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MrLeffe.
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January 2, 2016 at 9:34 pm #25197MrLeffe
just thought I’d start this as its a new year ……what is the single hardest ride you’ve ever ridden ??
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arfa
Interesting question and the
Interesting question and the replies back up my feeling that conditions on the ride have more of an influence that just basic distance and elevation.
I went through three years of strava data and based on suffer score (heart rate exertion) my toughest ride by a country mile was an off road London to Brighton ride in heavy rain through thick mud, a distance of 70 miles and only 2000 feet of elevation but I remember how unrelentingly hard it was trying to keep wheels turning through mud. For comparison, a day on Ventoux, a 24 hour dash to Paris and a couple of ride London 100’s didn’t come close, although the ride London 86 (one curtailed by bad weather) was my toughest road ride.700c
Interesting that one’s
Interesting that one’s ‘hardest’ ride is not necessarily one’s longest or hilliest etc
mine was proabably biting off more than I could chew on a hilly cotswolds sportive a few years ago: 70+ miles 28 degrees and a stupidly hilly route that went down one hill only to climb up another.. Also with a riding partner who was suffering more than me – so some additional emotion to deal with too!
MrLeffe
I remember I did the Exmoor
I remember I did the Exmoor Beast once. they almost cancelled it because of near hurricane conditions, in fact they reduced the mileage to the shorter distance, the first 20 miles was all climbing in sheeting rain , fog and huge gusts, many people turned round and went home, the moor was horrendous but we stuck it out , I slipped off on a soaking cattle grid which was on a steep uphill , twisted my ankle, then coming into Lynton was blown right across the road onto the verge on the other side and flew across the bars . The last 10 miles were just about survival, soaking wet, cold , knackered and hitting the wall.ive done many sportives but was definitely the gnarliest.
MrLeffe
Dave Atkinson wrote:Fred Whitton i think. I don’t even remember the last 10 milesBlimey you did Fred Whitton , I’m guessing this must be the UKs hardest, I remember I drove the HardKnot once and the car barely made it up, horrible on the clutch, how did you get on cycling up it? That is one tough sportive!
dave atkinson
Fred Whitton i think. I don’t
Fred Whitton i think. I don’t even remember the last 10 miles
Simontuck
‘Technically’ it would be the
‘Technically’ it would be the Cav sportive last year. That’s the most climbing I’ve done in a day and I’m a weak climber.
In reality the hardest ride I ever did was anything over 50 miles in my first year of cycling!! I don’t struggle anywhere near as much now even if I’ve not done a long ride for a month or so.
MrLeffe
CXR94Di2 wrote:
CXR94Di2 wrote:Suffolk 100, not because of the distance or terrain. The fact that in the first mile my neck herniated a disc and trapped a nerve. Several ibuprofen I carried on and did the 100 miles. Took several months to recover and a nerve root injection through the neck – eek!wow, that is full on, and for that happen in the first mile, major kudos for not turning round at the start!
Forester
Day 1 of our Mid-Wales cycle
Day 1 of our Mid-Wales cycle tour was what seemed a stiff-ish 40 miles from Wigmore to Llandrindod Wells. 15 minutes in I was pushing and things did not really improve, with constant climbing and descents which all seemed to end in a hairpin bend or greasy farm track preventing any impetus for the next hill. To add to our woes we took a wrong turn and started heading for Hay-on-Wye, the correction involved yet more hills. Our support vehicle was carrying our lunch but got out of phone contact as it became clear that we would not get to our planned stop on time. Fortunately we found a church right out in the wilds with a kettle, milk and biscuits for stranded travellers, and eventually made it to Llandrindod Wells to find the cycle museum closed.
As an introduction to cycle touring it made me realise that if you are doing it with friends even the worst day has its compensations, and I was pleased to make it to ludlow with the remaining 4 of 8 starters, knees and broken rims having accounted for half our number.
CXR94Di2
Suffolk 100, not because of
Suffolk 100, not because of the distance or terrain. The fact that in the first mile my neck herniated a disc and trapped a nerve. Several ibuprofen I carried on and did the 100 miles. Took several months to recover and a nerve root injection through the neck – eek!DanTe
I think it might of been
I think it might of been almost exactly this time last year. At the end of a weeks riding, including a fast 80 miler the day before I took on a loop in the mountains above the Tabernas Desert in the S.Spain.
The route looked meaty as I’d routed it but due to roads turning into goat tracks etc, the thing got a bit big. Started the day with the climb of Velefique and I knew from the first meter of ascent that big trouble was heading my way.
70 miles and nearly 5000m of climbing later I was in absolute bits. The Garmin was on auto pause nearly all the way up the last two climbs lol. That’s the one that sticks in my mind.
Anonymous
on road – Yorkshire Dales
on road – Yorkshire Dales cycleway
Off road – Llyn Cowlyd
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