Mad March Hare Sportive

6^th March 2011

Written by Dan.

Route Profile:

72 miles

Start and finishes at Cult Racing Cycles, Earlswood.

Undulating terrain and mainly quite back roads with 1 main climb; Dovers Hill, Broadway.

Cold conditions with little wind, brightened up towards the end.

The Mad March Hare has established its self as one of the best sportive rides in the country and it’s only in its third year. Designed, promoted and organized by Cult Racing Cycles, the ride offers the chance for a whole range of cyclists to take part in mass participation event which great HQ, official timing, on route photography, feed station and riders support, all this for only £10 and you can also trade your number for a bacon sarnie at the finish, bonus. As RPC and Cult have recently partnered up, this gave us the chance to promote and advertise out company and give our support the Cult as well. This following post is my days riding experience at one of the best organised sportive around, hope you enjoy.

Rise and Shine

As I only live 15 miles away from Cult Racing which is where the event HQ was being staged, I decided to make a big training day out of this ride and cycle to and from the event as well as doing the ride itself. This will make the day about 100 miles of pretty fast riding which is just what I was after. As I wanted to get there early so as me and Jamie could plaster the riders cars in out promotional flyers, I awoke at 6am to what looked like being a fine day, cold but dry and that’s great in my book. After a big breakfast I was on my bike by 6.45am and heading off to the HQ, soon after getting going I had decided that I had too many layers on and would need to remove some when I got to the start but I would always rather be warm than cold. It took me about 40 mins to get to the shop and even though I am still suffering from the effects of a cold I was feeling ok and was looking forward to a good day

Arriving at the HQ I was in awe of the fantastic show that Paul had once again put on for us cyclists. It was early yet the place was packed with riders all trying to get signed on, but last minute energy food and find there riding partners. Groups could set off as and when they wanted from 8.00am onwards, my dad was one of these early starters having driven down shortly after I left. I met with Jamie and we began handing out our leaflets as the car park began to fill, Jamie decided to jump in to a group that set off at about 8.30 but I decided to hang around and eventually set off on my own ride at around 9.15.

On the Road

I always struggle to get going after I have stopped which is why generally I don’t stop on my rides unless it’s for a nature break or a mechanical, so it took me a good 5 minutes to get my legs going round in smooth circles again but one they were I was feeling pretty comfortable. Obviously I was riding with my Quarq power meter and had a rough idea of what power I could manage for the event duration as well as factoring what I had already ridden and the ride home. I didn’t get the chance to upload the route file on to my Garmin but thankfully  the route is so well sign posted I didn’t need to worry, not once did I worry I was heading in the wrong direction. The one thing I do love about these mass participation events is the vast number of riders on the road, I love jumping from group to group as I make my progress towards the finish, its like in a time trial when you are catching your minute man and acting like a dangling carrot, it always just seems to make it more interesting a spur you on. As there were so many groups out on the road I had no problems with looking ahead and aiming for the next one, although when I did reach the group I acknowledged them and just kept going, I was riding at my own pace with my own intentions but those who wished to join me were more than welcome.

That Competitive Flair.

After about an hour and a half of riding the route was heading through Inkburrow and onwards towards the Cotswolds, I was making good progress and was feeling good. I eventually began to close the gap on a rider who was making good progress himself and once I had passed him he didn’t hesitate to lock on to my wheel, which is suspected he would. Now even though sportive rides are all about personal challenges and socializing, there are always a few that want to make it in to a race. As soon as this other riding got on my wheel and simply sat there as I plugged away in to the head wind on the longest straightest bit of road, my competitive side soon began to make its self-known.  Even though I was riding at my own pace with my own goals, I still felt the strong desire to get this guy off of my wheel, I know that might sound harsh but it’s just a natural instinct for me as I’m sure it is for most people. I knew I wasn’t going to drop him in to the head wind as I was still pacing myself, so I decided that I would wait for the routes main challenge, the ascent of Dovers Hill. Used for the nation hill climb championships on a number of occasions, the ascent consists of a consistent 1 mile gradient at around 12% making a pretty tough climb if you are willing to ride hard and on this occasion I was more than willing!

After coming up on the group containing my business buddy, Jamie, and exchanging a few jokes and words of encouragement, I soon hit the slopes of dover with my now well established living shadow firmly glued to my wheel, still not having come through and said hello. I shifter in to the small ring as the climb kicked up and soon after riding the first few meters of the main slope I heard a faint gasp and grunt from behind, I turned around to see that my Siamese twin and cracked and snapped the elastic. I maintained a good tempo up the climb being careful not to overdo it and continued on with a good solid pace once I had crested the top. From here the route dropped down in to Mickleton which sits on the outskirts of the Cotswolds, before heading through Long Marston, Welford on Avon, Billersly and Aston Cantlow. From this point it was about 10 mile or so back to the HQ and ultimately the finish. I was still feeling pretty good having ate and drank to a consistent schedule during the ride, something that I am beginning to work quite hard as I take part in longer road races. With only a few miles left before the finish I eventually came up on the group containing my dad who started just over an hour before me, he had put in a great ride, one that he was very pleased with in the end. After a quick hello I put my head down and continued towards the shop.

Done and Dusted……….Almost.

After turning in to the car park of the HQ, it was still a bustling hive of activity with riders and people wounding around checking out the bikes and kit on display, exchanging there number for a bacon butty and sharing there riding experiences with fellow riders over a nice cup of tea, I also enjoyed one myself whilst I waited for my old man and Jamie. Once they both arrived we had a brief chat, compared times, said our good byes and set off on our separate ways. For me this meant more miles as I decided I would ride home which at first sounded like a great idea as the sun was shining and the day was bright. However, once I got going my legs were pretty tired and as I was still aiming to maintain the same power that I had ridding for the rest of the ride, I soon began to run low on fuel and energy. Thankfully the ride home seems mainly downhill and its only 0 minutes so I did managed to make it back home before the dreaded bonk came over me.

A tiring day but a great one at that and a fantastic show thanks in whole to Paul, all of his helpers and marshals who gave up there Sunday to stand in the cold, the photographer, the caterers, the supporters and of course the hundreds of riders that made the event what it is. I will be back again next year to give my support as will Jamie and almost every one that took part. Hope you had as good a day as I did.

For those that are interested, here is a link to my ride data as shown in TrainingPeaks online training account.