If you like your sportives fast and furious, then they don't come much better than the Tour of Cambridgeshire Gran Fondo. A fully closed road event built around a pan-flat course of 83 miles amid picturesque Cambridgeshire countryside - and an empty airfield - and the event even offers riders the chance of a crack at the World Champion's rainbow stripes...
Now in its second year, the Tour of Cambridgeshire has the unique tag of being the UK's only qualifying event in the UCI Gran Fondo World Series. The World Series is a UCI-sanctioned world championship for amateur cyclists, with the final held this year in Perth, Australia. Somewhat incredibly, while on a training ride earlier in the week I had bumped into an actual world champion, Mark Cavendish on my local roads; was it a sign?
More on that encounter with Cav later... Back to the sportive, and the organisers, Golazo Cycling UK, split the event into four entry categorisations, in an attempt presumably to put people with similar abilities and expectations closer together, stagger the start times slightly (15 minutes apart) and to hopefully provide a more consistent speed and flow to the day's proceedings.
The categories on offer were:
- Race - available only to those with a Full Racing Licence and with every intention of crossing the line first, both in the UK and Australia
- Sport - for those with a significantly sized competitive 'chimp' and matching hardware, looking to put in some seriously fast times and earn bragging rights over mates and fellow club riders
- Challenge - for those wishing to experience the Pro UCI production and closed road experience, and hopefully put in some personal bests
- Leisure - a shorter, 50 mile version of the Challenge category
I didn't participate in the inaugural event last year, but heard reports from a friend who did (and finished under 4 hours and inside the top 25% of his age group). I was assured that this was a fast event, with plenty of strong guys forming trains at any opportunity. All you have to do is sit on...if you can!
Finding myself with the mixed blessing of a hospitality VIP pass, I got free VIP parking right inside the event showground but was also entered into the Race category. Upon registration and without the required Full Racing Licence, I was not issued the Race wristband and told to just join any other pen I like and enjoy the day. A lack of clear signposting on the category pens meant that I wandered around for a bit, and then ambled into the closest pen and waited to roll out under the very official-looking UCI starting archway. An hour and a half later, it was evident that I had inadvertently joined the Challenge pen and got moving around 12:30.
Before the day, my intention and expectation was to take maximum advantage of the closed roads and any available drafting and get round as quickly as my legs would allow, secretly hoping to get close to my friend's time of last year. However, it was soon apparent that the majority of my fellow Challenge riders weren't of the same mindset, and with my 'chimp' egging me on to up the pace I set off on a solo attempt to encourage and tempt others to join me.
With near perfect cycling conditions - warm and dry, albeit a little windy - the first 30 miles flew by. Snaking around country lanes at full pelt, I was mindful that my pace probably couldn't last but I was having too much fun to hold back.
Around the 30 mile mark we entered the RAF Alconbury airfield. Fully exposed to strong winds and with the first feelings of fatigue in the legs, I sought shelter in any wheel that would have me. Riding around a wide and empty airfield was a raw and tough experience. With so much space to occupy, tight groups to shelter from the wind weren't really forming and plenty of energy was spent riding into what felt like the strongest headwinds of the day.
Out of the airfield and we rolled into the equally exposed but beautiful surrounding Fens for a completely flat 30 miles. It was during this stretch of the event that my legs decided enough was enough. My physical attributes had reached their peak and my lightweight frame was begging for an alpine climb to balance the score against the far better equipped rouleur type riders, who were clearly enjoying the parcours far more than I was.
As I battled to stay on the back of a group, I sorrowfully watched my average speed drop. With 25 miles remaining I finished all my drink, stuffed a few more gels into myself and ground my legs along the course back towards the finish in Orton, muscle feeling like it was slowly separating and stripping away from the bone.
Showing what appreciation I could to the wonderful crowds who had come out to cheer us along, I perked up with around 10 miles to go and decided that a final push could be mustered in order to preserve an average speed above 20mph for the day.
I finished 10 minutes over the 4 hour mark, and well outside the required timings to qualify for the UCI Worlds. My gleefully gloating friend, on the other hand, fared somewhat better, finishing with a knee-shattering time of 3hrs 40 mins (kudos away) and ensuring qualification.
Chapeau to him and all the others who qualified. Good luck if you make it to Perth!
As for my encounter with Mark Cavendish... it was something quite out of the ordinary. I was on a standard training ride around my local country roads last week, when a rider adorned in Team Dimension Data kit pulled out slightly ahead of me from a junction. Curious, I pulled aside to get a closer look, my eyes in disbelief: it was the Manx Missile himself, also out on a training ride.
After saying hello and having a little chat, he kindly offered to buy me coffee in exchange for some directions to Hertford.
Would I lead home the UK's greatest ever sprinter? I obliged, and sat on his wheel for the next 20 minutes while trying to think of small talk and avoid rear ending him. A quick coffee was followed by the obligatory selfie before I left to return to normality, the new owner of a tale to tell the grandchildren (and anyone else that will listen) for many a year to come.
It may not have been a prophetic encounter as far as my gran fondo result - but it certainly livened up my training ride!
1 Comments