RSS newsfeed

Sunday 5th September 2010

Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Designed by JustWebIt.co.uk

Pro Tour Ride - 175km/3000m ascent

“Huge success”, “A great day out”, “Superbly organised”, “Tremendous atmosphere” were just a few of the accolades the Prostate Cancer Pro Tour Ride on Sunday 5th September, which saw 11 of the club’s riders taking part.

Our boys were joined by several other local riders, together with two from the National Trust and another couple from the sponsoring charity (all riders are listed below together with their times). All rode for Will Wake’s team ‘NT Outdoors’ and in the process have so far raised more than £4,500 for the Prostate Cancer Charity.

The team was superbly backed up on the day by a magnificent support crew of Lucy Coppin, Michelle Miles, Mary Butcher, and Helen and Malcolm. Between them they drove, fetched and carried and generally pandered to the demands of these finely-tuned athletes. Further support came from Joy Mitchell who had earlier embarked on an all-night bakeathon to provide enough goodies to fuel the entire field of 800 riders!

The 7am start sent the field away from the town railway station in heavy rain and deepening gloom, and with the prospect of 110 miles and 10,000 feet of climbing up the road to Teignmouth.

The early wet and testing miles saw the riders tackle 2 ‘King of the Mountains’ (KoM) climbs, the first up to Heath Poult Cross, followed by the Sticklepath up to Raleghs Cross. The slippery and gravely roads also took a heavy toll and countless riders suffered punctures while others were less fortunate still and either crashed or were brought down. Luckless Richard Miles was in just the wrong place when the rider in front came off on the notoriously steep descent into Luxborough, bringing him crashing down on this head. Happily, Richard was fine but his helmet was a write-off!  Undaunted, he carried on and finished the ride in fine style, shepherding a small group of tiring riders to the finish.

The third and final KoM climb, the infamous Peak Hill leaving Sidmouth, was tackled after riders already had 80+ hard miles in their legs. The organisers showed their sadistic streak here and gave riders their split times for the ascent. Truly humbling for some who were reduced to walking. Other climbs which might have carried KoM status included the ascent away from Wellington up on to the Blackdown Hills, and it was this relentless succession of vertical challenges which eventually took its toll on all but the strongest.

As the final miles counted down the weather gradually improved so most finished in warm sunshine. The seafront in Teignmouth was transformed into a Grand Tour spectacle for the day, with closed roads and cheering crowds lining the finishing straight in their thousands.

The day was a personal triumph for all finishers on one of the country’s toughest sportives, but two of the club’s members deserve special mention. Andy Grainger, competing in his first serious cycling event, powered over the hills to be the first local finisher, placing 13th in 6 hours 39 minutes, an amazing effort since of those who finished ahead of him, 5 were professionals from the Rapha Condor Racing Team. Who knows how fast he’d go if he took the mudguards off!!!

Possibly the only septuagenarian in the event, 73-year old Brian Pursall was completing a spectacular return to fitness after being dogged by poor health for much of last winter. A finishing time of 8 hours 37 minutes placed him 390th in a field of 784 finishers.

Andy Miles also produced a tremendous effort, (7 hrs 3 min) having very little time to prepare following his recent return to the UK. But as this type of event was new to almost everyone in the team, hats off to everyone!

And finally, hats off to the Prostate Cancer Charity for their first-class organisation. They provided excellent signage along the route, well-stocked feed stations in the right places (despite what Paul Butcher says after missing the one in Honiton), and a truly Pro-Tour finish with matching atmosphere.

Paul Butcher

Team Results

Photos

if you have any photos you would like included please email them to Steve@mineheadcyclingclub.com

Has anyone got photos of the finish?

Team Captain
William Wake