Fred Whitton - 2018

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Comments

  • davebradswmb
    davebradswmb Posts: 548
    Sadly BBC showing rain for the whole of the morning now. I'll be taking some wet weather clothing options and making the call Sunday morning. Hopefully it will be dry by the time I get to Hardknott.
  • svetty
    svetty Posts: 1,904
    Metcheck says light rain clearing by mid-morning, met office says dry all day.......
    FFS! Harden up and grow a pair :D
  • savethemamil
    savethemamil Posts: 35
    This reminds me of 2015. The forecast seemed reasonable a few days out but what we got on the day was wet and windy.
  • sloppyschleckonds
    sloppyschleckonds Posts: 8,019
    I find the WindCompass app pretty consistently reliable
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • mamil314
    mamil314 Posts: 1,103
    This year, organisers have arranged a number of temporary road closures, including at Hardknott Pass and Blea Tarn.

    And:
    "Cumbria County Council have repaired the roads too so there are no potholes."

    Quite handy, that!
    http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/Cycli ... ba67b65-ds
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,313
    So how was it?

    By now you should all be back... :lol:
    left the forum March 2023
  • onemoresolo
    onemoresolo Posts: 372
    Absolutely loved it! My third and probably final go as doubt I’ll get a better day than that - felt good all the way round, weather was great and bike behaved. Can’t ask any more!
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    What was the traffic like?

    I was driving out of langdale valley and an idiot behind me was getting angry with me because I wasn't overtaking someone on this event on a narrow bendy stretch. I pulled over to let him past when I thought it safe to do so for the cyclist ahead.

    It just seems such a dumbass thing to do to get so angry and aggressive that I wondered if any of you guys met any dodgy drivers out on your round?

    BTW I was with the family so I couldn't be doing it with you guys, not that I'm capable. 4 big passes and all those miles ridden in the Lakes! Beyond me so respect to all who started it whether you finished it or not. A good day for it I thought, dry and about 15°C with a breeze higher up. I hope you had fun.
  • arturo_belano
    arturo_belano Posts: 65
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    What was the traffic like?

    I was driving out of langdale valley and an idiot behind me was getting angry with me because I wasn't overtaking someone on this event on a narrow bendy stretch. I pulled over to let him past when I thought it safe to do so for the cyclist ahead.

    It just seems such a dumbass thing to do to get so angry and aggressive that I wondered if any of you guys met any dodgy drivers out on your round?

    BTW I was with the family so I couldn't be doing it with you guys, not that I'm capable. 4 big passes and all those miles ridden in the Lakes! Beyond me so respect to all who started it whether you finished it or not. A good day for it I thought, dry and about 15°C with a breeze higher up. I hope you had fun.
    My clubmate had a confrontation with a guy who was squeezing him into the wall on the run in to Ambleside - out of the car argy bargy. It's such an amazingly well-supported event by the locals but I guess it is a big disruption to traffic, so unsurprising that a small minority of bell ends will react badly.

    Anyhow, superb event, weather was flawless - cool and damp early morning and then got really sunny, but not OTT (still got sunburnt, mind - believed the forecast and didn't put any cream on). The extra climb at the end was frankly unwelcome, but I get that it gives the organisers a safer route. Was very pretty, though, from what I saw breathing out me aris.
    Surprised myself by going round in 8.19, over half an hour quicker than last year, but managed to clean Hardknott which was the main aim. Really pleased with that as I knew I could do it if the legs stayed free of cramp, which they just about, barely, did. I was better prepared last year but I guess once you've done the event you can approach it more intelligently a second time. Second half of the route was a pure battle, though - found it very hard tbh.

    Impressed with the general standard of fitness of roadmen I have to say - I do a few mountain bike challenges (typically 30 -40 mile and roughly analagous to a sportive) each year and the level is just night and day. I'm not talking about the properly rapid lads at the sharp end, which you get in any form of the sport, but just the regular club guys turning out for the Fred are in very decent nick [at least the 500 or so who passed me looked it!]

    Another big crash on Honister I believe - my mate was held at the top for 20 minutes whilst ambulance attended. Hopefully not too seriously injured.
  • mamil314
    mamil314 Posts: 1,103
    Sheep. Sheep were everywhere.
  • birdie23
    birdie23 Posts: 457
    Arturo Belano wrote:
    Another big crash on Honister I believe - my mate was held at the top for 20 minutes whilst ambulance attended. Hopefully not too seriously injured.

    I'm in one of the local clubs and if it's the crash I've heard about the lad had his jaw wired at Carlisle Hospital.
    2012 Cube Agree GTC
  • svetty
    svetty Posts: 1,904
    Yea, weather was perfect - clear but not too hot. Shame about the crashes and the inevitable hold-up - hope the casualities get better soon.
    FFS! Harden up and grow a pair :D
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    Arturo Belano wrote:
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    What was the traffic like?

    I was driving out of langdale valley and an idiot behind me was getting angry with me because I wasn't overtaking someone on this event on a narrow bendy stretch. I pulled over to let him past when I thought it safe to do so for the cyclist ahead.

    It just seems such a dumbass thing to do to get so angry and aggressive that I wondered if any of you guys met any dodgy drivers out on your round?

    BTW I was with the family so I couldn't be doing it with you guys, not that I'm capable. 4 big passes and all those miles ridden in the Lakes! Beyond me so respect to all who started it whether you finished it or not. A good day for it I thought, dry and about 15°C with a breeze higher up. I hope you had fun.
    My clubmate had a confrontation with a guy who was squeezing him into the wall on the run in to Ambleside - out of the car argy bargy. It's such an amazingly well-supported event by the locals but I guess it is a big disruption to traffic, so unsurprising that a small minority of bell ends will react badly.
    It wasn't around the 4pm mark and the driver was a silver vw golf by any chance? If so that could have been the maniac behind me. I wouldn't overtake round blind bends, over blind humps in the road or where there wasn't at least a metre gap between me and the cyclists. As a result he got angrier and angrier. This was more the great langdale end. I got sick of it and pulled over to let him past. He was dangerous to us in our car.

    BTW I commute a lot and most drivers are reasonably considerate except for a few who obviously have no idea and the few real nutters behind the wheel. An event like this, whenever I've seen them, all seem to bring out the best in unconnected spectators. The fans with cowbells I expect positive encouragement but you see ppl out for a walk cheering complete strangers on. My son was clapping away at the end of one hill. He loved seeing you ppl go by. Couldn't get enough of it. We had to drag him away to go home.

    How do you multi-whitton riders rate the conditions this year? Looked a good day for it to me. I hope you enjoyed it.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,106
    birdie23 wrote:
    Arturo Belano wrote:
    Another big crash on Honister I believe - my mate was held at the top for 20 minutes whilst ambulance attended. Hopefully not too seriously injured.

    I'm in one of the local clubs and if it's the crash I've heard about the lad had his jaw wired at Carlisle Hospital.

    Honister seems to be the most dangerous part of the course, just about every year there are some big offs down there.

    Anyone able to comment on how much time the new finish route adds ?
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • onemoresolo
    onemoresolo Posts: 372
    I reckon around 10 minutes. It took me 42 mins from the bottom of Wrynose to the finish this year while a similar ability clubmate did it in 34 mins in 2016.
  • davebradswmb
    davebradswmb Posts: 548
    This was my second year, my first was last year so I have been very lucky with the weather. It was a bit cooler this year, there was a cool breeze especially in the afternoon which was handy when tackling Hardknott.

    I think 10 minutes is a good estimate. It took me 9 minutes longer from the bottom of Wrynose to the finish than it did last year, but my legs were feeling a bit better so I was able to push a bit harder. I would probably have equalled my last year's time if it wasn't for a puncture between Hardknott and Wrynose.

    I seemed to see a lot more mechanicals this year for some reason, in particular I felt sorry for some poor sod who appeared to have broke his gear hanger, and another guy walking back along the course carrying his bike.

    I think I was lucky to get past the crash on Honister, they hadn't stopped us descending so it could only just have happened. It was a bit annoying to be passed by a medical car just before the summit of Wrynose so he held me up on the descent, but as he was there to attend to someone who had crashed on the descent I couldn't complain. That didn't stop some dh who was also trapped behind the car yelling "get him off the road" as he pulled in to attend to the casualty.
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,819
    Pretty much perfect conditions yesterday save for the wet roads early on.

    Was slightly less chilly first thing going over Kirkstone and then a bit less warm later on compared to last year. Slight tailwind for Hardknott and Wrynose was very welcome.

    A stunning day to be out in the Lakes, clear and crisp views all day long.

    Seemed to be a bit more car traffic out on the roads this year. The usual chaos in Braithwaite at the bottom of Whinlatter and lots of cars coming down Langdale and near the finish. Pretty unpleasant on the main road section before Gosforth too.
  • svetty
    svetty Posts: 1,904
    edited May 2018
    As a first timer I thought the traffic was actually OK - apart from the convoy of tractors nr Loweswater - must have been 30 or 40 of them :shock: :shock:
    FFS! Harden up and grow a pair :D
  • mamil314
    mamil314 Posts: 1,103
    Tap water in Lake District is better than Evian, which i held as greatest liquid to ever grace my bidons.
  • savethemamil
    savethemamil Posts: 35
    The tractors were a surreal moment. I started out smiling and admiring the vintage tractors at the front, then it became rather more sinister with the massive double-wheeled modern ones that completely filled the road. Had to stop in a layby.
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,819
    savethemamil wrote:
    The tractors were a surreal moment. I started out smiling and admiring the vintage tractors at the front, then it became rather more sinister with the massive double-wheeled modern ones that completely filled the road. Had to stop in a layby.

    At first I thought it was some sort of anti-Fred Whitton protest by the local farmers. Like a Lake District version of putting tacks on the road.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    I've met a couple of tractor processions out in the middle of nowhere before. I think its the tractor equivalent of us going out on a social bike ride. I guess it takes all sorts !
  • paul_sw
    paul_sw Posts: 19
    Fair play to everyone who took part in the Fred Whitton at the weekend - I was visiting The Lake District over weekend and drove to the foot of Hardknott Pass. I'm a cyclist and have done a few cyclos - including the Dartmoor Classic - but that pass looks crazy hard, and so late in the route!

    The reason for the post is I found a pair of broken Oakleys on the climb - the arm had broken off. I have clicked the arm back in and it's quite loose so not ideal but they are still just about usable. By the time I'd wandered back down the pass the stewards had all left, so I wondered if anyone lost a pair on the ride?
  • svetty
    svetty Posts: 1,904
    MrB123 wrote:
    savethemamil wrote:
    The tractors were a surreal moment. I started out smiling and admiring the vintage tractors at the front, then it became rather more sinister with the massive double-wheeled modern ones that completely filled the road. Had to stop in a layby.

    At first I thought it was some sort of anti-Fred Whitton protest by the local farmers. Like a Lake District version of putting tacks on the road.

    Likewise
    FFS! Harden up and grow a pair :D
  • Agent57
    Agent57 Posts: 2,300
    mamil314 wrote:
    Sheep. Sheep were everywhere.
    And shaggy long-horn cows. They were smashing!
    MTB commuter / 531c commuter / CR1 Team 2009 / RockHopper Pro Disc / 10 mile PB: 25:52 (Jun 2014)
  • EarlofBarnet
    EarlofBarnet Posts: 673
    I said this year would be my last and I think it will be. I had the aim of breaking the 7hr mark this year. The route change round Blea Tarn would have made this a bit more difficult. The road block at Honister added 15 mins or so too, but I thought it was a good idea to give the medics a better environment to work in.

    I had an unfortunate crash at the bottom of Fangs Brow. The seatpost on my Giant TCR broke, I lost control of the bike, went over the bars and in to a dry stone wall. HUGE thanks to everyone who asked if they could help when I was being tended to. One of the riders (Paul,I think) stopped and got me cleaned up. Then a fantastic guy in a van gave me and the bike a lift to my team’s support area on the Leaps, where I got picked up and taken to A&E.

    Weather was perfect for it this year, not too hot like the last couple of years. It’s a great day out and one that every cyclist should ride at least once.
  • nammynake
    nammynake Posts: 196
    Does anyone have a link to all of the results in one place, e.g. an Excel file? I'd like to review all results without having to copy and paste results from the main page where they are spread over 49 pages.
  • specialman
    specialman Posts: 22
    Loved it.

    Training was poor for me in the run-up, simply because I got a late place, so I was worried I wouldn't make it round properly. Thankfully, once I'd taken stock of things after the leg-burner of Kirkstone, I was happy that I'd be okay up the steeps. TBH, Honnister was probably the worst of the bunch, just felt steeper than last year, might have been the heat getting to me.

    We didn't leave until 7:30am due to riding buddies arriving late so we had the added incentive of beating the cut-offs. One of our lads was feeling it a little by the time we got to the A66 so overall, my time was slower than last by 50 minutes because we took it easy on the flatter sections so we could all re-group.

    Really enjoyed the climbs but after Calderbridge I was feeling a bit low - headache from a cold and dehydration, and a bad stomach - and it was only when I got to Hardknott that I got my mojo back; did HK, Wrynose and the beautiful Blea Tarn and could have just carried on, was buzzing from the scenery and the weather. Forgot how chuffed you can feel from making it up big hills without dabbing. The support was epic, although we were so late that we caught the tail end of much of it. Feed stops were seriously depleted.

    I'll try for next year, make it three in a row, but I don't know if my luck can hold out with the weather - definitely due some bad stuff at some point :)

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