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Assuming it doesn't get cancelled because of the impending apocalypse, it's just less than a month to the RVC now.
Anyone else done it before/doing it?
Pretty certain I've bitten off way more than i can chew. I've done a fair few turbo sessions over the last 6 months and a handful of rides, but the weather, shift work and family life have conspired against me and I've not been out anywhere near as much as I would've liked.
Hoping to do a big ride on Friday to see if I can handle the distance and elevation!!
Any words of wisdom, motivational chat, reassurance that getting off and pushing on the first steep bit and taking 10 hours to complete it would be welcome!!
The first 25 miles is steady with a couple of stiff pulls. Don't get drawn into any fast groups at the start. Its the last 2/3 where all the big climbs are. Eat plenty & take some hydration tabs to put in your water bottles at the feed stops. Because the climbs are so steep, you're forced to go into the red & its easy to cramp towards the end.
There are always people walking the climbs.
If you don't have low gears then get some. I run 34F/32R anyway as its my neck of the woods & i'm fairly familiar with dying on steep climbs.
I've entered for the first time. Using it as a warm up for the Whitton (fingers crossed that neither get cancelled!!)
I've been out on club rides through the winter, but trying to make a concerted effort now to get out and do some steep climbs. I've got the Battle of Bradfield in a week or so, which should be a good wake-up call.
Struggling to find the elevation numbers anywhere... Is it about 3000m of climbing?
I’ve entered for the first time. Using it as a warm up for the Whitton (fingers crossed that neither get cancelled!!)
Same here.
Been pretty rubbish of late and for some reason had 2 months in my head to get fit, crap!
Had planned to get a 70ish mile ride in yesterday but after my third puncture commuting i sacked it off.
It's 74 miles, 10000 ft.
Hoping to go into bowland on Friday and get as close to that as I can. Don't have the steepness there though.
I've seen a guy post on the FB page about his new schwalbe pro ones giving him traction issues, can't see the replies though as I don't use FB. I've just put pro ones on my bike 😲
Just moved over to clipless as well thinking I might go back to flats of I'm not confident matter the day.
My worst day ever on a bike! I'm no mountain goat to be fair but it's a hard day in the saddle and some of the cobbled climbs are absolutely brutal. I'd recommend you ride a compact chainset with a 32 cassette unless you're Chris Frome or Egan Bernal.
I've not heard any traction issues with Pro Ones, people mainly praise the grip but moan about them wearing out quickly.
I'm not sure I'd like to pedal 74 miles on flats...
For those who have done the route before - how rough is it? Am I going to smash my nice carbon wheels to bits on the cobbles? Better off on the winter bike?
I've done a few of the climbs in dry/wet conditions, grip is OK and at my speeds (typically had panniers on) not that rough.
May invest in 32 for Trooper Lane , think 26 at the moment. It's a nasty tit of a climb.
I've got a 32 on already.
I'll experiment with tyre pressure a bit, I put the pro one's on tubeless. I'm just concerned if the back wheel slips on a steep climb I'll be down as I'm not used to unclipping quickly yet. Will try to practice as much as possible!
Went to put new brake pads in the other day but the retention bolt in the caliper has seized and rounded so I need to get that sorted as soon as I can.
Rode the route last week as a recce to check gearing and tyres
I was on my niner rlt cross/gravel bike with 42 single ring and 10/42 cassette
I got up every thing, but trooper lane was a grind, I may fit a 40 chain ring for the sportive.
Ive got 30mm schwable S ones at around 60 psi, felt they were good for it, maybe a bit bigger for the cobbles would be good, but I think 30mm is a good compromise. I’ve used these tyres for the Paris roubaix sportive twice and the tour of Flanders, they only get fitted for the cobbles.
I’m 90kgs, and the cobbles were fairly dry, the tyre pressure seemed good.
The pad retention pin in Shimano calipers seizing is a common problem, they’re hard to get out, even had to scrap a caliper because of this.
The solution is anti seize on the pins threads when new.
I did a similar route the other week. Was on my CX/gravel bike with 38c Schwalbe G-One tyres and I rode everything. I've done RvC once before - there's a lot of urban grind to get through before you start the cobbled climbs so just take it easy at first.
Try and find some space on the climbs, you don't want to he hitting them while you're in the middle of a big group of riders. If one person around you unclips or falls, it'll take off half a dozen people!
I signed up for it a fit of stupidity autumn last year thinking it's months away and only 3.5 weeks now.
November and December were completely wiped out with colds and flu so not nearly fit enough , so did a weeks riding in Mallorca at the end of February and desperately trying to do the Sufferfest Volcano climbing plan but know its going to be horrible.
April is a busy month as I've also signed up for Battle of the Beach and the Gravel Gran Fondo in the peak district too.
Yep, did it way back in 2013 on a Kaffenback with flat bars and MTB gearing. How I laughed as I twiddled my way past the gurning old school roadies as they were grinding up the cobbles in 39/23 or something 🙂
As it's local we rode to the start, then rode home after - it was 88 miles with 10,000 ft of climbing, took me just over 7 hours door to door. Suspect I would struggle to do half that at the moment!
I've got the choice of 25c pro ones, tubeless (on bike but untested until the end of the week.) Or 32c gravel kings can go back on, tubed though because I've tried before and cannot get them to inflate tubeless!!
If it's dry I think I'll stick with the pro ones, despite them being skinny!! 😲
If it's damp, does anything really grip anyway!?
Well I did my first big-ish ride yesterday. 60 miles and 6000ft in Bowland. Took in Nick o'pendle, Waddington fell and the trough amongst other smaller climbs. I appreciate this is totally different riding compared to the RVC.
Verdict is..... It was bloody hard!! Once at the 50 mile mark I start to struggle!!
I ate porridge and granola for breakfast, 3 oat and fruit bars, 2 bits of flap Jack and an energy gel plus water and a cappucino!
On the plus side, The tyres held up nicely, seemed to get on fine with them.
I've got Thurs /fri off next week so hopefully the weather will let me get out for another try!!
RVC cancelled, currently postponed until September! Inevitable I guess.
Well bugger, not sure my legs were expecting this decision;
http://www.k-ca.org/rvc-2020/4595037170
RVC going ahead.
In two minds about going or deferring. Suspect i'll still go but i've been pretty lazy on the road bike.
Seems like they’re gaming it a bit, starting groups of ten when there’s a restriction on groups of more than six meeting to exercise still in place. And allowing teams of ten to start.
"unfortunately" my work is in a right shambles at the moment so I'm working some extra weekends throughout September so won't be able to take part!
Deferral to next year it is.
To be honest, I'm kinda happy about that. I've done a couple of longer rides recently and I'm still unsure if I'm capable of competing the full thing. Think I was a bit over ambitious signing up for this!!
Anyone ride it yesterday? How did you get on?
Weather looked good. I ended up at work so not riding till next year. There's no way I could make it round at the moment though. I went for a ride in Bowland today and that was hard enough!
It was great(?). It's hard enough with the cobbled climbs but made much harder by a brutal headwind on the long draggy climbs at the start and over Keighley road. Scammonden bridge is still shut so Steele Lane was cut from the route which was a godsend as the slog up to Buckstones into the wind would have been awful. It was warm and sunny though and the cobbles dry thank god. Shibden wall was hard (see below), Gibb Lane harder, Old Lane laughable, and Trooper Lane a comical test in how slow you could ride a bike and remain upright. 117 riders signed on and the covid stuff was all sorted. Probably the hardest road sportive I've done, and that include the Fred Whitton.
Chipps did it i think according to tindagram. Rolled my entry to next year, well done to all that did it. Knocking scammy off would have been a godsend with that headwind.
Yeah. That hurt. There may have been a few tears into the headwind climb back out of Oxenhope. Also I’m not sure whether I was laughing or crying as I rounded the bend on Trooper Lane to discover I was (at most) half way up. I clung to a wall for a bit just to stop the world spinning. Also possibly to have hysterics and a word with myself. Chuffed I didn’t get off and that I finished at all in current unfit state.
Also doing an actual event was lovely and the organisers did a great job of keeping it organised and minimising risk.
I did one of the climbs early Saturday morning on a 160mm travel bike with super tacky tyres. Piece of piss 🙂