C2C2C in a day - possible?

Runtothehills

I'm wanting a challenge to work towards next year and since I live in Gateshead, near the end of the C2C, wondered how possible it would be to do Newcastle to Whitehaven and back along the C2C route in 24 hours.

Does anyone have experience of cycling the route and how hard the terrain is?

I see the record for the route is 8hrs or so, is this superhuman or would, say, ten hours be achievable for a reasonably fit cyclist?

I haven't cycled the route before but have done long-ish cycles rides, including the coast to coast in a day sportive this year which is longer (150 vs 140 miles) and has slightly more ascent (3500-4500 vs 2900m, depending on who you ask) than the C2C one way, but is on roads for the entire distance. I completed the coast to coast in a day in under 10 hours this year including the ferry despite a slight head wind and no prep (I'd been on my road bike 3 times in the three months leading up to it), and felt as if I could have continued at a similar pace for a good few hours more.

I'd be looking to do the route on my cross bike and self supported (with the caveat that if I got really stuck I could get someone to pick me up). Plan would be to choose a Saturday near the longest day of the year, get up ridiculously early for maximum daylight on the bits at the West end I didn't know and go for it .

Thanks in advance.

tim_wand

http://www.c2c-guide.co.uk/the-route/


Is this the one you are looking at. 140 miles so 280 total in theory that's a very achievable distance in 24 hours.

I ve done the way of the roses C2C Morecambe to Bridlington in under 24 hours but that's only 170 miles and virtually flat after Ripon which can be considered the half way point.

I ve no Knowledge of the route further North, I would Imagine riding at night in what could be quite technical or hilly terrain might be an issue.

To look at the record of 8 hours and then give yourself 25% increase 10 hours total is probably not a very accurate calculation, when you look at some of these specialist distance riders like Mike Coty et al they are in a different league to your normal club rider, especially when it involves going long or lots of climbs.

Have a go at some long distance Audaxes in that region to give you a better idea about how you hold up over longer distances or times.

Feuling and Nutrition will be critical.

I Would say looking at it on paper its very achievable, but we don't ride on paper.

I m looking at doing the East Coast Yarmouth to Hull 212 miles in a day but the topography is much gentler.

Tjgoodhew

Im looking at the L2P 24h in Sept 2015 and that is 280 miles so the distance is def doable for a fit cyclist as plenty of people have completed this previously

I dont know the area so terrain is obviously a big consideration.

Reading about L2P it is broken down into 7 stages of 40 odd miles each with a feed station after each stage so giving you no excuse not to fuel properly. If you looked at this ride in a similar way then 7x40 with a short break after each section then it looks a lot more straightforward

Just on the basis of burning 500 calories an hour cycling thats 12000 burnt over the ride. so make sure your pockets are big enough for 120 gels

Im sure Marcus will be along at some point with some good advice on riding a long way

iron-clover

280 miles in a day is perfectly possible- my club's 24hr TT record is over 450 miles, but then you would be on your TT bike on a flat-ish course. However, it would be quite hard- the furthest I've ever done was 160 miles over 13-14hrs, although we did have over 2000m of climb thrown in. The first 100m was relatively straightforward, but it started to fall apart not long after and without the support van stopping every 20miles or so to top up supplies we probably wouldn't have made it...

There is a C2C that you can easily complete twice in a day (or 4, or 6...) which is between Cowes and Sandown on the Isle of Wight- between the Solent and the English Channel- there's a handy 8mile ish flat ex railway path between them. Crossing Cornwall via the Camel trail is another cheater's option...

marcusjb

Tjgoodhew wrote:

Im sure Marcus will be along at some point with some good advice on riding a long way

Keep pedalling.

450km in 24 hours?

Very achievable by someone with good mental fortitude, a comfy bike and good knowledge of how their body reacts to the various things a long bike ride throws at it.

That really is about it. Only one of those things is actually particularly difficult.

Mental fortitude - you either tend to have it, or not.

Comfy bike - ride plenty, build up distances and make adjustments to your setup as and when you discover the bits that hurt. A niggling ankle on a 200km ride may become a show stopper on a 300km ride.

How does you body react to the rigours of endurance? That's the tough bit and it takes a while to work out things. Food, drink and sleep deprivation are all going to play a part in any 24 hour ride. There's not too much I can say as it is all pretty individual, particularly the food and drink part. The sleep - obviously try and make sure you don't start the ride in sleep debt, have early nights for a week or so beforehand. I typically give up caffeine before any important long ride for about three weeks beforehand. It helps with the sleeping well, and means that a coffee at 2 in the morning is like rocketfuel.

You just need to put in big base miles over winter. Ride local 100km and 200km Audax and reliability trials throughout the winter and spring. Then build up to a 300km ride in say April and then go for the big ride.

Good luck. I have done a double coast to coast in the past - it was fun.

Runtothehills

Thanks guys - the distance/ keeping going for that long doesn't really bother me. I know from previous experience cycling and other stuff that I can keep going for long periods pretty well.

Its the terrain I really need to know about as the wikipedia says:

main roads—mainly short sections through urban areas—4%
minor roads—quiet, country roads—50%
cyclepaths/off-road—disused railway lines, etc.—46%

If the cyclepaths/off road are tarmaced it should be easy, if on gravel then ok, if most people would take a mountain bike then probably not doable.

rolf_f

I've done 266 miles in a day and I could have carried on some more (though I'd have only had a couple of hours left at that point).

Thing is though, what makes me smile at the thought of that ride was that the trip was all the way from Leeds to Haywards Heath - that looks pretty good on a map of England. If I'd turned around at Peterborough and cycled back to Leeds the distance would probably have been much the same but the ride far less satisfying. If you are going to challenge yourself to do a ride of that length, it seems a bit of a let down (and somewhat dull) to just do an out and back. No idea how far it is but I'd imagine something like Aberystwyth to Skegness would be far more satisfying.

Obviously the logistics are more complicated but well worth the trouble IMO.

Disused railway lines can be really hard work if the surface is bad but, even if it's good, I find them hard work because they get somewhat monotonous - I'd rather have more corners and gradients any day!

butcher of bakersfield

The whole route is fine on a road bike, so long as you don't take any of the marked alternative off-road routes. The cycle paths are mostly pretty good, a little disjointed in some towns, but they're generally fast and pretty straight forward.

The climbs in the pennines are massive. And they will murder you on a ride of that length - they'd be my biggest worry. Low gearing essential. A good few of them could be missed though, by taking the main road through Alston and across to Stanhope (and vice versa)

Western half is very flat with the exception of Whinlatter Pass. The last 40 miles to the east coast are not too lumpy either, but is either a very relaxing descent towards the coast, or a long, long grind when heading the other way, especially if you get a strong headwind, which is often the case! And that's something to factor in.

bobbydazzla

I know a bloke who did Tynemouth - Workington - Tynemouth in a day this summer, he rode in a group and the Strava stats were 240miles, 17000ft climbing, 14.5 hrs riding, avge speed 16.5mph.

cougie

If the record is 8 hours then I don't think an average joe could do it back to back in 24 hours.

That said - whats the worst that could happen ? You take longer ?

Maybe do a training one way run early season with an eye on doing the double mid summer as you say ?

Initialised

Cheat on the way back, once you get to Alston head towards Hexham and take a mix of the A695 and NCN Route 72 (Hadrian's Way), like this: http://www.strava.com/activities/123817939, it will make the last leg back to Gateshead much quicker and less hilly than using Route 7. If you really wanted to make it easier or different on the return leg you could go Whitehaven, Carlisle, Haltwhistle, then follow the course of the wall along Military Road (B6318) or join Hadrians way and go along the Tyne Valley.

Route 14 (Derwent Walk) then 7 (Waskerley Way) is the easiest way of getting up into the Pennines from Gateshead and a really pleasant ride unless you try and KOM it: http://www.strava.com/activities/123817 ... 2774540388 (I held it for a few months, currently third but I think I could break 1:30 with a stiff tailwind)

Back in March I made the mistake of taking the off-road section from Parkhead Station to Rookhope on a road bike with 23mm tyres, the first third was packed singletrack and was OK if a little slow, the middle bit was 1-2" chunks of aggregate, I punctured near the mine at the top and again once back down the third section, the icy descent into Rookhope. On the way back from Alston the next day I got a split in my tyre-wall (18 miles from the nearest bike shop on route (Corbridge) and had to hold the tube in the tyre with a gel wrapper, it held until Newburn, though I'd stopped at Corbridge for a spare tyre incase it gave out too far from home, I bet it wouldn't have held if I hadn't bought a spare.

Have a look at the Tyne and Wear thread in Commuting Chat: viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12857083&start=1220&hilit=tyne+%26amp%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bamp%3B+wear

Someone on there does the C2C most years and might be up for the challenge.

dizarch

Mate of mine, Ken Wynn, did it this summer. Here's his account of it:

C2C2C done! 238 miles in a total of 22.5 hours, left Tynemouth noon Saturday, got to Workington at half 9 then was back at Tynemouth at 10.30 Sunday. Rolling time 17.5 hours so an average speed of 13.8mph, and total gain of 15,500ft.
Had a bit of a dull cloudy start and some slight tail wind, sun broke out near Shotley bridge which made climb out of Edmundbyers swealtering, first stop was Chatterbox Cafe at St John Chapel at 45 miles in. Then on over Killhope to Alston and Hartside, through Penrith to Greystoke Cycle Cafe (who kindly stayed open for me) for second stop about half 6 and 85 miles. Leaving there had a few light brief showers, through Keswick then onto the A66 all the way to Workington. Arrived at the lighthouse pier at 9.30 had a half hour rest then headed back with good daylight, and didn't get fully dark until Cockermouth. Was very pleased with my light for the darkness section, and for the assistance/escorting advice given by Cumbria Road Police for the support car. Next stop was at midnight in Keswick, thankfully had left mudguards and rain jacket on as caught very heavy downpour near Penrith. Next stop was Langwathby at 2am then on to Hartside. Had an 'off itinerary' half hour stop at the summit waiting for fog to clear and light to build enough for a safe descent into Alston, and unfortunately lashing rain which continued all the way to Stanhope. Stopped for a sugar hit to tackle Crawleyside Bank, mercifully all rain and wind ceased just in time, then carried on to Shotley Bridge for another brief stop and the welcome knowledge that all hills were done! Went through Rowlands Gill just before half 8 then on to the Tyne and the Quayside via the south side to avoid Sunday market closures, crossed at millenium bridge and had a final stop just after 9 at The Hub at Ouseburn. Stayed on 72 for final section along river into Tynemouth for a 10.30 finish.
Overall, a brilliant experience, a few personal records broken, was very glad of all the prep and training I did, and for the support team I had - honestly couldn't have done it without them!
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/444421858

butcher of bakersfield

C2C2C done! 238 miles in a total of 22.5 hours, left Tynemouth noon Saturday, got to Workington at half 9 then was back at Tynemouth at 10.30 Sunday. Rolling time 17.5 hours so an average speed of 13.8mph, and total gain of 15,500ft.

Something to bear in mind, is that most of the accounts you hear of the c2cc2c, will not be done on the official route. Like with this one, which takes the main road between Alston and Stanhope, and the A66 (as well as a few others, which are neither here nor there). The actual route would take you closer to 285 miles, and around 25,000 of climbing by my calculations (going from memory).

Wouldn't fancy the A66 myself, unless it's during the night. The road between Alston and Stanhope isn't too bad, but a major route by rural standards.

tim_wand

25,000 Really?

butcher of bakersfield

tim wand wrote:

25,000 Really?

Like I say, from Memory. May well be less, but my Garmin definitely recorded more than 10k feet one way.

gaanrowl

Hi there me and some friends done something similar earlier this year we set of from maryport to tynemouth and back, 207 miles in just over 13 hours. i have the route if your interested. obviously we didnt take in any of the major climbs but it was a grand day out.

gaanrowl

butcher of bakersfield wrote:

C2C2C done! 238 miles in a total of 22.5 hours, left Tynemouth noon Saturday, got to Workington at half 9 then was back at Tynemouth at 10.30 Sunday. Rolling time 17.5 hours so an average speed of 13.8mph, and total gain of 15,500ft.

Something to bear in mind, is that most of the accounts you hear of the c2cc2c, will not be done on the official route. Like with this one, which takes the main road between Alston and Stanhope, and the A66 (as well as a few others, which are neither here nor there). The actual route would take you closer to 285 miles, and around 25,000 of climbing by my calculations (going from memory).

Wouldn't fancy the A66 myself, unless it's during the night. The road between Alston and Stanhope isn't too bad, but a major route by rural standards.

well put sir

dizarch

Ugh! Make sure you get an official certificate officially signed by an official. In blood, in triplicate and on carbon paper. Officially of course.

vinnymarsden

There are so many routes that are considered the "official" C2C I would not attempt to try and endorse any as the recognised one!!
We did it over 3 days, over 200 miles Whitehaven to RHB via the best hills the lakes could offer…I would NOT have fancied razzing it in one go, turning round and going back!!!
It might have been doable..but as for enjoyable…no, I don't think it would have been!!

We did it s a group to have 3 days fun…75ish miles a day which is easily doable…but as for there and back not for me…Chapeau to anyone who tries it, or has done it tho..hats off!!

Runtothehills

Thanks guys, seem that how possible it is will entirely depend upon route choice. Silly me I thought there was an 'official' road route and an 'official' bridleways/similar route so most people's C2C would be broadly the same. I'll get the maps out and have a proper look and probably scout some sections to make sure.

As for the enjoyable side: I enjoy a challenge and it can be really nice to get a variety of scenery in one day.

Plus most of the enjoyment is looking back, often the more unpleasant a situation was the more enjoyable it is looking back (eg. going up Tryfan (aka 2000 ft tall scrambling frame) in a gale force ice storm was great fun, in hindsight).

Old_Timer

Best of luck with which ever route you choose for your C2C2C ride, as shown above, it is doable from many different routes. Here in the states California has an official Triple Crown jersey for those doing multiple (three) centuries and they have many double centuries in the same day/route. I'm friends with a couple of guys that have participated in a triple century, kind of nuts if you ask me :roll:

Here in Florida, the Cross State ride was recently held, down in the peninsula, South Florida, its from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, however,, it is pretty much flat as it can be. The various California Centuries are hilly and very challenging. Also, look at the numbers of your riders doing the Etape rides with extreme climbing and distance. I'd say you could certainly do this ride.

marcusjb

Triple centuries in 24 hours - nuts
Quadruple centuries in 24 hours - really fecking nuts
Quintuple centuries in 24 hours - just astonishing. When some of the fast boys come past you on the 24, it is mind blowing how fast they are riding on their way to 500 mile performances.

I've got a quad in me, I was only 25 miles short on my first attempt and that was with hardly moving for the last 2 hours due to buggered knee and was on the rather sporting ESCA course (well over 5000m of ascent in the 600km I rode!).

500 miles though - never.

Anyway - all to say, I am not particularly quick as a rider - but can ride big distances.

Faster is much, much harder than farther - riding a long way isn't ever so tricky, just takes a lot of practice.

Old_Timer

I couldn't fathom beyond a double within a 24 hour period, heard tales of triples but nothing first hand. What is the record in distance for a 24 hour period? Going beyond the 24 hour period I suppose there are supermen or women out there that can ride continuously and do triples or quads. It makes me hurt to contemplate these fetes.

marcusjb

Old_Timer wrote:

I couldn't fathom beyond a double within a 24 hour period, heard tales of triples but nothing first hand. What is the record in distance for a 24 hour period? Going beyond the 24 hour period I suppose there are supermen or women out there that can ride continuously and do triples or quads. It makes me hurt to contemplate these fetes.

UK time trial record is Andy Wilkinson in 2011, who rode 541.2 miles on the ESCA course - which is just astonishing whatever way you look at it.

500 is the very serious end of business.

400 is very achievable for many, with some decent distance background, I think - as I said, I am not particularly fast (I'd struggle to do a decent time on a 10 mile TT - lots and lots of riders on here would do much better times I have no doubt), but have the distance experiences.

I got 375 miles this year - I'll get my excuses in (even though 375 was always my main target, but my stretch target was 400), I was full of an oncoming cold and my right knee gave up after 18 hours or so. Riding a steel Audax bike with fairly boring wheels (Archetype rims, so nothing aero) and aero bars. Regular helmet (Mojito) and a Castelli San Remo speedsuit. There's much room for improvement, so if and when I decide to give it another shot, I will aim at 400 and I am really nothing special for speed.

If you want to see what 541 miles does to you - see the last couple of minutes of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tix9iF3reSE

And a bit of National Championships 2014 action here (I feature at about 3:30 briefly!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtF9RcXUlHw

24hr races are something special, sadly they are few and far between these days. But the atmosphere and camaraderie is something else. If anyone wants to do something really amazing I would highly recommend it, but I now see why people told me I would never be happy riding just 1 of them.

Old_Timer

Thanks for that info on the record, Marcus, not one I was familiar with. Your mileage is well beyond my capabilities due to medical issues (Parkinson's Disease, :roll: ) you have my admiration for your abilities on a bicycle 8) . I'm hoping for a century within a year if things stay with the current level for my tremors and such, next week will be my one big ride this year, 58 miles for my age :? , on my birthday, hopefully :shock: .

All your information here is really appreciated, thanks for being a gentleman, and for sharing your knowledge and experience with us.

tangled_metal

Never thought of doing a challenge event on a bike. Done walking events such as 50 milers (should have been 45 miles but we got lost once and took a longer detour that was actually quicker since there were cut off times at certain checkpoints). The amazing thing was there's regulars to these challenge walks and some do the double.

One such walk was across Wales walk from best Clun in Shropshire to Aberystwyth. The double up guys start at Aberystwyth, walk to the start then do the walk back to Aberystwyth. I believe the triple has been done too.

There's also a hundred every year. That's 100 continuous miles of walking over one weekend. Plus walking events where to walk for a day round a course and your total mileage is recorded. They use marshals to make sure competitors don't take a break

Anyway it's all just distance. If you have the right mindset your body should cope. Your mind's input into distance, challenge events is very important. After that it's nutrition or fuel intake. That's always been my problem and often the sole reason for a bad day of struggling.