Wiggle Hellfire Sportive 10 November

Through Strava, I've met a great bunch of cyclists that loosely style themselves as the Road Junkies.  We thought we'd fit in a final sportive this year before grinding out the winter miles on local roads.  This sportive fitted the bill nicely - we settled on the standard course of 54 miles, but there were short (23 miles) and epic (86 miles) options to suit your taste.

Starting at the Kent Showground at Maidstone, we set off down a steep, narrow, muddy, wet, rutted, pot-holed, slippery track - in single file - unable to pedal and shivering on the bars like jellies in the fridge.  Mix in a good number of riders fixing punctures, straightening wheels, gluing broken frames and setting fractured limbs (ok, slight exaggeration) and you'll get the picture nicely.  I'm afraid these road conditions were too frequent for my liking throughout the ride, although I felt a little smug as I rode through the chaos on 25mm winter tyres, but slightly envious of those on mountain bikes.  The upside is that we met very little traffic, but when we did it made passing difficult for all involved and on occasion tempers frayed.  I wonder if wider roads might be safer even if traffic speeds are higher?

To be fair, there were plenty of better roads on the route and the cool wind was fairly light.  The sun was shining as brightly as it can in November.  The late autumn colour in the cherry orchards and chestnut coppices was stunning, a real visual treat.  After the deluges of the recent Wiggle South Downs sportive, I was grateful that the only water was on the roads and none was falling from above, although some roads were completely flooded in places.

As for my companions, they dropped me after about 10km.  My excuse?  I tried a 'cube shot' energy block with caffeine and I think it disagreed with me quite violently.  My heart rate shot up, I felt sick & faint.  I nearly jacked it in at the feed station, but pride wouldn't allow it.  I felt well enough to continue after some rest, water and jelly beans, but I struggled over the rest of the ride and came in 30 minutes behind them, feeling disappointed.  A long solo ride whilst feeling crap was not the plan!  Has anyone else had this problem?

The Wiggle events do seem well organised.  Signing on is efficient, signage is generally good, the feed station was well stocked and I got a medal (woohoo) and goody bag.  I understand why they choose the roads they do but I wonder if it's always the best strategy to include a large amount of C (D?) roads in poor condition.  I think they're a bit pricey - £20 or so would be better value - but overall, despite the grumbles and self-inflicted discomfort, it was a good morning out

Neil Smith