Rapha Hell of the North VI - Herts, 12th April
Discussion
This one sounds a bit different. Held annually in honour of Paris-Roubaix:
Free entry at http://pages.rapha.cc/events/hell-of-the-north-vi
Rapha said:
100km of potholes, mud, and some of Hertfordshire’s meanest gravé*.
*gravé (noun)
/grɑːveɪ/US/græːveɪ/
It's intended for road bikes. Embrace your inner Belgian.*gravé (noun)
/grɑːveɪ/US/græːveɪ/
Free entry at http://pages.rapha.cc/events/hell-of-the-north-vi
Hell of the North (London) VI 
Here's a video they made of edition II:
https://vimeo.com/22694993
I'm in. Couldn't resist. Exact route is a secret until the day but from the course outline it looks like it'll be on some of the roads I grew up cycling on. And a few of the farm tracks and bridleways I didn't.
It all ends in a North London pub showing the race on a big telly. I'll have mayo on my frites, please.
Here's a video they made of edition II:
https://vimeo.com/22694993
I'm in. Couldn't resist. Exact route is a secret until the day but from the course outline it looks like it'll be on some of the roads I grew up cycling on. And a few of the farm tracks and bridleways I didn't.
It all ends in a North London pub showing the race on a big telly. I'll have mayo on my frites, please.
Arrrrgh!!!!! 
1209hrs on Friday 20th March. Registration opened only nine minutes ago...
1209hrs on Friday 20th March. Registration opened only nine minutes ago...
Rapha said:
This ticket is locked. A locked ticket means that all available tickets are in the process of being purchased. If any of these tickets are not successfully purchased after 15 minutes, they will be released back on sale.
WTF? Seconds earlier, I was furiously refreshing, as it kept telling me that Registration was " Not yet available"????Rapha said:
When and where does the ride start?
10am at Pond Square, Highgate. The ride finishes at a pub in Whetstone. Its location will be divulged closer to the day.
and
Can I download a GPX of the route?
No. The route is fully signed from start to finish and we believe the ride is more enjoyable when depending on your eyes and legs.
and
How much does the ride cost?
The Hell of the North is free for all entrants.
10am at Pond Square, Highgate. The ride finishes at a pub in Whetstone. Its location will be divulged closer to the day.
and
Can I download a GPX of the route?
No. The route is fully signed from start to finish and we believe the ride is more enjoyable when depending on your eyes and legs.
and
How much does the ride cost?
The Hell of the North is free for all entrants.
Surely, if it's free, and I know where it starts, and it's well signposted, I won't be pissing on anyone's
yellowjack said:
Surely, if it's free, and I know where it starts, and it's well signposted, I won't be pissing on anyone's
. SixPotBelly said:
yellowjack said:
Surely, if it's free, and I know where it starts, and it's well signposted, I won't be pissing on anyone's
. So you are in then? Have a good day. I genuinely hope you get away without any p***tures or mechanicals. This really appealed to me (and not just 'cause it was free
).I'm not currently booking a train ticket up to the start, but I might consider piggy-backing it if I'm feeling fit enough closer to the day. It sounds like just the thing for my old steel bike, though, in preference to the Emonda (I'm afraid riding this gravé would invalidate the Trek's warranty
), although if it's hilly the heavy Falcon might be a mistake. "We'll see" would be my answer right now. If I'd have been able to sign up officially, then I would commit to it 100%, but as I'm considering riding as a 'parasite' then I'll keep my options open lest me or the wife make other plans for that day.And the roundabout thing? That only happened just one time, and I've no plans to do it again. Ever!
Yup, I got a confirmation "ticket" so I guess I made it in. I had the page up to copy the details from when writing my thread, refreshed it before submitting and the registration link appeared. Must have been perfect timing as it hadn't been there a minute previously.
Would have been good to see another PHer there. Hills in the locale aren't anything to write home about, a few can be sharp but almost all are short. I used to get up them as a schoolboy on my 5-speed Raleigh Arena, albeit very, very slowly. (little change there now I'm much older and on better equipment, some would say).
If, by co-incidence, you happen to be out for a ride in Herts that day and end up in the same pub, whichever of us had the fewer p***tures buys the beer.
Would have been good to see another PHer there. Hills in the locale aren't anything to write home about, a few can be sharp but almost all are short. I used to get up them as a schoolboy on my 5-speed Raleigh Arena, albeit very, very slowly. (little change there now I'm much older and on better equipment, some would say).
If, by co-incidence, you happen to be out for a ride in Herts that day and end up in the same pub, whichever of us had the fewer p***tures buys the beer.
Dowks said:
I did it last year, was good fun, some of the bits are properly across fields and tracks so it does get bumpy. It wasn't that well signposted but imagine you'd be able to get the general direction
Did you run your usual road tyres or go for something with a bit of tread? I might be able to squeeze a 30c CX Pro within the frame of my ally Synapse, or failing that a 28c trekking tyre. Or would anything other than slicks be considered un-Flemish?Jimbo. said:
Embrace your inner Belgian.
In Herdfordshire? With Flanders the week before, and only a couple of hours drive away with better beer and a pro race waiting for you?
Sounds like a plan for next year In Herdfordshire? With Flanders the week before, and only a couple of hours drive away with better beer and a pro race waiting for you?
Meanwhile we do our best in Herts. We may be short on pavé but we're certainly long on potholes. And horse s
t.SixPotBelly said:
Did you run your usual road tyres or go for something with a bit of tread? I might be able to squeeze a 30c CX Pro within the frame of my ally Synapse, or failing that a 28c trekking tyre. Or would anything other than slicks be considered un-Flemish?
25mm Conti GP4000 worked fine, but it was dry.....That said this year I am going to the Ronde and Roubaix
Dowks said:
25mm Conti GP4000 worked fine, but it was dry.....
That said this year I am going to the Ronde and Roubaix
Thanks. I prob leave the GP4S on then. Maybe rethink if the forecast is for heavy rain.That said this year I am going to the Ronde and Roubaix
As a veteran of last year's Rapha, will you taking on the pre-race Cyclo at Vlaandaren and the Challenge at Roubaix to show the pros how it's done?
Don1 said:
Ha, looks like the course takes in parts of my circuit around Tewin - looks like they have set a nice little trap for you - the only decent in the area over 10%. I'll have to come out and support!
Trying to think where that hill would be. I was out round Datchworth Green and Tewin a couple of times the other week. Vineyards and Carbonne Hill, between Northaw and Newgate Street, are the steepest I come across on my own circuit out there and back. Would be good to add another decent hill to my route!Further south, the Rapha route looks like it goes up the short but sharp Ferney Hill, on the north side of Trent Park. Not ridden up there for over 30 years, so hope it's no longer than I remember! And, after Tewin, possibly to Gosling Velodrome for the flapjacks-and-espresso stop. Haven't been there before. Would be great if we got to do a lap!
All support welcome! No doubt I'll be the tired-est, muddiest and bloodiest of the 300 riders. See if you can spot me.
You'll need a CX or mountain bike, but it's between Tewin and Harmer Green. Have a look on Strava for a segment called Dawley Wood drop, and you'll find the good part of it. Or even, it's here https://www.strava.com/segments/4846740. If you are going south out of Tewin, look for a little by-road just past the church on the right hand side. It's a slow climb, a fast short decent, and then a slow climb again.
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