Circuit of Kent

Gazzaputt
Gazzaputt Posts: 3,227
Hands up for who's in.

See it has sold out again this year.

Last year it was an excellent event well sign posted, loads of marshals, great food stops and the food after was great.

For me should beat my time easily I hope as I had 4 punctures last time out.

Comments

  • Heading down from the north to check out the rumours of a summer.

    Adding to Gazza's comments, plenty of supporters on the route last year.
  • A good course. This is one where it pays to go fast in the first quarter, as the middle section is relatively flat, and provided you find yourself a good little group to share the work with you can then recover ahead of the final quarter where you give it everything to get up One Tree Hill and grab that gold time. The year I rode it I had a Marmotte gold with almost an hour in hand, but that same year for this one I had perhaps 5 minutes left.

    The profile of this course is a bit like the recent Laurent Desbiens sportive, but where that French one is virtually a race, with accompanying large groups with through & off riding and a certain amount of attacking on hills, the CoK can be more typical of the British sportive -- plodding along on your own if you're not lucky with your choice of riding companions.
  • I'm in and looking forward to it.

    I'm slightly confused by the distance though. It's billed as 140km but when I plot it into bikely it comes out as 122km. Anyone know what the actual distance is?
  • I'm in - 140km - first sportive for me!!

    Still saving for a carbon beauty (damn kids - every time I get close there is another bill for something!! :roll: ), so will be doing it on my Spesh Sirrus

    Weather forecast seems good, and I have heard good things about the organisation, etc so I am looking forward to it
  • IIRC in 2006 the distance was a few kms shorter than advertised. Have they not fixed the typo then? Maybe that's some kind of cunning plan to ensure customer statisfaction.

    In 06: route, marshalling, signage, timing system = all good; post ride catering = childrens' party food. Hopefully catering is better for you, though if not there are some eateries a few minutes' trundle away in Sevenoaks.
  • Gazzaputt
    Gazzaputt Posts: 3,227
    Food last year was excellent. Big baguettes filled to the brim with either cheese or ham salad, soup and loads of cakes. Plenty of tea coffee and cold drinks. Jazz band playing it was lurvley.
  • Sounds like an improvement. The post ride food was the only negative element when I rode it (other than that final 15% climb)
  • I'm coming down from Yorkshire too. It's a bit of a trip back home for me having cycled in kent as a child and this is also my first true sportive. The distance does look shorter than advertised so I'm up for the "140km". I estimated it to be about 75 miles from plotting it on memory map so about the same distance as my only other over 50 miler so far: the Great Yorskshire Bike Ride. This looks more difficult than GYBR with the big climb at the end and being circular there's no tail wind assist throughout. I'm not at all sure what time to expect as I've no cycling buddies to work with. I averaged just over 16mph on the GYBR. Even though I'm nearly 47 I find I'm getting excited like a child at the prospect.
  • My mate did it in 2007 and the distance was 78.8 miles.

    The shorter course is more like 47 miles than the 50 miles.
  • Seanos
    Seanos Posts: 301
    I did it today (my first sportive) and I clocked it at 48 miles exactly, although I forgot to turn my computer on until a couple of hundred yards in.

    (2.36 in case you were wondering :D )
  • Seanos
    Seanos Posts: 301
    Oh, forgot to say that it was really well organised, from the parking to the marshalling to the signposts to the food - I'll be back next year for the full 140k!
  • Did the 140km today, loved it had some mates and a good group for the last 20miles with a headwind. The last hill was awesome 23% in some places, got my gold time, brilliantly organised, good grub and nice people, can't whack it!
    Colnago C60 SRAM eTap, Colnago C40, Milani 107E, BMC Pro Machine, Trek Madone, Viner Gladius,
    Bizango 29er
  • Gazzaputt
    Gazzaputt Posts: 3,227
    Flanners1 wrote:
    Did the 140km today, loved it had some mates and a good group for the last 20miles with a headwind. The last hill was awesome 23% in some places, got my gold time, brilliantly organised, good grub and nice people, can't whack it!

    +1

    This is how all sportive events should be run.

    The last hill was a killer. I rode in a 39x25 and struggled really having to stomp on the pedals.
    Had cramped as well about 2 miles before :(

    Gutted to have missed gold but will be next year and will make it for certain.
  • This was my first sportive but i've done a few Audaxes.

    I was surprised at the range of abilities on show, I though I'd come last in a sportive but there were people crawling round on half-ton halfords full-sussers. Congratulations to everyone who hauled one of those up One Tree Hill at the end. The front group were as fast as I thought they'd be, passing in the other direction just before I started the eastern loop.

    I enjoyed it due to the large number of people taking part and having the timing chip made me try a bit harder than on an Audax. 128km in 4:48 is a lot faster than I usually ride and has made me think I might do some interval training to have a go at speeding up to go for gold next year.
  • I had a 53/39 on luckily with a 27 cassette, but the last hill was mental steep, had 2 weeks in the Alps in the Summer which helped!
    Colnago C60 SRAM eTap, Colnago C40, Milani 107E, BMC Pro Machine, Trek Madone, Viner Gladius,
    Bizango 29er
  • Yep, I did it yesterday too. My target was just to finish, this being my first sportive and longest ride yet. It was much colder than I'd hoped for, but the excellent organisation and very friendly fellow cyclists made up for that.

    In the end I managed a silver time with I think about 10 minutes to spare, but I did have to push the bike up One Tree Hill. 79.1 miles on my bike computer at the end.

    Really I owe the time the various other riders and groups I drafted (or is it draughted) along behind. I was certainly a drafter much more than a draftee. Now I've 'fessed-up I feel a bit better about it.

    So many thanks to the organisers and fellow cyclists.
  • I got round in 5 hours which was pretty much my target before the start. I went too fast for the first half and then paid for it in last 20 miles and had to walk the second half of the final hill which was pretty disappointing.

    I really enjoyed the event though; It was a lovely atmosphere at the start / finish. Hopefully I'll be back next year for a much improved time and ready glide up that last hill.

    Oh, yeah, my £3 Lidl computer measured the course as 80 miles.
  • Where are the results? They said they would be ready yesterday afternoon
  • Gazzaputt
    Gazzaputt Posts: 3,227
    For me I take my time from my Garmin.

    Problem with the timing chips is doesn't allow for bottle refills. Would be great if there were timing mats that could log you in and out.

    I actually missed the last feed as I really wanted that gold time and paid for it with cramp. Had really pushed for 60 miles

    My Garmin had 4.09 and timing on the screens 4.28 :cry: so no gold.
  • Gazzaputt
    Gazzaputt Posts: 3,227
    Times are now up. Some suspicous timings there!
  • This was my first event of any kind - I did the 80km route in a time of 3hrs 34, which included a 10-15min stop at the feed station about 25 miles in. Only started riding again in June doing about 40 - 50 miles a week.
    I was riding on a borrowed 12 year old Dawes Giro 400 using 52/42 front rings, and that last hill was too much for me with those size rings!!!
    I'll defo be back next year, probsbly do the 80k again and try to get in with a silver or gold time.
    I thought the organisation was great. Loads of parking, quick registration, good signage and marshalling, welcome and good food at the end and lots of room to kick out and recover!!!
    Just need to decide which bike I buy through the C2W scheme now - probably a tripple with that last hill in mind!!!, so I can let it take me round rather than lugging that hunk of metal about under me!!!
    Limited Edition Boardman Team Carbon No. 448
    Boardman MTB Team
  • Very slick organisation again, but the cheering spectators petered out earlier than last year.

    I've found a scrap of paper with R175 CRW? written on it. I take this to be the possible reg of a dark blue car with a silly bint hanging out of the window who slapped the bloke in front of me on the arse about a mile from Yalding. Neither of us got close enough to administer the energy drink of retribution at the next junction, before the occupants waved to a young lad in a green tracksuit (with PWFC on the back?)