Tour of Cambridgeshire 2019

[Dec66]

I got a mail from BC offering me advanced entry into this (100 mile closed road Gran Fondo).

Looks a bit serious, this, anyone done it previously?

 

[Tenacious Sloth]

I did this in 2016 and 2017.

It’s as serious as you want to make it. You can enter the race category and attempt to qualify for the world champs (you’ll need a race licence for this), or just tool round stopping at the two feed stations.

Although the route is fairly flat, it can be very tough across the Fens if the wind is strong, although I did hear they were going to change the route this year.

You would have thought it would be very safe, what with it being closed roads, but unfortunately a high proportion of cyclists who enter seem to be unable to ride safely and within the rules and so it generally turns into a bit of a bloodbath.

 

[steverob]

Have done it twice - 2016 and 2018 and am planning on doing it again next year.

Up front in the “racing” pens, yes I understand there have been a number of crashes. But the number of people allowed into these has been cut to just 100 per age category this year (plus as mentioned you need a racing licence) I think to cut down on potential incidents.

And anyway, for people who aren’t up front (like me), you don’t see any of that. Having also ridden RideLondon twice, I can categorically state that the roads are way emptier in the ToC - for quite a lot of it I could have swerved from one side of the road to the other (not that I would of course) and still struggled to hit anyone!

My two previous experiences have been quite different. I struggled on my first ride due to the wind in the Fens (there’s a 30 mile section with just 100ft total elevation change - and I think that’s just cause of three bridges) and the roads are long and straight, so once you’re in a headwind, you’re in it for 4-5 miles at a time. However the second time, despite being less fit, I got a much better time as I managed to get into a group of five riders happy to work together between the 2nd and 3rd pit stops and that made it a LOT more enjoyable.

They haven’t officially released the route for next year yet, but I understand that it’ll be the same as previous year’s 80-ish mile course with an additional 20 mile loop towards the end, which will be in the rolling hills that you tackle at the start of the ride. How this will affect the cut off times I don’t know - they’ve been relatively generous previously, especially considering the ride doesn’t start until noon (so overnight hotel stays aren’t mandatory, although I chose to this year). Indeed my pen didn’t get away until 12:45, yet I still finished with almost two hours to spare before the cut off and I’m not a fast rider and stopped at all three pitstops (which were well stocked with sausage rolls, bananas and cookies even for later arriving riders).

Happy to point anyone in the direction of my Strava activity if they want to look at the route. (https://www.strava.com/activities/1615157676 - look at the photos to see how empty the roads look in the later stages of the ride). Bear in the mind the mileage displayed includes a circuitous route to the start line from my hotel in the morning.

Overall, at the discount they are offering to BC members, I’d say this is well worth doing once.

 

[Dec66]

Cool, ta.... I'm sold. Entry form subbed.

 

[mjr]

Although the route is fairly flat, it can be very tough across the Fens if the wind is strong,

Or if the sun is strong. Or if it rains hard. Basically, there is no hiding from anything in the fens. You can't even look forward to coasting downhill. Wish hard for good weather, but prepare for the worst (baking sun, IMO). If you do well at ToC, you've done very well.

 

[HLaB]

I done it in its first and second years. If you like a flat and fast course on closed roads its great. If you don't like sketchy riding less so (sportives are like that in general though so its no worse than any other on that scale).

 

[172traindriver]

Its was a good ride this year, it was at the beginning of the long hot spell of weather we experienced.
It has been extended to 100 miles next year and starts a lot earlier as opposed to around midday this year.
It was extremely quick and I managed to get in with a good sized group that formed and were not hanging around. I managed the 79 miles in 3hrs 28mins but also heard of a number of crashes.
I have decided to go in the race group next year in the hope that the smaller start groups may prove a little safer. There was some quite dangerous riding by some unfortunately.
Hopefully if you stay out of trouble its a great experience and closed roads are a bonus.
If I do sportive nowadays its the closed roads ones.

 

[Browser]

Just curious, has anyone any idea of the nature of said dangerous riding? Was it riding too fast, crap cornering, not paying attention? I did the Flat Out In the Fens back in 2011 and in the first ten miles or so became annoyed at being what was, to my untutored normally-riding-solo mind anyway, as boxed against the verge by groups of club riders who couldn't seem to get it through their heads that not all of use think were contesting a stage of the Tour Of Britain and don't like having riders 50mm off our handlebars, meaning I ended up riding over potholes I couldn't have avoided without manouevering to one side and colliding with them.

 

[Tenacious Sloth]

Just curious, has anyone any idea of the nature of said dangerous riding? Was it riding too fast, crap cornering, not paying attention? I did the Flat Out In the Fens back in 2011 and in the first ten miles or so became annoyed at being what was, to my untutored normally-riding-solo mind anyway, as boxed against the verge by groups of club riders who couldn't seem to get it through their heads that not all of use think were contesting a stage of the Tour Of Britain and don't like having riders 50mm off our handlebars, meaning I ended up riding over potholes I couldn't have avoided without manouevering to one side and colliding with them.

Some mindless morons seemed to think it’s acceptable to undertake other riders on the left due to it being a closed road event. This is not only dangerous, but in direct contravention of the riding instructions published on the TOC website.

I’ve ridden it twice, but am not entering any further mass participation events due to the lack of common sense exhibited by a percentage of the population, whether riding a bike or driving a car.

Rant over.

 

[mjr]

Just curious, has anyone any idea of the nature of said dangerous riding? Was it riding too fast, crap cornering, not paying attention? I did the Flat Out In the Fens back in 2011 and in the first ten miles or so became annoyed at being what was, to my untutored normally-riding-solo mind anyway, as boxed against the verge by groups of club riders who couldn't seem to get it through their heads that not all of use think were contesting a stage of the Tour Of Britain and don't like having riders 50mm off our handlebars, meaning I ended up riding over potholes I couldn't have avoided without manouevering to one side and colliding with them.

I had similar on Count The Counties in the fens a few years ago. You just have to decelerate and let them go - you'll overtake them when they crash later anyway

Fortunately not all clubs and groups ride like daffodils.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Just ride the route any other day. Will be as quiet as anything.

 

[CXRAndy]

I did it this year for the first time .ive never cycled so fast for that distance. Im entered again for the sportive, II wil be very pleased if i can go sub 5hours for a 100, it will be pushing it though.

 

[steverob]

Official routes for the Tour of Cambs 100 have now been released. I've downloaded it to RWGPS if anyone wants to take a look: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29252427. Not much different to previous years; just basically two added sections to bump it up from the previous distances to a full century, and even those sections do contain fairly familiar terrain to those who've ridden it before.

Boring details: there's an extended loop between Winwick and Buckworth that adds on 9 miles of rolling terrain and then just after climbing Alconbury Hill you go in the opposite direction to normal, before looping back round and using the old Alconbury airfield (which was in the first few editions of ToC, but dropped for the last two years) to get to the flat part of the ride, which adds on 11.5 miles. Both of these detours are in the first half of the ride (Winwick is normally at the 15 mile mark, Alconbury about 23), meaning the flat second half is completely unaltered.

The main thing to note is the earlier starts than in previous years. The Races are kicking off from 09:00 (rather than 12:00) with the Sportive starting from 10:30 (instead of 13:00).

 

[biggs682]

Just ride the route any other day. Will be as quiet as anything.

And cheaper

 

[Norry1]

Yep, I'm signed up for the Gran Condo in the 55 - 60 age group. Did it last year and really enjoyed it.