Gran Fondo Luciano - 8th of August

holybinch
holybinch Posts: 417
edited August 2010 in Sportives/audaxes/training rides
Just registered for it, anyone else here doing it?
http://www.granfondoluciano.co.uk/
FCN 4(?) (Commuter - Genesis Croix de Fer)
FCN 3 (Roadie - Viner Perfecta)

-- Please sponsor me on my London to Paris ride --
http://www.diabeteschallenge.org.uk/cha ... n_to_paris

Comments

  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    Probably doing it - I'm hoping to do the Richmond Park tt in the morning then head on from there, could be a long day though!

    By the way, good choice of charity for London to Paris - an issue very close to my heart!
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/41991871@N ... otostream/
  • xcorinmick
    xcorinmick Posts: 11
    edited April 2012
    Did it last year and really enjoyed it ( did fastest time to my great surprise ! 8) ) shame am away that week end this year but should be great fun. Enjoy it !
    Yeti ARC 1991, Sunn Revolt 94, Vario No Limit DH 96, Commencal Flame 2000, Commencal Flame 03, Santa Cruz Blur XC 05, Specialized Langster 06, Kona Humuhumu-Nukunuku 06, Yeti 575 07, Specialized Tarmac S-Works 08, Scott Scale 80 08...
  • Hibbs
    Hibbs Posts: 291
    Well, I won't be doing that again. £15 for a course that wasn't as good as one I created myself last time I was in London, far too many A-roads, poorly marked so quite a lot of people went off course and an organiser that puts an incorrect course on the website so you can't use a garmin, a feed stop consisting of cake, half bananas and water and I don't think there was any food or drink at the end (too frustrated to hang around to check) . Rubbish. Next time I'll just visit my family, do my own ride and spend that £15 on a curry.
  • FransJacques
    FransJacques Posts: 2,148
    Just got back - did 3:58 or so but I also cycleD 111kms so I'm not sure what the 106kms was about. Could be the Garmin kept dropping a signal in the trees? Not sure.

    Well most of the stuff you mentioned was the same - no good food at the feed - just cake and water. No energy drink to be seen. Glad I brought my own as I alwys do.

    I actually really enjoyed the course apart from the road surfaces - these guys really need to take white paint and outline the bigger craters. It was a sunny day and there's this thing with Surrey - when you're in the sun the road is always nice - it's just as you get under some trees before your eyes adjust that you hit the grand canyon of potholes. My Ardennes are not thanking me right now, will have to give them a once over with a spoke wrench before L-B-L next Saturday.

    It's too bad that people generally don't like the store nor rate the sportive but they took us on some roads I've not seen before and I always appreciate that. It's tough to plan a sportive route - you know where the good roads are but at the end of the day you have to link them up - that's the tough part.

    Thanks to Nick in his New Zealand shirt who dragged me around the first half of the course. Great riding with you and hope to catch up again!
    When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.
  • Gazzaputt
    Gazzaputt Posts: 3,227
    Complained last year about the lack of food and water at the finish so that fell on deaf ears. Did they have warm coke again?

    Route last was excellent though but again lack of signs caused a lot of of course detours.

    I saved my money this year.
  • FransJacques
    FransJacques Posts: 2,148
    The 1 feed stop was manned by 2 nice folks with plastic chairs with platters of 2 types of cake, orange quarters, and banana halves on them. The only thing to drink was bottled water.

    The above was fine for me since I carry ZitFit pouches in my pockets for refills.
    But seriously, thinking about it now, who decides that dry sponge cake is good riding food? You'd think that someone putting on a ride would have a clue as to what constituted riding food - you just have to browse the BR nutrition section... Cake is for having with tea with your gran - it's NOT riding food, sorry, so it was easy to forgo that. I saw a lot of "nice bike shame about the legs" folks diving into the cakes.
    When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.
  • holybinch
    holybinch Posts: 417
    Found the route really nice, took me to some places I didn't know.
    A bit hard on the legs for me, I'm not yet fit enough for something like that, but I'm getting there.

    Cake stop: well, I came prepared, so it was a small plus, nothing to rave about, but hell...

    Only down point was my saddle clamp bolt breaking in two parts 2-3 miles from the finish.
    Having to cycle these standing on the pedals when my legs were screaming wasn't easy :(
    FCN 4(?) (Commuter - Genesis Croix de Fer)
    FCN 3 (Roadie - Viner Perfecta)

    -- Please sponsor me on my London to Paris ride --
    http://www.diabeteschallenge.org.uk/cha ... n_to_paris
  • Hibbs
    Hibbs Posts: 291
    True, on the plus side, everyone I saw there were friendly and sociable.

    Was talking with my g/f last night and we were wondering where the £2,250 (Approx) they raked in went though (about 150 riders at £15 each). I might put on a sportive next year - use the route I created earlier this year, put on a proper choice of energy foods and drinks at the stop(s), then have my locally famous lasagne, chicken risotto, paella and tuna/lemon pasta at the finish for people to go to town on. I'd probably still have £1.5k left over after that, too! :lol:
  • FransJacques
    FransJacques Posts: 2,148
    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gran-fo ... t-capacity

    It went on the Ferraris of course...
    When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.
  • FransJacques
    FransJacques Posts: 2,148
    And another thing - they promised photos and we had to put those silly numbers on our handlebars - like we're cars with license plates...and no photos.

    It's not on the guy's website as one of the events he covered.
    When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.
  • Euskadi
    Euskadi Posts: 9
    I did the GFL and really enjoyed it. Don't rely on food stops, bring your own. I thought the red arrows marking the course all way around were really effective and we were hardly on any main roads. It was a really good route, and most of the riders were just out for a good hard days cycling. Obviously there is a spreadsheet somewhere that prescribes what bike you are allowed for your power wattage or something. Cycling is a challenging but rewarding and enjoyable activity, try and have some fun. WTF. Will definitely be doing it again next year, and I hear Dudley from Luciano Cycles is adding another couple of hills on at the end for next year's event.

Categories