The Cheshire Cat 2008

The eagerly awaited start of British Summer Time marked the first major sportive of 2008 for Kelly's Heroes - the Kilotogo Cheshire Cat. It was time to see if those hard fought winter miles (for some of us anyway) had paid off.

It looked like Kelly's heroes were going to put in a strong turn out for the sportive - everybody was up for either the 100 mile or 60 mile option. Phil, Jon, Tim and myself headed up the M6 the night before, in miserable weather (which didn't bode well for Sunday's ride), in order to stay near the start in Knutsford. And so we sampled the delights of the Middlewich Travelodge - a modest establishment with a particular smell - a cross between stale pipe-smoke and a wet dog.

Sunday morning saw our first 'casualty' - Paul was apparently confounded by the time change to BST and woke up late. He then admitted defeat and went back to bed to dream of expansive fairways, manicured greens and smart sports casual attire. The rest of us continued on to registration, where we were eventually joined by Alex and Rob, and after some considerable faffing, and with surprisingly bright, clear conditions considering the miserable weather the night before, we lined up at the start and set off on the first sportive of 2008.

 

 

We started off with a fairly brisk pace, riding as a pack, but it didn't take long for things to change, and for me to fully appreciate just how much of a difference pack-riding makes. Rob, Tim and Phil were in front of me, with Jon and Alex bringing up the rear. Over the first few miles I let my self drop of the back of the pack too easily, I was left working on my own well behind Phil, Rob and Tim, and in front of Alex and Jon who were further behind.

Phil eventually dropped back to join me (and probably regretted it!). There was a reasonable head-wind, and without the cover of the pack, we both really struggled to keep them in sight, and eventually lost them altogether. We soon joined another smaller pack, and agreed to take mile-long turns up front - this turned out to be particularly effective, and we were soon knocking off the miles, until we hit a series of short climbs, during which our makeshift team seemed to fall apart. Much to my surprise, Phil's and my hill climbing abilities were way ahead of the rest of the group and we soon left them behind - it must be all those attacks on Edge Hill (our local 14% 'bump')

After some balls-out descending from Phil, (with some slightly more 'cautious' descending from myself - nervously wondering how the hell you take corners that quickly) we worked together, taking turns up front for half mile stretches. We stayed disciplined on this and it seemed to work really well, before, and after the feed stop (at which we managed to waste an incredible 20 mins queuing for the toilet - another lesson learned). We continued to build the speed and managed stretches of flat road at 28mph, through the Cheshire countryside, in the bright sunshine - it was superb. During a 10 mile stretch we averaged over 21mph at a very comfortable pace.

It's worth mentioning at this stage that despite harbouring some desire to do the 100 mile route, I took the easy option and followed the 60 mile route. Despite having  knocked out a few century rides in the past, I wasn't feeling to confident due to a lack of training and bout of illness, But I was also working well with Phil over the short route and was really enjoying the ride, so was reluctant to go my own way.

We managed to keep it together until about 10 miles to the end, when Phil started to drop the pace a little due to cramp. At about 7 miles I was feeling a little guilty about taking the easy option, so Phil gave me the nod and I took off on my own and laid it down to try and inflict some self-punishment - I didn't want to finish the ride feeling too fresh! I reached the finish in a time of 3:37, with satisfyingly sore quads.

 

The results:

Short Route

Overall Position	Name	Time
9	Tim Newman	03:20:36
53	Mark Kelly	03:37:51
64	Phil Morton	03:41:26
84	Jon Sharratt	03:47:16
85	Alex McCormick	03:47:26
GOLF	Paul Taylor	Shot a 75.

 

Long Route

Overall Position	Name	Time
	Rob Ford	06:12:47

 

Rob was the only one from our group who took on the 100-mile route, and by all accounts, it was the long stretch that really contained the teeth of the ride, including Mow Cop. Conquering this 25% climb would earn you a special medal, if you managed it without putting a foot down (something Rob managed). you can read all about his exploits here - http://blog.rajf.co.uk/?p=100

Overall, it was another excellent event from Kilotogo. While I was disappointed that I wasn't able to take in the 100 miler (a distance I'd hoped to be able to cope with, less than 100 days from the Etape). I thoroughly enjoyed the ride, and am looking forward to my next sportive, which isn't until May (as I have the small diversion of an Arctic Expedition for the duration of April).

The rest of Kelly's heroes will be training hard for the next Kilotogo event - the North Cornwall Tor on 20th April.

Meet the 35th Infantry

(yes - it's another reference to the film)

It's fair to say that Kelly's Heroes represents a varied mix of cycling ability and fitness. Some of us have been riding bikes for a while, whether it's as part of a Triathlon, or hitting many of the great mountain bike trails in the UK. Others have decent levels of fitness through participation in other sports, but little biking experience, whilst some really have got an epic challenge on their hands!

There are currently seven of us in Kelly's heroes, the bulk of the team work in the development department of Freestyle Interactive - A digital marketing agency based in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, UK.

So, in no particular order, here's a quick run down on the current members:

 

Mark Kelly
Development Team Leader at Freestyle. Well this is me, and all this nonsense was all my idea. I've been recreationally involved in endurance sports for the last 5 years, competing in Triathlons, from sprint distance up to the UK Ironman in 2006 (some might say I've been basking in the glory of this event for a little to long now - but what do they know? they haven't got the medal..). My biggest endurance challenge to date was probably a 25-day arctic expedition in April 2007, but 2008 is looking like it could be close contender. My biggest challenge is balancing the my other commitments with L'Etape (currently the Bala Half-Ironman, a 300 mile Arctic expedition and some housing renovation) and trying to lose my 'recreational' status by dropping 2-3% body fat. A tough prospect given my fairly erratic training combined with the free supply of biscuits at Freestyle.

 

Rob Ford
Interface Developer at Freestyle. There's little argument that Rob is the strongest member (at least of the Freestyle lot). Rob took up road riding in August, without a great deal of previous experience in any sort of cycling. His unwavering dedication to rowing training (Rob's a member of the Stratford Upon Avon Boat Club) has given him level of fitness and power which mean he's simply referred to as 'The Machine'. Aside from rowing, both Rob and myself like the odd bash at random endurance events, such as the Rat Race and Tough Guy race. Read more about Rob over at his blog: http://blog.rajf.co.uk/

Alex 'McUllrich' McCormick
Senior Developer at Freestyle. Some important facts about Alex: 1. He's taken part in a National final (Coventry Jets vs Some other team with Alex in wide-receiver / bench-warming position). He's never had a day off ill (apart from three incidents of concussion). He can bench 1.88 times his body weight.

Cycling is definitely a new sport for Alex. Shortly after his surprise decision to join us for L'Etape, he decided to head down to the local bike shop for a few test rides. The bike shop guy watched nervously as McCormick set off, slowly and unsteadily, in the wrong direction, before questioning 'He does know how to ride a bike - doesn't he?'.

He's come a long way since those late summer months. Back then, something as simple as taking a drink from his bidon, required Alex to come to a complete stop by the side of the road - only then would he release his vice like grip on the handle bars, allowing him to quench his thirst.

Jon Sharratt
It's been a on-off kind of start for John. After first hitting the road back in August, stratospheric levels of enthusiasm saw him purchase the most expensive bike in the group, and book himself on a specialist Etape winter training camp at Club La Santa in Lanzarote, all in the blink of an eye. Over successive months enthusiasm waned somewhat and the bike was safely parked up for the winter - Jon confident in his assertion that 'he didn't need to train for the Etape'.

Before boredom set in, Jon's riding style could be best described as 'explosive', preferring to hit it hard in the first few miles, with plenty of uphill over-taking sprints, which generally left everyone behind. Unfortunately this work rate would rarely last anywhere near the distance, and the latter parts of the ride would see Jon 'in a dark place'.

As the dark, winter rides come to an end, Jon's decided to get back on his bike and is, at the time of writing, experiencing a fitness 'renaissance'. Whether this re-awakening lasts the distance to the Etape remains to be seen!

 

 

Paul 'Visage de Gateaux' Taylor
Development Team Leader at Freestyle. By his own admission he's a 'big unit' - with an equally big appetite to match. Weighing in at close to 18 stone, with a sporting background firmly routed in Cricket and (almost professional) Golf, Paul isn't exactly cut-out for the epic hill-climbs of the Etape. However, since first hitting the road back in July, when he struggled with even the shortest distance rides, he's given up the Bensons and gone on to complete the likes of the Exmoor Beast and the Godiva sportive.

There's always a possibility that a packed cricket fixture list, a recent increase of activities requiring a pringle jumper and well-pressed slacks along with the odd tub of cocktail sausages, will all conspire to guarantee Paul a seat in the broom wagon. The coming sportives will soon tell which way things will pan out.

 

Phil 'The Ham' Morton
Head of Operations at Freestyle. His Derbyshire roots have given him a strong history in going downhill fast, albeit on Mountain Bike Trails rather than tarmac. Phil's house has generally become a biking headquarters, from spare kit, to tools to spare bikes, pretty much everyone in the team has, at some point dipped in to borrow stuff / have stuff repaired and generally be fed (courtesy of Sarah).

Phil is about as gadget-obsessed as myself, and a new bike related purchase is usually just around the corner. His 'ham-legs' have the potential give him some decent power, and he's always up for the odd sprint, but physique-wise, he's no 'chicken'. Phil is probably out on the bike more the most of us, being the only one who actually cycles to work!

Tim Newman
The only member who doesn't work at Freestyle. Tim tends to join us for the Sportives, and is definitely one of the stronger riders in the team, due to his build and regular training. He's recently taken on a personal trainer and rumour has it, he's knocking out over 200 miles a week!

Prologue

L'Etape du Tour or 'a stage of the tour' - an opportunity for thousands of amateur road cyclists to experience, first-hand, one of the most legendary annual sporting events of the past 100 years - the Tour de France.

Each year, a different stage of the Tour is chosen to host the L'Etape, and well before the location of the stage is announced (usually a 100+ mile route featuring classic mountain climbs and descents in the Alps or Pyrenees) many of the 8500 participants will have already enthusiastically handed over the entry fee. It's likely that at least 30% of these enthusiastic participants wont make it to the finish (in fact some of them won't make it past the first climb).

So who are Kelly's Heroes (besides Clint Eastwood's band of enterprising WWII soldiers)? Well, it's the imaginative team name for a bunch of amateur - in some cases very amateur - cyclists from depths of Warwickshire and beyond. Basically, on the back of a sudden surge in enthusiasm for road biking amongst my work colleagues, I (I being Mark Kelly - see what we've done there?) suggested we enter L'Etape du Tour 2008.

The suggestion was half in jest, half in the hope that I could persuade others to accompany me on this folly (It's something i'd been thinking about for a while, but wasn't massively keen on entering by myself). Much to my surprise they all agreed, and so in August 2007, began the months of bike training, cyclosportives, lunchtime visits to the 'bike shop' and more importantly: un-ending 'big talk'.