The toughest sportive of them all

That is what some people call the Fred Whitton. A 112 mile ride through the Lake District taking in around 20 climbs including Hardknott with its 33% section. This was my hardest test so far since taking up cycling and was a huge unknown.

Getter there

My weekend started with a train ride with my mate Ed from Euston. We cycled the 6 miles to the station and got the Virgin train to Oxenholme. I have to say, despite the £76, it was such an easy journey. I had planned to ride the 18 miles from Oxenholme to the B&B but I was talked out of it and Bob and Simon, who had driven from London, kindly gave us a lift.

The others were keen to drive over Hardknott and Wrynose so we did. I considered ignorance bliss and knew seeing it would just worry me and I was right. It looked impossible. We dropped the bikes off at the B&B, which was lovely, and went to the pub for fish and chips. Bed at 10 and sleep came at around 11.

The Start

We woke on Sunday morning at 5am to misty cloud, no rain and a reasonable temperature for that time of the morning. The owner of the B&B had kindly got up to feed us and two other riders, so we stumbled across to the main house to have our porridge, toast, juice and coffee.

After Saturday's drive over Hardknott and Wyrnose, I was feeling quite nervous and keen to get it started. We loaded our bikes and stuffed our pockets with countless energy bars, gels and sports drink powder and rode the 4 miles to Coniston and the start. We had arranged to meet Simon and Bob at around 7:20 and found them unpacking their bikes from their car. It was then a simple matter of dibbing our timer chips and we were off.

We set off in good spirits but we were very quickly on the slopes of Hawkshead and I was shocked when I reached bottom gear. I really panicked. How can I be in bottom already? I'll never make it around the course if I'm struggling on the first hill. My eyes darted from one bike to the next and saw that not only were my companions in bottom gear but so where the other 10 or so riders who had started with us. Phew. Maybe I had a chance.

A couple more little hills and a long downhill followed and then we started climbing up and up. I was going slower and slower but I didn't realise I was on a steady uphill as I never saw any top and it wasn't a constant climb. I only realised I had climbed Kirkstone and reached the highest point of the day when I saw the Kirkstone Pass Inn and a small crowd of well-wishers. I had a real boost to my morale and started the big descent with a smile.

We shot over the top and I quickly got to over 40 mph. I glanced down and saw 47 before navigating a difficult corner. This was exhilarating stuff. Then Ed, who was in front, had a big wobble, went really close to a wall and slowed in the middle of the road. He had punctured and had a front flat tyre. It was a scary moment but no harm was done. He changed his tyre and after about 10 - 15 minutes, we were off again.

Simon and Bob had long gone so I left them a message and wished them luck. All was fine for the next 15 miles as we flew along towards Matterdale. The Lake District was looking stunning and we felt fine. My quad was aching a bit but nothing too bad. We even got on the back of a large group of riders and followed the train for a few miles going at about 25 mph average on the flat and topping 29 at one point. That was fantastic fun.

We climbed Matterdale ok but then disaster, one of Ed's rear spokes snapped buckling his wheel. Ed was gutted as he thought his race was over. But after a quick chat and a check of the bike, it was decided that it could be ridden for a bit as the tyre was only just rubbing on the frame. We limped the 15 miles to Keswick and found a bike shop who very kindly did their best to straighten the wheel without the missing spoke (it was a Hed specific spoke they did not have). The result was great and stayed true for the rest of the ride.

Off we set again just hoping that there was nothing else that would go wrong. We'd already lost about 50 minutes.

The Dread

Next on the list was Honister. This was the hardest climb after Hardknott and on Saturday, Simon had said that if you struggle with Honister, you'll really suffer on Hardknott. So after I was half way up the 25% section and struggling, I started to worry. I made it up eventually whilst many others walked and Ed was waiting at the top.

We came down the difficult decent, reached the 50 mile mark and the first feed stop at Buttermere Youth Hostel. I had a cheese sandwich and a slice of malt loaf but it wasn't a happy time. I had worked very hard to get up Honister without walking and I felt very tired. We hadn't even got half way and I was wondering how I'd make the distance, never mind get up Hardknott without walking.

We were off again after about 10 minutes and I had forgot the warning that Simon had given me. Don't eat too much at Buttermere because there is a big climb straight away. Within a couple of miles we were climbing Newland and the malt loaf was repeating on me. I did enjoy this climb but the joy of getting to the top was fleeting as the dread of Hardknott was always in my mind.

The next 20 miles were ok and ticked off quite quickly. I don't remember Swarth Fell even though it looks big on the profile and before long, we had arrived at the second food stop. I had another piece of malt loaf and some drink but really didn't feel like eating anything. The mood in the air was really ominous as no one looked forward to what was 5 miles ahead.

The Pain

We turned off the main road past a large sign to Hardknott and a 30% warning triangle. It was a few miles to the bottom of the climb and we could see a massive storm passing over the top. This was our first piece of luck as the storm has missed us. We heard later that it was fierce with a lot of heavy rain and hail.

We passed the phone box which signalled the start and the road passed over the bridge, through the tress and straight up into a 25% hill. So many people gave up at this point. They got straight off their bike and resigned themselves to the long walk. I knew that there was an easier bit (only 15%) half way and was determined to at least get to that section.

I tried to sit down for as long as possible but had to get out of the saddle very quickly. I had to give it my all but got to the the middle section with my heart rate at maximum. I stopped for a few seconds to catch my breath then made my way to the bottom of the really hard bit. I stopped again to let a car come through before getting out the seat and 'sprinting' up the 33% wall. I was cheered on and felt like I was flying but I could hear my breathing was a mess and my heart was coming out my chest. There was no going back and I knew if I stopped I would have to walk so I kept going and managed to get over the top to an awaiting Ed. Incredible.

It was then down a very steep, dangerous decent, along the valley and then up Wrynose. By this time, I was all but spent with 102 miles done and about 12,000 feet climbed. It was no where near as bad as Hardknott but there was a viscous section that made my knees burn. It was in two parts with a switch-back and as I got to the turn I didn't know if I could make it all the way up so I stopped for 20 seconds before making the final push to the top. In hindsight, I probably could have made it but still, no walking again.

The Joy

For the first time in the day, we felt happy. We had done very well on our first attempt. The 8 miles to the finish was filled with smiles and lots of no-handed finger pointing in the style of Mark Cavendish. The small climbs were ignored in spite of the pain in my thighs and we rolled into Coniston in under 9 hours with applause from the spectators.

It is an amazing route. The Lakes are stunning and we were lucky with the weather. I didn't like the overbearing feeling that there was this mammoth climb at the end but now I've done it, I think I'd enjoy it more if I did it again. So it looks like I'll be coming back for more.

I did a lot of filming with my camera and will post a video soon.