Fred vs Exmoor vs Dragon

secretsam
secretsam Posts: 5,120
edited July 2017 in Sportives/audaxes/training rides
Newly converted extreme challenge loon in my office (female, early 40s, done ultra marathons, etc) is looking for a challenge.

I've suggested either the Fred Whitton, the Dragon Ride or the Exmoor Beast.

Which is "toughest"???
It's just a hill. Get over it.

Comments

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,313
    You have to specify what she likes... the Fred's challenge is silly gradients and silly descents... other than that you are in for 7-9 hours, so nothing particularly extreme.

    The long Dragon 300 km one doesn't have the same gradients, but it is a much longer day on the saddle, probably more suited to someone who is into ultra-stuff... in the end surely harder than the Fred.

    The Exmoor beast doesn't look particularly challenging... it's most likely the typical up and down British slog, but it doesn't have the gradients, nor the distance to be ultra

    Of course you haven't tapped into the Audax world... there 300 and 400 km events and there are very tough 200 and 300 ones... some are TLC events, some are more self-sufficiency ones and of course there is the Pendle 600, which is a bit like doing 3 loops of the Fred in terms of mileage and metres of climbing

    I guess it depends where the goalpost is
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  • burnthesheep
    burnthesheep Posts: 675
    It's a bit of a tough call. There are people that complete full Ironman events on very flat courses that would struggle with a 1/2 Ironman on course with more elevation.

    I've done a 200k before with about 5000 ft. I don't consider that super far or high.

    I'd say regardless of distance, for it to be a challenge for someone who ultra marathons.........15000 feet elevation. It could be 15000 over 100 mi or 200mi or 400k.

    How about she do a full IM event with a a fatbike in the cycling leg of the event. NO TT bars on the fatbike either. Only a t-bar. :D Pick a full IM so that the 112 mi bike ride has at least 6000 ft elevation also.
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 20,403
    The Exmoor Beast used to be a lottery because of its late date - if you get horrid weather up on Exmoor, it's going to be horrid, and the ride would be a real slog and test of endurance. Now it's late September, so much more likely to be at least passable weather, and a fairly average, if hilly, sportive.
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  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,313
    The realitiy is that with the exception of the 300 Drangon Ride, none of the Sportives is an edurance event... if she is used to ultra marathons, she'd be disappointed of an event that every fat guy on the start line can finish by the early afternoon.

    A few ultra challenges outside of the country:

    Tour du Mont Blanc 320 km and 8000 mt of climbing
    Race across Europe: roughly 4000 km to complete in a maximum of 13 days or so, requires a high degree of self sufficiency
    Majorca 312: I am on the fence on this one, but nobody seems to do it in less than 10 hours, so technically it might qualify as ultra
    left the forum March 2023
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,819
    What about the Dirty Reiver?

    200km off-road. Lots of people seem to rate it as their toughest day on bike.

    Or maybe London-Edinburgh-London.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,313
    MrB123 wrote:

    Or maybe London-Edinburgh-London.

    yes, except the next available one will be in 2021... and the entry process is very much of a lotteery... it sells out in minutes

    On the other hand Paris-brest-Paris, which is in 2019 requires qualifiers, so it's a bit more than register-train-show up on the day
    left the forum March 2023
  • honeybadger99
    honeybadger99 Posts: 46
    Bowland Badass. A 168mile, 18500ft monster of a ride around the Bowland fells in Lancashire. The actual event is no more (so you'd have to be self sufficient) but the route is still knocking around the interweb.
    https://www.strava.com/routes/458089?hl=en-GB
  • joe2008
    joe2008 Posts: 1,531
    The Monster: Wales. Bit late for this year as it is on Saturday.

    The shorter route, 200km with 4000 meters of climbing looks good. I know Ugo had a spare entry for this, probably taken now.

    I'm going to have a go at the long one: 300km with 6500 meters of climbing, that will be quite enough for me. The Devil's Staircase after 220km will be interesting.

    I've ridden a few times in the Cambrian Mountains, a great area for riding, should be a hell of a ride.

    Born and bred on Exmoor, I think the Beast is a joke now that they've moved it to Tiverton, more than 50 miles of the 100 is not within the Exmoor Nation Park. There are, however, some wonderful roads in this area.
  • Alan Ha Ha
    Alan Ha Ha Posts: 88
    *cough* 3 Pistes Tour of the Highlands
  • davep1
    davep1 Posts: 837
    South Downs Way in a day? Over 10000 feet of climbing, around 95 miles, took me 13.5 hours a few years ago.

    Some people do it on single speeds or fixies, some turn round and ride back...
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,106
    MrB123 wrote:
    What about the Dirty Reiver?

    200km off-road. Lots of people seem to rate it as their toughest day on bike.

    Or maybe London-Edinburgh-London.


    Dirty Reiver is a good shout - I think 200k off road is doable enough to tempt a lot of people but tough enough to beat them if they take it lightly.
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