JODRELL BANK CYCLOSPORTIVE 50 Mile Route
Link
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/50-2011-Jodrell-Bank
Friday, 7 January 2011
Jodrell Bank Cyclosportive 30 Mile Route
Jodrell Bank Cyclosportive 30 Mile Route
LINK
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/30-2011-Jodrell-Bank
LINK
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/30-2011-Jodrell-Bank
TIP OF THE DAY (keeping warm)
I learnt this one whilst living and racing in Belgian when I was a teenager in the 80's. If you are out on a ride, the weather turns nasty, rain and cold. You haven't got a racing cape (water proof jacket) get yourself a bin bag, punch three holes one for your head and one each for your arms, put it on underneath your jersey. It will keep you dry and warm until you get home.
Thursday, 6 January 2011
TIP OF THE DAY (eating)
Always carry something to eat and drink when you go out for a ride. The best bit of advice I had when it comes to eating and drinking. Whether out training or racing is to eat before you get hungry and drink before you get thirsty. If you adhere to this tip you'll avoid getting the bonk (hunger knock, hitting the wall )
TIP OF THE DAY (check the wind)
Just before you start off on a training ride check the direction of the wind. Always aim to start off riding into the wind and come back with the wind behind you.
Saturday, 1 January 2011
FRED LYN SEACROFT WHEELERS
FRED LYN SEACROFT WHEELERS report on Jodrell Bank Cyclosportive 2010
courtesy of Seacroft Wheelers
http://www.seacroftwheelers.co.uk/sportivereports10.htm
Jodrell Bank, Sun 14 March.
I was on 19s by half way, having got with a small group of decent riders and then flayed myself for a few miles with an elite bunch, before deciding that I would blow up big time if I tried to keep that up, so eased off.
Then suffered the consequences and got cramp at 50 miles and suffered from there on - which, coincidentally, was the 'hilly part'.
Took it easy and managed to get rid of it at around 70 miles, when we hit a couple of stretches of pavé and a level crossing and the banging about brought it back.
However, held it together and finished with 4h 39m odd for an official 17mph and 43rd out of 272 (incl 4 DNFs) finishers and fastest in the (unofficial) 56 and over category (20 finishers in that category - 8 in the 60 and over)
Pleased with it, really, as I wasn't lacking in energy and, had it not been for the cramp, would have carved several minutes off."
Fred
courtesy of Seacroft Wheelers
http://www.seacroftwheelers.co.uk/sportivereports10.htm
Jodrell Bank, Sun 14 March.
Fred Lyn's observations on the 80 mile sportive in the shadow of the famous space telescope.
"Mostly flat, largely cloudy and very windy - not to mention fast.
Very well signed course and good feed stations - although I would have preferred icing on the fairy cakes!!I was on 19s by half way, having got with a small group of decent riders and then flayed myself for a few miles with an elite bunch, before deciding that I would blow up big time if I tried to keep that up, so eased off.
Then suffered the consequences and got cramp at 50 miles and suffered from there on - which, coincidentally, was the 'hilly part'.
Took it easy and managed to get rid of it at around 70 miles, when we hit a couple of stretches of pavé and a level crossing and the banging about brought it back.
However, held it together and finished with 4h 39m odd for an official 17mph and 43rd out of 272 (incl 4 DNFs) finishers and fastest in the (unofficial) 56 and over category (20 finishers in that category - 8 in the 60 and over)
Pleased with it, really, as I wasn't lacking in energy and, had it not been for the cramp, would have carved several minutes off."
Fred
Jodrell Bank Cyclosportive 80 miles
As part of my training for the end-to-end I’ve entered a couple of cyclosportives as they offer an opportunity to ride some well-thought out routes with organised stops and a bit of challenge. So today was my first attempt at a sportive. Apparently it’s a good one to start with as it’s relatively flat (I’ll come onto that shortly) and only (!) 80 miles. There’s the option to do shorter routes but frankly, I need as much distance as I can get in at the moment.
I’d managed to convince a friend from work, Nigel, to join me on this. We’d ridden the Manchester 100 together last year and he generally rides faster than me so I have to work hard to stay with him. This is great for training because when I’m on my own I find it too easy to drop the speed to take a breather so having someone else there means that rarely happens. So it was with some trepidation that i arrived at Nigel’s house early this morning and we rode the 3.5 miles to the sportive HQ at Woodford community centre. The place was full of cyclists as you can imagine – thankfully all shapes and sizes so I didn’t feel too intimidated. There must easily have been a quarter of a million pounds worth of bikes on display! A short queue saw me registered (rider number 271) and the electronic timing tag fastened to my wrist. We also got a printed map and a goodie bag containing a water bottle and various energy bars/gels and powders.
Anyway, we got the electronic tags blipped at the start and set off. I’d already downloaded the route to the Garmin but it was well marked with arrows at all the major junctions. The route took us out of Woodford and heading initially west in a loop through Mobberley, Ashley, Bucklow Hill, High Legh before turning east at Antrobus. A note here about the wind. The wind was blowing from the west to the east (is that a westerly?) and therefore heading west was a struggle even on the flat. It was hard work to keep 14mph up. Coming back east was the complete opposite – between 20 and 24mph with relative ease. The first timing checkpoint then saw us head southwest through Ollerton and Lower Peover to the next timing point at Goostrey, The course then diverted into a mini-loop around Jodrell Bank. The views of the satellite station were spectacular from all angles as we drew a big arc around it, and the weather was almost spring-like to the point that I put my sunglasses on! We continued on through Siddington and Broken Cross and the few cheeky hills on this course appeared as we rose through Prestbury, Bollington and Pott Shrigley. Once the hills were out of the way the rest was really a cruise back down to Woodford through Poynton and Hazel Grove. All in all a very nice course – apart from the state of the roads. The winter has not been kind to the tarmac – it has been absolutely destroyed in places and it’s pretty depressing when you hack up a hill and then can’t enjoy the descent you’ve earned because the roads make it too dangerous. On that note there was a professional photographer perched on the side of a steep hill so I expect a photo soon of me with an agonised look on my face!
So the 80 miles took 4hrs and 50mins in the saddle (5hrs 20mins including stops) and we recorded an average speed of 16.3mph which I’m pretty pleased with over that distance. Total climbing was only 1973ft and I used 4644kcalories. It seemed that we overtook far more people than overtook us but at the end we were in 153rd place out of 273 entries. I wasn’t last and that was all I was bothered about!
I’d managed to convince a friend from work, Nigel, to join me on this. We’d ridden the Manchester 100 together last year and he generally rides faster than me so I have to work hard to stay with him. This is great for training because when I’m on my own I find it too easy to drop the speed to take a breather so having someone else there means that rarely happens. So it was with some trepidation that i arrived at Nigel’s house early this morning and we rode the 3.5 miles to the sportive HQ at Woodford community centre. The place was full of cyclists as you can imagine – thankfully all shapes and sizes so I didn’t feel too intimidated. There must easily have been a quarter of a million pounds worth of bikes on display! A short queue saw me registered (rider number 271) and the electronic timing tag fastened to my wrist. We also got a printed map and a goodie bag containing a water bottle and various energy bars/gels and powders.
Anyway, we got the electronic tags blipped at the start and set off. I’d already downloaded the route to the Garmin but it was well marked with arrows at all the major junctions. The route took us out of Woodford and heading initially west in a loop through Mobberley, Ashley, Bucklow Hill, High Legh before turning east at Antrobus. A note here about the wind. The wind was blowing from the west to the east (is that a westerly?) and therefore heading west was a struggle even on the flat. It was hard work to keep 14mph up. Coming back east was the complete opposite – between 20 and 24mph with relative ease. The first timing checkpoint then saw us head southwest through Ollerton and Lower Peover to the next timing point at Goostrey, The course then diverted into a mini-loop around Jodrell Bank. The views of the satellite station were spectacular from all angles as we drew a big arc around it, and the weather was almost spring-like to the point that I put my sunglasses on! We continued on through Siddington and Broken Cross and the few cheeky hills on this course appeared as we rose through Prestbury, Bollington and Pott Shrigley. Once the hills were out of the way the rest was really a cruise back down to Woodford through Poynton and Hazel Grove. All in all a very nice course – apart from the state of the roads. The winter has not been kind to the tarmac – it has been absolutely destroyed in places and it’s pretty depressing when you hack up a hill and then can’t enjoy the descent you’ve earned because the roads make it too dangerous. On that note there was a professional photographer perched on the side of a steep hill so I expect a photo soon of me with an agonised look on my face!
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