Fred Whitton 2015

[3burgerking]

Hi new to this site, just signed up for the fred, for the 1st time looking for some one to go around with nice and easy, any advice on for the way round. Thank daz.

 

[ColinJ]

Is there such a thing as a 'nice and easy' Fred Whitton ride?

I hope you find a ride partner, and good luck with it. Oh, and welcome to CycleChat too!

 

[e-rider]

get the granny gears fitted ASAP

 

[MikeW-71]

nice and easy

This is the Lakes, there isn't any such thing really.

Welcome to CC, and I wish you the best on the Fred.

 

[MikeW-71]

This is what waits for you after about 100 miles BTW

(NO, this is not me )


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzNfufUHh9Q

 

[3burgerking]

Thanks for video are you doing the fred or ever done it.

 

[MikeW-71]

I've never done it and certainly won't be this year anyway. I might yet have a try for it, but it is not to be underestimated, and I'm currently nowhere near fit enough.

 

[ColinJ]

Great video, in a sadistic kind of way!

That is one of the few videos that I have watched that actually makes a tough climb look as tough as it is! It must be due to the camera angle. Normal TV coverage has the camera much higher which tends to make hills seem less steep.

The noises from the bike were doing my head in on the video! If I had been riding the bike up that hill, I would have been driven mad by them.

I wouldn't fancy riding that close to wobbly cyclists on such a narrow, steep road. I also wouldn't appreciate cyclists remounting just in front of me and getting in the way.

I'm not sure that I will ever be fit enough again to tackle something as hard as that, but I'd like to have a go. If I did, I'd be using something like my 28/29 bottom gear, or even lower.

 

[13 rider]

That looks a bit of a grind .I struggle to do that on its own,but after a 100 miles !!!. Hope the op knows what he has let himself in for

 

[MikeW-71]

The noises from the bike were doing my head in on the video! If I had been riding the bike up that hill, I would have been driven mad by them.

That's caused by the camera being rigidly mounted to the bars, I get the same when I use mine. The frame transmits noise to the mic and as a result you can hear everything that you normally just aren't aware of.

 

[ColinJ]

That's caused by the camera being rigidly mounted to the bars, I get the same when I use mine. The frame transmits noise to the mic and as a result you can hear everything that you normally just aren't aware of.

I'm a bit hard of hearing so I miss a lot of noises, but I do tend to notice them when grovelling up steep hills! It's probably because when riding that slowly there is often no wind noise to mask them.

When I changed back to Look pedals on my Cannondale, the right shoe/pedal interface developed an annoying squeaky creak on a long ride. I had to put up with EEK-AWK, EEK-AWK, EEK-AWK ... for hours - aaaaargh!! (An application of grease when I got home sorted that out.)

 

[Pale Rider]

I wouldn't fancy that climb in a headwind.

 

[ColinJ]

I wouldn't fancy that climb in a headwind.

Especially one blasting you with sleet and hail, which would also make the subsequent steep descent rather, er, 'interesting'!

 

[Pale Rider]

I was at the top of Hardknott earlier this year - in my car.

A rider who had just managed the ascent had stopped, so I had a few words along the lines of 'good effort'.

He pointed to his mate further down the road who was trudging up, pushing his bike.

"We're in training for the Fred Whitton," he said. "My mate's struggling a bit today with some new cleats.

"He wore out the last pair by walking on them too much."

 

[ColinJ]

"We're in training for the Fred Whitton," he said. "My mate's struggling a bit today with some new cleats.

"He wore out the last pair by walking on them too much."

Definitely a climb for SPDs, I reckon!