Congratulations to all riders who completed the course. The commitment out on the road has been immense and that has been reflected by 43 cyclists male and female going under the gold standard by their age category. There are two levels of recognition for the Highclere Castle Cyclsosportive 115mile event:
1) Fastest rider on the day
2) Best performance by the rider under the gold standard for their age
category.

The full results are here

Top Male performances 2006

Fastest male rider out on the course on Sunday 20th August was Terry Leaves, Islington CC, with an outstanding time of 6h 00m 08s

The best gain time performance under the gold standard went to Glyn Burton, GS Surosa, who performed out of his socks to go 54m 33s under the gold standard for his age category – another quite remarkable performance.

Top Female Performances 2006

The Fastest female out on the course by a small margin was Tor McIntosh is
another excellent time of 7h 20m 02s

The best gain time under the gold standard was Lucinda Seymour, Reading CC, who managed to deliver a significant 14m 26s under her gold standard – another strong performance by any account.

50mile Watership Down Challenge 2006

The 50 mile competition was open to both male and female riders to find the
best gain under the gold standard regardless of gender. Big Congratulations to Sinead Nelson, who achieved a stunning 42m 08s under the gold standard and that was nearly double the next rider achievement – that’s class!

115mile Gold Star Wheelers Team Challenge 2006

The Team challenge is new and unique to the Highclere Castle Sportive. It takes the individual performance to the next level – working as a team to achieve success. Each team must have all 4 riders complete the course, then the individual time by age category is measured against gold standard for the rider. Any gain for each rider is then added up to give the best cumulative time for the team.

The Gold Star Wheelers 2006 top performers are a cunning team called Cyclo Psychos who achieved a cumulative gain of 1hr: 12mins: 41secs. Although Trigon achieved a greater gain they didn’t qualify as two team members did not finish the course.

Ken and Barbara Robson
and the Highclere Castle Organising Team

‘The Highclere’ will become a classic Sportive

I’ve never done the Etape – I wish that I had though. Pitting oneself against the terrain and the clock rather than a bunch of other riders has always appealed to the old CTC reliability trialler in me. Man and machine together against the elements. No need to shave your legs, you don’t need a licence and you can do it with a pannier bag attached.

Cyclosportives have always seemed to offer a more gentlemanly way to spend a day than the inevitable grovelling in the gutter that my 4th’s/ 3rds’/ juniors events would entail. The very word “cyclosportive” conjures up something civilised, noble, Corinthian and ever so slightly Continental. Maybe there’d be time for a spot of lunch somewhere nice, and besides, with such a huge distance to be covered I was certain not to be lapped! More importantly I was convinced that I had the right bike for it, a Roberts compact Audax custom built for the long haul. I’d shed slightly less than half a kilo by swapping the chainset, saddle and suspension seatpost and to my mind had transformed the “old girl” into a racing thoroughbred.

Obviously I was wrong though, I did spend the entire day grovelling in the gutter trying to maintain something of a half decent average speed as the wind blew, the rain fell (intermittently) and the mercury dropped. So much for the Continental aspect and whilst I wasn’t exactly lapped, I was passed by most of the rest of the field (many of whom had shaved their legs and forgotten to attach a pannier).

The Highclere / Southdowns Challenge involved 2,915m of climbing in a loop of 115miles through Hampshire. The route was excellent taking in the sort of back roads, sunken lanes and roughly surfaced byways that are usually only accessible to locals with an expert knowledge of the area but the signage along the entire course was superb. The savage course profile however meant there was little time to enjoy the views or take in the scenery. Not being able to get into a rhythm was something I heard time and time again as the roads pitched us up and down all day long. One minute on 50 / 16, the next on 34 / 16. In this sort of landscape the Compact is King.

Plenty of hills to ‘grovel’ up

Likewise, the food stops were sensibly placed but having spoken to friends who have done the Marmotte and the Etape I was a little disappointed not to be offered ham and cheese rolls and a choice of drink. We got fruitcake, flapjack and some pretty weak High5 (or water).

On leaving Highclere at 8:01am I decided to pace myself – it was going to be a long day after all – and everything went according to plan for the first 50 miles or so. Bottles were refilled, flapjack and cake taken on board and the odd energy bar consumed. Unlike almost everyone else I saw I didn’t suffer any punctures whatsoever thanks to my ever so agricultural 28c Conti’ Top Touring 2000’s. I was rolling along just nicely thank you very much; then 75 miles arrived. Bugger.

There were still 40 miles left and I’d just started to bonk. Cake, flapjack and energy bar didn’t seem to be doing the trick any more so I broke out the turbo charger (SIS Go-gels to be more specific). I had four on board and I had it on very good authority that one every ten miles should see you right. So that was OK then. But it wasn’t, I was working hard now to spin along at 15mph on the (few and far between) flat sections. My knee was starting to ache and at 90miles thoughts of abandoning crept treacherously into my head. This was the longest ride I’d done in more than five years and there were still 25 more miles to go. Another ‘gel’ worked its magic though and I pressed on trying hard to mimic the elegant toe down pedalling style of the twiddlers of old – anything to take my mind off the sheer unpleasantness of what I was doing. Coincidence or not however my knee stopped aching and I made 100 miles feeling better than I expected.

Tandems too? isn’t that cheating?

“The Scorpion” struck as predicted just after the beast that is Inkpen Hill. I thought, not unreasonably that it would be all downhill back to the finish – there wasn’t room in the route to squeeze in any more climbing. Idiot! Deluded fool, of course there’s room for more climbing, this is Hampshire and they’ve rented an Alp for the day. Simply go halfway down the hill, slam on your brakes, turn right and ride back up. This hurt and once over the control mat at the top of Walbury Hill I was assured that there was only one more short hill to the finish. This was partially correct in that there was only the one of them but “short” is a relative term and is often followed by the word ‘sharp’. This latter piece of information was missing.

And so some 8.5 hours after leaving, I was back. To the arms of my loved ones who had been holed up in the Castle grounds with nothing much to do other than watch the BCF “go ride” demo” and inspect the family seat of the Carnarvons.

After a well deserved massage I decided that I will try another one, maybe the same one next year so I can see some sort of progression – and I’ll have moved up to the 40year old category by then so I’ll be allowed another 15 minutes! Now then, who’s for a spot of training in the Indian Himalaya?

The Start	An early flat – a hazard of quiet roads	The roads in question
Food and water	Lunch was flapjack	The ever winding road
3000 metres of climbing	riding in twos and threes	Or small pelotons
A happy camper	Some hungry campers too	Took some energy drink along – sensible

This is our last call to invite you to join 500 fellow cyclists taking part in the 115mile and 50mile Cyclosportive events and 32/50mile Charity leisure rides at Highclere Castle on Sunday 20th August 2006.

We have to close the Cyclosportive challenge online entries on Thursday 17th August to enable HS Sports to program the individual timing chips ready for Registration on the Saturday. Don’t delay any longer – enter now here

If you wish to enter the FSNBF charity leisure ride you can enter online up to Friday 18th August and we will be accepting entries on the day (+£2.50 surcharge). Enter now here

We have Bike Doctor Mechanic Services available to take care of any cycling needs over the weekend, British Cycling Go Ride will be look after the kids with their cycling activities, and KickFM radio station will be live from 6am – all at Highclere Castle on Sunday 20th August.

Cycle your Challenge – Enjoy your success and end to end experience.

Confirmed entries for the 115mile and 50mile Cyclosportive have already passed 300 and the event is filling up fast! Don’t delay any longer, register your entry or you may miss out on taking part in what is shaping up to be the best Cyclosportive event of the year.

Entries will close on Wednesday 16th August 2006.

Trigon, American Classic, Cyclefit, AW Cycles and High5 are sponsoring major prize awards, essential energy hydration out on the course and bike mechanic and support services.
Prize list

The courses have now been set and the gold standards for all age categories are published. Are you up for individual and team gold performances? Check out the standards.

Highclere Castle, Nr Newbury, Berkshire provides 2000acres of traffic-free Parklands in which to stage the event. Car parking is right next to the main arena, the start is through a Lime Grove avenue and the finish route goes through the estate passing Highclere Castle. All riders can expect to enjoy a traffic-free experience.

Following out after the Cyclosportive riders will be FSNBF Charity Leisure Ride. This is the best way to enjoy the 50mile course or the shorter 32miles at your own pace and leisure, and get to cycle the famous Watership Down – mind the rabbits!

Follow this link to enter. Please note that they will be taking entries on the line for the FSNBF Charity 50mile/32mile rides.

British Cycling’s Go Ride will be at Highclere Castle too. This will be a super opportunity for families to come along and join in. The castle will be open for viewing and the kids can bring their own bikes and take part under the watchful eyes of qualified coaches to test their cycle skills on “interesting” courses as well as have some fun activities. Bikes and helmets can be provided if required.

Be part of a festival of cycle challenges and charity leisure rides taking place at the prestigious stately home location of Highclere Castle, Nr Newbury, Berks. We have heard that this is a fantastic challenging course and is all set to be a superbly organised event.

There are three cyclosportive challenges proposed for the Highclere Castle Cyclosportive on the 20th August 2006: 110 mile individual, 110 mile 4-person team challenge, and 50 mile individual. Plus two leisure rides supporting Fire Services National Benevolent Fund Charity (FSNBF): 50mile ride and a shorter route option of 32miles.

The courses we have designed will test your physical ability and mental strength to judge pace, endurance and stamina to the limit – 3000metres of ascent, classic undulating Hampshire Downs countryside, hammer time along the Test Valley and then the Scorpion’s sting on Inkpen Beacon.

• Local Accommodation: Over 600 hotel rooms within fifteen minutes drive of Highclere Castle
• Fully supported: From the moment you enter the grounds to when we send you homeward after your success.
• Easy Access: Highclere Castle is conveniently located between M3 and M4.
• TLC: Sports Masseurs at the finish to take away those aches and pains!

Details:

• Date: Sunday August 20th 2006
• Course: 110 miles individual and/or 110miles team entries, 50 miles individual entry and 50mile ride and a shorter route option of 32miles (charity rides).
• Venue: Start/finish Highclere Castle, Newbury, Berkshire
• Cost: £21.00 – 110mile, £17.00 – 50 mile, £12.50 – 50m or 30m Charity Rides
• Supported by Reading Cycling Club.
• Individual electronic timing by HS Sports.
• Enter your individual and team entries straight away – www.cyclegb.co.uk