Cycling Sportive Review : White Horse Challenge 2014

White Horse Challenge (April 2014)

This is the second year that I have cycled the White Horse Challenge (WHC), and is usually the first one that I'll ride each year as it is based around where I grew up in Oxfordshire/ Wiltshire.

The ride starts off in Shrivenham in Oxfordshire and then goes on a 144 km (90 mile) loop around Wiltshire whilst going up three of the white horses that there are to offer. The total elevation gain for the ride isn't one of the most gruelling that you'll ever encounter by a long way, but it is plenty enough to warm up the legs in April at 1,498m.

I was supposed to be riding with a number of guys who I ride with when I go back to visit my parents, along with a former colleague (Fraser) - however that soon when down the pan when he got stuck at the back of the queue of starters whilst everyone else shot off down the road without us! Going on the slight lack of training before the event, I have a feeling that this was a blessing in disguise as it meant that we were both able to set a sensible pace to potter around, and whilst I would get dropped on the climbs we would usually meet up either on the decent or at the feed station!

The plan was going perfectly until Fraser announced that a recent knee injury was playing up and any more stops to wait for me at the top of climbs would mean it was impossible to start moving again meant me doing the second half of the ride on my own - and I'm glad that it was my second year on the ride and knew what was still to come. Ramsbury hill isn't the longest of climbs, but it sure is a shock to those who aren't aware of it (which I found to my hilarity when a large group of club riders stormed past me at the 15% sign at the bottom of the hill to a flurry of comments like "Goodness me" and "Golly gosh" - at least, that's what I think I remember them saying!)

The biggest climb of the day is right at the end up the Uffington white horse, and is where the KOM competition takes place each year with a nice little prize for the fastest person between the timing mats. The climb starts on the B4507 and climbs up past Dragon hill, underneath the white horse and finishes just past the first of the visitor car parks.

Dragon Hill, for those that don't know, is supposed to be where St George slayed the dragon to become the patron Saint of England, although in my research there seems to be varying accounts of this so I'm going to stick with the local version (because I'm slightly biased!).

In those last 25km I have to say that I was suffering, and that I was really struggling to believe that I would get up the Uffington hill. However it's a miracle what an energy gel and a good-timed toilet break can do isn't it? I did nearly all my climbing on the day in the seat (Ramsbury was the only one that I couldn't), and annoying the photos don't do me justice! How is it that the pro cyclists like Froome, Wiggins and Quintana make it look like they are actually going up a hill fast and when it's me storming fast people who are struggling out the seat it looks like the passing in being reversed?!

The weather has to have a mention for that day as well, and for the second year in a row it couldn't have been more perfect! There was a little bit of cloud at times which helped to keep the temperature down, but for the vast majority of the day it was perfect and I'm still boasting the tan lines!

I've also had it pointed out to me that I need to thank my sister and her husband for their support at the end of the event - I heard a car slowly approach just as I came down from Dragon Hill, and whilst silently cursing them for slowly going round me I saw a familiar face hanging out the window! They gave me a nice bit of support and then headed off to the finish where they were waiting with a couple of bottles of isotonic! Thanks both!!

A big thanks to all the organisers of the event, it was a cracking day out again and all seemed to run smoothly from my point of view as a rider! See you next year on it!

For a look (and laugh) at my ride data from the day, click here!

Keep 'em Spinning

Robo

The long weight...

"Light is right..."

That's the motto that one of the guys I ride with goes by, and funnily enough he's only just over 50kg and rides a bike that would be barely legal in a UCI event... All in all, I'm slightly jealous of the chap (he's the monkey by the way (see below))...

As I mentioned last week I'm over 6', and I currently weigh around 86.5kg so along with the targets of certain events over the next 12 months I'm also aiming for a reduced strain on the bathroom scales!

Weight is a hot topic of debate with anyone, as some people take things to the real extreme which is just plain unhealthy, but I think that if managed correctly then it's fine to take an interest in one weight. There are also plenty of debates about whether being lighter is an advantage (Cyclist magazine had an interesting article on whether larger people have an advantage going downhill) but a lot of the time I think that it is almost as powerful as a psychological weapon as a physical one.

So, onto my main targets for the next 12/13 months (up until Dec 2014):

• Main ride target is the Tour of Wessex- I've signed up for this 3 day, 300+ mile event already so this'll be where the true training is aiming for!!
• Another ride that I am certain I'll be going for is the White Horse Challenge, I rode this last year and what a brute it was for a first sportive! This year I'll be testing myself out for the Tour of Wessex and trying to set as good-a-time as possible instead of acting as dominestique for a KOM challenge!

• Weight-wise I'm aiming to be down to around 80kg by the beginning of May, just in time for the main events of the season, and depending on how I get on to there I may even set another target for the end of the year!

As you can see, this week was a quiet one on the bike as I only managed to get out once. However I did make sure that this was a decent ride- popping over the 100km mark for a single ride for the first time in a couple of months!! I did try to get a couple of photos on the way round but never got any decent ones to pop on here. Don't ask about the bananas by the way (none of them were eaten by me by the way!) it was like riding with a monkey the amount that were being consumed/sticking out the back of the jersey! I'll be sure to get a good photo of that next time round!

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Keep 'em Spinning!

Robo.