Zas Zsa Gabor's hardest sportive

Did Ms Gabor ever do a cyclosportive? The image, whilst strangely compelling is nonetheless very apt for my efforts in yesterday's Black Rat challenge-Bristol. I'm sure I don't have to spell it out for you do I? Oh all right.

It has been a great day today, at last it's beginning to feel like Spring. But yesterday morning dawned cold, damp, windy and Mr Kettley (does he still do weather?) said it could only get worse for us. For once he was right because by the time I got to Backwell school it was raining properly and black clouds were rolling in from across the Severn Estuary.

The Black Rat organisers had done a reasonable job though, and because it was fairly local I had decided to pitch up just before 9AM, and I was able to get started fairly soon after arriving. The route warmed up well with 5 or so miles round the North Somerset levels:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Somerset_Levels

and it was apparent that the wind was howling across the moors. So I took shelter for a short period behind a couple of Cardiff University students. Nice chaps but not accustomed to group riding as they failed to indicate pot holes in the acceptable manner and I quickly realised I needed to follow their last-minute swerving technique if I was to remain puncture free.

In any case they were doing the 100km ride and quickly zoomed off, leaving me with an equally-accommodating veteran bunch that carried me to the base of Brockley Coombe. I did do a turn on the front to be fair, but once the road pointed up, the group split apart and it was solo city for almost the whole of the rest of the ride.

Last Thursday I had ridden to and from work, coming home the long way so that I could recce the road down from Felton to the Chew valley and up out of East Harptree.:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/33179693

I was glad I had done that for two respective reasons. First, I knew where the gravel was on the descent, and second I knew what to expect on the climb. Although early in the ride I think it was the hardest climb, about a mile and a half at an AVERAGE of 10%, with a sticky patch steeper than that in the middle. I was glad it was early on.

Once up on the top of the hill, and by now fairly wet, I got pretty cold, despite taking Skip's oft-repeated layering advice. Problem was I thought I would be taking them off through the day as it warmed up, not needing more as it cooled down. Across the top, down through Charterhouse then stopping at Lillypool cafe (for the first time ever as it's a bit too close to home normally)for the feedstop, before down Shipham Hill, into Cheddar.

Because another event was taking place there, Cheddar gorge was closed to motor traffic, which was an absolute joy. I decided to do the whole climb on the wrong side of the road, just because I could. Something for the grandchildren, oh yes.

The 100km riders peeled off at the top of the gorge, before we headed down the hill towards Rodney Stoke. Not, I'm glad to say, the gliding club hill, the other one. Steep and straight enough to deteriorate my brake blocks significantly, although they stopped me short of the A371, the sunday-driver's paradise. Now down onto the levels again, and the second brief opportunity to get a group going. This time, three of us did all the work in a loop back to Wells, getting up to 20mph at times.

It was then that the ride got seriously tough. Old Bristol Road. Never climbed it before, been down it a fair few times, and with over 50 miles in the legs, it proved testing as i ground up in the bottom gear. Over the top again and another steep descent down to West Harptree, before a left turn through Compton Bishop, Ubley and Blagdon. Another up, past Chew Valley HQ, to top of Burrinton Coombe, and down to the second feedstop. At "Bad Ass Bikes". It's for Mountain bikers, bless them (I used to be one so I can take the mick).

From there it was across to Wrington, up and over it's eponymous hill, across the plain to Kingston Seymour, Clevedon (up inevitably past the golf club there), up (inevitably) past Skip's Dad's house near Portishead, before the last big push up to Failand. The hill in lanes I'd not been on before, just seemed endless and by now I was fair exhausted.

All that was left was for my final sprint (or what passed for one after 100 miles) back though Wraxhall and Nailsea to the school and I was done. I'm still waiting for my official time, I think it was around 7 hours 20, with my computer recording 7.07 of moving time for the 103 miles, and the officials saying about 6500 of climbing. Charlie played up again, but I think my time was pretty good really given the terrain, conditions etc. The official standards for gold (5 hrs 20) and silver (6 hrs 20) are about the same as for the White Horse challenge, 13 miles shorter and about 3000 feet less climbing. How did they get that then?

I am sure there are tougher sportives, more climbing, longer mileage, bleaker terrain and all that. The difference with this one was the frequency of the hills. I was chatting with someone from work who also took part (just the 100km though) and he concurred. They seemed to take the route to every hill they could find in order to find another hill. So I never got into a good rhythm.

Some of the hills very steep ones, albeit short and sharp. So this meant that with the exception of two very small stretches, no groups were forming at all, so no drafting, no coasting and no recovery. So like Zsa Zsa, I did this one all alone, and factor in a fair breeze (as ever for cyclists it was always a headwind), plenty of rain, coldish temperatures (especially up at the altitude on Mendip)it made for a pleasantly hard and challenging day.

All that was actually pretty fine and dandy. However, and it is a very big however, what is inexcusable, heinous, generally egregious organisation and utterly, utterly wrong is this. THE ROUTE CROSSED OVER ITSELF!!!!!!!!!

I often see it said by cyclists that the idea of a local sportive is one that doesn't appeal. Their idea being that why should they pay money to cycle their own roads. I can see the point, but for me, this sportive was one of the best because it MADE me do all these hills and that route in one go. For starters I did actually find some new roads where I had never been before.

But there is more than that. Because I'd entered, paid my money and plodded round, I felt honour-bound to complete. If it had been a training ride I would have bailed at around mile 70, or worse, looked at the rain first thing and put it off for another time. Not only would I have missed the camaraderie from riding with 600 strangers (less the 5 from work who entered) but also I would never have tested myself.

The main thing was I enjoyed it, even more so now I have had a loaf of bread and six packets of pasta. Roll on the Tour of Wessex. I'm still recruiting domestiques if you fancy doing just one day. No? Oh well, me and Bunny will just have to share the work then.

Here's Charlie:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/33487902