13^th April 2008
nr Ambleside, Cumbria, England
 

Time: 04h 36m 33s
Overall Rank: 25/301
 

Event Information:

  Course: 75 miles, 3000m climbing including the Whinlatter, Hardknott and Wrynose Passes, with a maximum gradient of 33%.
Weather:  10°C, 8mph wind.  Sunny start, overcast towards the end.
Website: Click here

BIKE       04:36:33│75 miles│16.45mph

Comments:
Started with a group of 10 riders but it soon became fragmented. I got to the front of this group and rode away with 2 others and we worked together and made very good time. At the first categorised climb just before the first feed station the two people I was with dropped me on the climb but I caught them on the decent and left the feed station before them and never saw them for the rest of the race.

On leaving the first feed station I put in about 10 miles of fairly hard effort because I was riding on my own and I could see a group in the distance that I wanted to catch and ride with. I eventually caught them but at the time I was worried that I had pushed too hard too early. This was not to be though as once we hit some hills I rode away from this group and I passed quite a few people between the start of the Whinlatter Pass and the start of the Hardknott Pass. The Whinlatter pass was not too hard. It was all in bottom gear but I was not on the limit and was able to spin the pedals fairly freely. I nearly crashed on the decent as I was flying round the corners and caught and passed about 6 or 7 people but got one hairpin corner wrong and went really wide and my front wheel slipped on the mud at the side of the road. I managed to stay upright (somehow) but it certainly got the adrenaline going.

The Hardknott Pass was a killer! I had been feeling really good up to this point but the Hardknott Pass starts with a 33% gradient and climbs 302m in 2.2km (ave. gradient of 13.7%). At some points I was going so slow that I was worried that I would just topple over. I got about two thirds of the way up and had to walk for a few minutes (which was almost as tough as riding due to a combination of the gradient and cleats) before getting back on and riding over the top. The decent was scary! I am not afraid to fly down descents but the roar was so twisty and the surface was so bad that when you put the breaks on hard the bike just bounced off the surface and then of course the wheels just lock up.

The I started my assault on the Wrynose Pass and again managed to get about two thirds of the way up before I had to walk for a few minutes. I was completely drained of energy at this point and for the last few miles of the race sat on someone’s wheel till the end.

This is my first cyclo-sportive and it is probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. The last 20 miles or so are the most I have ever suffered on a bike, but this also make it all the more rewarding.

What would I do differently?
I am tempted to say don't ride so hard at the beginning so I had more energy for the climbs at the end. However, these are so steep you could have all the energy in the world and you'd still be crawling up them. I think I got it just right really.

Event Comments:
This race is only in its second year but there was not a single hitch. The staff were really friendly and helpful and the route was very well signposted. The only thing that could be improved would be the feed stations as there were only biscuits, cakes etc available. I struggled to eat any of theses and some energy bars/gels/drinks would have been better.