fred whitton challenge v mary townley loop

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

i've come across the fred whitton challenge website. i'm newish to road riding. i have done the mtl and took 10 hours ccw. my question is, how hard is it compared to the mtl? a weird question i know and i suppose only people who have done both can answer. the times people have taken to complete seem comparable to mtl times.

cheers

shaun

 

[bonj2]

well, the FWC is definitely hard, but you sound like you like things that are hard ;-)
comparing road to MTB is not really a linear comparison as, i suspect, even among people who do both, some people are stronger at road riding while some are stronger mtbers.

I think the fwc goes over hardknott pass at a fairly late point in the ride. Try it with fresh legs first and then try it with slightly less fresh legs to get an idea of how hard that is

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

well, wifes away for 3 weeks in sept, so fancy doing something different. i think i will have a look over. i'm nowhere ready to do it in a day, i don't think.

 

[RedBike]

I'm afriad the Fred Witton is in a whole different league.

I would try 100 flat miles on the road first before you try 100 seriously hilly miles.

 

[andy_wrx]

I'm afriad the Fred Witton is in a whole different league.

I would try 100 flat miles on the road first before you try 100 seriously hilly miles.

The Mary Towneley Loop is 47 miles of seriously hilly off-road MTB'ing, so I wouldn't be too sure about that...
http://www.idonohoe.com/mountian_bike9.htm

 

[RedBike]

I've ridden both and i'm sure the MTL is easier.

I went up Hardknott pass (in the car) last weekend and I'm riding the MTL again this weekend so we'll see if I still feel the same way.

 

[dmb101]

I have done the MTL and thought it was ok, but the FW is in a different league. The sharp burtal hills in the FW are something else.

 

[rich p]

I did the FW, albeit quite slowly, and and found it okay for an old (51 at the time) roadie as long as you know your limitations and don't overdo it early on. Hardknott was something else though after 100 miles I can't imagine anything harder. It put me off doing it again TBH. I'll leave it to younger and fitter blokes.

 

[bonj2]

why don't they just put hardknott earlier on, then it'd be a nice ride. STill hard, obviously, but more... accessible. After all it is a spectacularly dramatic, beautiful road ime - and probably even more breathtaking on a dry clear day.

 

[PaulB]

Here's a question for anyone who's ridden Hardknott and/or Wrynose passes whether in the FW or just in training etc. How do you cope with vehicles? I can imagine a large car or even larger vehicle might temporarily block or take up the majority of the road on certain bends and corners and if this is on the steepest parts, how do you get going again? Similarly, if two cars meet going in opposite directions right where you are wanting to go down, or perhaps uphill, doesn't this cause a bit of a problem for you?

 

[bonj2]

Here's a question for anyone who's ridden Hardknott and/or Wrynose passes whether in the FW or just in training etc. How do you cope with vehicles? I can imagine a large car or even larger vehicle might temporarily block or take up the majority of the road on certain bends and corners and if this is on the steepest parts, how do you get going again? Similarly, if two cars meet going in opposite directions right where you are wanting to go down, or perhaps uphill, doesn't this cause a bit of a problem for you?

descending traffic is supposed to give way to ascending.
So when descending you basically make sure you can get to the next 'safe' bit before driving a particular ramp/bend.
And too large vehicles aren't allowed on it - there's a sign that says 'light traffic only'.
The one time i've ridden it i've found you can normally see at least as far as the next bend, even though then it was very misty (read: in the clouds) and rainy. Vehicles driving it are going to be expecting to have to stop at certain points. IIRC on the west side there are steep bends but passing places above/below, and on the east side there are bends that are not too steep and wide enough for cars to pass, there were a few cars who were being quite patient and considerate and waiting there for us to pass when descending it.

 

[RedBike]

Here's a question for anyone who's ridden Hardknott and/or Wrynose passes whether in the FW or just in training etc. How do you cope with vehicles? I can imagine a large car or even larger vehicle might temporarily block or take up the majority of the road on certain bends and corners and if this is on the steepest parts, how do you get going again? Similarly, if two cars meet going in opposite directions right where you are wanting to go down, or perhaps uphill, doesn't this cause a bit of a problem for you?

Luckly unless you pick a bank holiday there's very little traffic on hardknott. However pick the wrong day and it will be a nightmare!

There's two main problems. You will want to ziz zag a bit, particuarly around some of the switch backs. If you've got cars trying to pass you or even coming the other way this isn't always that easy.

When there is traffic there's often queues of cars. While one car waits for another to come the other way etc. If you run into one of these queues you've had it. Trying to get going again is a nightmare. Trying to stop descending is fun as well!

 

[andy_wrx]

When ascending, you can just take the approach that 'power gives way to sail' and ignore them, ride up the middle of the road on the tight bits and expect them to wait for you - of course when it's one of the wider straight bits you pull to the side so they can get past.

After all, isn't this just what Cyclecraft recommends, taking primary when it's not safe for them to overtake ?

One of my favourite bits on this year's FWC was the smell of clutch and wheelspinning rubber from the fake-blonde driving the BMW M3 up Hardknott.
There were so many cyclists ascending, some riding, some pushing, that she was forced to wait and then pick her way through when she could
400bhp or whatever it's got was not ideal for the task...there was a Fiat Punto up next with far less drama

And I enjoyed passing one of the support motorbikes going down the other side - he was on a big, heavy BMW tourer with big panniers on and it looked seriously unwieldy, a real handful : he saw me coming in his mirrors, moved very-obviously out of the way and on a light and nippy roadbike, I just whizzed-by.