Woodcote Sportive

After a gentle week that involved some core, stretch and flex and riding my PX out on the road a few times, I was up early this morning heading towards Reading for the Woodcote Sportive. With 3 distances available I had (of course) chosen the long route; 83 miles and some 1800m of climbing. The weather forecast was for warm and dry conditions but it was going to be windy. Hey ho! It's the same for everyone.

I met up with a few buddies from Shutt Velo Rapide (see here for quality cycling kit: http://www.shuttvr.com/ ) and crossed the startline at 0915. I was riding my PX for the first time in a sportive and was curious to see whether there was much difference in a high end aluminium frame (my Litespeed) compared to a bottom end carbon frame (the PX). The route is best described as rolling with a few 15%+ hills thrown in for good measure. After the first hill I dropped my Shutt buddy but ended up riding on my own fighting the wind. My climbing ability has improved massively this year, due to a combination of things. My power is up a little, the bike has been set up properly after a bike fitting session, and I've lost a bundle of weight. Just before the first feed station at 45km my Shutt buddy came passed in a small group and I tagged on to the end. After a quick stop for a wee, top up the bottles and a slice of flapjack, we headed into the longest section of the course - the next feed station was at 110km. We were going well, picked up other riders and dropped some off, as is the way with sportives. The odd rider came passed as well. Some we hooked up with, some we let go as they were clearly way above our level. In the end we were 3. We arrived at the last feed station just before the 4 hour mark, and after a quick transition we set off and soon became part of a large group. At the next major hill, though, I hit the front and rode at what I considered to be a comfortable pace. I was therefore surprised at the top to look round and see just 2 others with me. The 3 of us were still together. Before the last climb we picked up another rider and with 15km to go I figured it was hammer time. I kept checking to ensure we were together but at the top of the last climb it was just me and one other rider; I'm not entirely sure where we lost the other 2 as my eyes were looking up the road and my heart was in my mouth! My surviving ride buddy was strong on the flats and set a good pace to the end; I led up the hills while he rode on my wheel and together we crossed the finish line. I was well chuffed to have achieved gold standard, not just for my 40-49 AG but also achieving a time that would have got me gold for the under 40s.

The PX rode well. It's a little more forgiving over the bumps but it doesn't feel as 'alive' as my Litespeed. I'm not sure exactly how to describe it but the PX just feels 'duller'. It's not bad, by any stretch of the imagination, and for a sportive its a good frame - handling isn't particularly 'racy' and it's reasonably comfortable. It certainly went up the hills very well and I had no issues on the descents. I would, though, really like to try a good carbon frame, such as the Cannondale Six or Specialized Tarmac (amongst others), and see how they compare.

My legs are fried now, so I guess it will be another couple of days of rest and active recovery. Next Sunday is the New Forest Rattler; a 79 mile sportive with a sting in the tail - the 25% Blissford Hill!

Train smart, recover well, and race hard. All the best.