Riding

Ride Report: Woodcote CX Sportive - mud larking in the Chilterns

Cyclo-cross bikes are the trendiest thing these days, but not many are ridden in real ‘cross races. So along comes the next big idea: CX Sportives. They’re chance to ride your ‘cross bike on a challenging route with a mix of on-road and off-road sections, plus all the usual sportive accoutrements such as arrows, feed stations and chip timing. And jolly good fun they are too.

Before you set off…

Maximise your contact patch. Road bike tyres have a larger contact patch on the road than a more knobbly mountain bike tyre, and you can maximise that precious contact further by fitting a wider tyre, and/or not running it at quite such a high pressure. That said, in snow or looser conditions a treaded tyre or even a lightly knobbed MTB or cyclocross tyre will give extra grip.

...we saw a lady cyclist with her shorts round her ankles having an unashamed tinkle in the long grass by the side of the road. At least amid much boyish giggling, we think it's just a tinkle, and it emerges that this kind of entertainment isn't an upcharge on the holiday, just an unexpected extra on this Trek Travel Ride Camp in Mallorca.

We've ridden the new 100km course for the Mountain Mayhem Sunday Munch sportive that'll take place on Sunday 19 June. And we like it, a lot: it's certainly an improvement on last year's course that was well liked by everyone that attended. Here's our video account of the recce, and some other thoughts too...

That's the third time I've forgotten I'm riding a fixed with no toeclips. The consequences this time are more dire; As I'm extricating myself from Tring FC's advertising hoardings we're having another goal knocked off our lead. Opposing mallets are aloft, and the tide is turning, our early promise evaporating in a flurry of wheels. Welcome to my first bike polo adventure.

Ed Clancy can ride a bike round in circles very fast. We know this because he has an Olympic gold medal in team pursuit in the corner cupboard and a bunch of track world titles to his name. What’s more surprising is that he’s good at popping wheelies, doing a bit of unscheduled cyclocross, and descending like a nutter.

You know the steep road sign? with the black triangle and the number? That's how steep Hardknott is, actually as steep as the triangle. Steep enough to make you weep. Something to look forward to all the way round. To be honest it's probably best it's right at the end: throw this in at the start and you'd have the sportivistes turning tail and heading home in their droves. Still, at least the sun's out...

Wait for the cattle grid. The climb starts at the cattle grid, then it's 20 minutes to the top, he kept saying. But we'd been climbing for half an hour already, and the elusive metal grille was remaining elusive as the road snaked ever upwards. Welcome to the Bwlch.

It was quite easy really, across Kent as quick as possible, hot-tilt boogie through the Chunnel and out along the North coast of Europe for not long at all to a romantic dockland suburb of Gent and the even more romantic Fomule 1 hotel where the smell of Death stalks the corridors, or maybe it’s just the critical mass of B.O., for too little sleep and the standard Continental insufficient pre-ride breakfast of bad coffee and Nutella filled rolls.

Well the sun shone, 600 mile- and cake-hungry folks turned up, the course was excellent, the refreshments were plentiful and the setting among the best in the country. The Endura Lionheart has all the makings of a stalwart calendar classic after just one run. Good effort!