Coast to Coast 1-dayer: Achievement Unlocked!
Discussion
Having done the C2C route (Whitehaven to Sunderland) over 3 days with some friends about 4 years ago, I've always wondered about seeing it off in a day.
Well this weekend, I just went and got on with it.
The longest ride i've done previously was about 90 miles, with my usual "long rides" being 50-60 miles. So this was a bit of a step into the unknown.
I was targeting an average of 15mph for 140 miles, but accepting 12hrs in the saddle would be nothing to be ashamed of.
At 5:15am, having popped ten £1 coins into the meter, I dipped the rear wheel in the Irish sea and set off. I had made 3 concessions to the distance and terrain:
1) Vittoria Open Pave tyres. They' were a b**tard to fit, but I think they proved their worth.
2) A £19 high-vis gilet from decathlon. chosen mainly because it had a big back pocket for extra flapjack.
3) Don't hurl the 'rules' at me - I used a saddle bag for my tubes, pump and multi tool - so that my pockets were free for food and a power pack for my phone..
The lakeland passes were serene and beautiful at that time in the morning. A little drizzle in the air keeping me cool - though I was glad of the arm-warmers.
I stopped at a cash point in Keswick, to get money for what I hoped would be a well-earned espresso in Penrith.
Well Penrith came and went with no sign of espresso. Sadly I also made an error - I continued following the "Route 71" signs, rather than change to "Route 7". I didn't realise my error for about 15 miles, at which point I queried why I wasn't heading towards Hartside.
Hartside - it transpired - was 20 miles due north. s
t. I had blundered onto the softies route. Well I'm no softie - so planned a course for Hartside, annoyed that I was eating up my contingency time and also adding just over 20 miles to a journey I already thought was going to be a stretch. The error also meant I had to do a full ascent of the Hartside road climb. The correct route sees off Hartside in a couple of short sharp climbs. The road climbs nearly 1900ft over 5 miles. It took me 74 minutes to summit (the record on strava is 17?!?!?!?!?) - it was foggy AND raining. Hartside had always been my planned stop - so stop I did, and saw off a hot chocolate, cup of coffee, flapjack and steak pie. Also topped up the water and had a coke.
Refreshed and revived, I stepped back into the miserable weather, jumped on the bike and headed down. Decending at 40-50mph on wet roads is...exciting.
It was more than exciting when, at a Garmin indicated 52mph, I got a speed wobble. Nothing was sorting it so I eased over to the verge and came to a stop on the grass - whereupon I realised I hadn't unclipped, and toppled onto a soft mossy mount. I couldn't have been happier with that particular outcome - having come off at a similar speed on Honister 2 months ago under very similar circumstances..
The rest of the ride was entirely uneventful. I eventually got my espresso fix at the top of Stanhope Moor - probably the toughest climb of the day - but also the point I believe to be "if you make it to here, you've done it" - because it's pretty much all downhill to the coast.
It took me an annoying couple of laps up and down the seafront in Sunderland to find the actual finish point (A big sculpture), but find it I did.
In total I covered 166 miles @ 15.2mph. What really took me by surprise was how fresh I felt at the end - having planned the timing based on feeling totally ruined by the end of it. I wouldn't say it was an anticlimax, but it has left me instantly looking for longer rides (I've got a couple planned) and possibly revisit this one - to do it faster (I'm thinking a non-record-bothering sub 10h - the record is 7.5hrs!)
A fantastic ride out - and something I'd definitely use to say - never let other people say you can't do something.
I was glad to have someone there at the finish - just to share it with. I think getting to the end and then having to make my way to a train station to to make the 4hr trip back to get the car would have been a bit of a come-down.
I'm now looking at the the Chiltern Cycleway (a 175 mile loop around the chilterns) and "Way of the Roses" - Morecambe to Bridlington (a bit further but less ascent) - in what I want to dub my "Run out of Road" series of rides (I know, what a douchebag).
I even did a 60 miler down the coast the next day in the glorious sunshine. What a fab weekend!
Well this weekend, I just went and got on with it.
The longest ride i've done previously was about 90 miles, with my usual "long rides" being 50-60 miles. So this was a bit of a step into the unknown.
I was targeting an average of 15mph for 140 miles, but accepting 12hrs in the saddle would be nothing to be ashamed of.
At 5:15am, having popped ten £1 coins into the meter, I dipped the rear wheel in the Irish sea and set off. I had made 3 concessions to the distance and terrain:
1) Vittoria Open Pave tyres. They' were a b**tard to fit, but I think they proved their worth.
2) A £19 high-vis gilet from decathlon. chosen mainly because it had a big back pocket for extra flapjack.
3) Don't hurl the 'rules' at me - I used a saddle bag for my tubes, pump and multi tool - so that my pockets were free for food and a power pack for my phone..
The lakeland passes were serene and beautiful at that time in the morning. A little drizzle in the air keeping me cool - though I was glad of the arm-warmers.
I stopped at a cash point in Keswick, to get money for what I hoped would be a well-earned espresso in Penrith.
Well Penrith came and went with no sign of espresso. Sadly I also made an error - I continued following the "Route 71" signs, rather than change to "Route 7". I didn't realise my error for about 15 miles, at which point I queried why I wasn't heading towards Hartside.
Hartside - it transpired - was 20 miles due north. s
t. I had blundered onto the softies route. Well I'm no softie - so planned a course for Hartside, annoyed that I was eating up my contingency time and also adding just over 20 miles to a journey I already thought was going to be a stretch. The error also meant I had to do a full ascent of the Hartside road climb. The correct route sees off Hartside in a couple of short sharp climbs. The road climbs nearly 1900ft over 5 miles. It took me 74 minutes to summit (the record on strava is 17?!?!?!?!?) - it was foggy AND raining. Hartside had always been my planned stop - so stop I did, and saw off a hot chocolate, cup of coffee, flapjack and steak pie. Also topped up the water and had a coke. Refreshed and revived, I stepped back into the miserable weather, jumped on the bike and headed down. Decending at 40-50mph on wet roads is...exciting.
It was more than exciting when, at a Garmin indicated 52mph, I got a speed wobble. Nothing was sorting it so I eased over to the verge and came to a stop on the grass - whereupon I realised I hadn't unclipped, and toppled onto a soft mossy mount. I couldn't have been happier with that particular outcome - having come off at a similar speed on Honister 2 months ago under very similar circumstances..
The rest of the ride was entirely uneventful. I eventually got my espresso fix at the top of Stanhope Moor - probably the toughest climb of the day - but also the point I believe to be "if you make it to here, you've done it" - because it's pretty much all downhill to the coast.
It took me an annoying couple of laps up and down the seafront in Sunderland to find the actual finish point (A big sculpture), but find it I did.
In total I covered 166 miles @ 15.2mph. What really took me by surprise was how fresh I felt at the end - having planned the timing based on feeling totally ruined by the end of it. I wouldn't say it was an anticlimax, but it has left me instantly looking for longer rides (I've got a couple planned) and possibly revisit this one - to do it faster (I'm thinking a non-record-bothering sub 10h - the record is 7.5hrs!)
A fantastic ride out - and something I'd definitely use to say - never let other people say you can't do something.
I was glad to have someone there at the finish - just to share it with. I think getting to the end and then having to make my way to a train station to to make the 4hr trip back to get the car would have been a bit of a come-down.
I'm now looking at the the Chiltern Cycleway (a 175 mile loop around the chilterns) and "Way of the Roses" - Morecambe to Bridlington (a bit further but less ascent) - in what I want to dub my "Run out of Road" series of rides (I know, what a douchebag).
I even did a 60 miler down the coast the next day in the glorious sunshine. What a fab weekend!
Steve - my top tip would be to keep your speed below what you normally ride at, and keep some "checkpoints" in mind. Hartside makes for a perfect "halfway" point - and eating there means you get a 20 min decent during which you can digest before the next climb. I maintain that once you get to the Moor station - you're home and dry.
Gren - CTS looks irritatingly tempting...I'm also free that weekend...
I've looked at Audaxing but, though I'm generally pretty capable of doing so from time on foot in the mountains - I HATE reading maps. I hate even more having to stop and get a map out to check where I'm supposed to be going - I'm very much a "point me in the direction I need and I'm there" type of rider.
I HAVE been bitten by the distance bug, though. I found more sense of achievement in doing the C2C than I do from keeping an average of 25mph, for example. Must be getting old.
Gren - CTS looks irritatingly tempting...I'm also free that weekend...
I've looked at Audaxing but, though I'm generally pretty capable of doing so from time on foot in the mountains - I HATE reading maps. I hate even more having to stop and get a map out to check where I'm supposed to be going - I'm very much a "point me in the direction I need and I'm there" type of rider.
I HAVE been bitten by the distance bug, though. I found more sense of achievement in doing the C2C than I do from keeping an average of 25mph, for example. Must be getting old.
Ach, I realised people would actually enjoy reading it, I'd have put more effort in! Look out for the next instalment, in that case,,,
I'd be up for an out-and-back, I've discussed with a friend about doing it next year.
Hopefully this will link:
https://www.strava.com/activities/309517434
...I've never used the online Strava before!
I'd be up for an out-and-back, I've discussed with a friend about doing it next year.
Hopefully this will link:
https://www.strava.com/activities/309517434
...I've never used the online Strava before!
Edited by keith2.2 on Wednesday 27th May 08:10
SixPotBelly said:
I see you mean about that detour! Respect for turning back north and rejoining your intended route.
I propose any PH out-and-back trip gets called The Savage Ride in your honour.
I think that is a most splendid bit of ego-pandering, and as such I wholeheartedly agree lolI propose any PH out-and-back trip gets called The Savage Ride in your honour.
and you managed to complete BOTH miles?! :-D
The route is...MOSTLY signposted that clearly throughout.
Pointers:
Many of the waymarks are stickers on signposts - you do need to keep an eye out for them when approaching a junction, but you soon get used to it
A couple of the stickers are faded
A couple of the stickers have had the arrows torn off
Only at one junction, near gateshead, had all trace of route markings been removed by locals. A quick check of google maps, and I punted on turning right - sure enough, 100yds up the road, a blue signpost.
If you're unsure whether you've made the correct turn - look back. The route is marked both directions so you should see a pointer in the direction you've just come from. No pointer? You probably misread the sign.
Do have an idea of where the route goes in advance - a couple of signs say "Alternative route" - well how on earth do I know if I want the alternative or not? There are also two off-road sections - one at Whinlatter and one near Stanhope. They can both be bypassed on the road - but you need to know where on the route the off-road bit will spit you out.
Tip here: Where it says to go off into the forest at Whinlatter - stay on the road decent and follow the main cycle path into Keswick, it picks the route back up within about a mile. To bypass the offroad section at Stanhope - stick to the road and it's the next left, signposted as 17% incline...
The route is...MOSTLY signposted that clearly throughout.
Pointers:
Many of the waymarks are stickers on signposts - you do need to keep an eye out for them when approaching a junction, but you soon get used to it
A couple of the stickers are faded
A couple of the stickers have had the arrows torn off
Only at one junction, near gateshead, had all trace of route markings been removed by locals. A quick check of google maps, and I punted on turning right - sure enough, 100yds up the road, a blue signpost.
If you're unsure whether you've made the correct turn - look back. The route is marked both directions so you should see a pointer in the direction you've just come from. No pointer? You probably misread the sign.
Do have an idea of where the route goes in advance - a couple of signs say "Alternative route" - well how on earth do I know if I want the alternative or not? There are also two off-road sections - one at Whinlatter and one near Stanhope. They can both be bypassed on the road - but you need to know where on the route the off-road bit will spit you out.
Tip here: Where it says to go off into the forest at Whinlatter - stay on the road decent and follow the main cycle path into Keswick, it picks the route back up within about a mile. To bypass the offroad section at Stanhope - stick to the road and it's the next left, signposted as 17% incline...
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