Words and photos by Howard Johnson
Creating a series of events, that will stand out from the crowd can be a formidable task, and at first impressions of UK Cycling Events’ Jurassic Beast, it appears it can be done. Wiggle and UK Cycling Events have signed a three-year deal which will see them working together to ensure every rider has a brilliant event experience.
With many of the events based at prestigious venues in beautiful countryside, rider satisfaction is sure to be high. I have had a preview of what is in store, and it promises to raise the standard of what should be expected at an event. I met Martin Barden and his colleagues of UK Cycling Events recently and was taken through the rider experience for the Jurassic Beast being held on May 2nd in Dorchester.
Starting at the Tank Museum in Bovington, there is ample tarmac parking facilities and additional overflow parking on adjacent land. Prior to the events Garmin will be providing quality GPS mapping via their Garmin Connect site. Before the start, all riders will pick up their timing chip and a complimentary sample of chamois cream from Butt’r , and if required you can receive mechanical support to ensure your bike is running smoothly before heading out on the course.
With our preloaded route on my Garmin 705 set to Silver standard ( 4 hours) for the 66 mile route we set off into the Jurassic wilderness in search of hills. For the riders choosing the Epic route, the turn off for the extra 30 mile loop is only 2 miles from the start. This ensures the Epic riders will catch up with the riders on the standard route and complete the remainder of the standard route together. There are no sudden hilly surprises on the standard route; the first real test of leg power comes after 12 miles with the climb to East Chaldon. This is quite short, straight and rises to a 21% gradient towards the top. I was promised spectacular views, but the mist and sea fog on the day of our ride obscured what I am told is a beautiful view between the valleys and down to the sea.
A short sharp descent takes you towards the coast and the gunnery ranges for the Armoured Brigade. I am assured they have the weekend off, as you will be directed off the main road and onto a side road next to the gunnery targets, and a further test of strength and stamina up to the first feed station after 22 miles of the standard course and another 20% gradient. All events will have well stocked feed stations with free top class energy products courtesy of High5 and a tasty Eat Natural bar. Feed stations will have a ‘Eat me’ and ‘Keep me’ foods; so riders can top their energy instantly with bananas, cakes and flapjacks but also take a High5 energy bar or gel to help them to the next feed station.
The descent with a few short sharp rises takes the riders though Steeple, Church Knowle and on to Corfe Castle with its stunning views of its hill top castle. There will be marshals at the junction of the main road and you now take a clockwise route upwards towards Kingston to reach the 40 mile point of the standard ride and the second feed station. On the descent there is one tricky right hand turn where you will need to be in your lowest gear before you turn right, otherwise there will be lots of gears crashing and expletives. This corner will also be very well signed, but beware.
The 8 mile descent from Kingston to Stoborough Ridge will give you sufficient time to refuel and recover before the final major climb of the day at Cocknowle. You will know the climb is around the corner once you see a rather large duck pond on the left. If your legs are sore, stop here for a moment, feed yourself and not the ducks; this one is long, straight and a painful 17% at the top. The reward however is a short sharp twisty descent at first and then it opens out to a long arrow straight drop for over a mile. Let the bike go and enjoy the speed you have earned it.
Don’t believe the ride is done yet there is still one long drag and a few short sharp climbs to drain the final ounces of energy from the legs. Once you arrive at Coombe Keynes there is just less than 5 miles to go, mostly downhill and back to the Tank Museum.
As you finish, riders will receive a finisher medal and a free copy of Cycling Active. Complimentary bike wash facilities courtesy of Mobi power washers and bike wash products from Fenwicks, are available for those wishing to clean their bikes. Riders can then relax with a Massage, a cup of tea and a piece of Farmhouse cake.
A quick word about the Garmin files. They have been designed so that a rider can download a route and a bronze, silver or gold award. You download the route and save this into the TRAINING folder on your Garmin. At the start, press the start button and follow the route and/or the Virtual Training Partner. Please do not forget that the Virtual Training Partner is not set at constant speed. The 16mph average and drops in relation to the gradient but it is only a guide and at various points on the course may well be ahead or a long way behind you, as it may climb hills quicker than you but you may well be quicker on the flats. Virtual Training Partner is a guide only, albeit an accurate one and a useful tool to have towards the end of the ride.
This ride has a 4 out of 5 difficulty rating, and I would agree with this. For a sportive in May, riders should have the stamina and energy to complete, and I did this in March! It hurt as it always does on the climbs, but the pain was eased with some eye watering descents and what promises to be some wonderful scenery after riding through chocolate box villages, I would even recommend that you bring a camera and record some of the views for posterity.
For more information on this and the other events in the Wiggle Super Series visit the Cyclosport events page (click here) or www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk. You can enter on the Wiggle website, where you also get your Wiggle discount (up to 5%) for the event.