Evans "Ride It"?

[dav1d]

Tomorrow's Evans Ride It Sportive Road Ride, the 63 mile route: Do you have to ride fast on these or can you go at your own pace? Also, is a mountain bike ok (it's not heavy and chunky or anything like that)?

http://www.evanscycles.com/ride-it/...+30th+-+31st&utm_campaign=Rochdale#route_info

 

[TVC]

Go at your own pace, and turn up on what you like. If you tend not to wear a lid then check the small print, many organisers do insist on helmets.

 

[Rob3rt]

Evans Ride It! events do insist on helmets ^^ I looked them up recently after noticing the event advertised on their website when I was looking for bikes.

Wearing a helmet is COMPULSORY on all rides. If you arrive without a helmet you will be refused entry to the event and your entry will be refunded. Visit our helmet section for our full range available to buy online.

 

[dav1d]

Thanks.

Sorry, been a change of plan - my 100/1 horse came first today, so with mor funds available, we're off out for the day with my brother and sister instead. Sorry
I'll still do one of the rides though, if there's anymore.

 

[davidg]

I'd be interested in what you have to say about it as I was planning on going to their chilterns one later in the year....

 

[addictfreak]

^ Me too, I was looking at the Gateshead ride last year but never got round to it.

 

[Rob3rt]

I have a voucher for free entry to one of the events so I'll also be interested to hear if its worth bothering!

I'd would have done the one tomorrow(one you are doing) if I had enough time.

 

[PaulSB]

I shall be doing this ride tomorrow so I'll report back later

 

[gavintc]

We did the Aberfoyle one last year and had a really good day out. It was very poorly suppported, but if you treated is as a day out with someone else to do the planning it was good fun. We did come across some other cyclists, but in the main my wife cycled on our own. Evans was selling off some stuff at a small trade stand and got some bargain lights.

 

[Svendo]

I'm planning to do this ride tomorrow. I'll prob. do long route and start as late as poss. (9.45 for long route, 10.30 for others). Went round the Calder valley loop with the makinholes detour this afternoon, some ice in the gutters but otherwise road was fine. I'd be cautious on the second loop after coming down off Cragg Vale, not sure which way round it goes but the small road may not be gritted and could have ice in the shade. The long route is the same as the medium but going back round the Calder valley loop instead of stright back down Blackstone edge and through Littleborough.

 

[PaulSB]

I rode the 48 mile route which differed from the 63 miler only in that at the top of Cragg Vale the 48ers headed back to registration while the 63ers headed down Cragg Vale and followed the outward loop back.......if you get me.

Organisation was great, really friendly people at registration, good parking, excellent signage along the route - every time you started to worry a little pink sign popped up - and the route plan provided stayed firmly in my pocket. Left home in Chorley on roads covered in snow but thought the snow had come from the West so hoped it would be clear in Rochdale. On reaching outer Manchester (M61 / 62) very dense fog but decided to carry on and see what happened. Apart from some fog up on the top of Cragg Vale the weather was beautiful, sunny all day. I clocked 50.26 (the route had been changed and I suspect I did both the original and the diversion!) in 4 hours 17 minutes on the bike. Given the amount of climbing and the time of year I was happy with this.

From Rochdale we headed down the A646 ( a rotten road at the best of times) to Hebden Bridge, turned up Cragg Vale - the longest continuous ascent in England, 986 feet in 5.5 miles. I read the sign explaining this just after discovering my front mech had jammed meaning I did the whole route on the middle ring.. From the top of Cragg Vale we turned towards Ripponden before turning up on to the moors, climbing up Moss Moor, under the M62, down to Denshaw, then a left to climb up Deanhead and Scammonden, before dropping down to Ripponden to head back to Rochdale.

For me this was a tough ride this early in the year with more climbing than I had anticipated. It did show me though where I am in fitness terms after relatively little winter riding. I rode the Cumbrian Christmas Cracker about six weeks ago and found that far easier. So the Evans ride was good but I'd have prefered a less climbing, probably 65% of the ride was climbing, if not more.

Only real problem was the sun which was directly in my face from Ripponden to the end, about ten miles. For long periods I found it difficult to see the road and riding past Baitings Resevoir it was like being in a disco as the sun flashed strobe-like through the trees. Two of the descents had me worried - down into Ripponden, very steep and sun blinded and the down into Rochdale for the same reason.

A good day all round

 

[Svendo]

I managed the long route, same as PaulSB above except back down Cragg Vale and round the A646, retracing the route out. I'd just about had enough climbing and think I would have struggled a lot more if these weren't all regular training roads for me so I knew exactly what I had left. Second the above re. organisation. The GPS tracks worked too, although on the morning they made a couple of small alterations bypassing smaller lanes that were a bit icy, especially first thing. As PaulSB says, the pink signs made it all easy to follow though. Great day, got me out on a much longer run than I'd manage at this time of year if left to my own devices.

 

[addictfreak]

Well it sounds as though it was a good day.

Not sure whats going on up here. I just checked on the Evans site and there appears to be no ride in Gateshead this year, perhaps it was not very well supported last year. I should have took the oppurtunity when I had it

 

[moolarb]

Can't believe this ride went ahead. Fair play to those that did it. I woke up at 6:30 to find 2 inches of snow (and still falling) and a deep frost in Manchester so figured that 63 hilly miles around Rochdale and the moors would be dangerous. I checked the Evans website and blog for updates but nothing so I decided not to waste the journey and went back to bed. The organisers said check the website for updates first thing on Sunday but there was nothing so a bit miffed really as it sounds like the West Pennines missed the snow. Went for a blast down the trails on the MTB instead but fell off on sheet ice!

 

[PaulSB]

I'd just about had enough climbing and think I would have struggled a lot more if these weren't all regular training roads for me so I knew exactly what I had left.

Me too I didn't want another climb at the end and had a big struggle with the last one up to the top of Cragg Vale from the Ripponden side. TBH I walked some and rode some. If my front mech hadn't jammed I would have got up on the bottom ring of the triple but without it I was stuffed by then!!!!

Can't believe this ride went ahead.

I was pleased and slightly surprised to find it was on. At home, Chorley there was no possibility of getting the bike out, but I only saw two patches of ice on the whole route.