Version of this ride report with pictures at:
http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/cycling/manc100.htm
Manchester 100 ride 2005
The Manchester 100 bike ride is an annual event in September offering 100km
(63 miles) and 100 mile routes. In March Audrey wondered if she was capable
of getting fit enough to do it. Steph responded with the challenge of If I
can, you can. We could, and we did.
Our scheduled start time was 8am, with what seemed like about a quarter of
the almost 4000 riders entered milling around in Wythenshawe Park. The day
got off to a very bad start when Audrey had a puncture before reaching the
start line, but fortunately that was the only mechanical problem all day.
Our one and only successful overtaking manoeuvre of the day was achieved
just a few hundred yards from the start. There were about three other groups
keeping pace with us, but we were some of the slowest riders out there.
The route started by going from Wythenshawe into Hale Barns, a very
expensive Manchester suburb, inhabited by the least courteous drivers on the
entire route. One driver honked when I took the lane at traffic lights which
were too narrow for her to pass me, so I gave her a cheery wave, which
seemed to infuriate her even more. From Hale Barns we went over the M60,
through Ashley and past the Rostherne entrance to Tatton Park (stately
home). This is a route that Audrey and I have done often on our regular
Sunday training rides, but always in the other direction from Tatton towards
home, after tea and cakes at the hall. The road along the wall of the estate
is long and straight so the cars go rather fast. I'd rather be going faster
down the hill than up it.
By now the riders were quite spread out, so it seemed like we were on our
own, but at each busy junction where there was a few seconds pause to get
across a group of at least 10 cyclists formed in seconds. After going over
the M6 by bridge at Tabley Hill the route crossed the busy A556 just south
of junction 19, and on regrouping at the other side we had our first food of
the day, working on the eat before you're hungry theory. 16 miles of ride
done, and the legs were feeling as fresh as if we'd only just started. Quite
a contrast to our first ride at the beginning of March, when I needed two
hours in the bath to recover from only 13 miles!
Still on familiar territory the route wound past the entrance to Arley Hall
into Great Budworth, sadly too early for the ice-cream farm to be open. Up
to this point the route had been flat apart from one climb in Hale Barns, so
the 1 in 10 out of Great Budworth was a nasty shock. A flat few miles
through Comberbach and Anderton to recover, then it was on into serious
hills in Northwich. The Mossley Cycle Racing Team children's section had the
right idea, peeling off for a cup of tea at a garden centre in Northwich.
Very embarrassing to be burnt off by a bunch of 8 year olds when they passed
us again later. We carried on up and down through Northwich, but the last 20
yards of one steep hill up to a junction were just too much, so I got off
and pushed.
Just outside Northwich the rides split, the 100km riders turning south to
Whitegate while the 100 mile riders continued east towards Norley. The
marshall at this point was telling 50 mile riders to turn, which given that
the distances were 63 miles or 100 miles was not exactly clear. Later we met
one unfortunate woman who had signed up for 100km but got misled by the 50
mile instruction into doing the 100 mile route.
Near Whitegate we met Rob from the Dawdling Doctors cycling group, whom we
ride with once a month. Rob kindly took this photo of us at about the
halfway mark, still feeling quite good, even though the terrain had become
rolling rather than flat. The day had been sunny from the outset - look at
the shadows in this shot - and from here on the temperature was rather
hotter than we'd have liked.
There weren't many opportunities to take photos, as I didn't want to stop,
but here's one of Audrey womanfully cresting one of those rolling hills.
During the day we saw one recumbent trike, one upright Longstaff trike, one
trailer bike and several tandems. Most riders were on touring or racing
style bikes; mountain bikes were definitely in the minority. Every set of
riders who were struggling, whether it was with mending punctures or blowing
up because they'd set off too fast, were on mountain bikes.
Rolling hills soon induced real hunger, so once we were able to find a shop
in Winsford with cold drinks we stopped for lunch and attacked our
sandwiches with gusto. But oh dear, getting back on after even a short stop
was hard work, especially slogging up hills in the heat. It would have been
better to get a bit further to Middlewich where the route flattens out
again, but we were just too hungry to wait. Church Minshull comes to mind as
a place with some particularly vicious hills, where we got to know several
groups of riders who went at around our pace, stopping for
