Words and photos by Howard Johnson
Barbeque weather was predicted for the weekend, and in the Midlands on Saturday it certainly was warm and sunny. With rain overnight, Sunday dawned grey and miserable. The drive to Shrivenham didn’t ease the tension of what to wear, and whether to dress for the cold and the option of rain, or to go for the summer option. Many riders chose the latter and the reward was a warm day, with the sun breaking through on the White Horses of Wiltshire.
The HQ for the 150km route around the Wiltshire lanes was a quaint Village Hall with the quintessential cricket pitch at the rear. With sufficient off road parking and a very quick and easy registration process, all that remained was bikes to be unpacked and riders released in small groups for their day in the sun.
The anti clockwise route started with some rolling roads out towards Highworth and Lushill to allow the riders to get warmed up before the first little climb of the day at 5 miles. What became apparent early on was this route was designed by a man who likes a drink, as it was really a tour of all the local pubs, sadly at the time of day we were passing, all were closed.
Signage was clear throughout the course, with confirmation signs after a turn. There was one incident of a sign being torn down and turned the opposite way at a crossroads, but only a few riders were caught out by this and the sign was quickly restored to its correct position.
Feed stops were at 33 and at 65 miles. They were very well stocked with High 5 energy drinks, bananas, fruit cakes, biscuits, flapjack and Jaffa cakes; there were also toilets available. I must also say some of the volunteers were very helpful and energetic, so thank you for our time.
The first real climb of the day with gradients in excess of 12% came at 26 miles leading into Broad Town and the route was now following some very quiet farming lanes clear of traffic. Once the first feed stop had been negotiated, it was time to rejoin the main road at Cherhill for the long drag up past the first White Horse and into Avebury. By this time the sun was breaking through and the threats of rain were receding. Once into the winding streets of Avebury it was a quick passage past the large henge and several stone circles and is one of which is the largest Neolithic monuments in Europe thought to be about 5000 years old.
Once through Avebury and a short distance up the main road, it was a right turn back into the lanes and the hard climb past the second White Horse. With gradients reaching 30%, this was not even a short climb but a real leg ripper. The reward however was a long straight descent back down towards Marlborough. Once through the town it was a short distance down the A4 before the turn off and along the valley road following the river to the second feed of the day.
The second feed based at Froxfield allowed for further sustenance to be taken on board for the final part of the ride back past the gallops at Lambourn and the final coup de grace. Once down a quick descent to the crossroads, it was a sharp left and on towards Shrivenham, with the beautiful view of the Downs to the right. The organisers wanted the riders to enjoy the view even more, so arranged a sharp left, over the cattle grid and up we went. A short sharp climb enabled the riders to enjoy the spectacular Wiltshire landscape, if they could focus after the little detour.
Once down the other side it was a quick sprint back to the Event HQ, a medal and free tea and coffee and a chat with fellow riders of the day’s events.
Big is not always better or more beautiful, and this event is going to remain capped at 650 riders. Shrivenham could not take many more cars or riders, and the event organisation for this number of riders was first class; I did not hear any disparaging comments afterwards. So keep it small, keep it simple and keep the neighbours happy.
Riders Comments
Ricky Weatherall (pictured, left) has ridden the event for the last three years, and enjoyed everything about the day, with no complaints at all, especially as he achieved a Gold Award. He even enjoyed the pain on the hills. Ricky thought the conditions were ideal and his time of 5:01:48 showed he could turn the pedals at pace for his first event of the season. Later this year he is riding the Monmouth Classic event and then a week in the Alps with friends and to finish the year he is riding The Tour of Wessex.
Local lady from Swindon, Claire Smith (pictured, right) had a very quick time of 4:52:33 and was using the event as part of her training schedule for her Iron Man event in Austria in July. Once again only praise for the event organisers and the routing and clear signage on the course. As most mere mortals will get up the following day after an event feeling a little sore, Claire will be back in the lake at 6am on Monday morning putting in the hours of swim training.
Jason Disley and Sgt Martin Cope (pictured, left)
There were a number of Army personnel out and I was lucky enough to catch up with 2 guys from 14 Signal Regiment, currently based in Pembrokeshire. This is their second ever sportive, their baptism of fire being the Tour of Pembrokeshire last year when the weather was particularly poor. They raised over £16,000 last year and split the monies between Help for Heroes and Children’s Cancer Charities and are hoping to raise more money this year subject to work commitments. Jason (on the left) is off on a two year tour to Cyprus whist Sgt Cope is off to Afghanistan. Keep your head down Sarge and come back safe.
Jason completed the ride in 4:53:55 and Martin in 4:54:05, and they enjoyed the challenge of pushing themselves to Gold Award standard and thoroughly enjoyed the day out with lots of praise for the event and the organisation. Both the guys and their colleagues have had great support from Pembrokeshire Cycles in providing discounted bikes and support in their fund raising efforts. Chapeau.
Simon Greenwood (pictured, right) enjoyed the day out and thought he was going to get an easy ride, but started to feel the pain in the last 15 miles. The final climb really made Simon suffer and he admitted to his schoolboy error of not feeding himself enough during the day. Even so, Simon completed in Gold Award time of 5:0626. Simon had high praise for the organisers of the event, even though he did have a few extra miles added as one sign post had been changed from a left turn to right, but this was quickly reverted back to its original setting, before too many other riders had an unforeseen detour. Simon will be riding the Midland Monster next month, and then has a few cycling holidays planned. One is a coast to coast across the Pyrenees, two weeks and no rest days, followed by a tour of the Outer Hebrides.
Target Time Men: Richard Cooper 4:26:53
Target Time Female: Claire Smith 4:52:33
We Liked: Well designed course, organisation, feed stations
We Didn’t: Not a lot
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