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The Long Weekend Challenge, 25th /26th June 2011

by Edje

What is the Long Weekend Challenge and why do it?

Well, it consists of completing the two longest cyclosportive events in the UK in the same weekend at the end of June nearest the longest day. These are Wiggle’s The Long One, 126 mostly hilly miles in the South Downs from the Open Air Museum at Singleton just north of Chichester, and Kilotogo’s Flat Out in the Fens, 154 almost totally flat miles around the Cambridgeshire fens from Peterborough, some 280 miles in all.

The challenge was originally made by Cycling Weekly in early 2010 ahead of that year’s events. However, as they pointed out in their write up to the two events later that year (9th September 2010 edition - yes, I kept it!), ‘no-one was brave enough to take on the challenge'. They went on in the article to re-issue the challenge for 2011 with the incentive of offering to refund the entry costs for anyone who completed it. Well, to me and it seems seven others too this was a red rag to a bull and I and I decided more or less immediately that I would give it a go.

I just needed to ensure I got enough miles of training in and it should be fine as I had after all, I reasoned, managed the 122 mile Dave Lloyd Mega Challenge (DLMC) in North Wales, which took in 11 major climbs including a brutal mountain top finish on Bwlch Penbarras,

Having done quite a number of 100-mile plus sportives in recent years, including the 2010 edition of the very tough Dave Lloyd Mega Challenge (122 miles and some very serious climbing including a brutal summit finish on Bwlch Penbarras near Ruthin), I felt confident that I could do either event on their own but I knew that putting the two together in the same weekend would take me into new territory. However, this would just be a few more miles with less hills but two days in a row, wouldn’t it? And living near Cambridge with family not so far from Chichester the logistics were staked in my favour. Easy eh? Well maybe….

My training plan included three sportives of increasing length in the three preceding months (the 78 mile Jodrell Bank Sportive in March, the 104 mile AMR Peterborough 100 in April and the 114 mile Evans Cycles King of the Downs in May) along with steadily increasing the mileage and intensity of each training ride and doing longer rides on consecutive days. It went well as far as the sportives were concerned, although I ended up doing King of the Downs a fortnight after a chest infection with the help of antibiotics and inhaled steroids (all for medicinal use of course, as Alessandro Petacchi said after 25 doses of Ventolin). However, the other training rides did not go quite to plan due to said infection despite managing a 123-mile day at exactly the point I had planned to. So, by the time the long weekend was upon me I felt as ready as I was going to be but was still a bit concerned about pacing for the first event and then recovering after it so that I had enough energy for the second.

A last minute bonus to my preparation came from the article in Cycling Weekly about the Long Weekend Challenge a week ahead of the events that included tips on recovery and preparation between the events. Accordingly I packed up for The Long One with some leg warmers to use as compression tights and more in the way of bottles for after event drinks and recovery drinks that I would normally have done so.

Of the two rides I know the area for Flat out in the Fens, as I live nearby and did the short route the first year it was run but did not know the area for the Long One other than having had a good look at the route from the CW article. It looked like a great route, which it proved to be, but it had worried me a bit partly because the time limit was quite tight and partly because it kept billing itself as ‘possibly the UK's hardest sportive’. I was not convinced of that by the route map and profile but kept wondering whether it had something up its sleeve that was not obvious from the stats.

The weekend of the challenge was upon me before I really had time to think it through properly and I duly set off to see my nephew and his wife and new baby about 30 miles north of Singleton the night before. Only over dinner and associated banter including various questions about my sanity did I really start to wonder what I had let myself in for. And added to that it rained cats and dogs that night. So, by the time dawn was upon me and I was driving off in the early light in a light drizzle and on very wet roads, I was beginning to agree that I really must be a bit mad.

Fortunately the rain stopped just after I arrived around 7am so as I prepared my bike and I spent some time debating footwear and whether I should use my waterproof Sealskinz socks and or overshoes as I knew the roads would be pretty wet to start with but that it was forecast to get quite warm later in the day. In the end I opted for the Sealskinz and not overshoes with a view to keeping my feet dry and warm but accepting the risk that they might then get a bit hot later in the day.

I started off a quite a gentle pace conscious that if I went at my usual pace and pushed as I might have done I would be likely to be in trouble the next day.

I set off in the third group just after 7.30 and was soon glad of having waterproof socks on as the roads were every bit as wet as I thought they would be. I concentrated on trying to find a sensible pace that I could comfortably maintain for the day that was slower than I would go for if I was only doing the one event so as to leave me with something in the tank for the next day. So, it was hard to let most of the group I started with ride away from me but I kept reminding myself of the need to pace it properly. However, nearly an hour in as we approached the first couple of climbs I caught up some of the group who had stopped to help someone with what proved to be a ride-stopping mechanical problem with his gears. I soon hooked up with two of the group, Geoff and Angus, teachers from Hampshire, and I rode pretty much the rest of the route with them as they were riding at what felt like a good pace for me, especially on the climbs where we were well matched.

The first three marked climbs of Uppark, Butser Hill and Old Winchester Hill proved to be not as challenging as I had feared and I enjoyed them. The only disappointment was that the tops were well and truly in post-rain mist so the stunning views that riders last year had enjoyed of the Isle of Wight and the North and South Downs could only be imagined. The overnight rain also resulted in a lot of punctures due to all the debris that had been washed on to the roads. I was lucky and escaped any thanks I am sure to my Continental 4 Seasons tyres, which I have been really impressed with since I started using them (2 sets, over 6,000 miles and just one puncture), but my riding companions, Geoff and Angus were not so lucky and had a few between them. However, I felt that the extra unscheduled stops were probably to my benefit for the day after.

The roads began to dry out as we approached the half-way mark towards Midhurst and the final course split, which we made with just over an hour to spare. Between the first and second feed stops we noticed that we kept getting signs for Petersfield and they all seemed to be 3 miles. Something of a theme developed and we wondered whether there was a Petersfield triangle as we never got there but equally for ages never seemed to get any further away than 3 miles according to the signs.

The top half of the ride up to and around Haslemere felt a bit different to the route to Midhurst with more evenly undulating roads, hidden lanes and less in the way of views even though the mists had cleared. By the time we reached the third and final feed stop the roads were pretty much dry and the sun was trying to come out. My feet were dry and not too hot and I was feeling quite pleased with my choice of footwear, especially given the state of my bike, which bore all the signs of very wet roads. As we pushed on to the final part of the route and the three final late climbs I ended up riding away from my companions for the day, who had christened me the 'team nutter' when they learned that I was attempting the Long Weekend, due to some further mechanical problems. I heard quite a few complaints about Duncton Down being a really tough climb but I really enjoyed the alpine like ascent and views at the top. Similarly the final climb up on to Charlton Down and the opportunity to see Goodwood race course. And then the promised final descent to the finish was every bit as much fun as predicted with a 45 mph plus swoop down leaving me with a big smile for the finish. My time was 'only' a bronze (9hrs 21) due to the extra stops but the time on he bike was reasonable at just over 8 hours.

The organisers had provided Mobi Washers, which were very handy to get the worst off the bike before the three hour drive home and rather later night preparation for Flat out in the Fens that I would ideally have liked. As soon as I had got back to the finish line I remembered the advice from the CW article and donned my compression tights (well, leg warmers) and took a quick recovery shake before saying my congratulations, thanks for the companionship and then farewells to Geoff and Angus. I hope to be able to meet up with them for a future ride.

The drive from Sussex up to Cambridge, where I live, as it happens conveniently for the Long Weekend, was fine but long and I got home in the end about 8pm. After a big bowl of pasta to fuel up for the next day I had to spend a good hour or so getting my bike properly clean and prepared for the next day. Oh for a team mechanic I thought wistfully as I mused whether the logistics were going to be the biggest part of the challenge rather than the mere 280 miles of riding.

The forecast for Flat Out was for initial cloud cover and then hot sunshine so pretty different to the day before. When I rolled up at Peterborough Regional College a bit later than I had planned it was overcast and reasonably cool for which I was glad. After unexpectedly seeing a fellow participant of the London to Paris ride I did two years before who now owns Fatbirds cycle shop in Hunstanton and was filling in for Wiggle who couldn't make it, I set off at 7.30 feeling much better than I had expected after the 126 miles the day before. The first part of the route to the first feed station and short route cut off was very well known to me and I had ridden all the roads a number of times. I hooked up quickly with two other local riders, Chris from Peterborough and John from very near me on the west of Cambridge and with whom I hope to meet up for some future rides, and we got a decent pace going into the a headwind, which was fortunately not as strong as it can be out in the fens. John and Chris were doing the so-called short route (a not so short 77 miles) so we parted after the first feed stop and I soon hooked up with another couple who increased my pace a bit, which as it turned out was a good thing.

When we stopped at the second feed stop I realised to my horror that I had completely forgotten about the cut-off time for the long route and had just ten minutes to make it. So, with only time to top up my bottles and grab a banana to eat on the bike I shot off as fast as I could. Three riders from Leeds City Velo were also riding like the wind, for the same reason as it turned out, and I latched on to the back of their train and the four of us made the cut for the long route with one minute to spare! Too close for my comfort as it would have been a desperate disappointment to be turned away having got so far. And so it was I continued as the Flamme Rouge of the event, for a while at least. I fully expected the City Velo guys, Nick, Simon and Dean, to leave me behind once they too had made the cut for which they had bust a gut having not started until 8am. However, they eased their pace and the four of us rode most of the rest of the ride together.

Fortunately the sun did not finally break out over the fens until around 1pm and we were well past the long route cut off. And then it just got hotter and hotter and hotter. And the openness of the countryside felt like it intensified the heat even more. Most of the roads were very quiet and we saw only a few cars other than at a couple of points where we had to cross main routes. The enforced stops to wait for a gap were no bad thing for me in light of the distance being covered. When we got to the third feed stop I realised just how hot it was as I felt like I was going to boil over without the slight wind to cool me down. We discussed the wisdom of only three stops for so long a route especially in such hot weather as everyone had drained their bottles by the stop. An additional water stop would have been welcome and sensible really.

The final run in to the finish was characterised by a series of very long and straight roads which seemed to go on for ever. And they felt all the more so as the temperature soared to over 30C. I finished off the ride on my own as the City Velo boys took an additional stop as one of them was feeling the effects of their mad dash in the first half to make the cut-off. With about 15 miles to go I was definitely feeling I had been on my bike for quite long enough for one weekend and I just put my head down and pedalled as fast as I could to get it done. And it was with some relief that I made it back to find I had achieved a silver time (9hrs 49 overall and just over 9 hours on the bike) and felt pretty good other than being very hot indeed. So, I had done it and comfortably in the end. And within the target I had set myself of no more than 20 hours overall so I felt pretty pleased with myself.

I met up with two other riders on the Long One who said they were doing the Long Weekend too and saw both at the finish of Flat Out so knew there were at least three of us. I later found out from Simon Thompson from Kilotogo that there were eight of us, which was quite a lot less than I had expected.

So, how hard was it? Well with sensible pacing and using the good advice from CW about pacing and recovery it was reasonably comfortably achieved. And after all, while the distances covered were long there are a good number of people who do those sorts of distances in audaxes, touring or as long time trials. But it was a challenge for me and one I was delighted to have been able to meet and which has given me the confidence to think about some other multi-day events such as the Haute Route from Geneva to Nice. In the end probably the hardest part for me was the logistics of getting to and from both events in good shape without support. It made me appreciate how good it must be to ride with a team and have all that taken care of. I felt pretty good the next day and managed 25 miles on the tandem with my wife, which was the least I could do having abandoned her for the whole weekend.

And finally the question of whether The Long One is the UK's hardest sportive? Well, sorry Wiggle, but no it isn't. King of the Downs, which I did a month before was as hard if not harder (the climbs certainly were) and the 2010 Dave Lloyd Mega Challenge was a lot tougher. And I know from both reputation and studying the routes, as well as having ridden some of the roads although not the events themselves, that the Fred Whitton and several other Cumbrian rides as well as the Ryedale Rumble and Bealach Moor are definitely harder. So, it is one of the hardest but not THE hardest.