I can pinpoint the exact moment when my heart rate went through the roof on the Cotswold Veldrijden Spring Sportive. It wasn't half-way up a Hors Categorie climb, and I didn't need the assistance of my Garmin device. It was on a flat country lane between Swindon and Cricklade, when a strong gust of wind suddenly swept me off balance and towards the middle of the road. The side wind caused my front wheel to shake uncontrollably and I thought "I'm going to fall off", closely followed by "and my four-month-old bike's going to get scratched up". I then saw a car coming in the opposite direction along the previously deserted road. At this point I managed to regain equilibrium and steer away from the danger, but it proved to be a portentous sign of a battle with 50-60mph gusts of wind throughout the ride.
Cotswold Veldrijden (pronounced vel-dry-den according to their website) are a cycling club and race team based in Swindon. Their origins are in cyclocross but they have branched out into other areas and this was the club's inaugural sportive. Event HQ was at Lydiard Park Academy, West Swindon where one of the organisers works and where the club also hold winter turbo training sessions. Facilities were good with plenty of parking, toilets, refreshments and changing rooms in the school for the 100-odd participants.
Event registration opened at a civilised time of 8:30am - particularly welcome as the clocks had gone forward an hour overnight. However, it was the start of British Summer Time in name only as the forecast strong gusty winds and rain arrived on cue. The gazebo at the start/finish line was tied down to two wheels of a VW Transporter and also a nearby drain cover. Having mislaid my mobile phone I contrived to miss the mass briefing in the main hall at 9:00am and most of the field heading off fifteen minutes later. The errant phone was eventually located hiding in the changing room, and I set off with a few other stragglers around half past nine.
There were two potential routes on the sportive of 100km and 55km, costing £15 and £12 respectively in advance. Prices went up £3 for anyone who wanted to sign up on the day - although, given the conditions, I don't expect many took up that offer. I chose the longer route, and despite a few short hills it was a mainly flat and rolling course. An ideal early season pipe opener. I would have added "fast" to the description but the wind was a constant menace throughout the day. As a tail or headwind at least you knew where you were, but the swirling crosswinds took caught me unawares on several occasions.
The Spring Sportive went through a mixture of country lanes and small Cotswold villages which were the more relaxed parts of the ride. However, several sections were on main roads with the potential hazard of being taken too close to the traffic by the weather conditions. A small group of riders who passed me and then stopped appeared to be on the verge of turning back after about 10 miles.
After my heart-racing moment outside Cricklade I soldiered on, only to realise a few miles later that I had also shed a water bottle in the incident. I still had one bottle left and there were two feeding stations en route so it was not a major issue. The first one came after 36km at Ashton Keynes sports pavilion, after a jaunt around the lakes of the Cotswold Water Park near Cirencester. It was inside with toilet facilities and a supply of hot drinks. The menu consisted of jelly babies, bananas, cake and flapjacks.
Back on the road and the long and short route split came immediately. After a few miles I was waved down by an event marshal at a junction. He was there to give notice of a fallen tree in the road. This obstacle was apparently unplanned, but with the club's cyclocross roots I wasn't quite sure. Anyway, I got to the tree, lifted the bike over and then ungracefully limboed under and reunited the partnership.
The second feed station came up quickly at 61km and was only for those on the longer route. It was a less salubrious affair than the first, consisting of a sheltered bus stop at Little Somerford. There was meant to be an accompanying gazebo but the wind guaranteed it never made its way out of the van. No buses were scheduled for the Sunday and the bus stop did its alternative job very well. There were bananas, jelly babies and water along with electrolyte drinks tablets.
The last section of the ride went along more paved bridleways and back under the M4. The majority of the route was on roads in good condition compared to some other events I have participated in. The final section held the most climbing, including a sustained drag up through Purton at the end. On arrival at the finish there was free hot food and drink in the shape of a chilli, bread, tea and coffee. There was also a broom wagon, but I don't think it was put to use as the time allowance was quite generous.
The event was well organised and good value for money. The only slight negative was that some of the on course signage seemed a bit sparse and I did see one rider make a wrong turning. However, GPS routes were emailed out a few days before the event in a comprehensive briefing sheet, which was a help. There were just a few crossroads and junctions where a sign would have been reassuring, although it appeared that if there was no sign it was a case of continue straight on.
As well as a healthy turnout from Cotswold Veldrijden club members the sportive seemed to attract riders from Malvern and surrounding areas; hopefully the Spring Sportive will ride out its stormy start to see many future editions.
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