Euro cyclosportive stories

[higg]

Seeing as cyclosportives are the hot topic right now I thought I'd add a few words about two sportives I did in in Europe at the end of last year. Hopefully this will give a flavour of what's involved.

The Ronde Picardie was held around Normandy in September and the Gran Fondo Carlo D'Apporto near San Remo in October. (It's now three months since I've done these so I apologise in advance if some of the details are a bit sketchy.)


Aodan.



Ronde Picardie, Normandie
===========================

The first event was the Ronde Picardie held on the first weekend in September in Northern France. When I first heard of this (from now ex-ACC Maria) a week before it happened I hadn't been too keen, 180km around the largely flat farmland of Northern France, not exactly inspiring. Anyway, during the week I thought why not and booked the ferry.

It turned out to be quite an experience, I've done a few cyclosportives before but generally these have been based in mountains, never on the flat. After a last minute rush to sign on we joined the back of the group at the start line. After the obligatory speech by the local mayor and a the local sports personality the klaxon went and we were off. I was conscious of being at the back so made an effort early on to move up, easier said than done with the average speed being just over 40kph. Soon, I gave up trying to move up and settled into a group which seemed to be maintaining a good pace. I was surprised just how little effort was needed to stay in a group which occupied most off the road. The group was big enough (about 50) that I didn't feel any need to do any work and just hid out off the wind.

After about 2 hours of this I looked at the computer and saw I had covered the best part of 80km in the 2 hours. This frightened me a bit and I thought surely I'm going to blow, so I thought I should start eating. I fumbled in my pocket for a bar but in the confusion, my rolled up windshell fell out onto the road. By the time I negotiated my way out of the group and turned around to retrieve it, the group was gone. I looked both ways along the road, my group has disappeared and there was no sign of anybody behind, just me, some empty fields and a wind that I hadn't noticed before while I was cocooned in the group, there weren't even any hedges on the side of the road for shelter. I decided to chase for a few minutes but I knew there was little chance of maintaining that speed on my own.

It was now I became conscious of the amount of marshalls on the course, all the junctions were manned with marshalls stopping traffic even on quite main roads and large roundabouts where most exits were covered. As always happens though at one point the main road turned right and up a hill with a smaller road continuing straight on. With no marshalls in sight I carried straight on down the minor road. After a few k I came to a T-junction with a main road and again no marshalls. I tried asking two people but I probably couldn't have made any sense in English, not to mind in French, so I turned back. When I got back to the original junction there were hundreds of people streaming up the hill, where were they when I needed them.

By the end of that hill I had managed to work my way to the front and it became obvious this group was quite a bit slower than my previous group. In frustration I began to cycle about 50 yds ahead to see if anybody would join me. Luckily there were two other takers and we were on our way again but working much harder this time in such a small group.

For what seemed like an eternity we worked our way along the coast into a now vicious wind that was getting stronger as the day got hotter. We picked up some more riders at the feed station to share the workload but it was a real war of attrition with everybody trying to shelter from the wind and also desperate not to allow any gaps to develop. This is the first time I been part of that through-and-off type fromation with riders spreading across the whole widtn of the road and taking turns on the wind ward side.

After about another two or three hours of this we saw a large group ahead and put a fresh effort to bridge the gap. When I got there I started to recognise some jerseys from the my original group at the start of the ride. Soon after this we turned a corner away from the wind and the group started to split up again. This didn't matter as much this time as the going seemed easier without the wind to contend with. Eventually about I crossed the line to stop the clock at just under 6 hours, an average speed of 31.5kmph.

If you're looking for a new experience, it is possible to do a cyclosportive without the mountains. This is well worth a trip, it's not too far away and well organised. Just be prepared for the wind.



Gran Fondo Carlo D'Apporto
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A slightly differrent experience was the Gran Fondo Carlo D'Apporto on the Mediteranean coast just over the French border from Nice. The event was the last of the cyclosportive season in Itally and was billed as an easy wind-down with relatively good weather, well for October anyway. The ride itself had the option of a 80km or 140km routes. Obviously, after coming such a long way we had chosen the 140km. It involved a few 500m climbs in the second half of the course but nothing too monumental.

Organising the trip turned out to be fairly straightforward. Just book a flight to Nice, jump on a train and get collected by some friends who ran a cycling holiday company in the hills nearby.

I arrived a day early to give time to unwind and get in some local cycling before the day itself. A suitably relaxing ride was had, spinning down to and along the coast in a comfortable 20 deg, the perfect antidote to the approaching winter in South London.

The return trip that afternoon took in the (in)famous Poggio climb and descent just outside San Remo. It was a surprisingly "local" road, no more than a car width wide in places (that is between the parked cars and wheelie bins). It's hard to believe a probike race goes up there. The road on the descent is, thankfully, a bit more regular and organised even if it is wickedly steep with high granite walls looming above the road at every hairpin.

The next morning started bright if chilly with a bits of mist hanging around the woods just above the town. The bikes were loaded into the van and off we went on the hours trip to the start. Typically it's impossible to park near the centre of town so we jumped out of the car at the town hall and ran in to register while our hosts looked for a parking spot.

We made our way to the signing-on desk only to be told the entries were closed because the race started in 5 mins. (It turned out later that the start had been brought forward by half and hour the previous day to try to avoid the thunderr forecast for the afternoon.) After a bit of pleading and flashing of BC licences, the message got through and the rules were bent a little to allow us to sign on. All around the townhall the roads were now filled with cyclists waiting to start. All we had to do was find the van, assemble the bikes and join in.

A frantic 10mins later we were back on the road out side the town hall with our bikes but the road was now empty. Thinking everybody had already left we tore off out the road feeling a bit uneasy that we were already at the back with no one in sight. 5 mins later the truth became obvious as the lead cars passed us followed by the lead group tipping along at well over 30mph, and this was in the supposed "neutral zone". We kept in to the side of the road to let the mayhem pass before joining in later with those coming through at a more sensible pace.

The first hour or two passed quietly enjoying the sunshine and scenery. It's amazing how a hill or two can take the jitters out of any cycling group as everyone settled into their stride. With about 50k done I found myself in a 50 strong group travelling along the valley floor to the next climb. Imagine my surprise when the turn off for the hill road came and everyone kept going straight on. I had forgotten totally about the long and short courses. I had to double back to the junction and saw two other cyclists heading up the road. "The lazy b******ds" I thought, as I adjusted my pace to suit the increasing gradient, 95% of the people here had chosen the short course.

With so few people on the climb I pushed on more than I would normally, just to see if I could catch anybody going at a similar pace. It seemed like those who had chosen the long course were intent on getting their moneys worth and ambled up the hill with no specific urgency or stress. Near the top of the climb the atmosphere seemed to change as people prepared for the descent and what a descent. It was quite a wide road which curverd along below a ridge from the col. For the next 20k the gradient was a steady 3 or 4 % down. This meant only one thing, prolonged speed. Groups quickly formed as riders tucked in behind the good descenders. There was not much recovvery on this section as it was sometimes a struggle to stay in contact with people much more accustomed to these types of roads. The effort though was worth it as descents like this don't come round to often.

The rest of the ride passed without incident, a few more hills, one with a stupidly steep cartoon-style gradient, which thankfully didn't last very long.

I arrived back at the finish, one of the last riders back because of course the "lazy b*****d" short coursers were already tucking into the post-race pasta and wine that was laid on in the town square. It did make me wonder about whether I had the right priorities but then I thought back on the ride I was really glad I had taken the long option.

I would just like to thank Jo and Aidy for putting us up and showing us around their new home. Just north of San Remo they have set up in the Liguria hills on the southern edge of the Alps. The sea is only a half-hour cycle down the valley and looking further up the valley, there are hills a plenty and local trails for the mountain bikers and cols a plenty for the roadies. The area is not in the tourist spotlight yet but with terrain like this and good travel connections it's only a matter of time. For more details check out their website on rivierabike.co.uk

[Andrew G]

Cheers Aodan. I was completely unaware of there being any non mountainous sportives, and not being a natural grimpeur the Ronde Picardie certainly appeals.

I'll definately have to give this a go sometime and with Normandy being so close it has to be one of the easiest to get to.

Any of Addiscombe's other flat landers fancy a trip to France for some good surface closed road riding in a country that appreciates the bike?
[url=http://www.sportcommunication.com/GT/epreuve2.php?langue=2&trophee=55]Details[/url] of this years on 8th September (unfortunately clashing with the ACC Open 10).

[richv]

I'd heartily recommend the Ronde Picardie having done it 3 times in the past. A short trip from the ferry and a world away from the joys of English roads.

Although no killer climbs (although a short sharp shock just as you get to the sea) I still have nightmares about the never ending coast road - all 3 times it was a biting headwind

[Maria David]

Good write-up Aodan.

My Memories of Ronde Picarde :
1. the wind - especially on the return journey. I'd been in a group with about 15 others, then at the roundabout we suddenly lost 12 people who had decided to opt for the short course. So the remaining 3 of us had to work together into a head wind up a long drag and we still had 60miles left to go The 2 guys were kind enough to allow me to do just short turns. But nevertheless I still found it soul destroying !

2. A fast descent through a coastal town down to the sea front, followed by a sharp right hand turn which took you straight up a steep climb. Everyone was completely caught out in the wrong gear !

3. A great atmosphere at the end of the ride. Lots of fanfare, a presentation stage where winners were interviewed (regardless of how little French they knew!), local personalities. It was also a place for chance meetings with other London riders escaping the roads in southern England.

My Memories of GF Carlo Dapporto :

1. The Italian riders setting off at a phenomenal speed through the streets of Alassio once the start gun had sounded. While passing through a few poorly lit tunnels there was loads of crazy shouting and joviality. It was awesome.

2. The sight of the peloton continuing straight on to do the short route and being the only one to turn left and do the long course.

3. The beautiful views over the meditteranean coastline at the summit of the Ligurian hills.

4. A spectacular descent back down to the coast, following a group of Italian riders. Boy, they know how to handle a bike - and they look good too !

5. A hearty meal with wine at the end of the ride while watching the prize presentation which included local dignatories.

6. Basking in the main square of Alassio after the race watching life stroll on in the Italian Riviera town.

I would recommend both these events. They are quite different, but nice races to end the road season with. For both races we entered on the day, had good weather, decent giveaways, good value for money. Both sets of organisers had clearly wanted to make a real occasion of these events.

I haven't yet decided if I will do those races this year - depends on diary commitments.

The Euro sportives I am planning to do at the moment are :
Tour of Flanders (April 7th)
Gran Fondo di Pinarello (July 15th)

I also plan to do a few UK ones :
Fred Whitton Challenge (May 13th)
Tour of Wessex (May 26th-28th)