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Cheshire Cat - Sunday 27th March 2011
You can book now for this hilly 100, including the 25%+ Mow Cop killer mile!
I can see Robbie and Daniel are already signed up. I've just done the same. Go for it!
http://www.kilotogo.com/index.php?option=event_detail&event_id=23
I don't know what I'll do to get to Crewe yet. But I've booked a twin room [well, double + sofabed] at Crewe Travelodge - as it's likely I'll drive up late the night before. It's only £35.
http://www.travelodge.co.uk/search_and_book/hotel_overview.php?hotel_id=293
Quite a few CCA riders did it last year - it'd be nice to have an even bigger gruppetto in 2011.
I can see Robbie and Daniel are already signed up. I've just done the same. Go for it!
http://www.kilotogo.com/index.php?option=event_detail&event_id=23
I don't know what I'll do to get to Crewe yet. But I've booked a twin room [well, double + sofabed] at Crewe Travelodge - as it's likely I'll drive up late the night before. It's only £35.
http://www.travelodge.co.uk/search_and_book/hotel_overview.php?hotel_id=293
Quite a few CCA riders did it last year - it'd be nice to have an even bigger gruppetto in 2011.
Comments
This is a brilliant sportive and I recommend you all to do it. Full of big event atmosphere, good organisation and above all a cracking route. Mow Cop is a brazen hussy of a climb, but for all the front is not impossible; you just have to remember to keep something back for the pitch roof section at the mid point.
See you there.
Daniel
few beers the night before heh Martin??? :-)
Chris
http://www.kilotogo.com/index.php?option=event_detail&event_id=23
I've just received my fancy tiny timing microchip sticker in the post. Modern times! Hopefully everyone else has theirs. There's several CCA riders this year.
I don't think there's any worries on accommodation the night before - as at least me, Robbie and Skelders have booked rooms with beds to spare at the Crewe Travelodge. Similarly, I don't think cars/bike racks are an issue. So no excuses y'all!
Does anyone fancy a hilly 86 miler next Tuesday 22nd March? I'm setting off from Ashwell earliyish as a final bit of prep, taking on what we have nearby to compare to Mow Cop. I might be best off just trying to ride up Ashwell church steeple? That cockerel weather vane at the top might be tricky. Route.
Cheers
Also booked into said quality establishment for the night before.
Hopefully see some of the peleton on Saturday morning.
i cant help with lift up as going to the inlaws friday night and on from there.
any plans for liquid carbo loading on the sat night?!
The Cheshire Cat that is - not Crewe Travelodge. I'm sure there's plenty o' beds left there.
Cheers
Malcolm
07944683052
my mobile 07749 801619
3000 entrants, didnt realise it was so big. looking forward to it. lets hope the decent weather continues...
Got room for a crate of beetroot juice?!
What time are we rolling out on Sunday morning? Don't forget the clocks go forward on Saturday night ....
Mobile is 07968 300635.
Chris
assume you can leave cars at the hotel and bike to the start...
earliest start is 08:30 i think
We should try and find a space to all gather and leave as close to 8.30 then.
Got new wheels on. New cassette (with a 28 on of course: hello marmotte). New chainring. New seatpost. Same old legs: Wiggle had sold out.
Oh yeh and a race against time to replace snapped front derailleur. Or else Skelders is giving me a backie ;-)
cheeeeeers ears.
Guess we looking at something like 730 tomorrow morning out front of hotel to get to start / signon etc?
Sounds like a plan. I'm with Martin, James and Skelders.
mb 07973 211579
http://www.cyclosport.org/article.aspx?id=1356
Can't find official results though.??
Until it fell apart a bit towards the end. Top ride and fantastic training. Well done to everyone- we all made it up mow cop and got the medal. As they say... It's in the legs now.
The first thirty miles were very lumpy including the insanely difficult Mow Cop, but then things flattened out and got quick - the blue train covered miles 30 to 60 in 1 hour 22 which I reckon is an average of 22.5mph.
Unfortunately that was too quick for me and I fell off the back after 60 miles, but glad to see I wasn't too far behind back at Crewe.
Great day out, shame about the queues at the start and finish.
Once we eventually got going [new fangled timing sticker technology turned out to be lo-tech North Korean sellotape and tin foil] it was, as last year, more or less straight onto Mow Cop. The pace was furious from the start and I was thinking aye-aye - there's Gold timing in the air.
I've got Mow Cop fairly sorted now. So started the climb super slow, with plenty of gears left - and stayed firmly seated. It kicks immediately and the foolhardy rush to the dinnerplate ring. Left and right I'm looking at these riders thinking: he's not going to make it, and he's had it... 'cos you go around the bend - and it gets steeper! Some people are dismounting at this point. It must take half an hour or more to walk up with a bike here. Bad luck. Anyway, up we go. It gets very quiet - nobody talks and all you've got is the sound of grinding chains and huffings like Ivor the Engine on life support. I saw the blue jerseys ahead of me make it up the worst of it - 29% confirmed on Skelder's computer. Smoothly into the last ring and up on we go. By now I'm side by side with Skelders and its then that one lady in front of him starts to do the 'cop wobble'. 'ON YOUR LEFT' screams Tim, all chivalry out of the window. Luckily she turns and clears the way. I see the camera man snapping away and don't smile to save precious energy. And soon after - it's over. Chris is alongside and we're all happy but in a bit of shock.
The rest of the climbs just don't compare and before you know it it's Feed 1. Robbie turns into Windsor Davies and it's all 'Let's go - 2 minutes Martin - we're going!'. And we're off again. More climbs and the weather gets really quite nice. I even started overheating big-time. Not a good sign for the Marmotte if this is brought on in 12 degree Cheshire. During this section you come down from the scenic Peaks onto the plains. We all team up and motor through to Feed 2. We're working together and pulling a larger group behind - but doing more than our fair share. Ah well. A bit sacrificial lamb - but great effort all the same.
Feed 2 went a bit wrong. Skelders doubled back to log his timing chip, but never got back on the train with no group to latch on to. Meanwhile, we carried on more of the same - pulling along a group a bit too much. Didn't see Chris drop off. Feeling really toasted approaching Feed 3 at 78 miles. Could have done with some toast actually: every feed only had sweet stuff. A bit duff - though you could have swiped a lifetime's worth of gels if you wanted. Sgt Major Robbie called for immediate action working out that Gold was out of reach but a sub-6 hr Silver was doable. Off the others went - when I noticed my rear wheel wasn't going around too well. I had a loose spoke and it had buckled. A bit of panic and it was all about just getting back now. Off alone, but with several miles to go, ran into James in a gruppetto of Altrincham riders we'd been with earlier and managed to hold on. James and I crossing the line together 100miles, 5hrs 57, 17.6mph av. Robbie coming in 5:47?, Stef putting in a splendid effort shortly behind that and Skelders and Chris just after. Gold is a reach at 5:40 - if there was a bigger blue train - maybe.
The problem is - we couldn't recommend it for 2012 - as the organization faltered at the start and finish. All unnecessary free buffs and winding queues. We shoulda hit the pub. I'm confident they'll sort it out - but there's no guarantee. A shame. Maybe an early season challenge elsewhere is no bad thing.
Cheers to Tim for the lift - much appreciated. Thanks to Richard for finding the time getting my bike prepped in time last week - most kind.
mow cop was everything it promised and more, i actually quite enjoyed it in a perverse sort of way, but the climbs that followed were longer if not as steep and without the mow cop glamour they were strength sapping
as already noted the middle section was very fast, with robbie, martin and james doing great work on the front all looking really strong, chris and i lost contact several times but managed to hang on, then i felt better in the last 20 miles and teamed up with 2 guys from liverpool century and some others for a quick finish. 5:55 and avg 17.8 mph, really pleased, way better than i would have expected, and very grateful to the engine room of the blue train for getting me and lots of other hangerson to the last 20 so quick.
the messing around at the start and finish was indeed a shambles but overall a great day out, and great early season training