Highclere Castle cyclo sportive

[Brian Nolan]

The day didn’t start too well as I underestimated the time it would take to get to Highclere. So I was bombing it down the M3 to get there
before registration closed. Ended up missing the signs for Highclere and found myself on part of the route, flying down the country lanes and unfortunately ( for him ) bagging a wood pigeon .. Finally found the estate , registered and met Mike & Adrian just before the start. This meant that instead of being there in good time ready for the off it all felt a bit rushed and frantic..
We set off in small group, with Adrian driving us along.. Then with just 10 miles covered I had a front wheel puncture. Changed the tube ok but had problems getting the tyre up to a good pressure.. So lost about 20mins due to that.. Then when I did set off I had one of the marshals following me on a motorcycle. I think he was following because I could be the last of the 115 mile group on the road ! Anyway he was really starting to bug me as I tried to catch up with all the people ahead. I thought “ at least go in front so I can draught you “ This stage of the ride was a real struggle as the wind ( it was very ‘ blowy ‘ all day ) , was in my face and all I could see in front was empty roads..

I eventually caught a couple of riders so I tucked in behind for a few miles, got a bit of strength back then pushed off in front. I went straight past the first water zone and could see some small groups ahead. I got into a little group of four or five and we made good progress. That was until we turned left at a crossroads ( the arrow sign had slipped round on the post ) instead of going straight on.
After a few miles something did not seem right so we did a 180 and headed back, shouting out to some other riders following us.
Later on came across Adrian just finishing dealing with a puncture.. He had a more serious mechanical snag as well – his rear wheel kept falling out of the drop outs. He told me to carry on , I did not see him again so either he got going or a support vehicle picked him up ?
After that brief stop I just tried to keep going - not looking at the mileometer as I was suffering a bit in the wind . The course
was very tricky, lots of single track roads with more gravel than a quarry, with loads of mud and horse poo for good measure. The course was very up & down without ever seeming to have any real big hills. Unfortunately for me on the last hill ( there were a few ), I punctured again with only 8 miles to the finish. I was a bit cheesed off at this point and limped in on my own with 7 hrs 51 mins showing on my watch for the 115 miles although I had done 120..
I have never seen so many people dealing with punctures on a ride – even the Dragon Ride which had 1500 riders – someone said it was Tutenkhamins ( god knows the right spelling ) revenge …
Met Mike at the finish – he put in a good time of 7hrs 15 ( I think ).
I hope Adrian made it back ok ?

[Brian Nolan]

He seemed a bit hacked off when I saw him last ! I can't wait to hear what happened to him ..

[huw williams]

Hmmm - if your real wheel won't stay in the frame you're in for a long ride/walk.

Sound's like it was a bit of an epic - do you guys know how many riders started?

Apparently millions turned up at the ToSH yesterday (The official Audax version) and really pissed the organiser off cos he only wants about 200.

[Brian Nolan]

Re the numbers - I think there was 500 for the 115 mile ride plus more for the 50 mile route and a charity ride for the Fire service as well. Funny thing is I never saw that many groups or riders out on the course which made it harder if you lost contact like I did.
The web site & British Cycling site mentioned 3000 m of climbing for the 115 mile route. I don't know how they got that figure - it did not seem like there was that much climbing .

[adrian]

Cheers, Brian - I'm pleased to say I got round and live to fight another day.

But I had a very hard day on the bike. It had all started so well - three riders resplendent in the noble yellow jersey tapping out a nice rhythm for the first half an hour or so. Then we lost Brian as he describes above, and shortly afterwards, I had the first of my dropout problems - it's a recurring problem with my bike that any number of wheel and skewer changes doesn't seem to resolve. That first one cost me ten minutes or so, which meant Mike was way out ahead of me now.

Teamed up with a guy who was a veteran of a couple of Etapes and we tumbled along quite merrily until he had some sort of mechanical on a hill and I was left to plough on alone. I did think of stopping, but... didn't.

Got into the first control checkpoint at Petersfield just as Mike was exiting it. Picked up some more water and (fabulous) cake in double-quick time and set off in pursuit of Mike. It was then that I got that familiar sinking feeling in my rear tyre. OK, no problem. Got the tube replaced and tyre back on no problem, but could I get it properly inflated? Could I 'eck.

Some time and several Anglo-Saxon oaths later, Brian came by and generously offered his (much better) pump. I was on my way again, albeit having lost about 30 minutes by now. Except that my rear wheel wouldn't stay in the ?*@&$!! dropouts.

I didn't want to cost Brian any more time, so I told him to carry on. Another 10-15 minutes went by before I could get going again. By this time my head had come off completely - I had been going great guns up to that point, and was now looking down the barrel at a sh*t time - even if I went like the wind on the remaining 75 miles or so. As I reflected on this and other sundry woes, the heavens opened, and I felt my low morale seep into my legs good and proper. I also became acutely aware of any number of aches and pains - neck, shoulder and backache, incipient chondromalicia behind my left knee - none of which had been a problem before all this.

I spent the next 30 miles or so on my own, telling myself that with every pedal stroke I was getting nearer. Got a bit of confidence back on the next climb - passed a lot of riders, and one even said, "How do you do that?" Buoyed by this, and by joining up with a friendly bunch from Bournemouth, I was looking forward to the final third of the ride, where the hills were. I definitely found my specific hill training to be paying off.

Then, very shortly after the second control point, I got another flat. Same back wheel, different incident. I second what Brian says - I've never seen so many riders at the side of the road. A number of people had crashed, as well, as gravel, mud, horse poo and greasy descents took their toll.

So I was back on my own. There then followed a flattish section into a stiff headwind that seemed to go on forever. I was by now thoroughly peed off and aching all over. I just couldn't get the bike to go more than about 14mph. I cast around for positive thoughts, but came up empty.

After what seemed like an eternity, 100 miles showed on my computer, and the (cruelly-placed) main climbs of the day loomed. It was about the last thing I fancied doing at the point, but again, I found myself zipping up first Walbury Hill (past some riders who were in terrible trouble) and then the much-vaunted but actually quite tame Scorpion's Tail. In fact, I was surprised to learn at the final water stop that that had indeed been the Scorpion's Tail -I'd been expecting some sort of fearsome 1:4 hell.

Barring a couple of short, sharp inclines, it was pretty much an easy spin back to the finish from Inkpen Beacon. But the surfaces were getting progressively worse - cut up, muddy, poo-ey, and gravelly. And the ominous sight of an ambulance tending a stricken rider provided a salutary warning that here was not the place to try to make up long lost time.

Chance would have been a fine thing. With about two miles to go, got my third puncture of the day, this time on my front wheel. Sorted that one out pretty quickly, but lingered a little chatting to curious but friendly natives who'd come out of their rhodedendron-flanked houses to commiserate. They listened politely as I detailed how I was the most ill-starred, wretched creature alive (yes, I'd undergone a perspective bypass).

So I finally crossed the line just the wrong side of 8hrs 30 minutes after I'd begun. Managed a suitably sheepish grin for the photographer as I did so. The fact that the car park was almost empty and the tented village was being dismantled said it all - I'd been out there a long, long time.

I was embarrassed, disappointed but most of all, puzzled - I really felt I'd ridden pretty well, and really well on the climbs. So where had all the time gone?

[Brian Nolan]

Well done Adrian !

I thought I had a bad day till I read your account.. Considering 3 punctures, rear wheel problems and the fact you spent so long on your own I reckon you put in a good time..
I felt pretty cheesed off when I was on my own with a long way to go. The article in Cycling Weekly ( last issue ) said that these things are harder than marathons and I agree. I felt a bit demoralised when I was on my own and if it was possible to jack it in I might have done. Overall I was a disapointed with my time as I was hoping to do enough for a gold standard but it wasn't to be.. Are you looking for another frame now ?
all the best

[kieran]

[quote]Apparently millions turned up at the ToSH yesterday (The official Audax version) and really pissed the organiser off cos he only wants about 200.

[adrian]

Thanks, Brian. You're right - it's just so hard on your own, especially into the wind. I'd estimate I was on my own for well over two-thirds of the day. At one of the stops I overheard a very nice lady marshall saying that she was driving back to Highclere Castle. The prospect of a lift back with her was so appealing as to be nearly irresistible...

By the way, I see things haven't got any better for rabbits in Watership Down. I saw an incredible number of Bright Eye's descendents who'd gone the same way as your pigeon...

[adrian]

Saw this on the Cycling Plus forum:

"The lanes were treacherous though. I only witnessed the one crash at the front of our group when a Addiscomb rider took a bend to fast and went down heavily taking out the rider on his outside. Luckily he was relatively unscathed and could continue."

Who was that? Are you OK?

[Mike I]

My previous month's riding had been pretty non-existant. I took some time off to recover from 'saddle tenderness' (ooch!) picked up on the SCCU 100; then took Mrs Mike out on her bike for the first time in years instead of doing the club run; and then spent two weeks on a beach without a bike in sight. My short-term planning was better, in that I checked how long it would take to get to Highclere, set the alarm clock and soaked my porridge before going to bed.

I saw Matt and Ben before the start, but they had cunningly got themselves an early start time, so didn't see them again. Adrian tested the medical facilities before the off by cutting his finger while trimming his transponder ties - a portent of things to come as it turned out.

As soon as the road started going up at all I was feeling the lack of miles over the previous few weeks, and the truth is, Adrian and Brian had dropped me long before they punctured. I did my best to hang on to what groups I could find, but soon fell back when the gradient went above about 3%. A pleasant ride through chocolate-box villages on the back of a large group from Bristol South got me to the first check-point in about 2 hours 20 (40 miles or so), but then it all started to unravel. There just wasn't enough in the legs to sustain the pace, so I just enjoyed the views over Twyford Down and along the Test Valley. These were the roads on which I 'trained as a promising junior' (surely 'larked about on a bike as a teenager with schoolfriends' ed.), so a degree of nostalgia began to kick in.

Still no mechanicals for me and up we went to Inkpen Beacon - not too steep, but still a challenge, especially after 110 miles or so. I finished in a respectable 7 hours 18 minutes which was not too bad for 115 miles. On a day when so many others had problems I was particularly pleased that my bike at least behaved impeccably, even if my legs didn't.

There were no big hills, but the combination of rolling country, a longer course than most and challenging target times (gold standard was 6:30 for under 40s and 6:55 for my age group) made this quite a tough one.

And maybe there is something in the curse of Tutankhamun. His tomb was discovered by Lord Caernarvon. whose family seat was (and is) at Highclere Castle.

[adrian]

Good on you, Mike - that's a more-than-respectable time.

There's a good pic of you and me on the DGS site - don't know if you've seen it:

http://www.dgs-photography.co.uk/cyclin ... galls.html

Click on 'show all images chronologically'. We're on page 5, first picture. Brian is one picture back - sadly, seen at some distance.

[Brian Nolan]

Yes - well done Mike for a good ride & write up..

That is a good pic of you guys, like Adrian said , I am a long way back..

Re the fallen Addiscombe rider - I guess that was maybe one of the two earlier starters , Matt & Ben ?
There were a few times when I thought I could see an Addiscombe jersey up the road or at a feed zone , but when I got closer it was just a yellow and black top - not an Agreeable !

[Mike I]

The times are now posted, and it seems that Ben and Matt each rode a blinder.

Ben 6:37:02 (Gold, 28th of 284 finishers)
Matt 6:40:11 (Gold, 32nd)
Brian 7:48:43 (Silver, 171st)
Adrian 8:32:51 (Bronze, 235th)
Me 7:18:49 (Silver, 96th)