At my age, I suppose I really should know better, but never one to shirk a challenge, even a self-imposed one such as this, I put in the miles in preparation for a fairly hefty May.
It all started rather well, with a smooth and trouble free flight to Mallorca for Kath and myself, to take part in the Duva International Sportives, based in Port de Pollensa. We had a very nice couple of rides prior to the event, in the warm sunshine, little suspecting what the weather patterns had in store!
The first day's sportive is an 85 mile lumpy affair, taking in some spectacular climbs in the north-east corner of the island. Sportives in Spain are subject to particular regulations, amongst which are that they take place with a rolling police road block, which makes for a substantially traffic free ride - on SMOOTH roads. The downside is that there is a controlled speed peleton for much of the ride, so the really fast boys get held back a bit. There are three major climbs on the route, and some correspondingly exciting descents. The climbs are all timed individually, so the comparison with last year made for interesting reading. I was pleased to see that I'd substantially reduced the times on the climbs, and on the overall ride. In all, there is about 8000 feet of ascent. My GCC kit attracted the attention of a guy who used to live in Longridge - and who turned out to be the owner of the sports nutrition company Zipvit - one of the event sponsors. We buddied up for quite a bit of the ride - so no shortage of gels for me then! We later met up with Kath back at the hotel, where I swapped gels for beer! I was joined by Kath for the second day's sportive, which headed out along the coast, and then looped inland for a 60 mile, not too hilly route. Unfortunately, this turned out to be the one wet and windy day of our Mallorcan trip - a portent of things to come! Again, a rolling road block, and an interesting halfway feed station. This was at an outdoor velodrome, and I took advantage of the opportunity to do a few laps. A definite feeling that the wet slippery surface meant an ignominious slide to the bottom of the track was on the cards, if you didn't keep the pedals turning. Not a great day out, but we made it back to the hotel in under 4 hours - not too shabby for a wet and windy day. A week to recover for the Fred Whitton then. The weather forecast for the weekend was pretty dismal, but I managed to convince myself that the forecasts were getting gradually better. Kath and I took the motorhome up to Coniston for an overnight stay on the Saturday, to facilitate an early start. It was then full waterproofs for the walk into the village for registration - the forecasts were right! An early night, a decent sleep, up at 5:45 am for a 6:30 start. Torrential rain and high winds already. I headed away from the start towards Ambleside. It's very wet - bet there's a lot of punctures today thinks I. Yes - it happened - the power of thought - my first puncture within the first ten miles. I generally carry a spare tube, but on rides like this I carry two to be safe. Having used one already, I decided that if the bike shop in Keswick was open, I'd buy a couple more. Even though I'd to wait a while for the bike shop to open, it's as well I did, as the puncture was merely the first of four I was to suffer during the course of the ride. These, plus the time at the bike shop, cost me an hour - but at least I only had four - apparently six was the record. So, with tyre inflated (thanks to the marshal who lent me a track pump to get me up to full pressure after my efforts with the mini-pump), I headed off for Kirkstone Pass. The ascent was uneventful, but the wind rain and low cloud made the descent a nightmare of slippery road and very low visibility, resulting in two riders being air-lifted to hospital. Down past Ullswater, over the Matterdale End climb, and the charge down to Keswick. Call at the bike shop, and off down Borrowdale to Honister Pass. This is the third of the climbs, but the first really steep one, and it was at this point that the first few riders began to walk. Despite the weather, I felt pretty good, and made it to the top in good order. A great descent down into Buttermere, and a feed station at the YHA. A tremendous selection of goodies on offer - I grabbed a piece of cake, filled my bottles, and headed off for Newlands Pass, followed by the haul up Whinlatter. At this point the weather caused quite a number of riders to bail out, and there were several people wrapped in emergency blankets. I realised how windy it had become when I found myself pedalling DOWN Whinlatter! More winding lanes and long climbs eventually led to Calderbridge, where there was yet another amazingly well stocked feed station. I passed one unfortunate guy carrying his bike - his front wheel having folded. Well - only Hardknott and Wrynose to go - and low and behold, the sun came out! Hurrah!. The wind failed to abate, but be thankful for small mercies - the chances of a dry finish were welcome. A pleasant ride up Eskdale - and there it was - a ribbon of colour winding its way up the pass - a constant stream of riders heading for home. I'd ridden both passes before, but wondered whether I'd make it without stepping off, with 100 miles in my legs. I stopped once on Hardknott, after almost being mowed down by the Mountain Goat minibus, but did manage to get going again, and so rode every inch of all the passes. I eventually made it back to Coniston with 109 miles and 11500 feet of ascent on my Garmin. I had hoped to complete the ride in around 8 hours 30minutes, and in the event I arrived back after 9 hours 35. Having lost an hour to punctures and my trip to the bike shop, I'm pretty happy with that, considering the conditions. Congratulation too, to Phil Morgan, who had an equally tough day out, and completed this, his fourth Fred Whitton. So, a week later, and I'm in Threshfield, meeting up with some of my younger brother's young gun mates, to embark upon the Etape du Dales. This is the same length as the Fred, with about as much climbing, but with very long drawn out climbs, rather than the short, exceedingly steep ascents typical of the Lakes. What you DON'T want is a strong headwind, and driving rain. What did we get - strong headwind and driving rain! It was amazing, and demoralizing to feel the wind veer round as we rode, so we had headwinds for the best part of 80 of the 110 miles. Unlike the Fred, it was dry to begin with, which led my companions to decide to ride in gilets, rather than jackets, a decision they came to regret. Ah what it is to be young and foolish (a bit like being old and foolish, but fitter, I suppose). The haul up over Fleet Moss saw numbers of riders turning back, having decided that the day was not for them. Down to Hawes for a banana, then up over Buttertubs in the driving rain, down Swaledale, and off up the notorious Tan Hill. A big difference on this ride, was that although the Fred was wet and windy, it warmed up later in the day. Today was miserably cold. A very welcome feed stop, with hot drinks on offer, and a few minutes inside. 45 miles down, 65 to go, and already tired. Still, the only available short cut home involved riding back over Fleet Moss, so onwards, ever onwards! Down to Nateby, then the long drag up Mallerstang. More banana and a tuna sandwich, and off to the Coal Road. Steep wet, with almost no visibility. A sign on the roadside. "Official Photographer - smile please". What planet has he just dropped from I thought. Smile - I can hardly breathe! Down into Dentdale, up to Newby Head, then a long, long descent, to eventually arrive at Stainforth. Actually, although I spent many years living in the area, I'd never quite noticed how much up there is in this particular down! Another banana at Stainforth, a very kind timekeeper who filled my bottle, and the last climb up Silverdale. Down to Halton Gill, and a final blast down Wharfedale. 9 hours 30 minutes, very tired and cold, possibly the hardest day I've had on a bike. Tough, very tough - but at least I wasn't still out there after thirteen hours like some poor souls. Down to Skipton for a curry with my brother. Time to get ready for next weekend's C2C! I should mention the organisers of both the Fred and the Etape - both events were fantastically well organised - I'm sure that without all their hard work, forethought, and bands of volunteers, both days would have descended into chaos. Well done.Rick Wiggans