smokeysmoo
Legendary Member
- Location
- Bolton, not very far from Nob End
England : Greater Manchester Greater Manchester Cycle 2014
- Thread starter smokeysmoo
- Start date
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DiddlyDodds
Random Resident
- Location
- Littleborough
I like the look of it , but it always looks so busy on the pictures i have seen.
YahudaMoon
Über Member
Yes.
I enjoyed cycling down the Mancunion Way though, the route had some poor bottle necked sections that came to a crawl
I'd do it again with my children as Its local, Im not a big fan of these sportive type events really
DCLane
Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
- Location
- Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
I'm not intending to do it next year, after this year's crash caused by someone getting panicky on the Mancunian Way bottleneck and taking out other riders, together with other crashes on simple straight bits.
Worth doing but the BC start meant some were going mad. And yes, I was in the BC start section!
Worth doing but the BC start meant some were going mad. And yes, I was in the BC start section!
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Not for me. Riding round and round the city centre with a bunch of idiots that think its a race. No thanks. The route is pants too, not exactly scenic.
OP
OP
smokeysmoo
Legendary Member
- Location
- Bolton, not very far from Nob End
I have heard about some bad crashes, but I also suspect you get them in all these sorts of mass events, Manchester to Blackpool being one example.
I've certainly seen some in other rides, and I'm not at all surprised there have been some on the GMC. The way some of the riders conduct themselves can leave a lot to be desired, and IME the worst culprits are some of the clubs, they get in their trains and just steam roll their way round with little or no consideration for slower or less experienced riders.
I rode the 52 in year one and the 26 this year, and TBH I thought I would have avoided the club element on the 26, but oh no, they've decided to batter that distance as well. Probably the Charlie Big Balls amongst them who want to ride all 3 distances on the day. At least they can't intimidate the young 'uns and newbies after the start of the 13 with it just being one lap.
Me? I just keep myself to myself, plod away, constantly read the road all around me, and always expect the unexpected, (as you should anyway), and touch wood I've never had a problem.
I do agree about some aspects of the route. For instance, I preferred media city the first year to the hairpin bends last year, but I also set off near the front the first year and therefore avoided the mass bottle neck that occurred for slightly later riders.
As for the scenery, IMO there's a certain urban chic aspect for those of us that don't ride City centre areas with any regularity.
Is the ride perfect? No.
Could it be perfect? No, but then again I think there has to be some compromise on any event of this size.
If you've never done it then give it a go and don't be put off by anything you might read.
IME it's a generally well organised ride and a great experience if you just remember to bring your common sense with you, but TBH I never leave my common sense at home even if I'm just riding to the shops
I've certainly seen some in other rides, and I'm not at all surprised there have been some on the GMC. The way some of the riders conduct themselves can leave a lot to be desired, and IME the worst culprits are some of the clubs, they get in their trains and just steam roll their way round with little or no consideration for slower or less experienced riders.
I rode the 52 in year one and the 26 this year, and TBH I thought I would have avoided the club element on the 26, but oh no, they've decided to batter that distance as well. Probably the Charlie Big Balls amongst them who want to ride all 3 distances on the day. At least they can't intimidate the young 'uns and newbies after the start of the 13 with it just being one lap.
Me? I just keep myself to myself, plod away, constantly read the road all around me, and always expect the unexpected, (as you should anyway), and touch wood I've never had a problem.
I do agree about some aspects of the route. For instance, I preferred media city the first year to the hairpin bends last year, but I also set off near the front the first year and therefore avoided the mass bottle neck that occurred for slightly later riders.
As for the scenery, IMO there's a certain urban chic aspect for those of us that don't ride City centre areas with any regularity.
Is the ride perfect? No.
Could it be perfect? No, but then again I think there has to be some compromise on any event of this size.
If you've never done it then give it a go and don't be put off by anything you might read.
IME it's a generally well organised ride and a great experience if you just remember to bring your common sense with you, but TBH I never leave my common sense at home even if I'm just riding to the shops
I did the 52 both last year and this year and unlike the RL100, I did not see any significant crashes despite a 2h 15min time this year, however as a CTC member I was not in the BC start.
On the first lap I look out for riders with club tops, smooth peddling style good group discipline to ride with and after that the event tends to soon sort itself out. I also found it a good practice event for the tight criterium sections of the Ride London 100, especially around Kingston and Piccadilly.
As an observation, there are a lot of new cyclists around who have the fitness to ride quickly, but unfortunately have not been through the old club schooling process where good group riding is learnt.
On the first lap I look out for riders with club tops, smooth peddling style good group discipline to ride with and after that the event tends to soon sort itself out. I also found it a good practice event for the tight criterium sections of the Ride London 100, especially around Kingston and Piccadilly.
As an observation, there are a lot of new cyclists around who have the fitness to ride quickly, but unfortunately have not been through the old club schooling process where good group riding is learnt.