Cheshire Cat Sportive a post mortem

I have completed my first (last?) sportive…

As an inexperienced road rider the 3hrs 10min and 45miles of the event appeared to go well. I very much enjoyed the passing of some mega-money bikes ridden by MAMILs (Middle Aged Men In Lycra), even the one who’d split his shorts. :& Had I known the cut off from Silver to Bronze was at 3hrs I might have spent less time chatting at the food stop – my GPS tracker App. did have my ‘Moving Time’ as 2:53 so I could have done it, just. 😉

Queuing around the cold carpark for over an hour to get to the start line was a pain, as was the queue for the ‘Certificate’ at the end… But, hey-ho the food was good and Wiggle trying to sell me a carbon race bike was a laugh. On the subject of humor, I got some very odd looks from riders (those I passed and those that passed me) because I was on a single speed commuter bike, a few did ask if I was riding a fixie.. I did admit to being daft, not suicidal. 🙂

Would I do it again? I doubt I’d go further-a-field just to ride appalling potholed roads, but next year I ‘might’ be convinced to try for a sub-3hr 45mile ride around Crew.