So a friend has asked me to join their team for the 2017 coast to coast.
My bike is a speclized Allez comp from 2006. It’s now got ultegra wheels.

http://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=2006&Brand=Specialized&Model=Allez%20Comp%20Double&Type=bike

I prefer riding mountian bikes but have a road bike to keep miles in the legs.
Is my road bike the right thing for the job? I will change the cassette for the hills, but is it more race than comfort.
Not got much in the budget if I need something more comfortable, perhaps just a frame change.

Suggestions please.

Sounds like an ideal bike for the job.

If it’s the coast to coast in a day sportive from sea scale, you go straight up Hardknott at the start, and have a few 25% climbs in N Yorks just before the end. That bike looks like it has a standard chainset, so you may need to go for an MTB cassette and mech to get low enough for those climbs, depending how strong you are. When I moved to the lakes I had 53/39 chainset and went for a cassette with a 32t biggest cog. Now have a compact and 28t, which is fine.

That’s what I was thinking for the rear end. Good point for the front.

It’s a good well organised event, I did it last year. As long as the bike is comfortable, you’ll be fine. I slammed the stem on my Trek Domane to get a racy position, it’s a long day out and longer if you don’t keep up a good pace. Fit fatter tyres if you can because some of the roads are failing chip seal and a bit more cushioning won’t go amiss. A big lowest gear is a must if you don’t want to wreck your legs on Hardknot and Wrynose and there are a couple of bastid hills on the Yorkshire Dales and Moors which will benefit from an easier gear.