Fred Whitton Challenge
I have a new ”Hardest Ride I’ve Ever Done”. 112 miles, 5000 ish metres of climbing, stupidly steep hills and a very hot day.
I finished in 7:16, 16 minutes beyond my target of an “elite” 7 hours or less. If I’d had anything left in the tank in the last 20 miles things might have been different. Anyhoo, I’m quite pleased with that. I’ll need to do it again if I can though…
This is what I’ve learned today.
1. I’m not great in hot weather. Maybe I should train all summer wearing a fleece-lined hoody.
2. I get all fuzzy at distances above 80 miles at the moment. I used to be good for more than that. This fuzzy thing happened at Huddersfield but rather fortunately that one was 84 miles long. I’ve got to get 2007-style long rides and centuries in.
3. 1.5 litres of water at the second feed station might seem like a good idea in 26 degrees of heat, but it isn’t. It makes you feel sick, especially when you wash it down with flapjack and caffeine-laced energy gel.
4. I might have been hurting, but I wasn’t hurting as much as the bloke that crashed riding down Hardknott or the guy who appeared to be riding the route on a Specialized Enduro complete with big Fox fork and wide knobbly tyres on.
Right. Solo racing at Mountain Mayhem in 6 weeks. I’d better get riding mountain bikes again.
just like the old days
I’ve been taking it relatively easy this week in prep for the Fred Whitton on Sunday. Apart from a fairly easy ride with Warren last night I’ve done nowt in fact. Warren’s not ridden for ages so he did well to complete the 25-ish mile loop last night with no bother at all. We went up to Ashworth Valley and back via some urban cheekies I had up my sleeve. It was great – just enjoying riding bikes for the hell of it for a change rather than trying to keep one’s heart rate in a particular zone or trying to improve one aspect or another. We were riding in a cloud of dust most of the time, kicking it up from our rear wheels. Everywhere is so dry at the moment I rode the Global, still with Small Block 8’s on it from Gran Canaria.
Some developments for Hit the North – more entries have arrived, a kind sponsor is going to print the number boards for us for nowt (see below for a preview of what they should look a bit like) and we’re going to have a proper, pumps-and-everything, licensed, BAR. If that doesn’t bring in the punters nothing will.
bad prep
Another CX ride this afternoon, Cheshire - Manchester via the Peak District. Mainly on road with a bit of Hardcore Pennine Bridleway Lantern Pike Action in the middle. Not a particulary long ride, about 45 miles, but I must admit to feeling pretty weak. This was probably on account of my food intake before the ride consisting of cereal for breakfast, a toasted teacake for dinner then a crappy burger (I know, A BURGER) which was all that they had at the village fete we went to this afternoon. I had to eat something. it was the burger or the dog. At least they had that American plastic mustard stuff to take the taste of pigs’ bollocks away.
Luckily I had a gel with me on the ride but it just goes to show what a difference the right (or wrong) food can make.
As for the fete, it was good watching the trained dogs, watching my nephew run in a potato and spoon race (well? Have you seen the price of eggs these days?) and then getting soaked in the rain at the raffle. Won nowt. I had my eye on the Zig and Zag cuddly toys that were sellotaped to a bottle of Rioja as well.
hire proper bikes and ride proper trails
If you know someone who doesn’t own a bike, but you think they should, send them to Rich. Bike hire (good ones too), skills training and guiding in the lovely Peak District.
Good luck with the venture Rich (and all the best with the constant maintenance schedule!)
http://www.peakcyclehire.com/news.php
Another HTN preview
Contrary to the BBC forecast, the weather today was brilliant. Warm and sunny. Yes. WARM AND SUNNY. Maybe the BBC are just taking the piss. They’ve said it’s going to rain tomorrow now. Bet it doesn’t.
Another impressively large group of mountain bikers assembled in the car park up the road and off we went to do a lap of the course. It dries out so quickly that there was hardly any mud anywhere and the normally super-sketchy-in-the-wet downhill section through the campsite woods was rideable (at speed) and lined with bluebells and wild garlic. Heaven.
One of our number crashed in the bombhole and cracked her helmet. We’ve decided on a perfect alternative route around it now, good job too as the potential for carnage on the day is a worry.
Michael came out with me on the ride. I was really pleased about that as he’s not ridden for a while and we should just ride together more often. So we will. I’ve got him a new frame. It’s a bit of a brute.
dinky dazzler
Had a really good ride last night. Another 45 miler via the Peak District in 2.5 hours. Despite the cold and rain (what’s going on?), it felt good. I used my new Dinotte tail light. My God that’s one bright light. The batteries lasted less than 2 hours though, so I’ve ordered some better ones. After the incident a couple of weeks ago when my rear light packed in, I talked myself into ordering an expensive rear light and this one, despite the price, is great.
Huddersfield Sportive
84 miles, plenty of climbing and rain. Loads of rain. I arrived to find a car park full of faffing roadies and expensive carbon machinery…leg warmers on…legwarmers off. You know what I mean. I had fun at the start playing “spot the mountain biker” - easy to spot though with the Camelbaks and peaked helmets 
Apart from one guy at the bottom of the first descent slamming into a barrier and literally flying over it, nothing much happened apart from pedalling and hurtin’. Only got passed once, on the way up Holme Moss a young slim, fast-looking lad on a Bianchi asked me if I wanted to grab onto his back wheel. I did - and that worked for about half a mile until I could cope no longer and got dropped. I caught him up on the next hill though and dropped him back. Didn’t see the cheeky bugger again after that.
I need to take more gels when I do the Fred Whitton in 2 weeks. The last 10 miles were a bit of a haze…
finished in 4:45, putting me in 10th overall out of 296 (I think), 10 mins or so behind the lead rider. Chuffed!
route
beirut and back
A shortish ride on the cross bike yesterday, only about 30 miles in total. I got some early 3 Peaks training in by running* up the side of Holcombe Hill whilst shouldering the bike. That hurt.
On the way back I stopped to take a photo of the damaged caused to the derelict nightclub next to the canal in Radcliffe. There had been machine gun fire reported to the police a few weeks ago…sure enough, when the police arrived to investigate, someone had shot the wall with an Uzi or something.
*not really running. Fast walking and grimacing.
no chickens
I had a ride around the HTN course last night, mainly to see if there’s an existing “chicken run” around the bombhole section for those of a nervous disposition.
There isn’t one. All the other trails through that wood are steep, rutted and rooty and have an equal chance of scaring the bejeesus out of someone as the bombhole itself.
It’s looking like a shovel job.
Last night was the first weekday ride I’ve done this year where I set off in (almost) daylight. I enjoyed only 10 minutes of light before the lights had to come on but it was very encouraging all the same.
