Dartmoor Classic

Miles cycled this year: 3081

In 169 Hours burning 109100 Kcal climbing 114900ft

Most miles in a week (so far) : 284 (eek!)

Weight 66.3Kg 16.5% fat

Since I last wrote here I’ve been away for a week, no bike. A holiday on the Gower, not my idea, beaches don’t suit me. Not keen on that much water at once!

The Sunday after we got back I was out on Sunday morning, meeting up with Leigh and Andy Pinchen and Dave Baranoski. Exmoor was the order of the day. We warmed up over the Quantocks, and headed to the south of Exmoor. As we approached the Devil’s Elbow at Wiviliscombe, Dave asked me if I had put weight on. I said I had (For years I have been 64Kg/10Stone), he said he thought I had. Leigh said he thought I had when we were waiting for Dave when we started. I assume this was due to my speed of climbing. Dave, not known for his climbing, promptly out climbed me! Hence the reference to my weight above. It is coming down to 64 or thereabouts!

We rode out to Bampton and turned up to Morebath. It is one long steady climb. Part way up we were stopped by a man in a yellow jacket, cyclists came speeding down a side road and they let us pass. It seems we had come across a half ironman triathlon. Now, they seem a funny bunch to me, triathletes, and they did nothing to help themselves change my view. We rode on passing several hundred as we climbed, no talking, many spinning small gears, and all seemingly riding at the same pace, it was almost like they weren’t allowed to pass. Very odd. Andy and Leigh disappeared up the road. We passed groups of onlookers and were cheered. I felt a a bit embarrassed. We were out for, in relative terms, a Sunday jolly. We were offered drinks by the organisers. Dave couldn’t resist, and took a bottle, it was about a third full, we shared it and along with many others dropped it at the road side for collection later.

It was a stiff ride, and what I feel my legs needed. I’ve been doing distance and riding hills, but not real hills.

During the week I started to break my proposed route for September into days. The first full day from The Lizard to Okehampton has maybe 10.000ft of climbing. That’s it, I am going to have to start to seek out hills in long rides!

In that context the ride on Sunday was right up the proverbial street. I had ridden 40 miles on Tuesday, a short ride with Denise on Wednesday, and 30 miles on Thursday. I went on the club run on Saturday, just a easy ride, but couldn’t resist going with the attack over a small hill on the run into Bridgwater. The group was quite small as we left the other side and I sat in and turned early. Still did 33miles.

5am, 5AM, and on a Sunday. Why did I sign up for this ride? Up, pack a bag with drinks, drink a pint of water, and walk out the door. The bike was in the car, I got in and left for Devon. I ate my currant bun on the way. I can’t eat that early. That time of day is reserved for sleeping and snoring.

The Dartmoor Classic ride is organised by Mid-Devon Cycle Club and they do it brilliantly. Parked, signed on and in the pen with 100 other riders to start first at 7.00am. It was 6.40, and a little cool. I was covered in sun cream, and had goose bumps from the cool air. 7.00am came and the second pen was let go first, good natured booing from my pen. 7.04 and we were off. Another 550 riders on the 105 mile ride followed.

It is an easy steady start. I rode on my own, passing others, and passed by a couple. Moving up.

Signs and Marshalls at every major junction makes this ride so easy. Onward and upwards onto Dartmoor then back down through a town. Another slow moving cyclist ahead, large fluorescent orange bag, it’s a paper boy. It is early.

I get into a small group then when I am fishing for food in my back pocket drop something. I best stop and see what it was. It’s some painkillers, carried as I have lost a lump of filling from a tooth the day before. It hasn’t hurt yet, but I don’t want to risk. I ride on and catch the group as we climb. On the descent I loose my saddle bag, it’s got my spares in it so best ride back up and get it. The bracket has broken so I shove it in my jersey and ride on with a distended lump on my stomach. I’ll sort it at the feed station.

As the day goes on I start seeing people standing by the road to support riders. Initially it is single women, then its family groups, I say hello to them all. Those on hills get asked for a push, or I offer them my bike to have a go, all friendly banter. This is a much friendly ride than the Tour of Wessex. We also meet ponies, sheep and a cow on the road, none fortunately in such a position to be dangerous.

I was largely on my own into and out of the feed, but could hear a couple of riders behind me chatting. I eased back, let them pass and sat behind them. We got chatting and it became apparent that one of them, Alec, also rides for Somerset Road Club. It is a big club neither of us were aware of meeting before. The other rider, John was highly amused by this.

Most of the time I had no idea where I was, I knew by the direction of my shadow which was I was going, normally the wrong way. Occasionally we went through somewhere I had heard of, Tavistock and Lydford Gorge came up. They are a long way from the start.

The climbs became hotter and hotter, we were climbing on the moor in the full sun and with a slight tail wind. My bike computer said 96F. Keep drinking, keep drinking.

Back to the feed in Princeton, and we picked up the 65 milers who started at least an hour behind me. Over the moor we picked the pace up. Passing riders all the time, general direction is down, but with one last kick up, then down the last valley the three of us taking turns on the front holding 24mph+ except where the odd kick up in the road showed how the power was now draining from our legs. One last gentle incline and back to the start. Handshakes all round, and get my time. 6hrs 27, a gold medal! On for a burger in a bun, missing the bacon I also asked for, and off home. I lay on the floor and watched England waste my time. I wondered off for a bath, anyone know what the result was? My result was 69th out of 749 finishers, well within my target of top 25%.

I recovered fine, despite the 9000ft of climbing. Perhaps the climbing the week before was paying off.

BHF Sunday

Miles cycled this year: 2756
In 169 Hours burning 97700 Kcal climbing 97800ft
Most miles in a week (so far) : 284 (eek!)
Weight 66.6Kg 17.5% fat

I have been riding the British Heart Foundation fundraising ride for several years. It starts in Glastonbury and does a really flat 50 mile loop out towards the coast and back.

After the Tour of Wessex day, I had a gentle short ride on Wednesday after work, and on Thursday I rode from home to work in Langport, it was a lovely evening on the way back, so I extended the ride a little out on the levels.

Saturday was the normal club run, but most of the big hitters were away, so it was quick but not massively so. On the way back over the Quantocks, we found road after road flooded with tar and chippings. We retreated and ended up going sideways (east) to go forwards (north) and I easily did my three hour target.

On Sunday I rode to Glastonbury. I don’t get sponsorship for this ride. Most do, but I would be embarrassed to ask to be sponsored for a 50mile ride, when I do that every Sat/Sun. So I enter on the day, pay a bit more for the privilege and give a donation as well. I meet with the group of riders that I see on Saturday that come from Wells/Frome and they asked if I wanted to ride with them. Yes ok.

Now this ride is a proper charity ride. There are two rides of 50m or 27m starting at the same time. They ride the same route and then split after about 15 miles and rejoin for the last 8 miles or so. The start is narrow and there is a need to negotiate round the slower riders until we join a wider road and can pass easily.

Denise, my wife, has ridden it with me in some previous years, well we ride the first half a mile together, then I get on to avoid getting cold, and I see her maybe three miles from the end when I pass her. I finish and go back and find her.

The group I am with this time are clearly looking to get round quickly, I make my excuses, “I’ve done over 200 miles in the last 7 days“, and move to the back. It’s ok sat in, but slower would be nicer. There is a lady in their group and I gamble that they won’t leave her so I resolve that I will make sure I stay with her. The rest of her group ride away, 50yds up the road, they realise and slow. I’m right.

A group of 12 forms on the road, its fun, we wake the marshalls up at the junctions as we are first on the road, and they are surprised to see us, even though they know were coming. We join the 27 milers, passing quickly on the 5% uphill grade on the only slight hill they have on their ride, a quick descent and its 26mph on the flat back to the start. 50miles in 2hrs30min.

A drink and a pee and I’m off home, riding against the tide of riders, 10miles back and I am still meeting riders.

Home before lunch at 1pm. 78miles 4hrs18m, Brian (as opposed to wind) assisted.

Giving a grand total of 284miles in 16hr45mins for 7 days. I had Monday off and rode the other three days this week, all variations of getting to work, making 83miles this week. All good practice for the end to end as I need to get my body used to riding on a daily basis.

I’m having tomorrow off, my legs are getting heavy!

Tour of Wessex (Day3)

Miles cycled this year: 2541
In 156 Hours burning 90707 Kcal climbing 91210ft
Most miles in a week (so far) : 160 (but watch this space)
Weight 67.1Kg 17.5% fat

The Tour of Wessex is a three day event, 325 miles in three consecutive days. I have done all three days in its first and second year. Denise asked me if I could give it a rest the next year as she wasn’t keen on being on her own waiting for me to come back another three days in a row.

In this its fifth year I thought I’d do the one day, and as a couple of others I knew were doing a day, Monday it was. The plan was to ride Saturday and Sunday as normal, and then throw in a 105 mile hilly ride to finish it off

Saturday started wet, really rather wet. I waited in and rode towards the café to join the club run as they left Burnham to go back to Taunton. The rain had eased, and as I rode towards Burnham, two riders came towards me. I turned and asked where the others were, they were apparently it! We rode into Bridgwater and I turned east out though the villages on the south side of the Poldens, north over the Polden ridge, over the Levels and looped back home. 2hrs in total.

Sunday was a gentle morning with the Bridgwater cycle club a spiral of a route stopping just outside Wedmore at Sweet’s Café. 3hrs in total.

Monday was up early, and drive to Somerton. I’d forgotten the £10 I needed for the timing chip, but was able to borrow it off of Nigel, whom I planned to ride the route with. 8.30 and we were off. As far as I could tell one mighty great group. I was in the first 100 to start anyway. Some quick sorting of slower riders falling back as the route started on a shallow incline and we were off. I sat in, in a group of this size there is no need to share the work. It was a moderate pace, but every tight corner is like a caterpillar as the front riders slow a little, the riders to the rear bunch up. The slowing ripples back in the group in the corner, as you enter the corner you slow, then accelerate to close back up with the riders in front. Nothing to bad, but over time very wearing.

As we approached the first real hill of the day at Enmore the front of the group slowed, riders at the front spreading across the road. There were cars behind. We shouted to the front of the group to warn the front riders of the cars behind waiting to pass. No movement at the front. Now this irritated me, the organisers had asked us to behave on the road, and as a club we have had complaints about inconsiderate riding. I shouted to the front riders that they should pair up and keep to the left, no movement, but an anonymous shout enquiring “Are you a copper or something?”. “No” I said “but I am local and will have to deal with these people when you lot piss off home”. That was the end of that conservation, although later I did have a rider tell me he agreed with me. Anyway the hill pretty much sorted it out as riders tailed off. I was one of those riders.

We regrouped in part on the descent and meet the second deviation from the advertised route of the day, the first being the feed station being off the route and up another hill! As we approached the second hill a number of riders stopped to relieve themselves. I stopped to remove my knee warmers, and that was the last I saw of the group.

I’d last seen Nigel and Darren as we left Bridgwater, I thought they weren’t far behind. Nigel’s handlebars broke part was round so that was it for him. They got back to the start and went home early.

Onwards on my solitary way back down off the Quantocks to join the A39 at Washford and the Bank Holiday traffic heading for Minehead. I hate this piece of road, its busy, narrow and usually into a headwind. Today there was a slight tailwind. I felt fine so pushed on a 20mph+, through Minehead towards Porlock, then inland and towards the third and hardest climb to Dunkery.

There was now a small group on, some had caught me, and others we had caught. We chatted though the lanes, looking at the highest point in Somerset that we were about to climb. There’s a tight turn left, into the trees and then it starts. I’ve ridden it before, it’s steep holding maybe 16% in places, its largely straight, and it goes on and it hurts. Normally I’m fine, riding past others, but the speed of approach had done for me. I had a tight pain in my thighs, and a pain in my lower back. Near the top I past a rider who had stopped and that was it. I pulled over and stopped. I rested for a minute whilst my legs calmed, then I rode on. I haven’t stopped like this on a hill for, for, I don’t remember when I last stopped on a hill, except the couple of times I came to a halt due to wheel spin on gravel and leaves and the lack of forward movement left me falling sideways.

After 67.7 miles I had enough. This wasn’t fun. I was riding east along the top of Exmoor having climbed the forth climb of the day. I was encouraged by how I felt, and the fact that as it steepened I held the riders in front at the same distance, but they were gone when I crested the climb. I was alone, head wind, steady climbs and feeling off. A rider caught me, we rode together for a few miles, a hill and he was gone, I couldn‘t hold him. The long descent off Exmoor, 40mph+ and a new group of six formed.

One hill left, Cothelstone, a hard climb on its own, without the previous four. We chatted, we climbed each in our own world of will power over gravity and lower back and leg pain. I was second of the group to the top, finally I had out climbed someone! We waited for the others, and stopped again at the feed for water and Jaffa cakes. Home run and I felt stonger, the others were tiring. We rode together chatting a little, a little humour (I thought this was the Levels). I was on very familiar territory. We took turns to ride on the front, but waiting on the inclines for the weaker riders. This is what I love about these rides, the camaraderie, I don’t know their names, and wouldn’t recognise them, but we worked together and shared for an hour or two the desire to finish, and I was willing to give what I had to help us finish together.

Tour of Wessex Day 3: 104 miles, 6hrs21m, 7200ft of climbing. Finished 100th out of 357 finishers.