Who was at Shakespeare100?
dewei
Posts: 172
I've just done my first sportive ever at the age of 40 yesterdsy - the 100 miles Shakespeare100 for McMillan cancer!
I am chuffed! 6hrs 30min on my stopwatch.
Great scenery and villages, some nice narrow country lanes. The climb up Saintbury Hill towards Broadway was the major climb. I started too fast, by halfway I was only inching my way to the top. The signage was poor - too small and stuck on the nearest signpost (which could be a little distance away from the junction). There were many rides ( 25, 50, 100 etc) under McMillan with diverging and converging routes and the signs were far too small. The arrows were difficult to see ( especially in yellow especially with sunglasses
). Many riders got lost!
I had lots of cramps, first appeared within the first 20 miles. I normally do not get cramps, I think it was the cold start 7-8c and I did not want to wear anything more than a jersey. After the big climb, I had a major bout of cramps!
The 100 miles turned out to be 106 miles. I've never been in a sportive before but I was a bit disappointed by how they measured the time. At the start, groups were allowed to leave every 1-2 mins and at the end it took me some time to realise that I had to queue to be given my arrival time (lost a few minutes like that :x )! I suspect my official time will be more than 6hr 30 which is the target for Gold, but for age 40 and above the target is 6hr45
Overall I am pleased. I still was pushing hard in the last 20 miles at 18-19 mph and overtaking other riders. My longest ride before was 70 miles 6 days earlier, I only have done 3 rides above 60 miles ever before with no major hills. I ate as much as possible and avoiding bonking. Main lessons are that I need to be warmer to avoid cramps and I need more hill climbing training.
I am chuffed! 6hrs 30min on my stopwatch.
Great scenery and villages, some nice narrow country lanes. The climb up Saintbury Hill towards Broadway was the major climb. I started too fast, by halfway I was only inching my way to the top. The signage was poor - too small and stuck on the nearest signpost (which could be a little distance away from the junction). There were many rides ( 25, 50, 100 etc) under McMillan with diverging and converging routes and the signs were far too small. The arrows were difficult to see ( especially in yellow especially with sunglasses
). Many riders got lost!I had lots of cramps, first appeared within the first 20 miles. I normally do not get cramps, I think it was the cold start 7-8c and I did not want to wear anything more than a jersey. After the big climb, I had a major bout of cramps!
The 100 miles turned out to be 106 miles. I've never been in a sportive before but I was a bit disappointed by how they measured the time. At the start, groups were allowed to leave every 1-2 mins and at the end it took me some time to realise that I had to queue to be given my arrival time (lost a few minutes like that :x )! I suspect my official time will be more than 6hr 30 which is the target for Gold, but for age 40 and above the target is 6hr45
Overall I am pleased. I still was pushing hard in the last 20 miles at 18-19 mph and overtaking other riders. My longest ride before was 70 miles 6 days earlier, I only have done 3 rides above 60 miles ever before with no major hills. I ate as much as possible and avoiding bonking. Main lessons are that I need to be warmer to avoid cramps and I need more hill climbing training.
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Comments
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Hi mate,
I did it too! Noticed the 106 miles myself as I thought my Cateye was wrong!!!
My riding time was 6h 32min so pretty similar to yours, you must have overtaken me though, I was wearing an orange euskaltel euskadi top, quite visible and recognisable!!! Like you towards the end I was overtaking loads of cyclists, I overtook a poor soul on an Enigma Ti bike that had defintely bonked...
I apparently spoke to Jeff Banks (the celebrity) for a while and didn't notice till some of my clubmates told me who he was at the end of ride.
I had to get off at that climb though, my HR was at 185 so had to let it calm down a little ...
It was a good day out though, and I look forward to riding it next year!x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Commuting / Winter rides - Jamis Renegade Expert
Pootling / Offroad - All-City Macho Man Disc
Fast rides Cannondale SuperSix Ultegra0 -
Hi Gabriel,
You made it then...you were trying to sell your entry?
I definitely saw your Euskatel jersey 2-3 times! I did think this guy must be a Spaniard...of course, did not think it would be somebody from the forum. I think I overtook you somewhere after the second rest station. I was the smaller (with a plain luminous green jersey) of 2 riders on Bianchis (alu/carbon Liquigas models from 4-5 years ago).
I did not stress in my above post...but the weather was very good for UK, mostly sunny with little breeze. Just a cold start and a strengthening headwind at the end. The rest stations especially the one in barton in wonderful settings.0 -
I rode it too - did it in 6hr 22mins which is a best for me - I could have done better but my riding partner for the day (who I didn't know beforehand) seriously bonked so I gave him my wheel for the last 20 miles... a right bugger on those last windy drags into Stratford!!
Good weather and some damn good hills but bad signage. The amount of riders who got lost on the 100miler was silly. Small yellow arrows on a white background was a bad idea, especially when you're tired,and sometimes the placement of them wasn't the greatest. At one point I was in a small group of about 6-7 riders and I fell of the back a bit and as we all whizzed past a small junction I caught a glimpse of a yellow arrow so I screamed at them all, one heard me and the rest went on in completely the wrong direction - no way I could even catch them up to tell them as they were faster than me...
I would pay an extra £15 on normal entry cost to ensure better signage and marshals.
Generally though a good ride, good route, pleasent staff and plenty of food at the stops. I'll do it again next year although may crib the route better to save stressful junction discussions...
M.Question: Why do so many cyclists not stop at red lights? You would if you were in a car...0 -
PS - my computer said 105.3 miles!Question: Why do so many cyclists not stop at red lights? You would if you were in a car...0
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dewei wrote:Hi Gabriel,
You made it then...you were trying to sell your entry?
I definitely saw your Euskatel jersey 2-3 times! I did think this guy must be a Spaniard...of course, did not think it would be somebody from the forum. I think I overtook you somewhere after the second rest station. I was the smaller (with a plain luminous green jersey) of 2 riders on Bianchis (alu/carbon Liquigas models from 4-5 years ago).
I did not stress in my above post...but the weather was very good for UK, mostly sunny with little breeze. Just a cold start and a strengthening headwind at the end. The rest stations especially the one in barton in wonderful settings.
I was but then I was able to make it thanks to some nice chap from my club that was able to give me a lift … so all good in the end.
I definitely remember your bike but not you – sadly!!! I was too tired by then to try and catch up although I didn't finish that far back from you!!!
You must have been only a few minutes before me. Damn! x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Commuting / Winter rides - Jamis Renegade Expert
Pootling / Offroad - All-City Macho Man Disc
Fast rides Cannondale SuperSix Ultegra0 -
gabriel959 wrote:I overtook a poor soul on an Enigma Ti bike that had defintely bonked...
/quote]
That was me I suspect. I did see a rider on another Enigma with a sloping top tube though mine's an Esprit with the horizontal top tube. I was doing fine until the second feed station, but somehow, despite the fluids , gels and decent meals in the previous 2 days I found the wind after that stop seemingly in my face most of the time. The next 13 miles took me nearly an hour! I wasn't totally bonked ( I've been there once before and Its not nice!) but I didn't really start flying again until the 90 mile mark, only to be thwarted when at the 100 mile mark it turned out I was nowhere near finishing. The last 6 miles were a real bind!
This screenshot from my Garmin Training Centre shows it all. See how much lower my HR is after the4hr 15 mark ( around 60miles). My final finishing time according to my watch was 6hrs 59 minutes, which still equates to a Gold for a 50 year old (a similar length sportive with similar climbing had Gold at 6 hrs 30 mins though, so I think the standards were slightly easier to attain yesterday).
Having got a fairly easy Gold on the Ryedale Rumble middle distance rout last month I was very disappointed in myself yesterday
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It will be even better next year with better signage"The signage : feedback from riders has been 100% positive towards the route itself but some have been critical of the signage. Every event of this type runs into signage issues - for us it is a dilemma, to provide signage to meet riders' needs yet not hack off the inhabitants of the villages and countryside. We are also aware that some signs had either been removed late on the Saturday night, or turned round by the local youths - presumably for entertainment.
We decided on stickers as being the way to do, in part because the weather would remove them fairly quickly after the event. On reflection they could have been bigger and brighter - the yellow 100 mile arrows were intended to be gold to reflect the status of the 100 mile riders! - what we didn't factor in was the fact that they would all be wearing sunglasses .... and riding as fast as they were! That said - all of the route material : that's fully detailed, turn-by-turn route sheets were handed out at the check-in and maps, route sheets, GPS files etc were all available to download from the website over a week before the event.
Next year the signage will be bigger and brighter - and somehow we'll find the manpower to go round and take it all down again after the event."
I see that quite a few riders had no finishing time including you cyclingvet , I think many did not find their way to the control at the finish. It was not very clear to me what to do at the finish initially.
Could not see my picture in the gallery
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No idea why my time isn't listed. I checked in at all the feed stations and at the end and received my medal!
Anyway 6 hours 59 minutes doesn't look bad compared to some of the other times 0 -
Yes 6hr59 is good looking at the general finishing times.
There was a strengthening NNE headwind in the afternoon that probably accentuated the difference between the top and bottom of the field.
I do remember seeing your bike but no the rider unforunately.0 -
That's reassuring... I managed 7:30 and found the end very hard. Whilst I am impressed by the fast times I can't help but admire the determination of those who took over 10 hours.dewei wrote:There was a strengthening NNE headwind in the afternoon that probably accentuated the difference between the top and bottom of the field.
It was my first sportive and I did enjoy it. I did very little wheel following because I just don't feel experienced enough at riding in groups to be anything but a hazard in the bunch. Even then, when I thought that I was on my own and slowed for an unexpected corner there was a bit of swearing from behind.I was in an orange/green Vegetarian C&AC shirt, so if it was you that I baulked --sorry!
Next yearI'll be faster.0
