be my longest ride! I booked it before I considered the early start required for me to drive down there :roll:

simona75

thefilbertfox wrote:

Yes, I am a supporter of a Premiership club (been waiting a few years to say that)

Me too (especially enjoyed Nigel Pearson's comment last week that he would rather go out on his bike and try his new Garmin than listen out for the QPR/Derby scores ) (Last off topic post, sorry)

mr_goo

I have seen some of the route today whilst driving around forest.

Am very surprised the Start/Finish is at Matchams. More parking I suppose. Those of you unfamiliar with the site is to think of it as a scaled down version of this years TdF Grand Depart. A few kms before you get to the forest proper. Be careful on Matchams Lane and Avon Causeway. They can be quite busy and fast roads plus at the end of Avon Causeway you will have to traverse the Ringwood/Christchurch secondary road, again very busy and the junction is on an incline so a bugger to clip out and back in.

Route takes you up Braggers to Thorney Hill which is a nice little climb, just surprised that they have not put in Crow Hill which is a longer drag the top of which you can swing a right and get back to their planned route.

Pothole Alert!

1. Coming down from the Red Shoot Inn and all the bends and twists just before the junctions at Moyles Court School is an almighty crater with lots of gravel on the intact surface. It is cordoned off however given the last year or so history of the event, some New Forest Pony Hugger might think it a gas to remove the barriers.

2. Road to Bransgore half a km before the right turn to Sopley is another big hole. No barrier but Wiggle have circled in orange paint so hopefully visible.

Otherwise road conditions are what you would expect for Hampshire. A mixture of good and 5hit.

Enjoy the ride folks.

littledove44

Doing it in a group on Sunday.

Can't understand the residents problem. The event is on public Tarmac roads. It's not like we are all crashing through the woods.

And, it's a national forest. It doesn't belong to the people who have nearby houses.

slowbike

They moved the start finish out of the forest as a few locals were kicking up fuss about the show ground.
I would think they would have temporary speed limits in place on the fast roads near the start for the event - that's what they've done before on the fast road by the show ground

thefilbertfox

A good day again in the New Forest. The venue was good although the parking was a bit tight, probably why it took about 20 minutes to get in the car park.
All the big potholes had orange paint around them and the massive crater with gravel had a marshal positioned before it advising to slow down.
Main criticsm was that the 1st feed stop didn't have a lot room. Very tight with not much of an area to park the bike up and grab some fig rolls. I did the standard route so can't comment on the 2nd stop.
Didn't see anything negative from the locals. Nor did I see any of the posters that had 'littered' the countryside.

peat

Very nice ride, just bloody busy!

Didn't see any snarling locals, just the usual dodgy drivers but that comes with the territory. Weather was nice (a bit windy at times), great day to take some of my friends to their longest rides yet.

Grantmk

That wind was vicious on the exposed section where the epic rejojned the standard route, unfortunately I found myself without any other riders around for a bit of shelter. Managed a Silver time which might have been gold if it wasn't for missed turn which added a couple of miles.

Thanks to the the Meon Valley guys that let me hook onto them for the last few miles. Didn't get their names but ine of them used to ride for Kingston and go out with ACC.

Subaqua

Went Saturday and due to the unexpectedly snarly traffic getting to the event I guess my friend and I didn't get to start until 9, maybe later. By the time we got to Thorney, it seems someone had been able to leave us a little present. Half the people coming through when we did picked up drawing pins for their trouble and both my friend and I got one.

I used to live not far from the route too.. Makes me wonder how inadequate some people must be if they think that kind of behaviour comes close to making a legitimate point.

Thanks to UKCE and the nice people we saw en-route. No thanks to the childish tack perps

IceDog77

Great day out yesterday riding the 86 mile epic with my 3 team mates. The weather was ace and the roads, sign-age and feed stations were good.

Busy at times, but there where long stretches where the 4 of us where on our own.

Our first sportive as a group was a great success.

PerformingMonkey

Rode Saturday, weather as ace! Two beginner mates logged their furthest rides ever on the standard course. I am chuffed with that.

Best comment I heard on the route that sums up the world's opinion of a MAMIL was at the feed first station:

"Some people do like to talk about themselves don't they?"

cornerblock

First of all I did enjoy it, I did the Epic and my wife did the Standard but I do have a few gripes.

1. Why was there no notification given to entrants about the change to the start location? I'm sure when this was first advertised it was down to begin in Brockenhurst. I doubt we were the only people who booked accommodation straight away only to find out later they were actually 20 miles away from the start. So much for the relaxed start to the morning! Thankfully the owner of the place we stayed at was really nice and knocked us up breakfast earlier than they normally would.
I was later told that there was a bit of a dispute between Wiggle and those that look after the New Forest, so Wiggle decided to pull the start out of the New Forest. Would have been considerate to let people know I think.

2. As someone has mentioned the first feed station location was lousy. Too cramped for the amount of cyclists and bikes that were getting there at the busiest time. Poor choice.

3. This one is no fault of Wiggle but the standard of riding from some of those taking part was abysmal. After the first feed station some of the roads were pretty narrow. This didn't stop some dicks from overtaking far too closely between me, other riders and the oncoming cars. Complete idiocy. I was cycling with my wife just before the split (the route not me and the wife, we're still fine I think!) so was going at her pace but I had to catch up with a couple of them to tell them to stop riding like a knob. And probably a bit meanly tell them that they were not that quick anyway! I realise some people want to get the best time possible but when it starts to put others in danger it's not on. Speaking to one of the Cycle Event guys later he said that he had to remove the numbers from a few riders for riding recklessly and one for giving him the finger when he was driving past!

4. This one is a minor gripe, but that T-shirt you get at the finish is hideous! I wouldn't wear it for a bet!

Whingeing over. The route was lovely, be hard not to pick a nice one in the New Forest it's such a lovely place.

Grantmk

Agree regarding some of the riding. 3 and 4 abreast and not overtaking up the (not very) big hill but barely moving at walking pace. Another time I saw a group spread all the way across the road and not even making an effort to move back into single file to let a car past. Eventually this led to the driver being and idiot and driving through the group once he saw a small gap.

Did anyone else see the cow that came running across the road narrowly missing several cyclists?

That T-Shirt is truly dreadful

apreading

The one Wiggle sportive that I did, I found it was actually the club riders that were the biggest danger - assuming that everyone is used to riding in tight packs by drafting me and others within a few inches of their back wheel and overtaking way too close and on tight corners. Not a good idea when on a ride with massively mixed abilities taking part.

I found there were just too many riders on the event anyway - I ride loads of the Evans cycles events where there are a few hundred riders and it is great, but the thousands on the Wiggle Magnificat made it too overcrowded and I am not surprised that the locals and motorists get annoyed (not condoning what they do about it though)

peat

Didn't see the cow, but there was an instance where a horse was walking down the road, we all slowed up raising our hands and calling 'Horse' (the novelty didn't wear off) only for some hero to come steaming past all of us at full pace narrowly weaving between us and said feral equine creature. Well done sir, you certainly showed us (that you're a d!ck).