Tour of wessex

dish_dash wrote:

Yes. Numerous times. Great riding.

nice im looking forward to it, bimble around the countryside and three day chill out.

dish_dash wrote:

Alejandrosdog wrote:

dish_dash wrote:

Yes. Numerous times. Great riding.

nice im looking forward to it, bimble around the countryside and three day chill out.

Ha ha... that's one way to view it. It's great countryside and wonderful cycling. I'll be there each morning...

What are you doing there?

dish_dash wrote:

Alejandrosdog wrote:

dish_dash wrote:

Alejandrosdog wrote:

dish_dash wrote:

Yes. Numerous times. Great riding.

nice im looking forward to it, bimble around the countryside and three day chill out.

Ha ha... that's one way to view it. It's great countryside and wonderful cycling. I'll be there each morning...

What are you doing there?

Riding it... though probably not in bimble and chill out mode. 8)

HAHA Ill look out for you get the tannoy guy to do a call out for dish dash. looks like a quality event, no mechanical bottom wiping and limited food. perfect for me since I dont need any of that tosh anyway. Day two looks like it could be good and fast on the way back and likewise the first and last twenty miles of day three.

My plan is not to get too excited till the 80mile point on day two then i can nail it. and day three take it easy to the quantocks, steady on the big climb up to Raleigh cross and then recover down to Porlock. steady / hard on the porlock bit and then enjoy down to Exford. then its big road rolling mostly and banging descent to cedar falls as far as i can tell

It looks like theres a bit of a climb again just after that but then its full on everything i've got to the end. I never end up in a good group because i end up towing people round on the undulating and flat bits and then they leave me behind on the hills only for me to steamroller past a bit later where they resume their wheelsucking.

net effect i ride the whole of these things on the front or on my own . in fairness i cant be bothered to sit in if its not trucking along.

My goal is to average 18 to 19mph on Day one. Day two 19 - 20 and all bets are off on day three because of the real long climbs over exmoor. I reckon probs 18/19 again if i do it all on my own and dont get carried away. Thats my bimble plan. steady does it but pushing on.

i did the jurrasic beast on Saturday as a warm up that was pretty good and covers a lot of the day 2 climbs and averaged just under 19. that was steady effort and on my own so i reckon im in the right ballpark.

A good training block.

dish_dash wrote:

Lol... the tannoy guy's always looking for new material! I'll be on a new Bianchi with a black helmet.

Your plan sounds about right. I usually skip the first feed, stop at the second for a quick bottle refuel/snack and see how I feel for the last one.

Last year I managed 19.5mph on the first two days and 17.5 for the third. Catch the front group at the beginning and you fly for the first hour each day and then it settles down with the climbs splitting the group up. Generally a better standard of rider to most other sportives, so I've found people more willing to form constructive groups.

On day 1, The roads around Stourhead are bad, puncture central. And the very narrow flat lanes around Glastonbury can be dangerous if you're going hard and in a careless group trying to overtake the medium route riders. Last year there was a big pile up. Otherwise it is pretty straightforward.

Day 2, it's a good old slog around but nothing too crazy. I always end up with a massive train behind me on the stretch down to Lulworth. Quite right to keep a little in the tank for the final 20km.

Day 3, I hate that quantock climb esp as it tends to be fast and furious up to it and my legs are fried, the Porlock descent is very steep and technical and often busy with cars so be careful. And Dunkery Beacon is long and tough. It's all gas to the finish after that last climb...

Signage can be a bit iffy so be careful and have the route on GPS, I've gone astray before.

Got a couple from the club riding so you're welcome to jump on and see how it goes...

Sounds like a plan! Thanks. What club are you in?

NitrousOxide wrote:

How was the traffic up around Cheddar Gorge on today's stage?

It's probably a really stupid idea, but I've got these daft thoughts to jump on a train from Southampton to Warminster either tomorrow or Monday morning, to then finally get around to to tackling the likes of Daycott Steep; Ebbor Gorge; Old Bristold Rd; Cheddar Gorge cat3s on the Cube; before getting back to Warminster for the return train home ~1900 for under £25.

The sensible option would be to wait until after the bank hol weekend, I even have a week off work after next Saturday's shift, but I think I could really do with some fresh hill challenges to get my hill climbing mojo back... Heading to Butser Hill etc. locally just isn't filling me with excitement at the mo, it feels like "same old, same old," plus the Google Maps live traffic looks pretty awful up in the western side of the South Downs this weekend!

The traffic was almost non existent at cheddar gorge, we got there just after 9 I suppose. Def before ten.

I would recommend this event, three very different routes each day, all of which were well signed and full of great scenery. Sone of the climbs were really steep . If you’re looking for something different to get interested again this could be what you’re looking for.

I am genuinely tired today......

The whole atmosphere was chilled out and was helped by dry weather. Food was basic, just water and biscuits / fig rolls. Oh and mini pork pies and scotch eggs ha! 2 stops per day, I was pushing on so just had water at the second stop but there looked to be plenty

It’s not a massive event, a fraction of the size of the big events and all the better for it. There’s no messing about in the morning , start was at eight and every one was off by ten past. Start / finish facilities were great, it’s based from a local high school so you could have a shower and even a swim. Catering in the school canteen was very good at the beginning and end too but if someone were on a tight budget self catering afterwards might be on the cards.

Really good event and I bumped into loads of people I knew too which was good.

dish_dash wrote:

Ja... was good fun eh? How did you get on time wise? Spend much time towing?

Day 3 was revised from my comments above. We got the Porlock Toll Road back, which is a beauty!

Brilliant event. I spent loads of time towing, i wasnt in a fast enough group to do other wise on account of being dropped on the hills

I was a bit faster than expected on both the first days and really really slow on the Monday. I went all cyclo tourist and stopped for lunch and an ice cream with a couple of ladies. I think it might have been my favourite day

nice event.

NitrousOxide wrote:

The routes on this multi-day event has some great climbs, must remember to think about this when booking annual leave for next year and be a lot more prepared than I am this year so far to do back-to-back 50+ mile rides on three consecutive days. I've only done something like four 40+ mile outdoor rides since last November, this time last year I'd done my first 100-miler with ~9000 feet of climbing.

Having had it in my head that my better half was also on annual leave next week, but it turns out she never did book the time off when pressed on the matter last night, I'm now back looking at train ticket prices to Warminster and/or Gobowen and the weather forecasts from Sunday onward... To do a Mendips cat3 hill tour and/or some sort of hilly tour involving Bwlch Y Groes climb from the south.

Hahah yes i think the route will find you out if you haven’t got yourself in good shape. The final day was the highlight for me, Exmoor was superb