Cycle Sportives

Puncheur tomorrow, anyone?

Whitedown is a hill - you'll get up it. Gradient numbers are only useful for bragging rights at the end!

Good to know the gradient you've done just for comparison so you know what you're letting yourself in for with future rides!

I'm crap with anything numeric anyway-makes more sense to me in terms of breathing hard-steep-fucking steep-puke off the bike... etc.

Whitedown is significantly steeper than Ditchling Beacon.

Someone who cycles regularly should be able to ride up both.

really?!

jeebus I must be getting fitter than I was in Jan then. I remember the Ditchling being an epic acid-pumping nightmare of a climb...

Whitedown is a motherfucker.

Will be riding down it tomorrow (thank fuck) on the Surrey Rumble.

This will be kinda Flanders prep for me. After flanders track only :)

http://www.londonphoenix.co.uk/

Is open, i found this fairly tough going but I was poorly prepared, looking forwward to better ride this year

Just signed up-be nice to have a non-hill event on the calendar and good chance to work on my woeful average pace...

Surprisingly good graphic design compared to a lot of the other club sportive websites too eh?

The Easter Classic was good fun. Away for this one. Tomorrow should be "interesting".

It was good. Marathon Plus 25s not so good over long Paris-Roubaixesque rides. Fuck me there were some potholes out there. Where can I get a cheap kidney belt? Good ride for me, Jay seemed happy, Dov had knee? issues, Grupetto are in a pub somewhere..

Winter training issues more rightly... Just presented themselves at the knee.

On my commute in this am I wondered what it would be like on the Rumble condition wise, bit cold & grey, not sure if the breeze was a plus or minus

Normalised power fucking spot on at 233W.
Not bad pacing for 190k/7 hours of riding! If I do say so myself.

Winter training issues more rightly... Just presented themselves at the knee.

bingo! my left knee is toast... :(

http://www.londonphoenix.co.uk/

Is open, i found this fairly tough going but I was poorly prepared, looking forwward to better ride this year

Entered - looks good.

Got up White Lane OK today, so feeling less nervous about Whitedown on the Spring Onion next week.

doing the spring onion this weekend coming - not been able to get on the bike often enough recently due to illness and being away.

Did 60k yesterday on the new bike and felt surprisingly fresh, so hoping that 100k will be alright. Not worried about speed, just worried about getting round and over the hills in one piece.

Oh, and I'm doing the Dragon ride too..

One more for the Spring Onion. I have no idea how I'll do, I've been concentrating most of my training on running for the winter and it will be the first proper ride on my "too nice to commute on" bike.
Just getting to the end will do me. If I can join a group on the road who are happy to plod and enjoy the view, that would be a bonus.

tempted to do the onion, got a free one on friday. Any places left for on the line?

No online places but I think you can turn up and get a place on the starting line, but only once the rest of the riders have gone. Think that means a 10 am start

You'll probably still pass me :)

Been fighting off illness all week - just hope I can hold out until Sunday. No doubt that I will be quite slow

What speed do you reckon you'll average for the spring onion? I'm hoping for 16ish, but that could be a bit hopeful given there's a few good hills.

16 is fine. Might even be able to push 17 or 18 in a good group.

Anyone up for meeting at the Spring Onion around 8am? Got a mate coming along, would be good to have a group at least to start until some fast buggers leave us behind :)

Advanced weather forecast for Leatherhead on Sunday is rain, plus wind at 9mph with 20mph gusts.

Looking forward to it!

16 is fine. Might even be able to push 17 or 18 in a good group.

In light of the weather, consider 16 a target...