Welcome to the forum

Club Sportive 1st July

edited May 2012 in Sportives
Hi all,

A small team of club members have been trying to put together a club sportive to raise funds for the youth section. This Sportive will be known as the Big Herts Ride. Unfortunately we ran out of time to make it a success this year but we are now putting together the planning to make it happen next year. In the meantime we want to test the route out and we would like to invite club members to ride with us.

The original selected date was Sunday 1st July. Whilst we know some of you are away on the Lejog it was difficult to find a date that didn’t clash with other local Sportives and Youth Racing events. We are going to have to stick to that date for the trial run.

We will run a normal start from the Three Tuns at 9am (The actual event HQ will be at North Herts College, Hitchin). The ride will be around 90 miles, heading out into North Herts. We will arrange a support vehicle for a halfway stop. Depending on numbers we will arrange 3 or 4 groups with guide riders who know the route. (We will publish it in advance for those with GPS).

We are hoping to include a 60ish mile option and a family ride of 20 – 25 miles.

We are asking for a voluntary donation of £10 towards the youth section from those who come on the ride.

Thanks,
Mark and Daniel.

Comments

  • Hi guys,

    sounds good. I'm in. I've asked some mates if they want to come along as well (hope that's OK, they are not club members) but they do ride a lot of sportives and would give some good route feedback.

    Lee
  • Lee,

    No problem, especially if they pay the donation!

    Mark.
  • Just an update and bringing this back to the top.

    I have updated a route to start and finish at the 3 Tuns.

    There will also be a 20 mile family ride. Adults will be welcome on this ride but must be towed round by their Under 16's!

    Mark.
  • can you send a link to the route(s) please Mark

    Cheers
    Lee
  • Lee,

    I've created it on bikehike which doesn't have online storage of routes. I will upload it to another site and send a link.

    Mark.
  • have a good one ......am in Durham sadly :-)....will have to sort out a sportive there for the club.....am busy working out routes for the future
  • Hi all,

    Main route can be viewed/downloaded from here (any comments welcome)
    http://www.bikemap.net/route/1637332#lat=51.970490375532&lng=-0.001630000000002&zoom=11&maptype=ts_terrain

    24 mile family ride route
    http://www.bikemap.net/user/mwyer/routes#lat=52.04161&lng=-0.14977&zoom=15&type=6

    Mark.
  • Hi,

    Would anyone with a bike GPS system be prepared to download the route listed above and lead a group?

    Thanks,
    Mark.
  • Mark

    Just to confirm I'm happy to lead a group

    Andrew
  • Thanks Andrew.
  • Hi all,

    Just to confirm the arrangements for Sunday.

    Main ride, meet at 3 Tuns for 9am start. Christine Chapman will meet us there to take any lunch and drinks you want to put in her car. She will then meet us at Heydon after about 50 miles. We will have 2 or 3 groups depending on numbers. There will be a club run speed group at the back led by Andrew at the pace of the slowest. Anyone is welcome to start with a faster group and drop back if they wish. Hopefully we will all meet for lunch anyway. If numbers are < 20 we will ride in one group anyway.

    Family ride - please confirm if you are coming as we have had no takers yet. Meet Stevie for 9:30 depart from 3 Tuns.

    See you then,
    Mark.
  • The weather isn't looking too bad for Sunday and I've found someone to taxi my son to and from football training, so I'm planning on doing this. Club run speed will be fine for me.

    See you Sunday

    Vic
  • I should be out to start, but need to be home by 12, although the route looks good for a shortcut home
  • Hello Andrew/Vic

    Myself and Emma are going to join the club run pace ride in Baldock, so we will meet you at the A507 roundabout about 9.20ish.

    See you tomorrow

    DavidJ
  • See you there

    Andrew
  • sounded like a good one sorry I could be there
  • I counted 20 of out at the start (or 21 if you count Tim's lovely new bike as a seperate person). It really is a great route being sort of horse shoe shaped with Ashwell in the middle; multiple bail out options to suit time committments etc. Christine Chapman met us at Heydon and distributed any packed lunches we'd deposited in her car at the start; thanks Christine! (She was also able to give Vic a lift home as he'd suffered a broken spoke).

    Various riders peeled off to suit there needs leaving an intreped group of 5 to ride the full distance. My must say I was flagging by the end but did my best to hang onto Carmelo's wheel. So the final 5 were Mark, Andrew R, Carmelo, me and Jon. 85 miles.

    Of note was Emma's distruction of the peleton; a long straight hill was the catalyst for her to become fixated on some mad pace which created a long line behind her all trying to hang on.

    We noted a few places on the route we we'd need marshals and Mark pondered some minor route changes. However I think we've got ourselves a great sportive; looking forward to the real thing next year.

    Thanks again to Mark and Christine.

    Daniel
  • Really enjoyed route and company...nice one!
  • Indeed, the bit that i did was a good route. Thanks to Mark, Daniel and Christine.

    However, disastrously, it appears that at some point during the ride i must have ridden over an earthworm which flew off my front wheel and bits of which became attached to the bottom bracket shell. A complete strip, rebuild and polish will now have to be done.
  • Thanks to Mark and Daniel for oeganizing the ride and a really big THANK YOU to Christine for rescuing me.

    Vic
  • Great ride by Mark and Daniel - they seem to have managed to come up with a route that went up and down every hill in the N. Herts/Cambs/Essex border area! Going to be a tough sportive for those that turn up and think this area is flat !!

    I have to try and remember never to do 'Emma Hill' on a Saturday ride either :)

    DavidJ
  • Cracking ride - thanks to Mark and Daniel for organising and Mark & Carmelo for the shelter towards the end - very welcome

    Andrew R
  • Hi all,

    Thanks to everyone who joined the ride. We have raised £72 for the youth section.

    Any more feedback about the route would be welcome. Remember that we plan to start at the college in Hitchin and come up from Graveley to join the route at Halls Green. The return route will go from Cromer to Weston, Willian and back. We will probably avoid the Ardeley to Windmill road as it gets so gravelly.

    Mark.
Sign In or Register to comment.