England : Staffordshire Cat & Fiddle Challenge - 07/10/2012

[smokeysmoo]

The fastest time on Strava up The Cat is 17.6 mph average over the 7.2 miles.

Holy Spartacus Batman

 

[skudupnorth]

I take it the ride starts and finishes in Stoke ?...........could be a long ride

 

[smokeysmoo]

I take it the ride starts and finishes in Stoke ?...........could be a long ride

Aye. It starts and finishes at a community centre just along the road from Brian Rourke's shop.

FWIW Sean Kelly rode it last year on this

 

[Hacienda71]

Aye. It starts and finishes at a community centre just along the road from Brian Rourke's shop.

FWIW Sean Yates rode it last year on this

The tyres don't match!

 

[smokeysmoo]

The tyres don't match!

Trust me, it didn't slow him down any

 

[Ian H]

The last time I rode up the Cat & Fiddle was towards the end of the Knotty 600km Audax event* in 1990 something. I remember the motorcycles, the police cars waiting, and the flowers on several bends.

*Something like: Nottingham, Penrith, Kirkstone Pass, Lancaster, Preston, Macclesfield, Nottingham.

 

[fred22]

Why has Sean Yates got Sean Kelly 's name on his bike?

 

[smokeysmoo]

Why has Sean Yates got Sean Kelly 's name on his bike?

Well spotted go to the top of the class. Now edited

 

[smokeysmoo]

*BUMP*

This ride is this coming Sunday for any interested parties

 

[SportMonkey]

The fastest time on Strava up The Cat is 17.6 mph average over the 7.2 miles.

Not any more. 18.2 mph now.

 

[Hacienda71]

Not any more. 18.2 mph now.

All I have to do is find an extra 4.4 mph and I am KOM.....

 

[PaulSecteur]

Any here doing the Cat & Fiddle Challenge this year?

Looks interesting and pay on the day means I can wuss out if the weather is too bad.

Where Can I get the GPX route?

 

[smokeysmoo]

Where Can I get the GPX route?

IIRC THIS is the one I've chucked on my Garmin

 

[PaulSecteur]

Merci Boo-coo!

 

[Rob3rt]

Doesn't look too bad (did a similar club ride a few week ago, 50 mile, 4650ft climbing in that area, took just over 3 hours), hilly yes, but maneagable! I would be riding a 25t (and did so for the club run - I am running a compact though) for that route! Man up Smokey!



I am just teasing use whatever kit you want! I hope you enjoy it, it is a nice route and challenging, but the climbs are the sort of climb you can get into a nice rhythm and just keep moving. If you aren't much of a climber just take the climbs steady and be wary of false flats, don't hammer it until you are certain you are over the summit. TBH, the hardest thing about hilly routes in a group (particularly a sportive where you don't know the people around you) is dodging the people in front of you as they slow and in some cases stall completely.