C2C in a day

renevat

Hi all

I know it's nearly time for the C2C in a day event, Seascale to Whitby, and this is an event I read about a couple of years ago and think I would like to challenge myself to next year, 2015 :? . Have any of you out there done it and if so what advice would you give for preparation, thoughts on the actual event, time taken, equipment and spares taken basically the whole gambit, how would you approach it if you were to attempt again? any thoughts advice would be much appreciated. Many thanks. Keep pedalling.

southdownswolf

I will be able to tell you on Sunday, after I (hopefully) complete it on Saturday.
I have done far too little training, so am relying on general fitness and taking it slooooowly to get me through to Whitby :-)

Bearing in mind I did a JOGLE in 8 days last year with a 12-27 cassette, I have put a 11-32 for this to get me up Hardknott and Wrynose....


Here is a link to the site, entry for next year opens on 7th July, the 900 spaces sold out quickly for this years event.
http://www.opencycling.com/index.php

StillGoing

There's a You Tube bird's eye vid out there of the route the Keep the Beat team did. I think Whitehaven to Whitby. Don't forget to dip your feet in the water at each end.

Found the web site link.
http://www.keepthebeat.co.uk/site/fundr ... t-in-a-day

southdownswolf

philthy3 wrote:

Don't forget to dip your feet in the water at each end.

Back wheel at Seascale and front wheel at Whitby

markhewitt1978

<Pedantry mode on>. If I'm understanding it correctly, Lake District Coast to Yorkshire Coast is the "Coast to Coast" whereas, Whitehaven to Sunderland/Tynemouth is the C2C?

matudavey

Make sure you stop in at Greystoke cycle cafe near Penrith.... Best flapjacks ever!

desweller

markhewitt1978 wrote:

<Pedantry mode on>. If I'm understanding it correctly, Lake District Coast to Yorkshire Coast is the "Coast to Coast" whereas, Whitehaven to Sunderland/Tynemouth is the C2C?

The C2C event taking place is from Seascale to Whitby so meet your 'Coast to Coast' criterion.

Really, it's the coast-to-coast route because it's roughly the shortest line you can draw between the West and East coasts.

Good luck to everyone attempting it this weekend.

Runtothehills

DesWeller wrote:

markhewitt1978 wrote:

<Pedantry mode on>. If I'm understanding it correctly, Lake District Coast to Yorkshire Coast is the "Coast to Coast" whereas, Whitehaven to Sunderland/Tynemouth is the C2C?

The C2C event taking place is from Seascale to Whitby so meet your 'Coast to Coast' criterion.

Really, it's the coast-to-coast route because it's roughly the shortest line you can draw between the West and East coasts.

Good luck to everyone attempting it this weekend.

I always assumed the difference was Coast to Coast is a walk, C2C is a bike ride. Both of them are usually used to refer to a particular route (Coast to Coast as described by Alfred Wainwright from St Bees to Robin Hood's bay, with a few alterations to keep it legal, C2C as the Sustrans bike route).

Wainwright always hoped that his long distance route would provide inspiration to others to plan their own routes, as he found the existing long distance footpaths unattractive. It's a tad ironic that his route is now followed as slavishly as many other walks. For example when I did it we went over Great Gable and Pillar, not the 'official' route but much better then trudging along Ennerdale.

I personally view the C2C in the same way - a guideline not a route to be followed exactly although I can appreciate others may not feel the same way. From what I've seen the Coast to Coast in a day Sportive is a superior route to the C2C (having done it twice the beauty and variety of terrain is incredible).

Also by the way it's not the shortest route - going straight across level with Newcastle or Milnthorpe to Hartlepool would be much shorter.

In terms of the original post I did it for the second time this year and my advice is go for it. A more beautiful, rewarding day in the saddle is hard to imagine. The scenery is spectacular, the organization spot on and general vibe is the best of the 5 or so sportives I've done.

markhewitt1978

DesWeller wrote:

markhewitt1978 wrote:

<Pedantry mode on>. If I'm understanding it correctly, Lake District Coast to Yorkshire Coast is the "Coast to Coast" whereas, Whitehaven to Sunderland/Tynemouth is the C2C?

The C2C event taking place is from Seascale to Whitby so meet your 'Coast to Coast' criterion.

Really, it's the coast-to-coast route because it's roughly the shortest line you can draw between the West and East coasts.

Good luck to everyone attempting it this weekend.

It's not the shortest. The Yorkshire coast juts out quite a lot so you're adding significant distance going to Whitby rather than heading to Hartlepool, for example. Even the C2C from Whitehaven to Sunderland involves going North in a bit of a diagonal.

It's one of those mis-perception things as in Newcastle we think that the Lake District is due West and Edinburgh is due North, but they aren't!

bianchimoon

shortest c2c i've done was Arnside to Saltburn approx 100miles

southdownswolf

Pedantries aside, I did the C2C/Coast to Coast/West to East/Sea to Sea/blah blah on Saturday...

I have a photo of me cycling to the top of Hardknott! Shame I had only just got back on the bike the corner before the photo was taken, after walking 1/3 of it!
Chapeau to all that can cycle up there and still go on to ride a total of 150 miles. Those that do it at the end of the FW, I really don't know how they do it.
It was a fantastic day, well organised, feed centres well run by volunteers and a lovely scenic ride through some of Briatins finest countryside.
As for advice....
Find the hardest hill near to you and do hill reps. Then do them in the big chain ring. Then in the big chainring and the smallest cassette cog. This will give you an idea of what it is like after 135miles and you are faced with yet another climb. Joking aside, those hills are killers, but great fun to ride.
As for kit, the event is really well run, so not really much is needed except for a multitool, spare tubes/puncture kit and suitable clothes for the event. We were lucky with the weather, but I still wore arm warmers to protect from a full day in the sun and I had a waterproof which kept me warm when stopping at the feed stations.
I took 13hrs of which 11hrs20 mins were moving, 10 mins on the Windemere ferry and 1hr30 mins eating jelly babies/baggettes/cakes/soup etc. at the feed stations. I could have taken less time, but I had no intention of racing.
If you are thinking of signing up, then go ahead and do it, you won't regret it

markhewitt1978

Looks fantastic and well done!

The C2C is definitely on my list of things to do, especially as one of the official routes runs within a mile of my house! I would like to say that I've done it, rather than just riding bits of it.

The logistics of getting myself and my bike to Whitehaven without having to ride back to get the car, is the big problem!

southdownswolf

Mark, the organisers of the event I did do offer a "park and ride" which I think is from Penrith. However, this is for people that either camp or get hotels/b&b's at Seascale on the Friday and Whitby on the Sunday.

markhewitt1978

southdownswolf wrote:

Mark, the organisers of the event I did do offer a "park and ride" which I think is from Penrith. However, this is for people that either camp or get hotels/b&b's at Seascale on the Friday and Whitby on the Sunday.

I think that was for the Coast to Coast? The one which runs near my house is the C2C Whitehaven to Sunderland route.

t4tomo

On my to do list, either in a day or two days, at some point given it runs through the village I was brought up in and my parents now live overlooking the finish in Whitby. My Mum must have been chatting to some of the participants as she had all the details when i spoke to her on Sunday!

Definately a more scenic route than finishing in Sunderland or Newcastle like the "original" C2C.

Southdowns - yes i imagine Limber Hill on tired legs is a bit of a killer and needed every tooth of your 32 cog. I remember it being a bugger on fresh and younger legs.

Did you cycle down the cliff path near the Spa Pavillion to dip front wheel in the sea or down the Khyber pass to Battery Parade?