Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2013 11:37:26 GMT
Well I have had a week to recover from the Wiggle Meon ride so I thought I would do a little write up on my day. My mate Steve arrives at my gaff at 7.45am for our start that is 8-9am we have a cup of coffee before our off , bikes loaded up and leave. We drive to the start which is only about 15 mins away for home only to find road closure signs. We end up getting more than a slight detour and arrive at 8.45 , car park is heaving (later found out last year 850 riders this year 1600 !)) get space get out of car when we have a member of Wiggle shouting get a move on and sign in we are closing up and the team are ready to go to start taking the signs down !! Wtf ?? Great start . we sign in which took a whole 15 seconds and put our transponder sticker on our helmets ( ooo er missus) Get bikes off car put shoes on with same guy shouting at various people to hurry up they are closing the start , we get a "safety " briefing on what an arrow means and we are off spot on time. Now why Wiggle are beating people with a stick to get started is beyond us as we are on the 55 mile "fun" ride so unlikely to be the last back with the 100 mile heroes out there and the start is also the finish Ho hum .
Anyway we toddle off for the first part of the ride which is some cracking countryside all around my home area ,my mate is very impressed with the route as he is not from around my way and is loving it as much as me. No major hills at this stage so all looking good we then get to a section this is mostly down hill so really start to get moving anything over 18mph average is happy days for me. We have arranged to meet the Team Havoc car with Mrs Havoc and cold drinks, gels and grub at about the half way stage as we don't want to get held up at feeding stations. We have passed a few people at this stage and looking good for my target 14/15 mph average for the ride. 22 miles gone we meet Mrs Havoc for refuel only to find she's had a blond moment and left the drinks at home :lol: We then arrange to meet up a further 10 miles on as we are all good.
The course was cracking until this point from my point of view no big hills and well sign posted and with markings sprayed onto the road too. People were friendly and all out having a top day out on their bikes. We came across the feeding station (Steve wanted to stop for a comfort break) so I grabbed the chance to get the free flapjack , jelly beans and jaffa cakes . There was even a mechanic there for minor tweaks which I thought was good.
Things started to get a little bit spicy with some bigger hills which I was ok on until we hit a hill I knew well a Cat 4 which I had done before and completed but that wasn't with 20 odd mile to go or after 30 miles "see you at the top Steve was the call" so got a good way up and walked the last bit so I didn't kill myself. At this point it the heavens opened and it chucked it down with people hiding under trees , 100 yards down the road it hadn't rained at all !! Next bit was a flying section of down hill where myself and Steve would have made Wiggo look slow (well it felt like that) . The team car was in sight and Mrs Havoc was all smiles and cold drinks so a quick stop and we were on our way .
At this point I was feeling fine from this point onwards it was the hardest 15 miles I have cycled it seemed to be one hill after another , Steve at this point had gone on and was a dot in the distance with some fat bloke on a bike heaving himself along behind , it was at some point around this distance that the "standard and epic " heroes met back up with the "fun" riders (fun wasn't what I was calling it) so the would be Wiggos were coming thick and fast.I felt at this stage there should have been a drug testing station because I'm sure the "8 til late Armstrongs store" was doing a roaring trade , it's not natural to ride up hills that fast !! I'm now hanging on in there and even the downhills seemed hard .
One final hill which I knew to be a bloody long drag Cat 4 with the fantastic sign of "only 6kms to go" was spotted you have got to love those jokers at Wiggle. I spotted a guy in the distance off his bike stretching his legs beside the road , my legs are on fire , my shoulders are hurting and my back is aching , I ride up to the point where he is stretching and get off and have to walk for a bit , as I pass him I say he can walk with me if he wants he gives nothing absolutely nothing in response miserable git . It's at this point I notice he has got a full carbon Cube bike and I just think wakner , a minute or 2 later same fat bloke on his Cube came wheezing up the hill seriously suffering , being a cynic the old pulling the muscles bit was a cover for " oh bollox I don't want to be seen to be getting off and walking my very expensive bike" it was at this point I felt I was letting the ethos of Tribaness of "have to beat expensive bike" kicked in , got back on and rode up the rest of the hill and passing Mr Cube over the top. The last couple of miles were much easier and sailed into the finish only to find Steve with bike on car and changed out of bike gear, Oh cock he's been here a while :lol: I didn't achieve what I wanted speed wise but had a great day out . It was well run and sign posted ,apart from the start pressure which had we known they were so tight we would have got there earlier. Steve later asked me if I would do one again ? not tomorrow was my reply . But a week on , yes I would but next time with more bike time and training.
Anyway we toddle off for the first part of the ride which is some cracking countryside all around my home area ,my mate is very impressed with the route as he is not from around my way and is loving it as much as me. No major hills at this stage so all looking good we then get to a section this is mostly down hill so really start to get moving anything over 18mph average is happy days for me. We have arranged to meet the Team Havoc car with Mrs Havoc and cold drinks, gels and grub at about the half way stage as we don't want to get held up at feeding stations. We have passed a few people at this stage and looking good for my target 14/15 mph average for the ride. 22 miles gone we meet Mrs Havoc for refuel only to find she's had a blond moment and left the drinks at home :lol: We then arrange to meet up a further 10 miles on as we are all good.
The course was cracking until this point from my point of view no big hills and well sign posted and with markings sprayed onto the road too. People were friendly and all out having a top day out on their bikes. We came across the feeding station (Steve wanted to stop for a comfort break) so I grabbed the chance to get the free flapjack , jelly beans and jaffa cakes . There was even a mechanic there for minor tweaks which I thought was good.
Things started to get a little bit spicy with some bigger hills which I was ok on until we hit a hill I knew well a Cat 4 which I had done before and completed but that wasn't with 20 odd mile to go or after 30 miles "see you at the top Steve was the call" so got a good way up and walked the last bit so I didn't kill myself. At this point it the heavens opened and it chucked it down with people hiding under trees , 100 yards down the road it hadn't rained at all !! Next bit was a flying section of down hill where myself and Steve would have made Wiggo look slow (well it felt like that) . The team car was in sight and Mrs Havoc was all smiles and cold drinks so a quick stop and we were on our way .
At this point I was feeling fine from this point onwards it was the hardest 15 miles I have cycled it seemed to be one hill after another , Steve at this point had gone on and was a dot in the distance with some fat bloke on a bike heaving himself along behind , it was at some point around this distance that the "standard and epic " heroes met back up with the "fun" riders (fun wasn't what I was calling it) so the would be Wiggos were coming thick and fast.I felt at this stage there should have been a drug testing station because I'm sure the "8 til late Armstrongs store" was doing a roaring trade , it's not natural to ride up hills that fast !! I'm now hanging on in there and even the downhills seemed hard .
One final hill which I knew to be a bloody long drag Cat 4 with the fantastic sign of "only 6kms to go" was spotted you have got to love those jokers at Wiggle. I spotted a guy in the distance off his bike stretching his legs beside the road , my legs are on fire , my shoulders are hurting and my back is aching , I ride up to the point where he is stretching and get off and have to walk for a bit , as I pass him I say he can walk with me if he wants he gives nothing absolutely nothing in response miserable git . It's at this point I notice he has got a full carbon Cube bike and I just think wakner , a minute or 2 later same fat bloke on his Cube came wheezing up the hill seriously suffering , being a cynic the old pulling the muscles bit was a cover for " oh bollox I don't want to be seen to be getting off and walking my very expensive bike" it was at this point I felt I was letting the ethos of Tribaness of "have to beat expensive bike" kicked in , got back on and rode up the rest of the hill and passing Mr Cube over the top. The last couple of miles were much easier and sailed into the finish only to find Steve with bike on car and changed out of bike gear, Oh cock he's been here a while :lol: I didn't achieve what I wanted speed wise but had a great day out . It was well run and sign posted ,apart from the start pressure which had we known they were so tight we would have got there earlier. Steve later asked me if I would do one again ? not tomorrow was my reply . But a week on , yes I would but next time with more bike time and training.