Etape Pennine

[fudgedog]

I've signed up for the etape pennine, everyone I've spoken to says it's brutal. I've done the etape caledonia several times (just under the 5 hours), so if I rate it 5 out of 10 for difficulty what would you say the pennine is. Last question I've a compact with a 28 at rear is this low enough for the climbs or am I walking

 

[DCLane]

I did this last year. See: http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/etape-pennines-october-2012.87439/

It wasn't anywhere near as tough as Evans' King of the Pennines. The Etape du Dales and Dragon Ride are also tougher.

Overall, there's a couple of steep climbs. However, anyone I spoke to said it was harder than the Caledonia. So say 6 or 7/10.

I did the Etape Pennines on a 28 rear fine, with no walking. Mind you, it was the same on the other 3 above.

Value-wise it's not good. Yes, there's closed roads and that's the attraction, but the Evans event was great value, longer and more challenging: http://www.evanscycles.com/categori...vents/8th-september-2013-king-of-the-pennines

 

[Siegfried]

There is an average of climbing, around 2,300 metres I think, but it is concentrated in a fairly short section of the route, and in some long individual hills. It's a challenge but not too hard if you generally cycle around the North of England or Scotland already and it is also only 70 odd miles.

It did seem to take a lot of people by surprise last year though as a very large proportion of entrants didn't even start, possibly because many entered before the route was published, the broom wagon picked up an unheard of number of riders and I saw more people walking up hills than there usually are in such events

If this is run in October again bear in mind that it is getting quite late in the year to be going over some of those fells and the risk of very cold, very windy or very wet weather is quite high so bring lots of kit if you're travelling from far away to cover all eventualities. We had an exceptionally fine day last year. The odds must be against another one like it.

As regards value for money, it was lovely to ride on quiet traffic roads, but frankly those roads are fairly quiet and traffic free already and at 8am on a chilly Sunday morning in October in the upper reaches of Teesdale and Weardale there's not exactly going to be motorway gridlock if the side roads aren't coned off to stop some local fella going for his papers.

Cracking ride though - hope you enjoy it

 

[RedMG]

I've signed up for this one too. Looks like a really good event, and apparently its much more difficult than Caledonia which I did this year. Haven't a clue what time I expect to do, as I did Caledonia in 4:15 and I've only done a few other sportives, but just hoping for nice weather really, as don't fancy Pennines if its chucking it down.

 

[ferret fur]

Put it this way. I did the Etape caledonia in a touch under 4 hours this year, depsite not feeling great. I did the Pennines in about 4:49. despite it being 3 miles shorter. I also tried harder (by an average of 6 bpm according to my heart rate monitor.) Go figure.
I'd say it is a lot harder. Mainly beacuse the hills are very concentrated in a short span of distance.