CLUB RUN - Sunday 16th July 2017 - Experimental

A return of Jay's favourite route and one for those ENVE hoops. 44 miles of joy and happiness.

08:30 start

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18882827

Looks like a nice route and nice manageable club run distance.

Will try to come along.

Always a pleasure Ved

Hi team, potential new member here. Keen to join if this is something a newbie can get involved in?

Hey Phil, welcome, will be good to meet you on Sunday.

Hi Phil. You are more than welcome.

Is this a night ride or is the time wrong?

Have changed it to 8.30 am

Great, thanks for the welcome, see you on Sunday

Thanks Ricky

Gooooood morning Club Runners. Nice conditions for riding today. Head not too clouded from the drinks last night. See you at 8.30

Great ride Sam.

Well done squad. Top bicycling from everyone.

Good to meet everyone, thanks to Sam for leading.

Well done everyone

Thanks everyone for coming along. I enjoyed that.

Anton and I did a longer one in Kent. Shaped like Great Britain.

http://www.strava.com/activities/1086213­380

So it is. Chapeau. I'd be mushed over that.

Sam went longer still

https://www.strava.com/activities/108649­9280

Top etaping Sam!

Thanks!

Finished 4,899th out of 12,207, and 2,606th for the "King Of Mountain Challenge" where they add together your two times from the Col de Vars and the Col d'Izoard. So you can see I clearly took the first half of the ride easy.

My back was in absolute pieces going up Izoard, but there was absolutely no fucking way I was going to stop. Plenty of time to rest at the official finish on the summit! Got a high five from Didi the Devil on the finish line :0)

A few unpleasant moments, someone being treated on a hairpin on the descent off the cat 3 climb heading down to Le Sauze-Du-Lac , his bike propped up against the outside of the barrier with the saddle at a very odd angle, so clearly hit the barrier. Then someone absolutely heaving their guts up about 2/3rds up the Izoard, you could hear him from a couple of road sections down, tried to block it out but the sound was awful. And finally a crash on the descent down to Briancon, which was untimed so no need to rush. Plenty of riders helping him though, and he looked to be talking.

tl;dr 10/10 would bang again

Good work Sam.

Chapeau! It's rare for someone to say they would do it again so soon after. Normally it takes a few weeks for the memories of the pain to subside. So that's a good recommendation :)

Well done Sam.

I would do the Etape again, if it wasn't for the whole "waiting around at 6am in a pen with 2,000 other cyclists who have had 3 coffees and are trying to discreetly shit in someone's garden" thing