Fred Whitton - May 2005
Somehow, I don't remember why, or when, I agreed to do this nice little potter around the lanes of the Lake District in the company of fellow clubmates Paul Hartigan & Mark Harding. These guys had done it before and so knew what was before them, but me in my blissful ignorance, pretty much turned up with a few extra large sprockets on the back wheel to see what all the fuss was about.
Hawkshead Youth Hostel
Paul and I decided to travel up with our families and stay at the Hawkshead Youth Hostel. The place seemed deserted, so we had it pretty much to ourselves. The grounds were extensive, more than enough to occupy our group of three small children and it was only 5 miles from the start of the ride at Coniston - albeit with Hawkshead Hill in the way. Still, what was one little extra climb going to make any difference to the big day.
The day before was spent prepping the bikes and finding somewhere to store them safely. We took one look at the bike shed on offer and decided that a better option was to keep them in our rooms.
I thought it was a good use of the spare bed myself ...
The youth hostel said that they would provide breakfast - from 8am, but this was going to be too late for our depart at around 7.15am on the day. So I popped into town to furnish Paul and I with porridge ingredients and some bananas so that I could make something for ourselves. Unfortunately, this plan came to nought as the kitchen was very much LOCKED when we went down at around 7am, despite the promise from the staff to leave it open - cheers guys!
So we set off to the start, hoping that there would be some facilities at the HQ for some impromptu breakfast. This turned out to be a cuppa and a few rounds of toast - hardly adequate prep for what lay ahead. On to the event proper, and we'd already seen riders on our route to the HQ as we backtracked some of the course - you can leave as individuals anytime from 6.30am. We opted for the first group that left at 8, duly titled the "8 o'clockers". There was another group leaving at 9am, but this pretty much reserved for the elites.
We donned our electronic tags called "dibbers" that were then set and triggered to start recording from 8am. We bumped into Mark, who was chatting to some of the other riders. The Velo was apparently well known for previous years write-ups on the web-site, so we all got picked out - which was nice. As the lead car (only for the first 5 miles, mind) led us away, it felt like a road-race, so my instincts told me to get up to the front of the group to gauge the pace. It was quite rapid, more so than I'd anticipated, so I kept in the first 10 - just riding in the wheels. Over Hawkshead Hill the group stretched and split, the descent turned into big-ring stuff as we all tried to regroup - for me the incentive was to stay with the group was that I didn't know the route very well, so it was better to keep contact. I chose to ignore the high readings on the HRM and tried to relax. The first proper climb came as we left Troutbeck onto the main road to Kirkstone Pass. I decided here to back off and ride at my own pace, as I felt as though I was pushing on a bit too much - I certainly didn't want to top out on the first one! As the group split and riders found their pace, I found some similarly paced riders and we took it steady to the summit. Here we passed a couple of guys on handcycles - and duly gave them our best wishes - now THAT is a challenge.
The descent to Ullswater is stunning, simply awesome - fast, very fast - I tucked in and let the bike go - wowwww!! As we approached the lakeside I could see the front of the remnants of the 8 o'clock group up ahead so pushed on to bridge the gap for a bit of protection in the wind. The section to the A66 was pretty steady - but as we turned west towards Keswick we were into the teeth of the wind. We quickly got a paceline going to get this section over and done with - it was a nasty busy road. I was glad of the navigation through Keswick as I didn't have a clue where I was - and then it was another very picturesque section alongside Derwent Water.
The first of the narrow climbs was now upon us - Honister. Again, you had to take this at your own pace - and I slotted it straight into the 27 sprocket and did my best to keep a rhythm up the climb. Here the group completely got shot to pieces, some resorted to walking the vicious climb. It seemed mercifully short and it was then onto the descent of Buttermere Fell and the first of the two feed stations at the Youth Hostel there. Here you had to have your electronic tag "dibbed" again to give you the first of your intermediate times. It was here that I decided that it was time to get a proper breakfast down my neck, so stuffed myself with sandwiches and cakes - and refilled my pockets with bananas and energy bars. I have to admit to dawdling somewhat here as I thought that you had to be "re-dibbed" before you set back off. As the penny dropped, all the riders from my group had all been long gone, so I set off by myself in an attempt to pick up a group later.
The next climb of Newlands was in a stunning setting and quite a tester - I was still by myself as I descended to Braithwaite to start the wooded climb of Whinlatter. This was in stark contrast to the rest as it proved to be quite a gentle climb and you could get a reasonable move on. There was a good crowd at the top to cheer us on, then it was a descent into Lorton and the Cocker valley to Loweswater. This part of the ride was the quietest - I could neither see a rider in front or behind and was grateful for the "discrete" signs that had been placed on the junctions. It was here that I was treated to a hail shower, most unwelcome as it felt like my head was being shot-blasted through the vents in my lid. As we climbed around the fells to Ennerdale, a rider came past me at a fair old lick - so I decided to pace up to him and passed him on the next climb. He again re-passed me on the descent and this pattern repeated itself a few more times before we both rode together. He was on an unofficial ride as he had missed the cut-off date for an entry. We had a good chat and really started to pile on the pace, picking off riders as we gunned it along the tops.
"Negotiating" Hardknott
Onto the coast road from Whitehaven, we had a favourable wind with us, so literally hammered along the A road - nearly missing the turn at Gosforth! I bid him farewell, as he was on a mission to beat his 6hr 40min ride from the previous year. This was when it first dawned on me that I could also be on for a sub 7 hour ride - all I had to conquer was the final sting in the tail of the ride - the climbs of Hardknott and Wrynose. As I "re-dibbed" and refuelled I set off to Eskdale along a beautiful valley, with a steam train for company on my left hand-side - exchanging waves with the passengers. As I passed the youth hostel at Eskdale, I tried to make out the start of the penultimate climb but the road just going along the valley floor - then in the distance I could make out some movement high up in what looked like the side of the hill - yup that was the road ahead!
The last major climb - Wrynose Pass
Any photo of this does not do the terrain justice, the rate of ascent is just awesome. It's probably manageable with a triple or a skinny mountain goat on steroids but I really struggled up this one. The major factor is actually traffic. I had some idiots on motorbikes behind me yelling at me to get out of the way - unbelievable! The last section I had to walk as my lower back had had enough - my lowest gear of 39x27 was insufficient. Over the top, the descent was positively frightening. The road plunged downwards at a ludicrous incline. Off the brakes, the bike gathered speed at an alarming rate - with the hairpins it was difficult to keep control. Still, it was a different pain to the ascents - and we had one more to do as some joker at the top of Hardknott reminded us. Wrynose wouldn't be so bad in itself, but after 100 miles it was "almost" one hill too many. Again, at the top I had to dismount, my back was killing me. Still, it was only here that the first of the elites came by - making it look so easy … what was that I said about mountain goats.
Over the top, I tried to chase down the fast men but they were much fresher and better descenders than me. You think it's all over, but the road is rolling all the way to the main road into Coniston. As we joined the main road two riders came flying by and I quickly jumped on their wheels. Into the 53x12 it was full on to the finish - which was nice to remind myself that I could still turn such a gear at this stage. The final "dib" gave me a time outside the elite category, which had to be sub 7 hours. I was given 7:10:56, but my HRM showed 7:13 - which was the riding time from our youth hostel in Hawkshead, a 20 minute ride to the start. The extra minutes came from the stops at the feed stations. The most stunning stats from the HRM showed that 5940 kcal had been consumed over 120 miles with a total of 3640m of climbing.
The families were there to greet us at the end, but they were in just the one car - so made us do an extra 5 miles back to our hostel with one more climb of Hawkshead Hill - by now anything flat seemed abnormal.
So, come on down anyone who fancies a go at this one. An experience that is second to none - just don't even try to persuade me to do it again … just yet … but then I was only 10 minutes off an elite category, so maybe … with a bit more training … err. … next year???
Mike Inder