This has the potential to be one of the shortest sportive reports in history as I only made it three miles along a 110 mile routes. No, I wasn't the victim of tin tacks at Velothon Wales as there was another sportive across the Severn in Bristol last Sunday: Break The Cycle. The name turned out to be entirely prophetic, but more of that later.
Break The Cycle is in its fifth year and is jointly organised by the Community Foundation teams of Bristol, Bath and Gloucester rugby clubs. Entry was £30, although it is primarily billed as a fundraising event with each participant encouraged to obtain £200 of sponsorship. In return two free tickets are also given to a rugby match of the rider's choice. It's a growing sportive as there were 425 people signed up this year compared to 175 in 2014. A Break The Cycle rainbow jersey was also available to buy, and plenty were on view at the start line.
The twist on this event is that it visits all three rugby grounds and you can start at any one you want. Being a Bristolian I opted for Ashton Gate, which seemed to be the most popular. Due to the redevelopment of the stadium there was no on-site parking, so vehicles had to be secured on the surrounding residential streets. Arrival was requested for 6:30am with a prospective start time of 7:00am.
I got to the stadium just after 6.30am on a dry and slightly chilly morning although the forecast was for warmer weather later. I ended up parking a five-minute walk from the stadium so I got ready in my car and cycled round to sign on. There were two queues outside. The first was to fill in a form with details including emergency contact, and then there was a second queue to present the form. In return you got a jersey number, safety pins and a map of the course in a sealed bag. Having two queues seemed a bit convoluted and may cause problems if the event continues to grow at the same rate.
There were photographers taking pictures of groups of riders and bike mechanics present for any last-minute issues. Toilet facilities were in the Visitors changing rooms and everything seemed set fair. A short briefing ensued and then I was off just after 7:00am with the first few riders.
The part of the course I did complete was certainly unorthodox for a sportive. We went straight across the neighbouring park on the pathway, then over a zebra crossing and onto a short area of cycle track and a bridge over the River Avon. This was followed by three sleeping policemen and then across a railway track onto a road. The road lasted for a mile towards central Bristol and then it was onto the cobbles across one bridge before a right turn and more cobbles into Queens Square. It was more like Paris-Roubaix up to that point.
Disaster then struck. I had picked my bike up fresh from a service the previous day including new front disc brake pads. I went to grab a handful of brake and there was nothing on the front. An inspection showed the pin intact that should have held the pads in place, but one pad was missing. I assume it may have been dislocated by the bumpy ride to that point, but it should still not have fallen out. I contemplated going back to look for the pad but there were now a couple of hundred cyclists bearing down on me so I resorted to Plan B. I cycled back to the start along the more direct road route hoping to get mechanical support.
Back at the start, it was deserted as everyone had gone on their way. The mechanics remained but had no brake pads in stock. They said they could have got one from their shop but the roads were closed all around it due to the Bristol Triathlon the same day. I was offered a spare bike, but 110 miles on an ill-fitting machine didn't seem like fun. So I cut my losses and informed the organisers I had retired.
What I missed out on was a route along the flat Bristol-Bath cycle track before the first feed station at Bath rugby club. There was then a climb out of Bath, another feed station at Tetbury, followed by a Strava segment climb prior to arrival at Gloucester rugby club. There were massages on offer at each of the rugby clubs en route and post ride. The loop route then turned back south before a fourth feed station at Lower Stinchcombe, and finally back to Ashton Gate for a BBQ.
I did get a phone call from the organisers later that evening to make sure I was safe and sound which was a nice touch. The bike went back to the shop as soon as they opened that morning. They were very apologetic and replaced the pad again. One of those frustrating days - maybe next year for Break The Cycle 2016.
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