Despite feeling unfit and sick as a sick thing, I’ve downloaded the entry for the Fred and plan to send it off in the next couple of days. I know I’m letting myself in for a long tough day. Would love to hear of anyone’s experiences from on here about it.

The nearest thing I’ve done to the Fred is the Kielder 100 and the SDW in a day, neither of which, I suspect, will be as hard. I’ve done 158 miles on my road bike in a day to, but never done anything like the Lakeland climbs.

If you’ve done the Fred, how was it for you and any advice appreciated.

If you have done 158 miles you should be fine on the Fred. It’s very hilly though, and some of them are very steep, Hardknott stupidly so. It’s brilliant though. Best sportive in Britain.

It starts off tough and gets harder as you go on, the road surfaces tend to be worse towards the end too. If you get the right day it’s a beautiful challenging day out riding in the Lakes. If it’s pi55ing down and windy it moves more towards a miserable sufferfest. It gets you onto some minor roads you might not bother with otherwise as well which makes it all the better.

Its a good ride with some dead good food stops!

If you’ve never ridden any steep hills before then you might struggle.
If you’re fat you might struggle.

Apart from that, its just a bike ride.

Its lovely when its nice and sunny, but the last two years haven’t been great (last year was dead windy, the year before was a **** joke)

I reckon its due some good weather this year.

Did it last year, wouldn’t bother again. Hard, hard, hard. I did the dyfi enduro two weeks before in my fastest ever time of about 4.5 hrs. Really struggled on the Whitton, from mile 40-80 it was an into the wind sufferfest, second feed station lifted my mood so I finished, but never again.

Some people are just soft! Apart from the wind, last year was alrite.

2011 was abysmal.

I did it three or four years ago when a friend of a friend ducked out late on and sold me his entry – official transfer etc – so I did it off the back of about three weeks preparation.

I’m a pretty average sort of rider, certainly not as quick as most STWers I guess – and David Trollfroth in particular – but I do live and ride in the Peak which means I’m used to steepish climbs, which is where a lot of big, strong southern roadies seem to come to grief.

I just took it quite steady and enjoyed the views and the chat and the atmosphere, which is what I think it has over most other sportives. Hardknott is quite hard, but it’s so steep that even if you just walk it, you don’t lose that much time anyway.

If you’re reasonably fit on the road bike, don’t get too carried away, have a compact – I managed it with a compact and an 11-25 cassette without problems – and keep eating and drinking steadily, you’ll be fine. Proper good day out on a bike.

Last year was indeed tough with the headwind – Cold Fell was horrible.

If you plan to ride the full distance then don’t skimp on low gears. I’d say 34t compact and a 12-27 as a minimum, as you hit HardKnott at 100 miles. You can do it with higher gears but your knees won’t thank you for it.

It’s a great ride – has pretty much everything.

I did it last year for the first time. Thoroughly enjoyed it and was glad that I’d done a decent amount of training for it, which meant I could enjoy the ride. I really wouldn’t want to do it on minimal training.

As said above you need to include a lot of hills in your training. Most of my rides leading up to the Fred had around 1000ft of ascent per 10 miles and I was getting up to 80 and 90 milers in the preceeding month or two.

Hardknott after 0 miles would be hard enough but after 100 is frankly ridiculous. A great feeling when you make it up without stopping though. I’d say about 80% of people walk at least some of it. There are many climbs on the route though – I remember Honister being particularly nasty!

People make the mistake of looking at all the big, named climbs.
The worst part is actually Cold Fell. Never-ending, exposed moorland climb right into the teeth of the prevailing wind. Comes about miles 75-85 just when you’re starting to feel wrecked.

Some of the road surfaces leave a bit to be desired. The times I’ve done it have been on a CX bike with slicks which has been OK; the extra power of canti brakes, the better shock absorption of the frame and the lower gears have all made it quite comfortable.

But other than that, it’s basically just a bike ride. Don’t go screaming off with the fast boys unless you are one. Eat & drink regularly, remember to look at the scenery rather than the Garmin and it’ll be a nice day. Unless it’s pissing it down in which case you’ll hate every second of it. 😉

HTH

did it last year as well, how everyone laughed when i rocked up on my 39/53 11-25. After rhino i understood why they were laughing, but still didn’t walk. Pootled around and quite enjoyed it really.

apologies for this but as a non road bike owner could i do it on my mtb………assuming no resptrictions other than tri bars?

This was great fun when I did it -but I was much fitter then than now. And lighter. To truely enjoy it I reckon you need to be able to ride it all – lots of folk have to walk sections. I think it’s also much bigger in terms of entry now than it was when I did it. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as sick on a bike as when Hardknott came into view and I already felt pretty rung out. A challenge at the best of times but with 90miles in your legs it proper hurts.

I wrecked myself getting in under the 7hr time limit for whatever catagory that was (I forget) safe in knowledge I’d been driven up by a teammate and I’d be able to have a nice sleep all the way home. Sadly he managed to come off the bike at about the furthest point from the finish possible and remove half of his skin. When he was brought back in hours later it was left to me to drive the 5hrs home whilst he lay in the back. A messy journey all around that!

apologies for this but as a non road bike owner could i do it on my mtb………assuming no resptrictions other than tri bars?

I saw folk with tribars doing it the year I did it – not sure if that’s now against the rules. I don’t think they were using them mind!

I can think of a lot better things to do on a mtb – you would have to look in the rules to see if allowed but you could be a flipping long time getting around. I’m assuming you would switch to slicks?

A work colleague of a friend is a pretty serious cyclist who lives in the Lakes, apparently he came in first one year then the next year he broke his road bike 3 days before the event – so he turned up on his mtb with slicks on…

..and came in 3rd! 😯

Hardknott is just brutal, I can’t imagine anyone putting their hand up twice to do it

apologies for this but as a non road bike owner could i do it on my mtb………assuming no resptrictions other than tri bars?

seems to be one here

29er would be okay then?
Oh and take me shoes off to walk uphill as well as in picture 8)

Can do it on any bike you want.

The only restriction on tri-bars is not using them while you’re in a paceline but that’s standard practice anyway. Unless you’re a total bellend. 😉

[quote]Can do it on any bike you want.[/quote]
Looks like the guy on the motorbike thought that too.

vondally – Member
29er would be okay then?
Oh and take me shoes off to walk uphill as well as in picture

A 29er with mtb gears would be fine if you used slick tyres. You’d be able to do all the hills anyway, so you wouldnt need to take your shoes off!

I usually just go steady away, especially if riding it with mates. Enjoy the views and the foodstops, and then have something left in my legs so I can do all the climbs.

Form sent yesterday for “first time rider” did hardknott and wrynose today after 30 miles with a slight tailwind up both, hardknott s bends at start and three quarter mark still murder 34-29 , wrynose pleasent , only out of the saddle once to change style just weaved up it.Went on Garmin connect expecting to see me red lining at 181 bpm which is what i always max out at, 174 max over both for some reason,hardknott defo felt like i was at 100%.Want to bag em both minimum 3 more times before Whitton (if accepted) so in my head I know that i`ve done them when they stare at me after 90+ miles!!!!More sufferfest required and maybe 34-32!!!!Cousins hubby always does it on H/T with slicks and I am told he is always top 100!!!

Cheers really interested now

Did it as my first road event last year. I got round in 9 hours and loved it, though did visit some dark places during aforementioned cold fell. Entry for this year in the post! Hardknott is brutal and comically steep, but if you get that far, you know you’re going all the way to the finish. Do it!

I got a late entry last year so gave it a go. Absolutely fantastic route, really well marshalled (don’t recall having to stop at any junctions at all), great support by the guys from Saddleback, plenty of people cheering you on in places and it was dry. I rode round with my friend Ali who was doing it for Macmillan Cancer Support and raised well over £3k 🙂

Cold Fell was by far the hardest, soul destroying section into a biting headwind. Hardknott was quite hard work too 🙂

Climbing Cold Fell by simondbarnes, on Flickr

Quite a good edit here, good luck on the route it a heck of a big day out.. 😉

I did it with some friends in the middle of summer over two days. Starting in Keswick, stopping in lots of cafes on the way round. Beer food and bed in Coniston, then back to Keswick.

Great fun.

Oh and I rode from Scarborough to Keswick with panniers the day before if you’re thinking I’m nesh.

Probably the only three days I recall when we had sunshine last year.

The nearest thing I’ve done to the Fred is the Kielder 100 and the SDW in a day,

Um, um.

Am I missing something here, or is everyone else?

If you’ve done the Kielder 100 then I imagine you’ll find the Fred a piece of cake. I did the Fred last year and wouldn’t dream of doing the Kielder 100.

actually that’s not quite true, I dream of doing the Kielder 100 but know it’s was too hard for me. The Fred on the other hand was eminently doable.

Totally agree with what people said about Cold Fell, it was awful. Hardnott last year was however fine, after about 30 miles of headwind from Whinlatter the wind blew up Eskdale and Hardnott and the climb which made the whole thing much easier.

Really? Now that’s what I like to hear! Not that Kielder was in any way easy, it was epically hard in fact, but having done it twice I know what it’s about now. I’ve just had this view of the Fred as being on another level. I guess in reality the distance is about the same, and the Fred would certainly be easier on the arms!

I’ve done he Fred 5 times and i find it massively weather dependent.
last year was pretty good apart from the headwind on cold fell, the year before was pretty hairy, rain, sleet then snow on newlands was not cool and I know a couple of very fast (skinny and v. experienced) guys who where hypothermic after the descent and had to retire.

a couple of years before it was really warm and getting enough fluids in was an issue… you just never know!

if you’ve ridden the kielder and don’t want to do a crazy time then you’ll be fine- most time is lost on the flatter sections anyway…

I’ve ridden two Etapes du Tour and the full edition of the Tour of Flanders.

I’ve never had the bottle to ride the Fred.

Do it.

Finished Kielder 100 on a single speed a couple of year ago when it rained non-stop.

Not really done much road biking in rubbish conditions, new to the dark side. For Kielder I kept warm by keep pedalling and had a gilet and base layer. I guess for the road wind chill in more of a factor.

Planning on doing the Fred Whitton this year.

What do people wear, full on water proofs or would a gilet and constant activity be enough to keep warm?

I did that Kielder 100 too, fun wasn’t it?! I’ve ridden the road bike in some pretty awful weather and find that my cheap Polaris waterproof does the job, over a helly hansen if it rains or is really cold. Short-sleeve cycle top over the Helly for the pockets, also means I can strip down to a single layer if it gets too warm.

I’m not sure on tights or shorts if the weather is changeable, probably shorts as my legs are usually OK if I keep them moving.

Well, my entry has been accepted so better start doing some training, like, yikes!

If it helps for comparison I’ve done the Fred in 7.12, and did Kielder in the rain in 2011 in 11.25, but I was probably fitter for Kielder than the Fred.

You spend a lot of time on your own on the Kielder, whereas the Fred can be more sociable.

I’d do both again, if it wasn’t for the fact that Kielder destroys your bike.

Just enjoy a good day out and don’t get too hung up on the steep hills, there is quite a lot of flat too.

I did 11:52 for Kielder in 2011 so not too far behind you. I am looking forward to the Fred but I seriously do need to crank up the training, have hardly done anything since September. Got to get back to the regular 50 mile round trip commute, seems to do the trick with as many long weekend rides as I can fit in.