First Sportive

[inkd]

How did you like the forest? scenic enough and did you have to negotiate round our stubborn mules?

 

[DRHysted]

How did you like the forest? scenic enough and did you have to negotiate round our stubborn mules?

I had one of the ponies chase me past Kings Hat, going to work the other night. Improved my time on that segment!!

 

[Nomadski]

Isn't Chablis white?

White wine yeah, Red gives me heartburn!

Congrats on completing it. I was toying with entering this for my first sportive as it's my local and I know the roads well, but in the end decided against it. I did instead go out by myself to stalk those taking part and to see how things were panning out.

I do have a couple of questions if you don't mind.

1) The start time. Is it a case of the earlier you get there, the earlier you get going? Or do they wait until the start time expires before letting everyone go?
2) Feedstations. Free? Cash involved? How far apart are they?
3) How easy to get lost? I noticed a load of chalk markings on the road and the signs on the side but how easy is it to actually keep to the correct route?

Cheers.

So registration was open the afternoon before, and on the day they opened up registration at 7.15 am. To start there is a few hours window open (7.30 - 9.00 for EPIC. 8.00 - 9.30 for STANDARD) and they let you go every 2 minutes in groups of around 20. This works great as you constantly have people around you, whether its speedier types that left later, or slower peeps that went earlier, not once did I have no one visible in front of me.

There were two feedstations, for the standard course they were at the 20 mile mark and 40 mile mark. I didnt actually stop as I brought lots with me and I tend to work better when I keep going (and if I had I may not have got going again with promised jaffa cakes at hand), but the gumpf says there would be 'top up' gels etc given freely, plus access to topping up water.

At the end there are various services (massages etc) and foodstuffs that cost money, but you get a free cup of tea or coffee voucher before you begin you can use when you finish.

So in addition to the plentiful signage, they have this year marked the floor (like you noticed) which makes things more clear. I didnt have any difficulty as I always saw other cyclists heading off, plus I had my Garmin (which you can try out for free a demo unit with the course on it, which I thought was cool). There are stewards on police-like motorbikes at busy traffic junctions, and warning signage of dangerous downhill sections. It would be tough to really get lost.

I did speak to one chap who made me laugh with a little lost tale of his earlier in the ride, I'll write that up in my report in the beginners thread...

You should do it, its so relaxed and easy going, but with an official feeling about it thats quite exciting. You invariably get good groups of people to tag along with, and its a challenging route, but beautiful.

For the record I finished 277th out of 750 people who did the Standard course, though this wasn't a race so I take this with a big pinch of salt, the fastest time was 2hrs 37 mins for Standard (60 miles), 3 hrs 33 mins for Epic (100 miles). Quite unbelievable times really, they were going some!

 

[Nomadski]

How did you like the forest? scenic enough and did you have to negotiate round our stubborn mules?

The whole area was just downright gorgeous. Open areas were VERY blustery (and there was a lot of open areas) always seemed to get a headwind. Forest sections I wanted to just stop and bring along an SLR. Small bridges over rivers, tight intertwining trees over narrow roads...it was beautiful.

Mules weren't the issue, I had a bull that couldn't decide whether it wanted the grass on his side, or the other, so stood in the middle of the road while he decided. If anyone is interested, he chose in the end to turn round and go back to his old side to finish off the grass there.

Fancied a burger at this point.

 

[Neil363]

Cheers and thanks for letting me hijack the thread! Most definitely going to have to get my arse in gear and take 1 or 2 in this year. Perhaps the IOW one as it's probably now the closest.

 

[Nomadski]

Cheers and thanks for letting me hijack the thread! Most definitely going to have to get my arse in gear and take 1 or 2 in this year. Perhaps the IOW one as it's probably now the closest.

No problemos. The whole thing was superb fun, the sunshine helped as well of course! Think the IOW one will be great too, and for yourself maybe even better as its new scenery for you. As great as the New Forest is, its right on your doorstep so its familiar.

Unfamiliarity is part of the joy of doing this kind of thing imo.

 

[DRHysted]

Open areas were VERY blustery (and there was a lot of open areas) always seemed to get a headwind.

I'm betting that you had a headwind all the way across Stoney Cross. Doesn't matter what direction you're on, headwind garenteed.

 

[Nomadski]

Just been looking at some Strava segments and found one of the hills was 12-15% all the way up it. That was not far from the start either lol.

@Phil485, (if it is Phil) I think your time came in at 3hrs27mins officially? If so you came in 36th / 750. Great going that.

 

[RWright]

I was just reading the local news and found out that yesterday, there was a triathlon in Raleigh, a city about 35 miles north of where I live. Twenty five hundred participants. They swam in the lake I ride around some. They were even bike racing on some of the same routes I ride. I would have loved to have rode my bike out there yesterday morning to watch. I have to get more in sync with the local bike and triathlon scene.

Edit: it was actually Sunday and an Ironman 70.3...whatever that is.