Tour of Wessex

[Hal]

3 days of riding in very variable conditions based in Castle Cary. Some other ACC's riding but I am not sure of full names (Del and Andy K + ?).

Day 1

Great sunny weather but very windy. The route was reasonably hilly heading in a circuit east then north to Cheddar Gorge. Early on I got into a bunch who were moving pretty quickly but soon started to feel that they were going too fast too soon so let them go. Saw Tamar and Keith on the Tandem, (how come the different times!). Met a most unhappy Dan G just before Chedder by the roadside with his rear mech in pieces across the road and broken spokes. Teamed up with a couple of other riders to head back into the wind and caught Matt R fighting the headwind on the return leg, feeling tired near the end. But I did get sunburnt!

Pos First Name Last Name Number Cat Gender Time
21 Hal Bransby 107 D (30-39) Male 05:03:54 ACC
61 Carl Ferri 350 D (30-39) Male 05:17:14 ACC
98 Matthew Robbins 814 C (18-29) Male 05:29:02 ACC
581 Keith Coffey 194 D (30-39) Male 07:02:46 ACC
638 Tamar Collis 202 A (18-39) Female 07:17:07 ACC

Day 2

A damp and windy start as we headed south to Durdle Door and Wantage. Some early rain cleared up to a sunny afternoon. I rode most of the route solo unable to hook up with a suitable group. I felt pretty strong and had a good day out.

Pos Name Race No Cat Time Cat Pos ACC
25 Hal Bransby 107 D (30-39) 05:51:17 11 ACC
34 Carl Ferri 350 D (30-39) 05:54:33 14 ACC
35 Matthew Robbins 814 C (18-29) 05:54:33 7 ACC

Day 3

Horrific. The weather was so bad they shortened the route from the planned 130 miles to 95 missing out the main climb over Exmoor. Started with the two riders who I had finished with on day 1 from the start plus a Rapha Condor guy. It was raining hard and the wind was blowing a gale (literally). Pace was quick but I stuck in there we worked well as a group but they were strong on the climbs over the Mendips, I held on for the return leg into the wind. Finally lost contact with the guys a couple of miles from the finish as I was completely shot.

Pos Name Race No Cat Time Cat Pos
6 Hal Bransby 107 D (30-39) 05:07:06 3


Overall

Hey that’s not bad!!! ( I lost most of the time on the second day riding solo, should have started a bit earlier with a group, the two guys ahead were the two I rode with for day 1 and day 3)

Pos Name RaceNo CC Time
1 Tim Hyde 514 D (30-39) 15:30:48
2 Steve Chmiewliski 169 D (30-39) 15:31:23
3 Hal Bransby 107 D (30-39) 16:02:17


Not sure what happened to others as I was not staying in town but it was a pretty tough weekend.

[carl f]

Good going Hal,that we're seriously foul on day 3....
We went to the start line on day 3 but decided to take the 35 mile option as like you said the weather was horrific
All in all a fantastic 3 days (or 2 and a half for me) of riding
Didn't really push it on the 1st or 2nd day to hard as i was using it for milage in prep for my raid pyrenees jaunt in June
Having said that this week my legs do feel like they've been worked!
I was with Dan when his rear mech snapped,what a bugger as he was going really well,did you get it sorted Dan?,didn't see you on day 2
Met up with Tamar,Keith and Dave.L sun eve for a meal-nice to meet you all
Cheers
Carl

[Andrew G]

Absolutely fantastic Hal . Superb riding, 3rd best sportive rider in the country eh, that's got to have been the unofficial championships.

Really sorry to hear about Dan, he'd done some serious training for this.

[Snoop Doug]

[quote="Hal"]Overall

Hey that’s not bad!!! ( I lost most of the time on the second day riding solo, should have started a bit earlier with a group, the two guys ahead were the two I rode with for day 1 and day 3)

Pos Name RaceNo CC Time
1 Tim Hyde 514 D (30-39) 15:30:48
2 Steve Chmiewliski 169 D (30-39) 15:31:23
3 Hal Bransby 107 D (30-39) 16:02:17


Not sure what happened to others as I was not staying in town but it was a pretty tough weekend.

[Tamar]

That's so impressive Hal! Riding all three days in that weather is insane. And coming 3rd overall...wow!!

My weekend was not quite so impressive (but probably drier and more enjoyable )

Day 1
Keith and I decided to ride the lovely tandem that we bought from Sarah (see the Marketplace post). So far we'd only pootled down to a pub in Clapham on it, so ToW would be a good chance to see how it handled and how our butts stood up to 100 miles on it. OMG - what a fantastic machine. It is just wonderful to ride. So comfy and so smooth round corners. We were predicatably slow up the hills but still managed to ride them all and overtook lots of people who'd been forced to walk...and by the time we reached the descent down Cheddar Gorge we'd really got our confidence up on the bends and dropped Keith's clubmates as we twisted and banked like a stunt plane between the soaring cliff-faces. I have to admit I was starting to get just a teensy bit terrified by then so about two thirds of the way down I wasn't sorry to have to slow up as we caught up with a van. The only mishap of the day was quite early on when we came to stop at some traffic lights and discovered that Keith hadn't tightened up the quill stem sufficiently. Bars and wheels went in opposite directions. Keith jumped clear and yours truly, clipped in at the back, was dumped unceremonisouly on the tarmac.

Not sure how the organisers have ended up giving us such different times as both our transponders were attached to the front wheel of the tandem...!!????

David Lombari, who was camping with us, had some saddle trouble and had to keep stopping to retighten it...and came in with a similar time to us I think.

Day 2
Was a bit wet and windy when we woke up...and we reckoned we'd have a headwind for the return leg. Didn't fancy it. Decided to return to bed for a nice snooze. Got up at lunchtime and it was gloriously sunny - yay! So David, Keith and I saddled up and rode out for a nice pub lunch. We then carried on to Wells and strolled round the cathedral (very interesting 600 yr old clock with animated jousting knights on the quarter hour). Did about 36 miles in total with some steep descents that tested out our drum brake, my nerves and Keith's patience ("Take the drum brake off", "Nooo!"), and had a most pleasant day, very touristico and lovely.

Day 2 was topped off with a very enjoyable pub dinner with mixed Bec/ACC company at The George in Castle Cary. Very good to put names to faces.

Day 3
When the tent next to us blew away (seriously - it just took off and got shredded on the hawthorn hedge behind us) we decided that it would probably not be much fun out on the bikes so headed back to London and got home in time to watch The Sound of Music. Hal - you are mental! 95 miles in that filth!

A quality bank holiday all round.

[Del]

[quote="Hal"]3 days of riding in very variable conditions based in Castle Cary. Some other ACC's riding but I am not sure of full names (Del and Andy K + ?).

[Stu Merckx Man]

well done guys great results, especially hal- you are super strong now!

[Toks]

Chapeau to all you guys that gave it ago. That sounded hard core. Hal you're truly the ACC sportiv king. I'll be trying to sit on your wheel for the TOBM ride so I better get some long hilly numbers in cause its clearly gonna be tough going

[Sylv]

[quote="Hal"]
581 Keith Coffey 194 D (30-39) Male 07:02:46 ACC
638 Tamar Collis 202 A (18-39) Female 07:17:07 ACC

[neilb]

Great to be out there with ACC on a really picturesque route. Lots of people asking me where ACC was from and I was happy to give them info providing they didn't ask me going up King Arthur's hill!

Chapeau to Tamar and Keith for getting up there on the tandem when so many were walking. And top marks to Hal, Carl and Matt for posting good times.

A great intro to proper sportives for me with a good bunch of Agreeables.

Not sure the pub where we were staying was too sad to see us go - Carl, Matt and me, 3 bikes and one hell of a load of used bike clothes in one room for 3 days

Cheers

Neil