Tour de Pistonheads 2015
Discussion
burriana said:
It will be the heaviest, and cheapest on this little jaunt I suspect ... but also the prettiest, especially with its new retro wheels :-)
Challenge accepted. I'll be on my steel framed bike I bought new in 1997.I suspect i'll be the slowest now though, but i'm coming for the journey not to set any KOM's.
Sheffield stage
I had a mess around at the weekend whilst local
A sensible refuelling stop would be outside Sheffield which is where the short sharp climbs start
After Holme Moss you climb the Woodhead Road to the Flouch roundabout and turn onto the A616, which is busy, for a little while
Two options Id recommend are the Bank View Cafe shortly on the A616 at Langsett or Ye Olde Mustard Pot which is on the next climb at Midhopestones
The Bank View was spectacularly done up in Polka Dots last year and is a pukka cyclists cafe
Ye Mustard Pot is a boozer doing full on food, this may be great for your support crew but I wouldnt fancy your legs afterwards and its also 1/4 of the way up the Midhopestones climb thus breaking your rhythmn
I would guess these 2 are approx 10-11h from your start allowing for lunch and a coffee, and a further 2 1/2h from the finish
Good luck!
PS I rode Jenkin Road too, the photo earlier is undoubtedly the steepest bit, its not all like that
Gruffy said:
Any interest in a group ride over the Easter weekend? A favourite route or a sportive we could ride, maybe?
I'm doing Tring in Spring on Good Friday. A 104km/1250m sportive/reliability ride around the Chilterns hills orgainsed by Road Room, an LBS in Tring. £20 with proceeds to a local good cause. Any good?
edit - apparently it's 1250 meters climbing, not 1130. FWIW.
Edited by SixPotBelly on Friday 27th March 19:34
As time has gone on the numbers have been whittled down for participants on the full monty, there are obviously quite a few factors in play from personal to logistics, I think it would be beneficial to future events to identify what areas attracted people to an event and subsequently lead them to drop out or to not participate from the off. We have a real opportunity here to have an event that does some serious good for a charity and also bring together some of the PH community that might not otherwise meet, Gruffy has done a great job to kick it off and I'd like to see that commitment rewarded with something ongoing.
I've been looking at the new legacy Yorkshire UCI event, that might be worth a look as a future event, O.K. it doesn't have the same prestige as the Grand Depart but it does have the advantage of using a single base for logistics (York looks ideal)
I've been looking at the new legacy Yorkshire UCI event, that might be worth a look as a future event, O.K. it doesn't have the same prestige as the Grand Depart but it does have the advantage of using a single base for logistics (York looks ideal)
I agree with that ^. I would suggest such an energetic ride as this 3-dayer might have been better to plan for and train towards for a bit later in the year, perhaps September? I think early May is too early and that will have had an effect on numbers.
And get early deposits too as the numbers on forum things always thin dramatically after initial enthusiasm.
And get early deposits too as the numbers on forum things always thin dramatically after initial enthusiasm.
JustinF said:
As time has gone on the numbers have been whittled down for participants on the full monty, there are obviously quite a few factors in play from personal to logistics, I think it would be beneficial to future events to identify what areas attracted people to an event and subsequently lead them to drop out or to not participate from the off. We have a real opportunity here to have an event that does some serious good for a charity and also bring together some of the PH community that might not otherwise meet, Gruffy has done a great job to kick it off and I'd like to see that commitment rewarded with something ongoing.
I've been looking at the new legacy Yorkshire UCI event, that might be worth a look as a future event, O.K. it doesn't have the same prestige as the Grand Depart but it does have the advantage of using a single base for logistics (York looks ideal)
You asked for reasons why people didn't participate from the off. Assuming you mean the Full Monty, in my case it was fitness and strength. The century of Stage 3 alone represented a challenge, but a challenge I could train for. And, thanks to some fairly intensive training, is one which I am on track for achieving. But I knew to go from sedentary couch potato to Full Monty rider in five months would have been unachievable regardless of how much I trained. I've been looking at the new legacy Yorkshire UCI event, that might be worth a look as a future event, O.K. it doesn't have the same prestige as the Grand Depart but it does have the advantage of using a single base for logistics (York looks ideal)
This is one of three cycling events I'm focussing on in 2015. Afterwards, I will continue training, aiming to continue improving endurance and speed . I very much hope Gruffy organises a repeat in 2016, when I could expect to be ready for Stages 1 and 3, and again in 2017, when I would hope up to the Full Monty.
Riding the route of the new Yorkshire UCI legacy race wouldn't excite me as much, I'm afraid. It's the history of the Tour that makes it special to me, whereas I see the new race as just another short stage race. But if that's the consensus next year then I would probably still join in, I imagine.
In hindsight, it's too early in the season to maximise participation. In all honesty though this simply began as a personal challenge to ride the Grand Depart, which I then realised I should share with you guys. We've had a few abandons but mostly people scaling back to a single stage as the reality of things hit home. Not unexpected in fairness. I really do think it's a serious challenge to attempt the full monty as a small group of amateurs like us. But then it's not a real adventure without a genuine chance of failure.
A longer run up in 2016 also gives us time to coordinate with PH and other sponsors a little better too. The real challenge is in finding a date that avoids major cycling events AND major motoring events, but still offers good odds on helpful weather. No easy wins there though.
What we have lined up for May will be a great test bed, in manageable numbers, to figure out how to do something bigger and better in future events. I have big ideas for how this could develop, if the enthusiasm and support can be nurtured.
So, come ride a stage, or a bit of a stage, or join the L2B ride, or just share your enthusiasm and encouragement to those that will. It's all working towards something bigger and better.
A longer run up in 2016 also gives us time to coordinate with PH and other sponsors a little better too. The real challenge is in finding a date that avoids major cycling events AND major motoring events, but still offers good odds on helpful weather. No easy wins there though.
What we have lined up for May will be a great test bed, in manageable numbers, to figure out how to do something bigger and better in future events. I have big ideas for how this could develop, if the enthusiasm and support can be nurtured.
So, come ride a stage, or a bit of a stage, or join the L2B ride, or just share your enthusiasm and encouragement to those that will. It's all working towards something bigger and better.
I'm afraid that I had to pull out when the reality of how much time I had to train hit my home life. For the previous 2 weeks I spent almost all my free time on my bike, or stretching and rolling, and knew that within a couple of weeks I would have to be doing 24 hours a week on the bike. The last straw was that last Sunday our bathroom flooded the downstairs flat and my gf was trying to call me for 5 hours while I was out on my bike and I didn't check my phone! My gf is really supportive with things I do, but saw my training plan meant and knew that I would be out for even more hours. Given that we are also in the middle of buying our first house we had a discussion and decided that it would be better if I pulled out so I could help out a bit more with home stuff. To be fair, I was zombified when I wasn't on the bike
In other news:
I have tested out a supplement that I was going to use for training called beta alanine and I actually think its pretty good and could be helpful to others. It feels a bit like a stimulant and makes my ears and face hot as well as giving me mild pins and needles in my fingers but I think I can push harder when I am on it and strava seems to back that up. I will add a caveat though and say that I had 2x180mi training weeks and then couldn't go out on my bike for 5 days so maybe my gains could be down to that...
EDIT: just to say that I have been taking half the recommended dose of 1 tablet before my cycle rather than 2.
In other news:
I have tested out a supplement that I was going to use for training called beta alanine and I actually think its pretty good and could be helpful to others. It feels a bit like a stimulant and makes my ears and face hot as well as giving me mild pins and needles in my fingers but I think I can push harder when I am on it and strava seems to back that up. I will add a caveat though and say that I had 2x180mi training weeks and then couldn't go out on my bike for 5 days so maybe my gains could be down to that...
EDIT: just to say that I have been taking half the recommended dose of 1 tablet before my cycle rather than 2.
Edited by j00pY on Sunday 29th March 09:25
Seriously mate, unless you are racing seriously, if you can't ride your bike for pleasure on jam sandwiches and malt loaf, there's something gone wrong in this sport of ours!
I still have never even had a gel bar, and am wondering whether I will need to try such a thing to help get me round Stage 1... but then again, I'll probably stick with malt loaf and maybe a banana to really push the boat out
I still have never even had a gel bar, and am wondering whether I will need to try such a thing to help get me round Stage 1... but then again, I'll probably stick with malt loaf and maybe a banana to really push the boat out
burriana said:
Seriously mate, unless you are racing seriously, if you can't ride your bike for pleasure on jam sandwiches and malt loaf, there's something gone wrong in this sport of ours!
I still have never even had a gel bar, and am wondering whether I will need to try such a thing to help get me round Stage 1... but then again, I'll probably stick with malt loaf and maybe a banana to really push the boat out
I still have never even had a gel bar, and am wondering whether I will need to try such a thing to help get me round Stage 1... but then again, I'll probably stick with malt loaf and maybe a banana to really push the boat out
A middle pocket full of peanut butter sandwiches usually does me. That, or a stop at a chipshop or cafe part-way round. Life's too short to be pushing all-out for a shallow Strava victory at the expense of enjoying the simple pleasures of riding a bike. Whilst PRs are lovely, I'll happily forgo them to stop and enjoy a view, take a photo, watch some wildlife, or whatever. I'm too old to worry about "winning" at things which don't really matter.
Having said that, I've tried a number of gels and bars, usually the freebie ones at events/races. I eat them (usually just after the "Best Before" date) to save waste, as I'm not a fan of throwing 'food' away. My usual 'energy' bar is one of those Breakfast Cereal bars from Jordans or Kellogs. They might not be "scientifically formulated" but they're ball-park similar figures for energy and protein etc to the bike-taxed sport specific 'nutrition' bars, and usually less harsh on a delicate stomach.
TonyHetherington said:
If you do consider a gel, Al - try one while off the bike. Some people find they disagree with their stomachs quite badly, and the time to find that out isn't halfway up a mountain.
Its also worth trying one on the bike when riding under effort as this can be the thing that leads to the stomach issues. Stick to the brand you get on best with and don't change if you don't have issues.I tend to use gels and bars on the bike as I find that they are better on my stomach then all the fun foods like bread, malt loaf and cakes. They don't really do much to help an empty stomach feeling though.
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