Tour Ride - Stoke on Trent 26.09.10

Hi everyone.

The local Tour Ride event (Stoke on Trent) is taking place on Sunday 26.09.10, offering a chance to ride the same route as stage 2 of this year's Tour of Britain. Here's the web address with all the route details, http://www.tourride.co.uk/stoke-on-trent-pro-ride.asp

It is a bit pricey at £40, but it's a professionally organised Charity Ride for a very good cause (the Prostate Cancer Charity). I've already entered, it would be nice to know if anyone else is doing it.

Sharon

Hi Sharon,

I have now also signed up for this. Looking forward to it, see you there!

Graeme

Hi Graeme

Glad to hear there will be another Velo rider there. I'll look out for you on the start line in the morning.

Sharon

Sorry Sharon quite a few of us can't make it on 26th Sept we am stuck doing marshaling duties at Velo road race this sunday, you should have fair weather do enjoy your ride please do us a favour and when you have completed your tour ride when you get a minute would you do a write up of how the day and the ride went for you,we would like to have members see items like this on the web site to get a feel of what it was like to ride it.
It can be as long an article as you want it to be so just email it to our web site admin guy's Neil Harrison or Steve Gussin and ask them to put it on as a link from the front page if possible thanks.

Hi Sharon ,graeme how did the tour ride go Sunday ?

It went really well, with the exception of breaking a spoke on my rear wheel whilst loading it in the car, then having to phone round a few people at 6.30 am (yes I was popular!) to see if someone could lend me a replacement. Luckily someone came through for me and I lined up at the start only an hour later than originally planned.
The first 30 miles were fairly flat and easy going which didn't really prepare me for the next stage after Uttoxeter. After about 40 miles the route started to climb towards a well stocked feed station at 50 miles, then came the catagorised climbs over Hollingsclough moor which would have been tough enough on its own without the head winds! Once that was done it was a quick stop at the next feed stop and then up Gunn hill which also had a timing beam to record the king of the mountains times. That left about 35 miles through Leek which had a few suprise climbs of its own then back into Stoke to a great reception and some well deserved food and drink!
All in all a really well sign posted route with excellent marshalling and well stocked feed stations, well worth the £40 entry fee.
I finished the route in 7 hours 30 minutes which according to the results was 421st out of 783 riders so not too bad for my first 100. I did the king of the mountains section in 15 minutes which was a little bit further down the order! at least I know which areas i need to train!