Shakespeare 100 sportive

[ColinJ]

Define steady....

( it can mean "I'm going to steadily increase the pace until you start to cry" or "well, Wiggo wouldn't even consider this steady")

Steady = able to chat when riding most of the time, with occasional bursts of higher speed when mood, terrain and wind direction permit.

I'm overweight and relatively unfit at the moment so anything uphill slows me down a lot. Saintbury hill reduced me to a slow grovel in 2009.

I'm quite quick downhill because I'm used to fast Yorkshire downhills and being big means I can freewheel quickly!

On the flat, the wind will determine the speed. If it as strong as forecast, I wouldn't be surprised to be doing 10 mph on the way out and 20 mph on the way back!

If I do the 100 mile route, it would be nice to do it in about 8-9 hours including stops but the wind might make that difficult.

As long as I'm not freezing or riding in the dark, I'm happy to take my time. I have a lift back but all I have to do is make a phonecall when I'm 30 minutes from the finish, I don't have to get back at a fixed time.

 

[Gary D]

Colin,
You have a PM.
Gary.

 

[Bodie]

Weather is looking a bit better, looks like the huge low they were predicting may not be quite over us after all. Showers and strong wind is better than deluge and hurricane......

Went out and did 29m last night at a fair pace (1:40) so feeling a little more confident. My leg is still very sore but not really any worse for the cycling. Once this is over I think it will be another week off at least to try and get it right...it would be nice to be able to walk without pain again!

Colin, I think I'll be trying to push on as much as possible. Part of my injury problem is bruising on the 'sit' bone on my right hand side. The longer I'm in the saddle the worse it seems to be. I'm going to change to the saddle on my other bike as its a slightly different shape and a brief sit on it last night felt like the lower wing reduced the pressure a bit. Probably clutching at straws but I'm desperate!

Hope to see you - and some others - there for a chat at some point on Sunday....I'll be the one looking like a tangarine


btw, downhill is my problem. With no long hills around here I just don't get the practice and lack confidence. I really don't like going downhill in the wet. I was really shocked during the Blehehim palace ride at how fast almost everyone apart from me was going downhill, I thought I was going plenty quick enough and there were guys flying past me...quite dispiriting.

 

[ColinJ]

Colin,
You have a PM.
Gary.

I got it Gary, thanks. I'll be aiming to get to the Park and Ride at about 08:15 with a view to setting off 8:30-ish. I'll send you a text message when I arrive to see if you want to join me. (I don't have my phone with me at the moment but will pick it up on Sunday morning.)

Weather is looking a bit better, looks like the huge low they were predicting may not be quite over us after all. Showers and strong wind is better than deluge and hurricane......

Very true! Fingers crossed ...

Colin, I think I'll be trying to push on as much as possible. Part of my injury problem is bruising on the 'sit' bone on my right hand side. The longer I'm in the saddle the worse it seems to be. I'm going to change to the saddle on my other bike as its a slightly different shape and a brief sit on it last night felt like the lower wing reduced the pressure a bit. Probably clutching at straws but I'm desperate!

Hope to see you - and some others - there for a chat at some point on Sunday....I'll be the one looking like a tangarine

I understand that problem - I too suffer from a sore bum on long rides now I've got fat and unfit! It was never like that before.

btw, downhill is my problem. With no long hills around here I just don't get the practice and lack confidence. I really don't like going downhill in the wet. I was really shocked during the Blehehim palace ride at how fast almost everyone apart from me was going downhill, I thought I was going plenty quick enough and there were guys flying past me...quite dispiriting.

I do descend at up to 50 mph, but I don't like to take stupid risks! On the Kirklees sportive a few years ago at least two riders came off on the same bend ahead of me. It was raining heavily and it was a tight bend at the bottom of a fast descent, but it was flagged up way in advance and there were big chevron signs on the bend itself. You could also see it from about 400 yards away so there was no excuse not to slow to a sensible speed for the bend.

You do get used to fast downhills, but wet and windy conditions can make them tricky.

 

[robgul]

We've spent most of the day putting out the bright orange arrows - by the time we're finished on Saturday there'll be almost 300 of them - quite a task to put them and then take them all down again on Monday.

New for this year we have Jon the Moto riding the course ahead of the field on a motorcycle to check signage (there will be a prize for the first cyclist that manages to overtake him )

Prayers are being said for good weather ... at the moment the BBC is say "light shower" ... but the what do they know?

Rob

 

[Gary D]

The signs look good Rob - very easy to spot!

The weather forecast is all over the place!!
I have been monitoring it all week on the Met Office site where you can specify Stratford as the location.
Start of the week it was cloudy/showers, then heavy showers, then hailstorm!!. Yesterday it was light cloud and sunny but no rain - and today it is back to heavy showers!!
Make of that what you will. I have just decided to stop worrying as it will be what it will be.
See you all tomorrow.
Gary.

 

[robgul]

The weather forecast people work in buildings without windows so what do they know - at this moment in Stratford it's warm and sunny, although a bit breezy. BBC was saying Sunny Intervals about half an hour ago - now saying Heavy Rain Shower (note the singular, shower) - temp 18 and 19mph SW wind

We'll probably wake up and there'll be snow on the ground on Sunday !

Rob

 

[ColinJ]

I just discovered that I left a lightweight rain jacket here last time I visited so I'll bring that along tomorrow just in case. (That will probably mean no rain all day!)

 

[Bodie]

Very strong winds here at the moment but it looks like they will remain SW, although 33kph is the general assumption. Don't mind a SW wind, it won't be too cold and although we will have to fight it out towards the Cotswolds at least it will be behind on the way back when we will need it most.

Despite the injury and the less than perfect weather I'm really looking forward to this.....bike is nice and clean (and oiled) shoes, helmet etc are in the car, gels/bars are ready, drinks are in the fridge, kit is clean and laid out....goats cheese & sun dried tomato risotto is half done, got my weight well down (down for me that is) so I can allow myself a beer and a couple of glasses of wine so I should be ok to fall asleep in front of match of the day and wake refreshed ready for my first 100.

As I said, cant wait!

 

[ColinJ]

Carbo-loading (Went out for a curry) [Check]

Alcho-loading (Went out for a curry then to mate's house with beer) [Check]

Sore back when I got up [Check]

Sore leg when I got up [Check]

4.5 hours sleep [Check]

Very strong winds [Check]

Not fit enough for windy 105 mile ride with some hills [Check]




Okay, that's my basic preparation complete ... Now where did I put that sun-block?

 

[ColinJ]

Well, that was a good event though the strong winds made it very tough indeed!

The signage was perfect this time. I didn't notice that any arrows were missing or redirected. There was just one fast descent where we didn't see the arrow for a left turn until the last moment so another one higher up the hill would have been good.

I did the ride with Gary D. His previous longest ride was 69-70 miles so his 105 mile ride today smashed his century duck to pieces! Thanks for the company Gary!

I'd prefer it without the gale force winds next time though Rob!

 

[robgul]

Well, that was a good event though the strong winds made it very tough indeed!

The signage was perfect this time. I didn't notice that any arrows were missing or redirected. There was just one fast descent where we didn't see the arrow for a left turn until the last moment so another one higher up the hill would have been good.

I did the ride with Gary D. His previous longest ride was 69-70 miles so his 105 mile ride today smashed his century duck to pieces! Thanks for the company Gary!

I'd prefer it without the gale force winds next time though Rob!

Colin - great to see you again and meet a few other chaps from here in the flesh - if you can pinpoint the sign on the descent that would be useful and we can make a not for next time we use that route segment

Thanks to all that rode - very, very windy but it all seemed to work OK

Rob

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Well, that was a good event though the strong winds made it very tough indeed!

The signage was perfect this time. I didn't notice that any arrows were missing or redirected. There was just one fast descent where we didn't see the arrow for a left turn until the last moment so another one higher up the hill would have been good.

I did the ride with Gary D. His previous longest ride was 69-70 miles so his 105 mile ride today smashed his century duck to pieces! Thanks for the company Gary!

I'd prefer it without the gale force winds next time though Rob!

Well done Colin, how are the legs tonight?

and well done to Gary for his first century.

 

[Bodie]

Glad to have broken my 100m duck but boy, that was hard!

I was expecting Saintsbury to hurt - and it did- and also the endless climb after the second feed but the wind was the issue, the run from Great Alne to Saintsbury was nasty, virtually a headwind all the way and then the last 20, when we were hoping/expecting a tailwind seemed to be either 10'oclock or 2'oclock, all I could see from Mickleton onwards was a long line of riders suffering.

No matter, its the same for all of us and if it wasn't difficult, why would we bother?

My own day wasn't without it's cock-ups though, I joined a chap who seemed to know where he was going until we had missed the turn at the Mitsubishi garage towards Whichford and were part way up a long hill - at which point we had decided to walk as we were both in danger of falling sidewards - he said that he didn't remember it from last year..so we did an an extra bit from the top to Whichford...he then spotted a mate with a puncture and I decided to press on to try and make up time...and didn't look at my route sheet and missed the turn to Idicote....ended up in Shipston before finding Halford and getting back on course.....until we came to the A3400 and thinking I knew the route I turned right towards Armscote and the rest of you turned left towards Ilmington....I realised my mistake after about 2 miles and came back and found the route again...after that, I was lucky enough to find a few guys with a brain and folowed them home.

Now, I know that we are supposed to all do the same route but my 105.05 was just about the same as the group I rode in with through Long Marston etc, so despite my poor map and sign reading I just seem to have found a slightly different way of doing it...

Anyway, the point of this is to say thank you Rob, nice to say hello to you at the start and thanks for putting the time and trouble in to organise it for us...and to those of you I spoke to/rode with, thanks for the company, it's much appreciated.

For the record I did 105.05 in 7:14 total elapsed time and 6:48 riding time. Frankly, given the conditions I'm pleased. I was hoping to get to 6:55 for an age group gold but on the day it was always going to be difficult.

See you next year!

ps, ColinJ, drop me a pm next time you are in the area, maybe we can go out for a couple of hours? Your refueling habits seen similar to mine

 

[ColinJ]

Well done Colin, how are the legs tonight?

and well done to Gary for his first century.

I ache all over and I'm giving up on my beer and TV and am having an early night!

ps, ColinJ, drop me a pm next time you are in the area, maybe we can go out for a couple of hours? Your refueling habits seen similar to mine

Come along on the one-speed ride I'm going to organise for mid-October? 50 miles from Meriden. For riders of fixed wheel bikes, singlespeed bikes, users of one gear on multi-geared bikes, and those who give up and change gear!