ChrisB

Fantastic effort Andy

Somebody like Ozzy might know more about it but I'm sure there's a limit on how much fluid you can drink whilst working hard and that limit is under what you can lose in sweat. The stuff I've read reckons on an intake of 1 litre per hour of riding, so it sounds like you were close enough with 6 litres of fluid.

Brendan Hughes

Well done mate, and to all others that took part

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

Well done Andy, it made me feel knackered just reading your account of it

dpb

Stirling work considering the conditions..

Even the pros , who i think go for all over total block fake tans , would have found it tuff yesterday.

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Talking to guys that have doen it before, the people in the full race gear, with their carbon race bikes, etc, normally steam up Ditchlin Beacon. You know it's hot, when some of them have to push their bikes up!

Anyone else here do it? How did you get on?

SJ_Skyline

well done chap, enjoyed the write up. I feel tired just reading it

Chris - it's not just the water, its the salt loss from sweat. By the time you are cramping up it's too late to really make an impact. You need to take salts and water on board as you are progressing, before you get thirsty and cramps.

Andy, you know you will want to do it next year mate As long as I'm not racing in challenger I'll pace you

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Hmm... I can only describe myself as red and crispy!



And I'm in no rush to get out into the sun!!

crush her

Believe me, pros would not struggle to ride up Ditchlin Beacon (even with those conditions), a tiny blip on the radar to those guys !. Andy, forget the London to Brighton and try L’Etape du Tour. A real stage of the tour de France (usually a mountain stage) a couple of days before the pros. Did it in 2002, 95 miles over 4 mountains, and even I didn’t put a foot down on any mountain and the first was the 19kms long cormet de Roseland!

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

I don't think I suggested these guys were pros!! Rather the wannabes!

About a third of our team cycled all the way up, and we were all on mountain bikes (albeit with road tyres)

I have no plans to take up cycling to that sort of level, rather as something that is mean to be fun!! I might do it again next year, but I will do a hell of a lot more hill work!

crush her

It is fun Andy, I bet you'de enjoy 55+ mph downhill plus hairpin bends with only 23mm tyres to save you!

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

I was told that if you saw straw bales at the side of the road, that's where people come off!! I took it easy, especially after seeing people in ditches, stinging nettles, middle of the road and even patches of blood on the road.

I think I only managed 30-35mph down the hills. Most were doing 40-ish, but one of the guys at work was going at 53.4mpg with aother work colleague slipstreaming him!

You forget, I was wearing a polystrene hat to save my life.

Brendan Hughes

Ba5tard. Was he riding a VAG diesel?