Have you ever ridden in horizontal rain? How about a thunder and lightning storm featuring hailstones the size of penny pieces? Well both of these experiences were on offer during the Wiggle Cotswolds sportive, held Saturday 2 August.
The sportive was run from Cheltenham race course by UK Cycling Events as part of the Wiggle Super Series. The week leading up to the start had been wall-to-wall sunshine but the forecast for the big day was mixed at best. Persistent light rain fell as the riders arrived in the ample car park. Registration was in the adjacent Centaur building and there were Garmin devices available to hire and a Wiggle pop-up shop for those last-minute purchases. Unfortunately, male toilet facilities appeared to be at a premium as the queue for the "trap two" facilities was ten deep with only a couple of cubicles available.
"You're all very calm" said the Wiggle lady at the start. "Usually it's a bit manic". "This is genteel Cheltenham," replied a local, adding "this rain won't keep up." I won't be seeking him out for a Gold Cup tip after that prediction.
Three routes were on offer: Epic (105 miles), Standard (75 miles) and Short (40 miles). I was down for the Epic featuring 6,637 feet (2,023m) of climbing.
The first ten miles was an enjoyable and flat warm-up. There were vintage cars patrolling the roads due to a hill climb event that we passed en route. However, after rolling through the pretty village of Winchcombe we reached the first of the two major climbs of the day, Round Hill up past Sudeley Castle. The climb was a sustained teaser as every time I thought it had ended, up the road went again. Numerous thoughts of stopping for a rest ran through my mind but I managed to push on over the top with a smug feeling of satisfaction.
The rest of the ride to the first food station at 33 miles was accompanied by unrelenting rain and wind along narrow country lanes. I felt discombobulated by my efforts on Round Hill, listless and fatigued. The collective mood at the food station was grim. Some talked of turning back. There was an air of resentment. Hadn't everyone signed up for a high summer jolly in glorious sunshine?
I pressed on. The road was mainly country lanes, slightly undulating with the odd chocolate box village to break things up. Maintaining morale was the biggest challenge, until shortly before the second food station, at 64 miles, the rain finally relented and the sun put in an appearance. Spirits rose, rain jackets were packed in rear pockets and shirt sleeves became the order of the day. I ate my fill and bounced out to towards the second big hill of the day - Snows Hill.
Snows Hill runs from the tourist-heavy village of Broadway up past the eponymous National Trust property. Not as steep as Round Hill, it was still a challenge with 75 miles in my legs. The final kick up put us in the middle of fields of lavender with their distinctive smell. It was now just a flat spin back to the race course, mission accomplished.
Except it wasn't. After the third food station at 82 miles a malevolent cloud hung in the sky. The route kept me cycling towards it and then away. Was I going to avoid it or be dragged into its epicentre? Lightning flashed, thunder rolled and everyone reached, once more for their rain jackets. For a couple of minutes the rain came down horizontally, driven by its friend the wind. I tried to keep riding but then the hail started. A rider in a Marmite jersey dived for what cover there was at the side of the road and I did the same. I had to put my hand up for protection as the hail was so big it stung hard on contact. After a couple of minutes the worst passed and I was back on the bike, traversing a couple of shallow flooded roads to the finish without further incident.
The sportive was well organised with marshals at every major road junction and motorcyclists helping riders with problems en route. The food stations were all at village hall-type premises with permanent toilets. Food on offer was fig rolls, jaffa cakes, pistachio nuts, jelly beans, flapjack, bananas, gels, Oreos and water and energy drinks. There was also a mechanic at every food station and vehicles around the route with spares. At the finish a massage was on offer £10 for 15 minutes and a Costa coffee facility was open.
This was the fourth Wiggle Super Series event I have completed this year and they've all been very professionally run. Any quibbles are of a minor nature. The Garmin route I downloaded from the website kept beeping and telling me I was off course. You also get a T-shirt and medal for finishing but they are the same for every event. Individual event mugs can be bought but there is no prize as in the Cycling Weekly series for completing a set number of events. Although there may be a cost implication I think that making the mementos unique to each event would encourage more riders to enter multiple events. Shower facilities would also be a welcome addition, but these are only minor points on what is a well run and slick operation. I'll be back for another one in the series in the Mendips in two weeks.
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