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On Sunday, Doctor Bike (Andy Sinclair) and I completed the Dartmoor Classic Cyclosportive 2008. Yippee!
Dr Bike and Bernard About To Set Off
It was bloody hard, partly because it was so hot, partly because we hadn’t done nearly enough training, and mostly because I weigh so much! If there were prizes in the Over 100Kg category, I reckon I would have placed pretty well. I might even have won.
Me showing off my trophy - my very own piece of Dartmoor Granite
It was a beautiful day, and the whole event was impeccably organised. So smooth, in fact, it reminded me of a Chain Gang bike tour (sic). We had to cycle 100 miles around and across Dartmoor, setting off at about 8.00 am on Sunday morning. To my astonishment there were about 2,000 riders, split between the 100 Km and the 100 Mile event. We had timers fitted to the front wheel of our bikes, rider numbers attached to the handlebars, it felt very professional.
It reminded me a bit of a period a few years ago when I entered a few aquathlons (swimming and running). You have a number written on your leg, and it’s difficult to wash off. So for a few days it’s like a badge of honour if you’re wearing shorts or swimming: “I compete. I’m a racer”.
The illusion only ever lasted until my first stroke, but you could see some people a week later who had obviously gone to great lengths to make sure their competitor number hadn’t rubbed off. Part of me wanted to keep my rider number, 1262, on my bike, but by the time I got to the train station to come home I was just too embarrassed. Anyway, it felt great for a day.
The scenery was just fabulous. We started off cycling north from Kingsteignton toward the first control at Okehampton at the beginning of the Granite Way cycle path. Then we skirted the north of the moor ending up at Lydford Gorge, cycling down the west side of the moor towards Tavistock, a murderous slog up to the 2nd control in Princetown before making our way back via Two Bridges, Dartmeet and Haytor.
Here’s the route in full. Note that with a total ascent of 3,368 metres that’s slightly more than cycling up Mont Ventoux twice on the same day, so I don’t feel too bad about feeling a little bit tired.
And here's Andy with his very own piece of Dartmoor Granite
You’ll see that me and Andy finished nearly last of the finishers. I’m not sure it’s meant to be a race, and we certainly didn’t treat it like one, but I’d like to mention a fantastic performance by John Nolan, aka The Cannibal of previous blog postings.
You’ll get some idea of why Andy and I found it difficult to keep up with John on the hills when I tell you that John was the 12th finisher on Sunday, in a time of just under 6 hours. And this is a very hilly day, I’ll tell you.
On the last day of our Tuscany cycle tour there is a particularly nasty hill between the Abbey of Saint Antimo and lunch at Bagno Vignoni. Sunday was like riding up and down that hill all day long. So under 6 hours is a bit special. Over 9 hours suggests a particularly leisurely approach to proceedings, but we had a really great day.
A brilliant ride John, hats off to you. And thank you to the Mid-Devon Cycling Club for a fantastic day out.
We’ll be back, Doctor Bike and I. I’ll be competing firmly in the Under 100Kg category, and who knows, we might just try and threaten the 8 hour mark.
Next Sunday, my friend Doctor Bike and I are entered for the Dartmoor Cycle Challenge . It’s a 100 mile bike ride round Dartmoor, which for those who don’t know is an area of moorland in the southwest of England, probably most famous as the home of the Hound of the Baskervilles.
The key thing about the Dartmoor Challenge, of course, is that I haven’t prepared properly for it. Gulp! When it’s 6 months away it seems like such a great idea. May always sounds beautiful and sunny in October, and of course 6 months is plenty of time to get ready for a long bike ride. One week isn’t enough time, and anybody who’s spent the last 2 months in the UK will tell you May isn’t quite so lovely right now either.
Last September we did Stage 2 from the Tour of Britain together, which ended up being 130 miles, and included some serious climbing over Exmoor and the infamous Porlock Hill. There are hills in the Dordogne of course, and in Provence and Tuscany. But there ain’t nothing like this, or I don’t suppose we’d ever have any repeat custom!
In fact, let’s celebrate Porlock Hill just for a minute. It’s the UK’s steepest A road, and they’ve had to build a shallower toll road to enable caravans and coaches to get up the hill. This is the route the Tour of Britain took up the hill. But not me and Andy, aka Dr Bike!
And here is something wonderful. A bunch of exuberant lunatics freeboarding down the final, steepest corner of Porlock Hill. I could never have done this in my life, and was never brave anyway, but I love watching other people doing it:
Back to Dartmoor
Bernard Climbing First Hill
I’ve found some photos of me and Andy doing the last Dartmoor Devil. I wish someone had told me how stupid I looked in my blue hat and Chianti cycle shirt.
It’s a lovely hat, and a lovely shirt (thank you Julian and Tanya respectively, both coincidentally Chain Gang Tuscany alumni), but cycling gear really only suits people in good shape, like Dr Bike. What a fashion disaster!
The ‘Devil is specifically a climbing event, where the organisers try to take you over the steepest, longest climbs they can find. It’s always held on the last Sunday in October, and it’s meant to be very hard.
My only hope is that the Dartmoor Challenge takes a more forgiving view of the Dartmoor hills. Otherwise, frankly, I’ve got no chance. I should be able co-ordinate the clothing a bit better though.
