Fred Whitton 2008 Reports
Graham Giggs
5 am, alarms ring in the dorm to signal the morning of my first Fred Whitton, my first cycle sportive, what have I let myself in for? One thing I did know was that it was going to be tough, very tough and with less training miles in my legs than I had hoped for, I was trying to think ahead to crossing the finish line whatever state I may be in.
After breakfast and packing up, John, Derwent and I got on our bikes to ride the 5 miles to the start and we were officially on our way at 6:20am. It wasn’t long before John rode off the front up a hill and into the distance. A short while later a small chain problem caused me to dismount, thus dropping back from Derwent. 30 minutes or so later I went around a right hand bend to find Derwent standing holding most of his bike with one hand and his saddle in the other hand looking rather bemused! After putting the saddle back into position we set of together but I got the better of the next hill and pulled away. Soon I found myself in a group of 4 riders that each of us were working together taking turns on the front, it was at this stage that I began to start enjoying the ride. On a hill, the group split up but I soon found myself with another group on the flat, once again working together. The A66 was particularly fun, flying along, peddling like mad on a 48 x 14 at 35 mph. It was Honister pass that I first found out what all this “It’s tough” is all about and decided it was for the best to dismount up the steepest part because I knew if this was bad, then Hardknott and Wrynose were going to be very bad and it was not my intention to blow up at this early stage. Soon I was at the Buttermere feed station where I saw John briefly before he set off.
Whilst gorging myself filling up on fuel, Derwent turned up and after he had some much needed first aid to his saddle we set of together. The next big climb at Newlands saw me pull away again; I assumed this was only because Derwent knew what lay ahead having ridden it before. For the next 30 miles I was mainly riding alone, overtaking a few others with many more coming past me. I was cautious not to jump onto a wheel only to hang on and zap my energy. What really came apparent at this stage was the enormous support on the side of the roads and especially at the top of the hills, the cheering and the encouragement put a smile on my face. Up ahead I saw John and soon passed him as he was having some trouble with cramp in his legs. Then in the distance there were lots of people standing around, it wasn’t until I was right up near them that I realised I was at the Calder Bridge feed station, a lot sooner than I thought I would.
With only 30 miles to go and knowing that I was going to walk up Hardknott and Wrynose I didn’t want to spend too long here and instead wanted to push on to the finish. As I was about to leave, Ian turned up and after he quickly filled his drinks bottles we left together. We were soon building up the pace on the main road to Gosforth, with Ian on the front. I decided it was my turn and went past Ian to set the tempo. Hacking along at around 25mph and with my head down a motorist on the side of the road shouted something to me. I did not hear what she said, the was no reason for me to think that there was anything wrong so I just carried on regardless, looking behind me I saw Ian stop to speak to her and thought Ian will be able to catch up. A little while later I realised that Ian was not behind me, but still carried on anyway. It was not until I had ridden 4 miles and not seeing any other cyclist that I began to think that maybe the motorist was trying to tell me something important. Yes, I had just gone 4 miles off course!! I don’t know what was more stupid, missing the turn, not stopping when the women shouted something, or not realising until I had done 4 miles. The 4 miles back felt like an eternity with a slight uphill gradient, my speed reduced to around 14 mph. To say I was annoyed with myself was a massive under-statement. Eventually I got back on course, still annoyed but relieved that I was once again in the company of fellow cyclists.
Hardknott arrived and I managed about the first 100m before I got off the bike as the road steepened, taking my shoes off so I could walk easier I continued up the hill on foot. This was still very hard work; my feet started aching and could feel blisters were developing. At this stage Martin came past me on his bike looking like he was going very strong, the sun rays were beating down and I was dripping with sweat, so I decided to sit down on a rock and get some liquids in. Putting my shoes back on not to aggravate the blisters any more I set off again on foot, soon I reached Martin who had stopped on a flat section due to the road being blocked by cars. The noise of the cars revving and wheels spinning, and the smells from the brakes and the clutches was phenomenal. I was suffering like mad and feeling so far detached from reality that strangely I was actually quite enjoying the experience, the annoyance of going off course had escaped my mind. A combination of walking, cycling and stopping for rests got me to the summit. In to the descent and I was not prepared for the sheer braking power that is needed, halfway down my arms were starting to ache and was relieved to get down in one piece, when I saw the helicopter and the ambulance I thought that some people may not be so lucky. Up and down Wrynose in the same manner, the feeling of completion was beckoning. On the last stretch and nearing the line Mike came past me at some speed with two rider’s in-tow. One last effort to get on the back and the four of us went around the last left hand bend and to the finish, recording a time of 9hr 29mins 55secs. What a feeling! The best one day cycle event that I have ever done - the scenery, the support, the organisation and the weather, although too hot at times all made it a truly memorable day.
