May 4, 20197 yr Thanks Katymac, I’ll need all the luck on offer, I wouldn’t wish my condition on anyone..... Jim
May 5, 20197 yr Author Well I did it - in about 3hrs 15 with a couple of little stops They all sang happy birthday when I arrived back and I ate my chips then ice cream - now I'm knackered and my sit bones hurt!!!
May 5, 20197 yr Congrats Katymac - we knew you could do it! I'm just back from the 100km Tour de Manc today. A Sportive is an interesting experience on a 30kg panniered-up Cube Touring Bike. I thought I would be doing it alone but a girl i used to work with had also entered it solo so we teamed up. She has only cycled about 4 times in the past 2 years but (a) is 15 years younger than me (b) used to do triathlons before she had kids and © has a very nice 9kg road bike. As a result the flat parts of the race consisted of my busting a gut (and almost maxing my heart rate) on a 30kg lump of steel trying to keep up with someone who weighs 4 stone less than me on a 9kg carbon aero bike (the 25kph cut off making my motor entirely irrelevant). The downhill parts consisted of me watching her speed away like a Mitsubishi Zero whilst I just tried to throw my weight around violently enough to make the corners (almost always at reduced speed - though I did manage 66km/hr on one quite steep descent.) But uphill. Well apart from Werneth Low (which I know from experience requires Sporting or Turbo boost and first gear on its 15% parts) all I did was put Eco on, settle into 2nd gear and climb with a heart rate in the 140's whilst she blew up. We had to walk up about 4 longclimbs (although it was easier for me to cycle really slowly in 1st with Eco on than actcually push a 30kg bike even with walk assist). So in the end it worked out pretty well and it was nice to catch up with her for a chat. I felt fine at the end of the 100km (basically as a lot of the climbs came at the end and they were rests for me). I did lock out the front suspension for a while but actually put in back on as vibration from the road surface was numbing my hands at one point. I had also upped the PSI in my Marathon Pluses from 55/60 to 60/65 for road use. I used exactly 60% of the 500W/hr battery. But of course I did take hills really slowly (and walked up a couple). Nevertheless I'm confident that the Bosch ALP with a 500W/hr battery can managed a 100k Sportive in normal conditions even on a heavy touring bike. Sportives are not my favourite riding though - no time to stop and smell the roses and far too many cars. I prefer my quiet river/canal and old railway line paths. And stopping for photos and cider But i did manage about £500 for charity and it's further than I've ever gone in one day before... Edited May 6, 20196 yr by Andy McNish
May 5, 20197 yr Author All I can say is wow! BTW this bit of Norfolk is very flat! Pretty much the only hill worth more than an number 2 was the railway bridge by the race track!!
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