Autumn Epic

[pubrunner]

I've entered the Cheshire Cat (102m); I've done (very) little of late due to a bug going around, but I'm determined to get in some training. The Cheshire Cat will be my first sportive, but I'm already looking ahead to future events.

I'm particularly interested in doing the Autumn Epic; it is always full well before the event, my reasoning is that if I can get round the Cheshire Cat, I'll be able to do the Epic. But how likely is it that the Epic will be full before the Cheshire Cat takes place (March 29th) ?

I'm also interested in doing one of the Grand Fondo Cymru events - probably the 200km, 'cos I like to challenge myself. I also have pencilled in the Devil Ride in July, the Wild Wales Challenge and the Wild Edric Ride in August and the Trans Cambrian Sportive in September. I don't live far from any of these events, which is why I feel that I should 'have a go' at them; I'd be pleased to know how forum members consider these events in terms of difficulty, particularly in relation to the Cheshire Cat.

I realise that I'm being rather 'reckless' in wanting to do these events - especially as a) I've never done one before & I've never even cycled over 60 miles before. I just don't know how well I'll cope, 'cos I've never done anything comparable; but no pain, no gain as they say.

If anyone knows of any cycling events in the region of Shropshire/Powys, I'd be very pleased to know about them - especially 'family' events where my kids could be involved.

Thank you very much !!!

 

[Lardyboy]

I can't compare it to the Cat, as I've not done it, but last years Epic was not for the faint hearted. Rain, rain, wind and more rain! And it was cold too. I couldn't feel my knees by the second cake stop as was quite relieved when I had a puncture and could retire with a pretty good excuse.

 

[andy_wrx]

Last year's Cheshire Cat was fairly easy - the organisers have a way with hyperbole (Mow Cop 'Killer Mile' for instance...) and make it sound like an epic ride, but it wasn't that difficult at all, one of the easier sportives.
On the other hand it's in March and if it took you across some seriously high and desolate terrain and the weather was very bad (yes it does snow in March, even here in Cheshire), then they could have a major problem, so I think it was originally designed as an easy warm up event which could run even in bad weather at start-of-season when people don't have the fitness you get from riding all Summer.

This year's Cheshire Cat however will be different on both counts. It's a chunk harder as a course and it goes a bit higher into the edge of the Peak District, so it'll be a tougher challenge than the last two years.

The Autumn Epic I did three years ago and thought was again a bit over-hyped, certainly not 'epic', just talked-up a lot in certain cycling magazines...
It was a bit harder than the Cheshire Cat is likely to be, but perhaps by 10% or something, so if you could do the Cheshire Cat you can easily do the Autumn Epic too, after a Summer of riding and additional fitness.

I can't remember the distances, but was Cheshire Cat something like 100 miles but Autumn Epic is about 80 ?
If I remember rightly, I did both in 6-hours-something, but I was a lot fitter last year for the Cheshire Cat than I had been two years ago for the Epic when I was coming back from a back operation.

The Autumn Epic will be very considerably easier than the GFC long option.
Wild Wales has a different route each year and is sometimes hard and sometimes very hard, but I must admit I haven't looked at this year's route.
The Trans Cambrian Sportive I've seen described as being pleasant - challenging but do-able.
The Wild Edric Ride is of course a new event and Kilotogo are being rather vague about details, so not sure how hard this will be.

Have you also seen the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct event ? http://events.norvil.net/aqueduct/

 

[pubrunner]

Last year's Cheshire Cat was fairly easy - the organisers have a way with hyperbole (Mow Cop 'Killer Mile' for instance...) and make it sound like an epic ride, but it wasn't that difficult at all, one of the easier sportives.
On the other hand it's in March and if it took you across some seriously high and desolate terrain and the weather was very bad (yes it does snow in March, even here in Cheshire), then they could have a major problem, so I think it was originally designed as an easy warm up event which could run even in bad weather at start-of-season when people don't have the fitness you get from riding all Summer.

This year's Cheshire Cat however will be different on both counts. It's a chunk harder as a course and it goes a bit higher into the edge of the Peak District, so it'll be a tougher challenge than the last two years.

The Autumn Epic I did three years ago and thought was again a bit over-hyped, certainly not 'epic', just talked-up a lot in certain cycling magazines...
It was a bit harder than the Cheshire Cat is likely to be, but perhaps by 10% or something, so if you could do the Cheshire Cat you can easily do the Autumn Epic too, after a Summer of riding and additional fitness.

I can't remember the distances, but was Cheshire Cat something like 100 miles but Autumn Epic is about 80 ?
If I remember rightly, I did both in 6-hours-something, but I was a lot fitter last year for the Cheshire Cat than I had been two years ago for the Epic when I was coming back from a back operation.

The Autumn Epic will be very considerably easier than the GFC long option.
Wild Wales has a different route each year and is sometimes hard and sometimes very hard, but I must admit I haven't looked at this year's route.
The Trans Cambrian Sportive I've seen described as being pleasant - challenging but do-able.
The Wild Edric Ride is of course a new event and Kilotogo are being rather vague about details, so not sure how hard this will be.

Have you also seen the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct event ? http://events.norvil.net/aqueduct/

A very comprehensive reply - thank very much !!!

No, I didn't know about the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct event, and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is no more than 15 miles from where I live. I'll almost certainly have a bash at it !

Are you doing any of these events this year ? Lookout for an unfit looking fella on a rather ramshackle and elderly steed.

 

[pubrunner]

I can't compare it to the Cat, as I've not done it, but last years Epic was not for the faint hearted. Rain, rain, wind and more rain! And it was cold too. I couldn't feel my knees by the second cake stop as was quite relieved when I had a puncture and could retire with a pretty good excuse.

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply, are you doing the Epic this year - or any of the other events that I've mentioned ?

 

[pubrunner]

http://events.norvil.net/

Hey, cheers Andy WRX ! That's a great website !!!

Four possible events for me to consider and all close to home !

 

[Lardyboy]

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply, are you doing the Epic this year - or any of the other events that I've mentioned ?

Don't know as yet. May be doing the Blenheim Sportive instead of the Epic, but that may change as I've got "unfinished business" in Knighton!

Could be doing the Devil Ride. It's only a week or so after the Merlin Ride and I'm riding from Conway to Llanelli in aid of the Air Ambulance at the beginning of August, so may give it a miss this year.

If you want a steady mid summer sportive then the "short" Tour Of Pembroke follows an easy-ish route. The "long" route is hard, but fair, if you get my meaning? If you're feeling brave/stupid the Dragon Ride is the following week. Guess who's wearing the dunce's cap?

Have a look on the Cyclosport web page for more events, there's more than you think. http://www.cyclosport.org/default.aspx Bon Chance!

 

[andy_wrx]

Last year's Cheshire Cat was fairly easy

Gawd, now I re-read this, I must have been in a really smug mood yesterday

Perhaps the Cheshire Cat is one of the easier sportives (compared to an event like Fred Whitton or Etape du Dales), but I guess if you're a relatively newer cyclist and you've never cycled more than 60 miles before, it's quite a challenge and will be an achievement to be proud of when you finish.

And the thing is, on a sunny day an event may be easy but on a foul day the same course could be very hard.
Last year's Cheshire Cat course was good in that the middle 60-odd miler distance and the full 100-miler branched-off after about 30 miles, so there was the option to change your mind and go long or go shorter depending what the weather was like or how you felt, etc.
This year, the courses split at about 4 miles, so not the same option !

I still think that the Autumn Epic is over-hyped : Mark Harding on Cyclosport talks it up and Cycling Weekly does big-time, but to me it was pretty good but nothing special. I've done about a dozen sportives and it didn't stand-out (although it didn't stand-out for the wrong reasons either).
But because it's bigged-up in the magazines (which sells magazines...), it's very popular and that's why it sells-out quick.

If you do the long GFC, it will be a lot harder, and there will be a lot less people around you than at the Epic, if riding with others and getting a buzz from riding in groups is one of the things which turns you on about sportives.

You could also think about the Dragon Ride if you want an easier and busy sportive - that Pontcysyllte Aquaduct thing has a max entry of 100, so unless you meet-up with someone doing the same speed as you and end-up riding round together, you could end-up doing a lot of it on your own...

Is the Peak District too far (South Manchester start, easy from motorway) ?
- if not, I'd also recommend the Polka Dot/Spud Riley event as a well organised, friendly, challenging-but-not-stupidly-hard event
http://www.polkadotchallenge.co.uk/

And yes, do consider some audaxes as well as sportives
The website http://www.aukweb.net/cal/index.htm isn't that glossy and takes a bit of navigating, but there's some good events on there. The forms and envelopes required to enter one are odd the first time, less first-timer friendly than a sportive website, but I've done a few audaxes and found them no-frills but good days out on the bike.

 

[pubrunner]

I'd also recommend the Polka Dot/Spud Riley event as a well organised, friendly, challenging-but-not-stupidly-hard event
http://www.polkadotchallenge.co.uk/
.

I've looked at the map of the course, and it looks very difficult to me - the 100 miler that is. The route profile looks much harder than The Cheshire Cat; there are hills all the way round !

You must be a much stronger cyclist than me, but then, I'd imagine that most people are. Still, if I can get in a few miles and get fit, I don't have anything booked for that day !

I'll have to see what sort of experience I have on The Cheshire Cat. My brother (who lives out near Macc.) tells me that if he were in my position, he'd be much more concerned about the Macc. Forest climb, rather than Mow Cop or Swiss Hill.

 

[andy_wrx]

I take it you've been reading the other thread on the Cheshire Cat ?
http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=23393

Yes, Mow Cop is hyped-up as the 'killer mile', but that's actually the name of a running race up it. It's not that tough to me in that it's straight, on a good surface, no camber. You do need to take your time though - too hard at the bottom => problem.
The top bit is 25%, 1:4, but only for maybe 100yds and you can easily zigzag across the whole width of the road if you need to.

Macc Forest, by the road the Cheshire Cat uses, has a sign at the top saying 18% or 1:5.5 but is bumpy and narrow, and further down has lots of potholes and washed-out gravel.
The Macc Forest climb itself is shorter than Mow Cop, but Mow Cop is a 1mile climb from the flat plain at the bottom. The overall Macc Forest climb starts from Sutton Lane Ends and Langley and carries on up to the top, so the whole lot together is rather more of a climb even if it has flat or downhill bits to get your breath back.
After Macc Forest you drop down again and then climb back up to cross over the Cat&Fiddle road - I really hate that climb, it just goes on and makes your thighs burn...

After crossing the Cat&Fiddle road it drops down steeply to Lamaload reservoir - be very careful on this downhill, it's very steep and narrow, gets steeper and goes round a blind bend/dip, with a stream running across the road and loose gravel...

Swiss Hill isn't that much of a climb and would be easy enough on smooth tarmac, it's difficulty lies in that it's on cobbles, with a camber and pronounced crown in the centre of the road - so it's a technical climb, the difficulty being in keeping traction and keeping going forwards. Stay seated, keep lots of weight over the back wheel for traction but be careful not to pull the front wheel off the ground, keep looking forwards to avoid the bumpy bits.
I've done it three times. At the end of last year I failed because there were too many wet leaves down, I slid sideways and hit the kerb, had to put a foot dfown and couldn't restart and clip-in. I've gone back with the experience and done it successfully twice this year. It may be more difficult if there are other people in front wobbling around or toppling over !
But it's so short that if you do get off you can probably walk up it as quickly anyway...

Wincle & Danebridge will be fun too, more steepness...

But if this is your first sportive, first 100miler, then don't worry about times or where you finish, just worry about getting round.
There were lots of newbies last year, all sorts of standards & abilities, so you won't be alone.
Just treat it as an experience-gathering ride, see how you do, try to enjoy it (be easier if it's sunny) and don't go too hard early on, blow up and suffer.

 

[pubrunner]

I
There were lots of newbies last year, all sorts of standards & abilities (which gives me a great deal of encouragement), so you won't be alone.
Just treat it as an experience-gathering ride, see how you do, try to enjoy it (be easier if it's sunny) and don't go too hard early on, blow up and suffer.

That's a very useful message Andy WRX - Ta very much !!!

I went out yesterday, and I must say that I find steep descents to be rather difficult ! Perhaps on the day, I'll get 'sucked' along with the other riders.