Southern Sportive
September 9, 2007 in Cycle, Event, Uncategorized
Digg! this story.
by Adrian Fitch
A perfect day for my second last event of the year.
Michael and I caught the first train down from Clapham Junction to Petersfield and there were plenty of other cyclists doing the same.
A big hello to the “polite” Serpentine rider we “met” on the train — I sincerely home you had a miserable ride.
Anyway, it was a bit overcast when we started but already quite warm and muggy.
We set off at 8:50am and took a few minutes to get warmed up and into a rhythm.
The first few hills began to sort everybody out and we started to move ahead of the slower groups.
Our first real challenge was Hartling Hill at around 32km.
It was only around 3km long but the gradient hit 9% at times which slowed us all down.
Some people were really struggling, others seemed to be effortlessly spinning their way up while the rest of us found a comfortable gear and steadily ground it out.
There was a light breeze that picked up and began to clear the sky allowing some sun to get through.
We were held up a bit by a huge convoy of MGs out for some sort of Sunday club run.
They looked fantastic, specially the older classics, as they gleamed in the sun.
Our next big hill was Duncton at around 64km.
It was also quite short at only 2km but hit 10% at times.
Again, this proved to be quite a challenge for some and I saw my first walkers.
The rest of the ride was wonderful but we had realised by the second feed stop that we weren’t going to make the gold cutoff of 5:50 without upping our effort considerably.
I’m sure Michael could have made the time if he hadn’t stuck with me but I was riding at my limit and couldn’t put any more in.
By the time we had reached the top of Butser and Hyden Hills with around 25km to go my legs were jelly.
I tried to keep my speed above 30kph but the slightest incline sapped me and as much as I tried I couldn’t push any harder.
Overall, it was a fantastic, challenging route that took us past some wonderful scenery and through some gorgeous villages.
Official time including stops 6:14:39 (silver).
Workout:
- Type: Cycle
- Date: 09/09/2007
- Time: 08:50:00
- Total Time: 5:56:46.00
- Distance: 156.44 km
- Average Speed: 26.31 kmph
- Max Speed: 70.6 kmph
- Ascent: 2,280 m
5 comments
September 10, 2007 at 9:59 am
Hobbes
Good ride - looks pretty hilly to maintain a speed of ~16.5mph on.
You’ve got to spill the beans on the Serpentine rider from the train though - too tantalising just to mention like that! What happened?
September 10, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Adrian Fitch
Let’s just say he misread a situation on the train and was very rude and aggressive. Then, rather than apologising when he figured out what was going on, he just stormed off leaving everybody thinking what a twat he was.
September 11, 2007 at 6:02 am
riddenwords
Sounds like another fun ride for you. I like the idea of the cut-off times for ‘finishing levels’.
These hilly rides you keep doing are messing with my mental picture of England being basically flat…
September 11, 2007 at 6:40 am
Hobbes
That’s Norfolk you’re thinking of.
September 11, 2007 at 5:52 pm
Adrian Fitch
The cut-off times were great for giving us something to aim for plus the starts were staggered so we could set off with others aiming for the same level.
England isn’t altogether flat, just a bit bumpy. The hills I’ve ridden are probably as severe as it gets in this part of the country. They’ll never prepare someone for riding the Tour but are just challenging enough for us keen amateurs to get a sense of achievement in conquering them.