The Beacon Message Board

On Sunday May.11th, myself and Mark Patton are Beacon riders in this mega-sportive in the Lake District after we were successful (?) in the entry ballot. This ride has 4000m of climbing in the 180km event and climbs over all the named passes such as Kirkstone, Whinlatter, Honister etc with the Hardknott and Wrynose climbs pleasantly located at the 100 and 104 mile mark.

The question is...Hardknott. Everyone tells me it is ridiculously steep and the Internet forums are full of scare stories so is there a rule number that I can quote if indeed it is a walk-up?

Also, I'm doing this with Mark 'mountain goat' Patton, so I'll see him at the start , ride with him for about 1.5 miles then see him again about 9-10 hours later...the words "bye-bye" seem inappropriate as he speeds off into the sunrise (drizzly rain).

Anyone done this ride before...any good tips?

Rule #20?

Best of luck, Phil. It sounds like an epic ride.

Unfortunately, rules #47 and #69 may apply here.

Phil, I have ridden up Hardknott and Wrynose a couple of years ago. There are a couple of 33% ramps on Hardknott, Wrynose is a little less harsh but still tough. I made it up both on two wheels with a mtb cassette, so I was on 34/32 by the top. Save your legs on the lower section of Hardknott, steepest bits come later on. After 100 hilly miles, I suspect you'd be in plenty of company if you did decide to walk the steepest bits. Good luck to you both

I found the worst aspect of Hardnott was the descent. Very steep with twists and turns and oncoming cars. Make sure that you have new blocks fitted to the bike.

Have a great time, Phil.

My previous encounter with Hardknotts was pretty horrific. Was 20ish miles in to the c2c in a day sportive and was more like some kind uphill obstacle course. People pushing up, falling off, zig zagging, hovering at 1 mph was just utter carnage, bodies everywhere. Hoping will be less chaotic this time as towards the end of the ride.

I would agree with Phill tho, I’m more worried about the descent. If my memory serves me correctly and I could have been hallucinating following the climb but there is a bend where it goes pretty much vertical downwards, with water flowing down it and lots of gravel everywhere. There were medics posted at the bottom of this section ready for accidents on this mentioned ride.

Wrynrose in its own right is a beast of a climb, but following hardknotts I found I just went into autopilot and seemed to just drag myself up it as quickly as I could to get it over with.

Roll on next weekend 

Mark..ahem...your post has not helped!

Let's hope it's dry!

Good luck chaps, for what is without a doubt an exceptionally challenging ride. It's not often you might have use of a rope and crampons on a bike ride but this looks like a candidate!

Best of luck Chaps mind the edges of the road ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2a_oRBXTwQ

Two horrible accidents by the sounds of it...

http://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2014/0 ... ster-crash

I was literally a min behind the man who came off on Wynrose. He went off the road and down the embankment. He did not look
In a good way at all. Was very wet at that point, not the best conditions for such dangerous decents

And the results for Beacon riders participating in this, the toughest of all sportives, are as follows;

Richards, Phil: 8:30:20; 13.17 mph

Patton, Mark: 8:16:36; 13.53mph

Chapeau!

Well done guys a really great achievement.

What's the next stupid idea?

...and I was about 10mins after he crashed on Wrynose...there was a first aid tent round him at the time. Mark is right, the ultra-steep descents on wet tarmac meant most people (including us) went down them on full brakes at about 5mph (hence our apparent slow averages compared to say a club run), but there are always those that 'chance it'.

It really is a tough course, and Hardknott is just a comedy climb, the only things missing are clowns in a toy car honking away, I've never gritted my teeth as much as on this climb, and shout at myself not to just fall sideways.

One flat at the top of Newlands for me, which is a bugger to change in wind at 400m elevation, but other than that, a grand day out...heartily recommended.

As for other adventures, I hear there's a tough audax in mid August somewhere local!

Great effort guys, well done!

Excellent performances. The average speeds of two strong riders say all I need to know about how hard it was. Dreadful shame about the fatality. For him and his family, obviously ... but it must make it hard for all the other participants to look back on the day and think to themselves "Yeah, that was good" when they associate the memory with the sight of medics attending to a dying man.

George wrote:Excellent performances. The average speeds of two strong riders say all I need to know about how hard it was. Dreadful shame about the fatality. For him and his family, obviously ... but it must make it hard for all the other participants to look back on the day and think to themselves "Yeah, that was good" when they associate the memory with the sight of medics attending to a dying man.

Hi George, the following was posted on the Fred Whitton Facebook Page yesterday -

We are pleased to hear that the 2 cyclists who were airlifted (one from Honister & one from Wrynose) to Preston on Sunday are now both out of hospital and back home with family - great to hear! Speedy recovery lads, from all at Macmillan #fredwhitton

Great news for all involved

Oh, sorry -- I thought I'd read elsewhere that someone died. I must be muddling up two separate incidents.

George wrote:Oh, sorry -- I thought I'd read elsewhere that someone died. I must be muddling up two separate incidents.

Possibly this, George, that Nick Shenton posted on Facebook about.

laurence_cooley wrote:

George wrote:Oh, sorry -- I thought I'd read elsewhere that someone died. I must be muddling up two separate incidents.

Possibly this, George, that Nick Shenton posted on Facebook about.

Quite possibly, Laurence.