Inters/A ride Fred Whitton Challenge 08/05/2016

[James Milner]

Six of us convened in the car park of the Cross Keys Taddy Road at 10am on Saturday morning for the drive up to Cumbria. After loading the bikes in to the back of Graham's van we split in to 2 threes, Tony and Dr Joe going with Graham and Rich and Ian W coming with me.

A beautiful day for a drive in the countryside on which we managed to set a record for holding out for the first comfort break. It's usually around the 10 mile mark on an average A ride, but we held out all the way to Gargarve on this occasion! Bladders emptied we continued on to Cumbria where headed straight to the FW HQ in Grasmere to sign on and collect our timing chips which would save us time the following morning.

It was good to be able to take in some of the atmosphere of the event while we still had time to appreciate it. The place was buzzing - full of cyclists all eager to get underway in the morning. There were plenty of souvenirs of the event on offer and a little retail therapy was indulged in, particularly by Dr Joe whose new wife appeared to have neglected to take his credit card off him before letting him out to play for the weekend.

All sorted for the following day we headed down to the Youth Hostel in Ambleside, which was to be our base for the weekend. And what a wonderful base it was too. Set in a stunning lakeside location, right on the water's edge it really is a prime piece of real estate. The management were fairly relaxed about letting us take our bikes up to the room, which gave us all peace of mind that we were actually going to have something to ride in the morning.

With the temperature soaring outside and with six of us in the room it made for a fairly uncomfortable night and none of us had managed much sleep before the alarm went off at 4.30am.

We were all raring to go however and following breakfast we hit the road at around 5.45 for the 5 mile ride up to the start in Grasmere. There were already hundreds of cyclists underway coming in the opposite direction and we managed to spot Dave and Suzanne on the tandem and gave them a wave and shouted some encouragement to them.

We crossed the start line at 6.30 and headed back down the hill through Ambleside before taking a left turn to start the day's first ascent up the Kirkstone Pass. It's a longish climb of around 5 miles but not too taxing, which meant we all arrived at the top within a few minutes of each other before continuing on together. The descent off the Kirkstone is one of the fastest on the ride and, given that people were fresh and pumped up almost inevitably meant that it was a prime place for an accident to happen. Unfortunately that proved to be the case as one guy found out to his cost when his tyre blew just before the bridge on a tightish corner. Not only was his bike wrecked but he was airlifted to hospital with multiple fractures and I suspect it's going to be a long time before he gets on a bike again. It really served to remind us ( if indeed we needed reminding) that the descents on the Fred need treating with the utmost respect. They are frighteningly steep and if you get up too much speed and aren't able to bring it under control before the next bend, it's going to hurt. A lot! One of the main problems is that some people think they can do all their braking at once and end up cooking their rims which leads to blow outs. Modulated steady braking and alternating from front to rear is what is required. Running out of brakes and ideas at the same time is not a good option!

We continued on through Patterdale and Glenridding, following the southern end of Ullswater where we we rewarded with some stunning views up the lake, the early morning mist still hanging over the water.

We soon started to climb again and headed up past Matterdale End to Troutbeck where we joined the A66 towards Keswick. Steve and Dawn, who were also taking part were at the junction as we turned on to the A66 and we crossed paths at various intervals throughout the day. This was one of the easier parts of the ride on a gently rolling smooth main road, with nothing much to sap the legs and, fortunately, not too much motorised traffic either.

After Keswick we were back on to quieter country roads for the ride down to Seatoller and the start of the Honister Pass. The Honister rightly has a reputation as one of the hardest in the Lake District, which is no surprise with gradients in excess of 25%. This was the first major test for most people and proved too much for some with many opting to get off the bike and walk to the top. I am happy to report that the honour of Clifton CC remained intact however with all A riders staying firmly on the bike. A fast descent off the top of Honister again caught some people out and there were sadly some casualties there.

Before long we arrived at the first feed station at Buttermere Youth Hostel where I found Dave and Suzanne on the tandem and was able to introduce myself. By now we were a little strung out again but, as we had agreed before the ride the faster riders waited for the others to catch up so we were able to regroup. The feed station at Buttermere was probably one of the few parts of the ride that could be improved upon as it is very tight for space and there was quite a queue for food. By now though the sun was well and truly out and the temperature was climbing rapidly so we were well and truly ready for some refreshment. As it says in the ride description though, it's not a good idea to fill your boots too much at this feed stop as, within 200 yards of restarting, you're straight in to the next climb of the day over Newlands Pass.

Fortunately Newlands is not the longest of climbs but it is fairly steep and ramps up at the end. Also, coming straight after the stop it needs treating with a little respect while you get your legs going again. After an initially steep descent it eases off for a long, gentle ride down the valley to Braithwaite where the scenery can probably be described as pretty rather than dramatic as much of the rest of the scenery is. This was a good spot to let the road do the work and give the legs a rest while enjoying the views and the sunshine, which, once it appeared after an overcast start, never left us all day.

After Braithwaite comes the start of Whinlatter Pass which, being one of the lowest in the Lake District, is wooded most of the way up, giving a welcome respite from the increasingly hot sun on this occasion or perhaps wind and rain on others. After Whinlatter comes a straightish fast descent down to Lorton and another chance to rest the legs before the road starts to climb once again up to Cold Fell. Much of the climb is fairly gentle across open moorland which I imagine could be quite brutal in bad weather, before it ramps up sharply at the end. I have to say I was pleased to see the impromptu feed station at this point, organised by one of the local clubs, as I had run out of water and was feeling a little dehydrated with the constant sun beating down. The support we received at this point, the constant encouragement from the crowds at the roadside, was one of the features of the day and will be one of the abiding memories of the experience.

After Cold Fell comes the descent to Calder Bridge and the second feed stop where I arrived at 12.55pm and was already fed and watered when the others started coming in. It was good to regroup though and learn that everyone was feeling good before we set off and headed over Irton Pike where the group fragmented again before the ride up Eskdale to the bottom of the main event of the day - Hardknott Pass.

It's been documented here already that we've all done our best to be as well prepared for this event as possible. We've been up Blakey, we've been up Boltby, we've been up the Chimney Bank, we've been up Leavening, Acklam, Barthorpe and Painsthorpe. We've done the Thixendale spiro. Nothing but nothing quite prepares you for the wall of pain and suffering that is the Hardknott Pass. Fiercely steep at the bottom, ramping up almost immediately to 30% before easing back to a 'gentle' 10 to 15%. You get back in the saddle, making the most of the opportunity to rest before lifting your eyes to the horizon and taking in the view ahead of you. That's when it really starts to mess with your head as you try to take in the enormity of the task ahead. A wall of suffering reaching up to the sky. A line of cyclists looking like so many ants from this distance and you realise that most of them have dismounted and are pushing their bikes over the steepest section. You realise that, physically, you're in good shape and so the only thing that's going to prevent you from pedalling all the way to the top is you. This climb makes anything we've got in this part of the world seem tame.But onwards and upwards you go. The crowds are getting thicker and more vociferous, egging you on all the way. Then you come round the left hander leading to the final switchback and the steepest section and you hear a Cumbrian voice shout ' Come on Clifton - Yorkshire, Yorkshire!' and you know you're nearly there. You can't fail now. The hardest is behind you and, at last, it starts to ease before you emerge over the top, elated that you've done yourself and Clifton proud. What a climb! And what a descent ahead of you. The surface is like a moonscape, there's little grip, even on a dry day and there's hairpin bend after hairpin bend. Frankly it's a relief to make it over the bridge at the bottom before the road finally levels out and you can rest while as you approach Wrynose and the final challenge of the day.

Wrynose Pass is every bit as steep as its big sister, but, thankfully, it's not as long and it doesn't climb as far, having lost little more than half your altitude on the previous descent. It still looks pretty daunting. Compared to, say, Blakey or the Chimney Bank it's still a monster. But it's not Hardknott, and you've already done Hardknott and there's nothing they can throw at you now that's going to stop you getting over this one. Still as you look up to the final, steepest section of the climb you're aware that hardly anybody is on the bike and you're going to have to do it on your own. They're a gracious and supportive bunch, Fred Whittoners though, and the encouragement you get as you ride past them is phenomenal, spurring you on to the summit. And then that's it. You've done it. The descent is every bit as tough as the climb in its own way as your hands ache from the effort of constantly pulling on the brake levers in order to keep enough speed off to get you down safely.

There's still ten miles or so to go to finish but you can start to relax now and enjoy the ride once again. There's plenty of supporters still out on the roads cheering you on, making you feel like a million bucks. Then it was nice to hear a family voice behind me as Ian W caught me and we were able to ride to the finish together. Our official time was 10 hours 7 minutes but my Garmin said it was just a shade over 8 hours actual riding time which obviously doesn't include the time spent at feed stations etc. Most of the rest of the guys rolled in in fairly short order behind myself and Ian, with only Rich struggling a little towards the end due to his old problems with his back flaring up and putting him in some pain.

Ride of the day has to go to Dr Joe who seems to have found the form of his life before he jets off on a much deserved honeymoon.

Revelation of the day goes to Ian W who, despite not being able to get out with us every Saturday and sometimes struggling a little on club rides, proved that power to weight ratio counts for a lot, as does dogged determination.

The sheer guts and determination award goes to Rich for digging deep when he found his limit and getting there in the end.

The award for the quiet and considered approach goes to Graham who, as ever just kept gently tapping away and making sure he achieved what he set out to do with the minimum of fuss.

The all rounder award goes to Tony, who's not the best climber and not the best sprinter, but just has a big diesel engine that's always going to keep him going long after most have run out of steam.

As for me, I award myself the showboating award for pulling my empty bidon out of the cage and throwing it in to the cheering crowd as I crossed the finish line! Always wanted to do it. Couldn't resist.

Our thanks and appreciation must go to the organisers who put on a magnificent event and to the many hundreds of supporters who lined the route, encouraging us all the way. The sun hardly stopped shining and the weather was magnificent all weekend, all of which helped make the event the memorable occasion that it was. It was wonderful to spend the weekend with such a great bunch of guys, all of whom did themselves and Clifton proud. All in all it's going to take some beating!

As for the rest of the weekend: what happens in Cumbria stays in Cumbria!

Thanks guys. See you in the square Saturday.

[Dr Dave]

..... All in all it's going to take some beating! ......

Sounds like you all had a grand day out

What next for the intrepid Inters team? Sounds like you'd enjoy the Dales Grimpeur - 141 miles and 14800 feet