Tour of Wessex

[Tamar Collis]

A hectic week at work with late nights throughout meant Keith and I arrived midnight Friday, knackered. Threw the tent up next to our friends Sue and Justin's and collapsed into our sleeping bags at 12.30. Awoke 5.30 to sort bikes out and trundle 2 miles down to the start for 7am.

Given that I wanted to be in fit state to not just endure but enjoy Sunday and Monday's rides, I decided to take it easy from the start on Saturday. Riders passed me and I let them go. To be honest I was so sleepy that racing was far from my mind. It was sunny and warm and we were riding along beautiful, quiet roads through meadows and woodland: a bucolic idyll. My reverie was interupted by a nasty little hill, but I twiddled along with hr below 160 then continued on my way, nodding agreeably at cows, birds and sun-dappled trees. By 10.30 I was seriously considering laying my bike down and having a snooze in the grass, listening to the birdsong...and maybe have a little stop for a pint. Mmmm. Lovely. But I didn't. I kept pedalling and wound my way up through a gorgeous steady climb with a steep rocky escarpment off to one side. Chatted to a friendly chap called 'Devon' John from North London. He told me to watch out on the descent through Cheddar Gorge. The lead up was fast and free: wide bends swooping down to eventually funnel into the gorge where John was right to warn me to watch out. It suddenly narrowed and threw a couple of tight corners in between the high rocky sides. The ambulance was already in attendance to a broken collar bone (an unfortunate Norwood Paragon rider). I braked carefully and took time to look up and admire the spectacular soaring walls of the gorge. The ride finished in the flatlands and I got my tt head on, happily dragging a line of stragglers through to the finish. I finished in around 6hrs30. Saw Mike Ingram who was looking pleased after achieving his target of a sub-6hr and gold certificate.

Lazed in the sunshine at the campsite before descending on the pub next door where we ate our fill at the carvery.

Sunday morning started wet. There were considerably fewer riders on the start line than day one. It rained persistently all day, but was not as torrential nor as windy as I'd feared. But pretty nippy if you stopped moving and weren't wearing enough. As it was wet, Sue, Justin and I had agreed to ride together for moral support and safety in case of mishap. Lucky we did. 10 miles in and Sue broke a spoke in her rear wheel. One of the motor bike escorts stopped but after several minutes fettling it was clear she would have to call it a day, so she reluctantly turned to head back to camp. She was joined by a guy who'd had two punctures already and was so cold he couldn't stand it any longer. We were pleased she'd have company on the way back. But even more pleased when she phoned a few mins later to tell us to wait up as he'd gallantly lent her his rear wheel. Yay! The ride was again very scenic through small back lanes and woodlands heavy with the scent of wild garlic. There was a tricksy wet cattle grid on a corner which someone had taken a little too recklessly and the ambulance was again in attendance. Heard later he'd broken his hip. Ouch. The climbs were steady and not as steep as Saturday...but there were some tight steep descents which were a bit hairy in the wet and we all had to renew our brake blocks when we got back to camp. The weather was definitely too much for some riders, we saw many turning back and we went past a tea shop at about 40 miles that had at least 20 bikes outside it. I got a puncture on the final climb, but with 3 of us all helping we soon had it fixed before anyone got too cold. What with the weather and a couple of mechanicals it was a long 100 miles. Finished in 8 hrs.

Sunday night we met up with the Paragon riders in a pub - they were staying in a cottage lucky sods. Food was not as good as the pub next to our campsite but we scoffed it down regardless.

Monday dawned damp with a bitter north wind blowing. The start was delayed until 7.30 as the tent housing the timing equipment had blown down in the night. The wind kept up most of the day, but the rain at least stopped by 8am and the sune shone. It was hard to get the right balance of layers for climbing and descending. The bright sun and bitter wind were in keeping with what was a day of extremes. The ride was flat and fast for the first 25-30 miles....and then we hit the Quantocks. I had jokingly said I'd been thinking of putting a 27 on my triple. Someone said grimly I should have done. They weren't kidding. What a f*cking bitch of a climb. It was endless. And steep. And we still had another 100 miles of riding and another two big climbs to come. Just as I thought I could go no slower and maintain momentum, the road swung left and got even steeper. For the first time in as long as I can recall, I gave up and got off. Defeated.

More rolling fast roads swept us along to Dunkery Beacon which was steep but not as bad as the first one. It did occur to me, as we heroically muscled our bikes slowly and inexorably upwards, that to the casual observer we must all have looked rather silly. There are quicker and easier ways up a hill - walking for one!

It was a tough day with 3 very steep climbs and as it turns out over 130 miles of riding instead of the promised 125. Those last few miles nearly did for me mentally. My hands hurt, my feet hurt, my butt hurt. I had not bargained for another 5-6 miles and was riding on my own at that point...although the motorbike riders did wave cheerily before speeding off on their comfy big bikes. B*st*rds. Finished in 9hrs 30.

Added up the figures and discovered I'd ridden for 24 of the previous 58 hours. No wonder my ass is sore!

Keith got lost Sat and Sun (duh!) but stayed on course yesterday to finish third in 7hrs 21, coming at the same time as the first two but not feeling it was necessary to sprint through a muddy bend onto the timing mat. We were both v pleased he'd finally had a decent ride after two days pootling around trying to work out where the hell he was. God knows how he got up those climbs on a 39x23!! Legs of steel.

Fantastic event. Good signage (despite the efforts of a few locals who thought it amusing to remove them), great motorbike support, quiet roads, stunning scenery and best of all, fig rolls and Soreen bars at the feed stations. My favourites! Definitely recommend this event.

[Maria David]

I only managed set off on a 2hr ride in the rain on Sunday after alot of coaxing.
Being stuck out there in Wessex for the duration is real hard core stuff. Hats off to you girl !

[Andrew G]

Fantastic stuff Tamar, horrible weather on Sunday and Monday. True hardcore, riding nearly every other hour for 3 days and camping inbetween, not even a hot bath and comfy bed to collapse in to at the end!

[Tamar Collis]

Monday was not too bad weatherwise. The rain cleared by 8am and it was bright sunshine for most of the day.....tempered by a biting north wind....but on the whole a nice day. Better than in London.

[Sylv]

Proper hardc0re!

[Ian A4size]

I was shivering just looking at the course profile- I aint going there matey .
Well done Tamar and Keith for sticking with it.
Bl00dy 'Ardcore

[Tamar Collis]

Honestly, it's not that bad. Yes, it's 3 long days in the saddle, but most of the climbs are OK if you decide not to race up them. Day 3 has the worst hills but it is only 3 main climbs. Dragon Ride & Etape du Dales sound worse by far.

ToW routes are just gorgeous if you forget about the day 3 climbs and possibly the first one on day 1. Really lovely lanes...and stunning scenery. And we rode past the Cerne Abbas giant - a sight I've been wanting to tick of my list for a while. Most amusing.

[Mike I]

Fantastic effort to complete all three days. There were 12 cyclists in my guest house, and all but two rolled back in on Sunday morning as I was having my breakfast, having called it a day. And I'm so non-hardcore I didn't even sign up for the three days. Maybe next year ...

Unlike last year - when I got hopelessly lost after about 90 miles - this year went pretty much to plan, apart from breaking my seat-pin bolt when putting my bike together on Friday evening. Fortunately, I found a workable if unsightly nut and bolt combo in my landlord's workshop and the Tri-UK tent was open by 6.30am the next morning.

The organisers had decided that the slightly tweaked course merited a 6-hour target time for 40ish men looking for gold (30 mins less than last year), so no time to hang around.

I started with a group going not fast enough, found myself after about 90 miles with a group apparently determined to get me back in 6 hours 2 minutes and in between times a combination of groups going too quick for comfort, groups turning off to do the 50 mile ride and groups which seemed happy to let me go off the front when I wasn't intending to.

I had hoped to get enough time 'in the bag' in the first half of the ride that a minor mechanical or puncture wouldn't be a disaster, but never quite got there. Still, the bike (Italian, steel and Campag-equipped if anyone's interested) behaved impeccably - seat-pin bolt included - and the only thing slowing me down was my own ability.

As I rolled back of the main road towards the finish, I was sure they had moved it further away ('It was just round this corner, wasn't it? Apparently not?'). Anyway, not a moment too soon, it came into view and I rolled over the finish mat in 5:58:09 .

Rather too many riders had passed me on the hills. The six-month weight loss programme in preparation for the Dragon Ride has become a one-month weight loss programme.

[Toks]

[quote="tamarc"] I had jokingly said I'd been thinking of putting a 27 on my triple. Someone said grimly I should have done. They weren't kidding. What a f*cking bitch of a climb. It was endless. And steep.

[Brian Nolan]

well done Tamar and Mike,

that event sounds well hard... don't think I could do 3 says on the trot - especially given all the rain lately...

cheers,