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The Fred

I'll be doing The Fred on Sunday, any last minute nuggets of advice like should I swop out the SPD pedals from my cross bike to make walking the climbs easier !

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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15 comments

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graybags | 6 years ago
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Well I completed the course.............but did walk a bit, but sure wasn't alone !  weather was fantastic, how on earth you do some of the descents if they areeven mildy damp ! don't know, but in the dry they were ace...........if a little bumpy  1

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crazy-legs | 6 years ago
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Quote:

I think as soon as you've swapped your pedals, you've mentally accepted that you're going to get off and walk. Leave your current pedals on and go into the climb with the mindset that you're not going to walk and you'll make it to the top. 

Bit late now given that I guess you're already up there but to pick up on a couple of the comments above.

Riding Hardknott on FW isn't usually a matter of choice, it's a matter of what the other 1999 idiots around you are doing (plus cars trying to get up it/come down it, plus walkers and general ride spectators/helpers clogging the road up).

I've done FW about 3 times and every time I used regular MTB spds and shoes just on the offchance that I'd have to get off and walk.

FWIW, I find the descents far worse than the climbs, especially given the "variable" skills on offer from the other riders.

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Shades | 6 years ago
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Never done it and know a few people who have but, assuming you finish, make sure you have a volley of explitives to decribe how hard it is.

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Ad Hynkel | 6 years ago
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I did Hardknott for the first time recently, on my touring bike with 28x30 most of the way up. I cannot claim it was comfortable, even with that, though that might be more a comment on my fitness/strength at the moment. In my present state, not sure I could get up on my cyclo-cross bike with it's current lowest gear of 34x28. Would require some fierce concentration to keep my balance and no short amount of weaving... Got passed by a pretty serious looking couple on their prime carbon and even they were weaving about up the top section.

It was an incredible feeling getting to the top, so give it a go I would say graybags, if your training has been good and you have tested yourself out on some steep stuff already. The views are very rewarding too. Good luck.

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graybags | 6 years ago
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Should I also be humming Eye of The Tiger !!

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graybags | 6 years ago
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Thanks for all the advice, I've already swopped out my 11-28 for an 11-32, with a mid compact on the front so hope that's enough..........still in two minds about swopping pedals though  1

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Alessandro replied to graybags | 6 years ago
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graybags wrote:

Thanks for all the advice, I've already swopped out my 11-28 for an 11-32, with a mid compact on the front so hope that's enough..........still in two minds about swopping pedals though  1

I think as soon as you've swapped your pedals, you've mentally accepted that you're going to get off and walk. Leave your current pedals on and go into the climb with the mindset that you're not going to walk and you'll make it to the top. 

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philhubbard | 6 years ago
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I would recommend trying to stay in a group on the flats but be careful about your positioning as there wil be people everywhere on the climbs so just double check before you make any off line movements and don't be scared of shouting to people you don't know that you're overtaking/slowing down. At the end of the day everyone wants to get round so just take your time and start eating within the first hour and then eat regularly

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d80byk | 6 years ago
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Apart from pride's sake, don't even attempt to ride up the second ramp of hardknott pass.  It's not much quicker than walking and you're better off having a breather to prepare for the descent and Wrynose.

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MrB123 replied to d80byk | 6 years ago
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d80byk wrote:

Apart from pride's sake, don't even attempt to ride up the second ramp of hardknott pass.  It's not much quicker than walking and you're better off having a breather to prepare for the descent and Wrynose.

Not sure I agree with that.

Some will have to walk up Hardknott but plenty won't. There's time enough down in the valley bottom to recover for Wrynose.

Better to try and fail than not try at all!

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Alessandro replied to MrB123 | 6 years ago
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MrB123 wrote:

d80byk wrote:

Apart from pride's sake, don't even attempt to ride up the second ramp of hardknott pass.  It's not much quicker than walking and you're better off having a breather to prepare for the descent and Wrynose.

Not sure I agree with that.

Some will have to walk up Hardknott but plenty won't. There's time enough down in the valley bottom to recover for Wrynose.

Better to try and fail than not try at all!

Agreed - it's an absolute pig of a climb but the sense of achievement when you get to the top (not if!) is mega. Yes, your heart will be close to making an exit through your oesophagus and you'd be able to cook eggs on your burning thighs but getting off to walk has to be a last resort. 

The other thing to note is that if you stop on Hardknott then there's next to no chance of being able to get going again due to the gradient. 

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Daveyraveygravey replied to MrB123 | 6 years ago
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MrB123 wrote:

d80byk wrote:

Apart from pride's sake, don't even attempt to ride up the second ramp of hardknott pass.  It's not much quicker than walking and you're better off having a breather to prepare for the descent and Wrynose.

Not sure I agree with that.

Some will have to walk up Hardknott but plenty won't. There's time enough down in the valley bottom to recover for Wrynose.

Better to try and fail than not try at all!

I did it last year, and confess I was struggling after about 40 miles.  At this point you are trundling along beside a beautiful lake (Buttermere I think) but you've only really done Kirkstone, and the climb up out of Grasmere, neither of which are too bad.  Honister was tough, especially at the start, the descent was as bad as people are saying, watch out for the bridge half way down, it's at right angles to the road so you'll have to be braking well before it.  Try to be aware of where people are behind you; if you know no one is there you can use more of the road but chances are even if you are a quick descender there will be someone catching you at a rate of knots.

It was very hot last year, although when we started close to 6 am it was bloody cold, by the time you are on the first climb it's ok.  The temp dropped hugely coming down off Kirkstone, but from there on it warmed up nicely.  If anything, too nicely; I ran out of water between the first and second feed stops and should have just found a shop but kept on going.  

Hardknott was off the scale hard for me, I made it up past the first wooded part but was walking not soon after, as were many by then.  I don't remember there being much recovery before Wrynose, I actually had a lie down in the heather by a stream before I started the climb/walk! The finish is only about 15 miles after Wrynose, and there is nothing after there to give you grief, but it felt a LONG way to me.

If you are driving to the start, get there early.  We left at 6 and the queue of cars going the other way was a couple of miles long.

Good luck!  I chose not to do it this year, so I could go to a Giro stage.  I'm having second thoughs now but will feel like I made the right decision next week!

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CXR94Di2 replied to d80byk | 6 years ago
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d80byk wrote:

Apart from pride's sake, don't even attempt to ride up the second ramp of hardknott pass.  It's not much quicker than walking and you're better off having a breather to prepare for the descent and Wrynose.

 

I dont agree with you, I rode the TdY last weekend and some of the climbs were monsters, I recorded 33% on one climb, my speed was just over 1mph, but I was going faster than those walking it.  Like others mentioned, the sense of achievement, not getting off on any of the hills.  

 

My advice is make sure you have the right gearing (probably too late to make big mechanical changes) to get up the steepest sections even when you're fatigued.  I used 28T chainring with a 40t sprocket on 15%.  I spun up all the hills albeit slowly, I finished without looking like I'd been beaten up.

 

Draft when ever possible, but not in a group that is too fast for you.  Eat every 45 mins and drink all the time with plenty of electrolytes. 

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MrB123 | 6 years ago
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Weather forecast looks perfect so hopefully no worries there.

Best advice if you don't know the roads is take it easy on the descents. They're very steep and some of the road surfaces (especially coming off the top of Honister) are terrible. Even the easier descents such as Newlands and Whinlatter have some nasty steep switchbacks that you might not be expecting.

Hardknott is horrible but it's not that long. Just make sure you use the flatter middle section to recover as much as possible because the last bit is the worst!

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peted76 | 6 years ago
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I got nothing but respect and I wish your legs all the best!

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