Rapha Hell of the North

itboffin

Should be there about 9:05 hungover

veronese68

You in the pub yet?

ugo.santalucia

Veronese68 wrote:

You in the pub yet?

We got there quite late, at 3 PM exactly, they were already tackling the Carrefour de l'Arbre... the signage was quite bad and missing in points, so I ended up doing 125 Km getting lost at various points in the course and so did many others. The feeding zone had been depleted and even water was a rare commodity (there was a 15 minutes queue to refill a water bottle, which is ludicrous). I ate a few crumbs from previous cakes. I would rather pay a modest entry fee and know there is plenty of water and some basic food at the feeding zone. Water especially is quite important.
So good day, good course, with a couple of challenging secteurs, bad organisation, which is unusual for Rapha... I did the same event in 2013 and it was superb.

The pub was nice, overcrowded but bearable... pub staff really nice, despite the hoard of sweaty men in lycra... the chips ration was tiny but nice and the beer was actually very good.

rick_chasey

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

You in the pub yet?

We got there quite late, at 3 PM exactly, they were already tackling the Carrefour de l'Arbre...

Don't worry mate, didn't miss much up until that point.

meanredspider

I had a good ride despite the "agricultural bike" (which was playing up) and one pinch flat. I managed to miss a couple of turns but nothing drastic. Yes, I was a bit disappointed to find zero food at the feed stop and have to queue a very long time for coffee and water. Given it's free, I guess that's a risk but I'd rather have paid for something and, in fact, would have stopped instead at a cafe had I known.

Great to catch up with you guys - finally some faces to names after many years. Only got back at 7pm (having left at 6.30am) so a long day. On a plane at 7am tomorrow.

itboffin

nice work guys it was a tough ride today not made any easier by that brutal wind, i'm definitely getting too old for this stuff :?

that said i'll be off to Mallorca a week Wednesday for the 312, what is wrong with us? :

timothyw

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

You in the pub yet?

We got there quite late, at 3 PM exactly, they were already tackling the Carrefour de l'Arbre... the signage was quite bad and missing in points, so I ended up doing 125 Km getting lost at various points in the course and so did many others. The feeding zone had been depleted and even water was a rare commodity (there was a 15 minutes queue to refill a water bottle, which is ludicrous). I ate a few crumbs from previous cakes. I would rather pay a modest entry fee and know there is plenty of water and some basic food at the feeding zone. Water especially is quite important.
So good day, good course, with a couple of challenging secteurs, bad organisation, which is unusual for Rapha... I did the same event in 2013 and it was superb.

The pub was nice, overcrowded but bearable... pub staff really nice, despite the hoard of sweaty men in lycra... the chips ration was tiny but nice and the beer was actually very good.

Nice to meet you - good to put a face to the name and all that.

I'd decided by about 2/3 of the way round that this ride was the hardest ride I'd ever done, within another hour I'd decided that it was quite simply the hardest thing I'd ever done.

It didn't help that when I was already carrying road rash from Friday I had a spill approximately 1/3 of the way in - some idiot Rapha photographer had positioned himself in the middle of a gravel road to take pictures before a corner, funnelling me across the right, and in the next moment I lost control and ended up with a badly gouged knee (and a new scrape on my right arm, in a new location to go with the one from Friday).

I'm a big lad, and I've learnt well from experience that I need to be kept well fuelled and watered. We'd been told that the feed stop was at 60k, so I pressed on after my tumble anticipating a well stocked feed zone, and decent running water so that I could give my knee a wash.

As it transpired, the feed stop was closer to 80K, and as Ugo has mentioned, it was completely useless - crumbs were all that remained of the food, but worst of all the queue for the water moved at a snails pace, as we all had to fill up from a single tap that ran at a trickle. Under normal club run-cafe stop conditions on a hot day I've learned to get my water bottles filled on arrival, drink them with lunch then get them refilled again ready for the ride home - with having already stood around for 20 minutes, I quickly glugged half a bottle at the tap, refilled both and then went back outside, where (with hindsight) I wasted a third of a bottle giving my bloodied knee a rinse. It was only to my horror 5k later down the road that I realised all the food I had left was a solitary gel.

I could complain about how irresponsible it is to organise a 100k ride that actually transpires to be 120k with a single water stop, but frankly having experienced some of the 'Gravee' sections that passed for secteurs it was hardly the most dangerous part of the ride - it is some small miracle both that I didn't go down again and that I didn't see anyone else go down.

Controlling the bike over deeply rutted fields tracks, mud baked hard by the sun became absolute agony as the ride went on, though worse were the wet muddy tracks where you struggled for traction and had to make 50-50 calls at speed on whether you could keep rubber side down through the deep slippy ruts, or if you were better abandoning and putting your feet down. At the top of one steep wet section, deeply dehydrated, low on blood sugar, spotting a grass verge I took the opportunity to lie down on the grass, perhaps the most sensible move I made all day.

When I was finally on the road back into Barnet and the finish, it is to my deep relief that an ambulance approached with it's siren on, as it was that which prompted me to pull into the petrol station and buy some water and chocolate bars - the relief was immense (and meant that I avoided the chaos at the pub in a near delirious state!)

I honestly don't know what to think looking back on it all - Rapha promised 'the Hell of the North' and that is quite literally what I got - I don't know if they are feckless, lousy organisers or if they are some kind of evil geniuses. An extra water stop or two and a decent fuel stop might have made the event so much more bearable for me, and yet, would that have been the hell of the north?

I was absolutely dead on my feet when I rode back to Harrow in a stiff headwind.

I don't know if I'd ever want to do the event again, but I'm certainly tempted to run a softened version with a proper cafe stop for all my clubmates who missed out (with their nice boring ride to Henley today!)

Here it is on strava for anyone interested: https://www.strava.com/activities/284168975

meanredspider

I think in your state, I'd have gone into the sports centre and get sorted out there.

timothyw

meanredspider wrote:

I think in your state, I'd have gone into the sports centre and get sorted out there.

Well, it's easy to see the right course of action with the benefit of hindsight

I think at the time I was still nursing the delicate dream of actually being back in time to watch the thick end of Paris-Roubaix - as it was I ditched the pub and headed home for a very welcome hot bath, then watched it on Eurosport Player timeshifted - Chapeau John Degenkolb, a well earned victory.

itboffin

bare in mind this was/is a free "unsupported" ride its pretty good of them to provide anything by way of food and drink let alone coffee and cake halfway then beer and frites at the end, also if people grab multiple hands full of food at the stop then yes its not going to last very long, the water bit i get, that was annoying in fact i was standing directly behind you in the queue, the rash on your arm didnt look nice at all.

its a very tough ride and for the majority of us that rode it the real way i.e. not on a MTB JZed :twisted: its as hard as you can get on two wheels in such a short distance, relatively speaking :?

jzed

itboffin wrote:

that rode it the real way i.e. not on a MTB JZed :twisted: its as hard as you can get on two wheels in such a short distance, relatively speaking :?

It would have been harder if you'd ridden a MTB

veronese68

I almost feel bad for giving TimW the 'cursed' slot now.
No way I could have done it the state I'm in so I'm glad someone used the slot. Hope to see you all soon.

ugo.santalucia

There was a slight uphill sector in a field with deep dried tractor prints that had the same feel of a solid Paris-Roubaix pave'... most of them were much easier and towards the end a couple were a bit dangerous on road tyres.

Overall, I did like the course, I think it's great of them to put it together. I was very underwhelmed by the signage and feed stop, but that has to be put into context, I had in mind the 2013 edition with fewer people and a lavish display of free food.

I think there were way more than the alleged 350 entries... at the feed zone I must have seen way over 100 people, which is more than you typically see in a 1000+ event. They probably got the maths wrong, one way or another.
As for the signage, let's blame the local yobbos for removing it, as usual...

timothyw

Yeah, I don't exactly want people to get the wrong idea - In a masochistic way I did enjoy it, and a large part of my suffering was self inflicted - I went too hard in the first half, I fell off my bike where a better bike handler wouldn't have, I was already carrying an injury, I didn't bring enough of my own food and if I was less fat I wouldn't sweat so much. All this is true.

I personally suspect Rapha might be evil geniuses. Chapeau Rapha, you gave me hell.

roger_merriman

I really enjoyed it, it was at times rough but both myself and bike made it.

Knees a bit sore, as the cheap CX 7 speed drive chain, ment I had a habit of being overgreared which my knees didn't like.

Didn't have a problem getting up the later muddy bridle ways though I was very slow by that point! Knobbly CX tyres and a mtber 1st I had no problem with traction. Though some of the washboard fields where desperately jiggly and uncomftable!

The lack of food was a disappointment but for a free event it's great!

ugo.santalucia

Any idea if the photos will be released to the public?

meanredspider

The signage was all there. It was sometimes was hard to see if you weren't concentrating hard and sometimes only visible very late. But it's hard to do for a complex 100km ride.

itboffin

As i said it also helps if you have a GPX for the route 8)

jzed

There was some lovely cake and coffee at the stop when I got there, and a table with banana's flapjack and oranges. The one water tap was a joke. Fortunately I filled up just before the queue.

The signage after lunch leading everyone the wrong way was annoying. Not sure whether it was sabotage. Someone must have gone out of there way to take markings down and put them up elsewhere. Then a missing sign by North Mymms park meant another unwelcome detour. Fortunately a train was making its way back the other way, so ended up not too much of a detour.

The route was awesome although the wind made the ride from the stop to the end pretty horrible on the MTB.

ugo.santalucia

meanredspider wrote:

The signage was all there. It was sometimes was hard to see if you weren't concentrating hard and sometimes only visible very late. But it's hard to do for a complex 100km ride.

It was missing at the exit of the school, where we went the wrong way for a couple of miles, many did. It was missing at a T junction after the feed zone, where we followed the mass going left and got it right.
It was badly hidden in the following sector in the woods, where we didn't see it and went on for another couple of miles, before retracing our steps, others did.
Other times it was a pink ribbon wrapped around a lamp post which could have meant left or right, depending on political sympaties... we got these mostly right (I mean left), except on one occasion, but we retraced immediately, as there was no signage at the following junction, so we knew we were on the wrong path.

It was poor, let's face it

itboffin

yeah that cake was lush, as were the flapjacks not so much on the banana

jzed

Wonder how the guy riding the Lightweight wheels got on :shock:

FoldingJoe

JZed wrote:

Wonder how the guy riding the Lightweight wheels got on :shock:

Some people have more money than sense!! :shock:

meanredspider

ugo.santalucia wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

The signage was all there. It was sometimes was hard to see if you weren't concentrating hard and sometimes only visible very late. But it's hard to do for a complex 100km ride.

It was missing at the exit of the school, where we went the wrong way for a couple of miles, many did. It was missing at a T junction after the feed zone, where we followed the mass going left and got it right.
It was badly hidden in the following sector in the woods, where we didn't see it and went on for another couple of miles, before retracing our steps, others did.
Other times it was a pink ribbon wrapped around a lamp post which could have meant left or right, depending on political sympaties... we got these mostly right (I mean left), except on one occasion, but we retraced immediately, as there was no signage at the following junction, so we knew we were on the wrong path.

It was poor, let's face it

Well, I think I only went wrong once and, retracing my steps, it was pretty clear. Again, somebody had to fit all of the markings and then go around and take it all down again - it must have been quite an epic effort.

meanredspider

I'm surprised by how (still) beaten up I feel today. Getting up at 4am and working until 7pm yesterday didn't help but I think the combination of the terrain and the bike have contributed to my arms, hands and shoulders feeling tired. I rode the whole thing (except, obviously, for the gates, the deep ditch in the woods, and the steep incline after the road). The front DR was playing up and often refused to up-shift with that horrible Micro-Shift thing. In hindsight, I should have stopped and fixed it rather than fight it all day. The Volagi Viaje would gave been the perfect bike for the route. Next year

itboffin

Yeah i was pretty tired yesterday and this mornings blanket of freezing fog dig nothing to help, still a nice ride home in the setting sun and a full rest day tomorrow should see me back on the straight and narrow.

last weeks total stats

11,100 ft
230 miles
15 hrs 20 mins

Mallorca in 9 days 8)

veronese68

I feel beaten up and I didn't even do the ride! Ridden in yesterday and today having not ridden in 3 weeks. I think I've pulled an intercostal muscle, it feels a bit like when I broke my ribs. Every little bump hurts.
Good job I baled, hopefully next year.

meanredspider

Veronese68 wrote:

I feel beaten up and I didn't even do the ride! Ridden in yesterday and today having not ridden in 3 weeks. I think I've pulled an intercostal muscle, it feels a bit like when I broke my ribs. Every little bump hurts.
Good job I baled, hopefully next year.

Yup - HotN would not have been a good decision if you aren't up to snuff. It's harder than the bald stats suggest.
Hope you're feeling completely sorted again soon.

ugo.santalucia

itboffin wrote:

Mallorca in 9 days 8)

Club Tropicana?

veronese68

meanredspider wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

I feel beaten up and I didn't even do the ride! Ridden in yesterday and today having not ridden in 3 weeks. I think I've pulled an intercostal muscle, it feels a bit like when I broke my ribs. Every little bump hurts.
Good job I baled, hopefully next year.

Yup - HotN would not have been a good decision if you aren't up to snuff. It's harder than the bald stats suggest.
Hope you're feeling completely sorted again soon.

Ta. Feel like a right old woman moaning all the time.