Number one bit of advice for newbie doing the Fred Whitton

…don’t underestimate the
…don’t underestimate the weather, take some warm clothing, many riders failed to finish last year due to the cold, Calder Bridge was more an aid stn than a feed zone.

Make full use of the feed
Make full use of the feed stations – no point in rushing through. When I did it they were full of real food (sandwiches, cakes, tray bakes etc) and much better for you mentally than a day on energy products. Remember to drink too. There is a good chance the day will be cool and as such it’s easy to not drink enough. When it’s like that I take a drink every time I see someone esle take a drink. Not a gulp but I get through a lot more fluid that if I rely on myself to remember.

The year I did it, it was bitterly over Coldfell and we all got to the last feed station freezing to find they were serving tea and coffee. An absolute God send. We also snuck into the heated first aid room and sat down to tea and tuna sandwiches. It was a struggle to leave.

I managed to finish the Fred
I managed to finish the Fred on Saturday my riding time was 8:45 I was pretty new to this type of challenge but who isn’t the Fred is one of the biggest and most rewarding .if I was to give advise eat well a few hours before if you can then every 15 or 20 min or so into the challenge break your food up into bite size chunks then put them in your pocket drink when thirsty try a bottle an hour. I change my mech the week before and I’m really glad I’d I was on a compact 13×26 on my campag changed to 13×29 medium cage for the Fred and boy I needed every cog on the honister defo hardknott and wrynose passes advise on hardknott it kicks up straight away don’t get to dishearten grit your teeth and go for it try not to swerve to and fro to much before your heart pops out your chest you will be half way where you can peddle easier and get your breath back and heart rate down so you can conquer the rest.go easy on the descents you have no choice kirkstone was brill but be warned half way down at 45 to 50 mph it shot me to the wrong side of the road just watch out for that bend but really you can see the traffic coming it was one hell of a descent the other descents are full of danger so please be careful make sure your breaks are checked out before you start the Fred.good luck the emotions run wild the last section when you know you are about to finish the Fred.

As Dave said, don’t plan for
As Dave said, don’t plan for the section from Whinlatter to Cold Fell to be a flat ride. It’s all up and down – it really helps if you have a group to ride with here. Don’t worry too much about Hardknott, once you’ve made it there you’re nearly done and the vast majority walked when I did it a few years back (including me!)

Mr_eL_Bee wrote:Last one from

Mr_eL_Bee wrote:

Last one from me!
It’s really worth riding the significant bits of the route beforehand.
Forewarned is forearmed.
Oh and remember there are NOT just 6 Passes to climb – there are 14 climbs of note!

I find it’s always better to tackle a significant hill several times, especially when fresh. Did the Hell of the Ashdown last year, which goes up The Wall and don’t think I’d have had the confidence if I’d not been up it several times before. It was the hills I’d not previously been on (Bayleys, Star Hill) that I really struggled with.

Not saying the HotA compares with The Fred, though.

Good luck – I need to lose about 20kg before I even consider trying those passes 🙂

The trick with the section
The trick with the section from the top of Whinlatter to Gosforth is to get in a decent group, especially over Cold Fell which is almost always in to the wind.

Check the weather the night before so that you know where the headwinds will be!