The Cheshire Cat. First Sportive of the year for me. Did it last year, so back for more INCLUDING Mow Cop. Last year, I rode the short course. This year we (me and Andy) are doing the medium (75mile) course: weather has not been good for training so we are 'easing' our way into it!
Now, Mow Cop is a hill in Staffordshire. I know it well. It's near my Mum's house, so I've been up there many times. Words cannot do it justice apart from to say that you can easily burn your clutch out, it's that steep. Yes, really! It's f**king steep. The last 100 yards is approx 25% incline. The short video below is the nearest I've ever seen to showing its steepness.... and it's steeper.
So with The Cheshire Cat, a medal is awarded for any nutter that can cycle to the top without putting a foot down. The challenge was on.
A 5am start to drive over to Crewe (the clocks had gone forward so it was really 4am), park at my daughter's University digs, sort the bikes out and off we go. The organisation was superb. Last year's start was very poor but they definitely got it right this time and with fabulous weather (bit chilly but the sun was out!), it was looking like a great day.
En route and discussing the day, part of the conversation went like this...
Andy "Feel a bit rough this morning- not bothered avin a shave..... well, apart from my legs."
Me "Same!"
Both - laughter from us and embarrassing groans from daughter in back seat!
As Phil Liggett once said (at least I think it was him)...
"what more could be nicer than a bunch of men with shaved legs going past. Absolutely perfect."
Mow Cop is 15 miles into the course and to be honest I was not looking forward to it. I enjoy hill climbs, but because I know this hill, I know what is coming... a whole lot of pain and my heart monitor going off the scale. It is the steepest hill I have ever climbed: Swiss mountains are a doddle in comparison as you wind your way up: In stoke you just go up in a straight line- no messing!!! There is a pub called the Cheshire View and it's near the top of the hill. It's at this point the 25% gradient kicks in for about 100 yards and it's here where marshals check if you have made it. Just before the pub a rather large chap wearing all black on a black Bianchi with il all over his right leg literally fell (almost rolled) in front of me. He made no attempt to warn me or other riders (the road is not wide!) That was it. Game over. My foot went down. I was gutted. I'd been waiting to do this hill for months for some fat sunday rider to roll in front of me. So I push my wheels to the top of the hill to attempt to find Andy... turns out similar happened to him! 2 riders went down in front of him too.... I must admit this made me fill a little bit better as we were both totally pissed off.
 |
| this is the idiot...bib 10566 Dunno why he's grinning. Git. |
Never mind- onto the descent and what a view- you can see for miles up there and IT WAS STUNNING!
Now, I've griped about Lincolnshire's roads in the past. They are rubbish. My village's road is particularly bad. Oh how we are spoiled! The roads on The Cat were actually worse making descents really tricky. Potholes everywhere and not a decent stretch of road to be seen for some time.
There are 4 major hill climbs on this route including the famous Gun Hill (part of the Tour of Britain Stoke Stage) and they are all bloody steep. I'm glad to say I did not have to walk up the others: I rode them all with the aid of the occasional gel and, now I'm sat at my desk, they were fun. The final descent was brilliant. After last years accidents, I've been very wary on descents and if I don't know the road or it's wet, I won't go hell for leather but with this particular one, I could: decent bit of road (at last!), wide, straight, great visibility, spot on- this is what it's all about. This and riding in groups. Normally I end up out the back of a group as I'm a plodder when it comes to hills, so I get left behind, but on the flat, I can fly with the best of them and that is when it's really good. I'm not a club rider but I'm sensible and experienced enough to know the hand signals, think ahead and judge what is happening to be safe when riding in a bunch. On sportives such as these, alot of folk have never ridden as a group before and so I try to avoid these people as they are extremely unpredictable (like the chap on Mow Cop)
Once in a group (and I'm sure you have seen it on the telly) it is quite amazing. A bunch can begin small...3 or 4 riders and suddenly it will grow to 10 or maybe 20 cyclists....at times elongating to single file and then bunching to a pack that is 4 deep- constantly evolving and changing with riders moving position for good of the whole group: everyone acting as one for the good of the group, not the individual. To watch it is one thing. To experience it is always a joy.
At the second feed station we got split from the peleton. A large train shot passed and Andy dive into the middle. Me? I was clinging onto the back for dear life. Chugging along at about 28mph we reached a junction and the bunch got split due to traffic so Andy carried on without me with about 20 miles to go. The small group that was left continued at a decent pace with most splitting off at the 'long route' marker whereas us medium routers carried on along the road. I was in a little group with 2 others: the guy in front was very obviously carrying the woman behind him along and his pace was dropping. She wasn't moving up for a stint at the front so I had to (well, it's only polite!)- the relief on his face! lol And so we charged into Nantwich and then on to Crewe and the finish line at Alexandra Stadium. Official time at 5hr 10m and 43 secs. Surprisingly (and I was BLOODY surprised) Andy came in after me- turned out he'd ended up on the long route for a mile or so, and had to double back. Ah well, we were both cream crackered but a fab day and with weather like that, the best place to appreciate it is on a bike.
No comments:
Post a Comment