Saturday, 26 May 2012
Getting hot
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Saturday, 21 January 2012
Latest
Thursday, 3 November 2011
It's raining
The first day of rain today since a slight shower in May! Good for the farmers but not so good on the bike. We are getting some jobs done on the house at the moment while we are quiet including a new wood burner to run some central heating, should make the house a lot more comfortable and get rid of the massive electric bills, these big stone houses are designed for Summer only. We are looking good for next year with some nice size groups booking in for some Winter training. I will be updating the website over the next couple of months with next years sportive and event dates including a duathlon and even a triathlon! if riding in your under pants is your thing. Don't forget we are open for Christmas and new year with lots of cycling to be done. Time for more diy !
Sunday, 25 September 2011
September
We are nearly at the end of the month and what a busy time it's been. We have had guests on their 3rd, 4th, and even 5th visits! We have been right around the base of the Sierra Nevada on our tour including the mighty Pico Veleta climb, one of THE toughest climbs anywhere. We have a couple of days of now to sort out the house and then on with a busy October. We are filling up fast for the new year and getting ready to send out the dreaded Christmas messages to say we will be open. So if you would like to avoid the usual Christmas drop us a line.
Friday, 9 September 2011
At last
What with twitter and facebook etc I've been getting a bit lazy doing the blog. We had a busy run up until Summer and then the usual dip for July and August that we now take as a bit of a break before it all starts up again. We are off on our tour in a couple of weeks around Granada and the Sierra nevada taking in Pico Veleta en route with a good sized group.
I will be sending out a newsletter soon as we are starting to fill very quickly for Feb/March next year, a very popular time to start getting some Winter training done. I've not been racing much myself apart from a MTB race a couple of weeks ago with very bad form, makes you realize how quick the Spanish are when you are not at your best.
Adios
I will be sending out a newsletter soon as we are starting to fill very quickly for Feb/March next year, a very popular time to start getting some Winter training done. I've not been racing much myself apart from a MTB race a couple of weeks ago with very bad form, makes you realize how quick the Spanish are when you are not at your best.
Adios
Monday, 18 July 2011
El Limite 2011
We are just back from a great weekend in Granada where we took part in El Limite, a very tough sportive finishing at the ski resort above thttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhe city. Here are a couple of reviews from guests:
And a link to some great photos
Sierra Nevada El Limite Sportive - Granada - Spain 9 July 2011
By Bryan Carrick Age 55
341st out of 571
As I exit the air conditioned airport laden down with bike box and luggage, a sudden sanity check is required. It’s Wednesday 6th July 8pm and I feel as if I had just walked into an oven that had been baking all day and was now in the process of just cooling down. A bright neon temperature sign flashes out 32dg! I have just arrived in southern Spain for a five day mid season short break, away from the UK’s weather and the crowded roads, but primarily to take part in my first Spanish sportive. “The 2nd edition of the Sierra Nevada Limite 2011 Sportive”. A 145km (90miles) challenging route up and over 3 significant categorised mountains before a mountain top finish in a ski resort perched just below the Pico Velata at 2100m. With approximately 4000m of climbing, the first and last climb been given Hor’s Category (HC) in the past when included in the Vuelta à España. This was not going to be a fun charity ride! My hosts for this sportive were Spain based Vamos Cycling run by Sarah and Gary Williams, who had organising my stay, internal transfers and entry into the sportive.
Saturday morning 8am in Granada city, I had transferred a day earlier for registration and collection of my timing chip and numbers. This sportive is not on closed roads but to all intents and purposes it might as well be such is the Spanish culture for cycling. The route is well sign posted and signs do not go amiss and motorised vehicles are very patient, giving you a wide berth!
The city park is lined with London Plane trees and I am about to be released from the holding pen along with the 650 riders in a mass start. We had already under gone a pre timing chip check before hand so there were no worries on that front. Up ahead of me the front moves off at a steady pace held back by a “naturalised zone car” for the first 8km. This makes it a steady start ride out if it were not for the fact the road is already rising up. As the mass of riders flow through the suburbs every junction, roundabout and traffic light that could interrupt up the riders is covered by either a State Civil Guard, local police or Spanish army soldier and so it will be for the whole route.
Prior to flying out I had done my homework on the profile and had divided up the route into four phases. Each mountain would include an ascent and descent of a climb with the first phase being the HC Category Monachil climb. From the start in Granada city to the top would be a 10.5 mile climb before the main descent. As we turned off the main road onto a narrower country road the road starts to seriously rise up. The Garmin 800 is showing 12% and for the next 3 miles that does not change much. Every rider holds his position leaving the left hand side of the road for the mountain goats. With no let up on the steep climb the first feed station as the road levels out for a short distance at 9.5 miles in is a welcome break already. Water station would be more appropriate, as food was limited to half bananas and half oranges with some savouries. No energy bars or gels available and certainly not a 3 course meals as some of the UK forums would suggest! Each water station is manned by the army. A short descent after the stop is again followed by a sharp climb to the top at 1500m. What follows is an exciting 6 mile steep descent with hairpins and sharp turns on perhaps the smoothest and widest roads you can wish for.
Phase 2 and 3 of my ride follow each other with some overlapping as the route doubles back on its self back to Granada. But before that, it is 50 miles of ascents and descents over some medium height mountains. The roads are smooth and the scenery stunning as we ride through small white coloured villages with crowds lining the route and around some large reservoirs that were so inviting as the temperature rises up to 32°c. At the furthest point out on the route I pass a water station. Having just checked my water bottles I decided to give it a miss. This went against my ride strategy of splash and dash when I see a water stop. My rash decision was to come back and bite me later. Groups of riders formed and disbanded as the route rose and fell. Sitting in was possible depending on the pace but with no wind slowing down progress riding solo was not an arduous task. As I approached the next water station I am down to half a bottle of very warm energy drink. As I dismount the bike I heard the army saying no water available. I am stunned for a few seconds whilst I think what to. I just hope other Spanish riders are also caught out and I come across some filling in local village water troughs further down the route. Sure enough I do and I fill both bottles with energy powder and water before dunking my head and feet with shoes still on into the trough. Hot foot and hot head was not an option I wanted. The following descent was uneventful yet exhilarating.
At 70 miles the road flattens out as you ride on a short transition road before the final push of the day, phase 4 of my ride. My Garmin shows the elevation as 790m and with 20 miles left; this climb will top out at 2200m. The final climb to the ski station is in 2 sections. A steep 7 mile climb followed by a short sharp descent into a valley before a long if not steeper 10 mile climb to the highest point. I am feeling good despite the heat as I start my climb. On my own now having dropped some of my cycling hombre, I tap out my pace as the road narrows as it goes up with the grade fluctuating between 7% and 10%. The initial climb eventually tops out and I descend the short sharp drop on this narrow road and it reminds me of a British country road. A few pot holes with gravel! Caution is order of the day now as I take my second severe hairpin bend on this section of road. The road levels out and we go through a couple of carved out rock face tunnels. This gives me sometime to quickly calculate the pain factor to come. The cycle computer elevation now indicates 1055m and with 10 miles left to ride I still have over 1150m of climbing. I estimate the pain factor as 9/10!!
Sure enough a gauge of the pain to come is on a sign by the side of the road. The sign indicates a 15% incline but what it fails to tell is that it is a series of 15% inclines with sharper ramps on left and right turns over at least a mile on the tree lined road. Having taken my last caffeine filled energy gel earlier, I begin counting the ramps but soon lose interest after at least 6. My pain level hits max. The Garmin HR zone is telling me I am in the red and just need to easy back a little. The trees help with the shade as temperatures are now up to 39°c. As I progress, casualties by the side of the road begin to appear. Heat fatigue and cramp are the usual suspects.
With 4 miles to go to the highest point on the route the road begin to open up as the trees disappear and the gradient begin to come down to an acceptable ride able level between 5% and 9%. The views are stunning as you look down to Granada some 2000m below. Down to my last half bottle of energy drink the final water station is a welcoming sight. I am feeling good as my bottle is filled but how I look is of concern to a fellow Spanish cycling hombre as he pours a litre of water over my head.
The top of the climb is indicated with a flag as I go over the top at 2200m and 88 miles in. The finishing point is 2 miles away on the other side of the climb in a ski resort and it is downhill all the way. The pasta party is in full swing as I roll under the timing gantry in 6hr 58mins just with in my target time. Vamos Cycling are already there to congratulate me and help me collect my goody bag and a hard earned cycling Sierra Nevada Limite jersey.
My final thoughts on the ride is that it has the makings of a classic (Alpine style) sportive. If you like long ascents with exhilarating fast descents but without the other 9450 riders that some iconic French rides produce then this is for you. Although not on closed roads it still offered the same challenges and thrills that the Etape du Tour did in 2010. I cannot be more appreciative of Gary’s advice and experience of riding in this region and the heat. Although I have no idea on other peoples costs, for me the whole 5 day experience including 2 nights stay in Granada, all transfers and entry into the sportive (43euro) and flights (booked separately with Ryanair) came in under £500. Compare that to some other big EU rides and I think it has a lot going for it. My last observation on the sportive ride is that the Spanish cyclists take their sportives as races and not fun charity rides. They are impeccably dressed and their steeds in pristine condition. Attempting to turn up with hairy legs and loose fitting charity clothes will really mark you out and a traffic (or fashion) police may divert you away from the route!
El Limite Sportive, Granada Spain 9th July
By Chris Green age 34
The heat of a Spanish July seemed a long way off when I persuaded myself to enter El Limite back in April. With more than 4000m of climbing in the Sierra Nevada packed into 90 miles it was clearly a serious ride that required some serious work to prepare for through the worst of the early British summer.
Come July it was off to Vamos! HQ on the other side of the Sierra Nevada range for a few days to acclimatise, test the legs on the hardest training roads I know and feed up for race day. Feeling a bit wobbly on a big climb in the 40 degree mid-afternoon sun was a valuable lesson in taking the heat seriously – and not turning up for El Lim with one bottle and hoping everything would be ok.
A short transfer with Vamos! - and two other brave El Limite hopefuls – and we were in the beautiful (and even hotter) city of Granada. It has much to offer the tourist but food and sleep were our top priority and both were catered for perfectly.
With more northerly parts of Europe suffering with rain and wind, race day dawned without a cloud in the sky and comfortably above 20 degrees even at 7a.m. The start line of a Spanish sportive is part social club, part boutique and part high-end bike shop – the Spaniards take their cycling seriously and like to look the part! Rolling out of Granada on roads which were all but closed it was readily apparent that the event was extremely well organised, with the riders always given priority and respect, looked after, and given plenty of encouragement from the side of the road. How unlike a sportive back at home.
The climbing starts straight away with the Puerto de Monachil – a short (by Spanish standards) sharp, 10km shock to the system straight after breakfast with plenty of 12% and one or two ramps well above 15%, followed by an awesome 75km/h descent back towards Granada. The route then heads east towards Gaudix on spectacular hilly roads, and back again to reach the foot of the final climb – which is more or less continually uphill for 18km. Gary from Vamos! and I got in group of about 60 riders which rode sensibly uphill and down on these hard roads, all thinking about saving something for the summit finish as we gradually picked off riders who had gone too fast at the start. The group split at the penultimate feed station and was in bits as the climb loomed.
A warning sign shortly after the picturesque village of Guejar-Sierra advised of 15% ramps to come as the serious climbing began. It didn’t say that the gradient wouldn’t relent for nearly 4km on a narrow road with concrete hairpins steep enough to give you vertigo. I felt at home as it looked like Wales – only much longer and slightly hotter. For a while I wondered why I was even bothering to carry a saddle around with me. The junction with the main road to the Sierra Nevada ski station finish – complete with well stocked feed station – was a great relief and it was time to wind it up and make up as many places as possible on the final ascent to 2200m.
The finish was as well organised as the start, with the Spanish TA cheerfully helping out at the magnificent food tent, and goody bags including a Limite jersey that actually fitted instead of lots of junk that doesn’t. 65th out of 571 was a respectable if not spectacular performance – with lots to think about how to go faster next year. With all the Vamos! riders finishing well all that was left was to return to Granada and enjoy the tapas!
And a link to some great photos
Sierra Nevada El Limite Sportive - Granada - Spain 9 July 2011
By Bryan Carrick Age 55
341st out of 571
As I exit the air conditioned airport laden down with bike box and luggage, a sudden sanity check is required. It’s Wednesday 6th July 8pm and I feel as if I had just walked into an oven that had been baking all day and was now in the process of just cooling down. A bright neon temperature sign flashes out 32dg! I have just arrived in southern Spain for a five day mid season short break, away from the UK’s weather and the crowded roads, but primarily to take part in my first Spanish sportive. “The 2nd edition of the Sierra Nevada Limite 2011 Sportive”. A 145km (90miles) challenging route up and over 3 significant categorised mountains before a mountain top finish in a ski resort perched just below the Pico Velata at 2100m. With approximately 4000m of climbing, the first and last climb been given Hor’s Category (HC) in the past when included in the Vuelta à España. This was not going to be a fun charity ride! My hosts for this sportive were Spain based Vamos Cycling run by Sarah and Gary Williams, who had organising my stay, internal transfers and entry into the sportive.
Saturday morning 8am in Granada city, I had transferred a day earlier for registration and collection of my timing chip and numbers. This sportive is not on closed roads but to all intents and purposes it might as well be such is the Spanish culture for cycling. The route is well sign posted and signs do not go amiss and motorised vehicles are very patient, giving you a wide berth!
The city park is lined with London Plane trees and I am about to be released from the holding pen along with the 650 riders in a mass start. We had already under gone a pre timing chip check before hand so there were no worries on that front. Up ahead of me the front moves off at a steady pace held back by a “naturalised zone car” for the first 8km. This makes it a steady start ride out if it were not for the fact the road is already rising up. As the mass of riders flow through the suburbs every junction, roundabout and traffic light that could interrupt up the riders is covered by either a State Civil Guard, local police or Spanish army soldier and so it will be for the whole route.
Prior to flying out I had done my homework on the profile and had divided up the route into four phases. Each mountain would include an ascent and descent of a climb with the first phase being the HC Category Monachil climb. From the start in Granada city to the top would be a 10.5 mile climb before the main descent. As we turned off the main road onto a narrower country road the road starts to seriously rise up. The Garmin 800 is showing 12% and for the next 3 miles that does not change much. Every rider holds his position leaving the left hand side of the road for the mountain goats. With no let up on the steep climb the first feed station as the road levels out for a short distance at 9.5 miles in is a welcome break already. Water station would be more appropriate, as food was limited to half bananas and half oranges with some savouries. No energy bars or gels available and certainly not a 3 course meals as some of the UK forums would suggest! Each water station is manned by the army. A short descent after the stop is again followed by a sharp climb to the top at 1500m. What follows is an exciting 6 mile steep descent with hairpins and sharp turns on perhaps the smoothest and widest roads you can wish for.
Phase 2 and 3 of my ride follow each other with some overlapping as the route doubles back on its self back to Granada. But before that, it is 50 miles of ascents and descents over some medium height mountains. The roads are smooth and the scenery stunning as we ride through small white coloured villages with crowds lining the route and around some large reservoirs that were so inviting as the temperature rises up to 32°c. At the furthest point out on the route I pass a water station. Having just checked my water bottles I decided to give it a miss. This went against my ride strategy of splash and dash when I see a water stop. My rash decision was to come back and bite me later. Groups of riders formed and disbanded as the route rose and fell. Sitting in was possible depending on the pace but with no wind slowing down progress riding solo was not an arduous task. As I approached the next water station I am down to half a bottle of very warm energy drink. As I dismount the bike I heard the army saying no water available. I am stunned for a few seconds whilst I think what to. I just hope other Spanish riders are also caught out and I come across some filling in local village water troughs further down the route. Sure enough I do and I fill both bottles with energy powder and water before dunking my head and feet with shoes still on into the trough. Hot foot and hot head was not an option I wanted. The following descent was uneventful yet exhilarating.
At 70 miles the road flattens out as you ride on a short transition road before the final push of the day, phase 4 of my ride. My Garmin shows the elevation as 790m and with 20 miles left; this climb will top out at 2200m. The final climb to the ski station is in 2 sections. A steep 7 mile climb followed by a short sharp descent into a valley before a long if not steeper 10 mile climb to the highest point. I am feeling good despite the heat as I start my climb. On my own now having dropped some of my cycling hombre, I tap out my pace as the road narrows as it goes up with the grade fluctuating between 7% and 10%. The initial climb eventually tops out and I descend the short sharp drop on this narrow road and it reminds me of a British country road. A few pot holes with gravel! Caution is order of the day now as I take my second severe hairpin bend on this section of road. The road levels out and we go through a couple of carved out rock face tunnels. This gives me sometime to quickly calculate the pain factor to come. The cycle computer elevation now indicates 1055m and with 10 miles left to ride I still have over 1150m of climbing. I estimate the pain factor as 9/10!!
Sure enough a gauge of the pain to come is on a sign by the side of the road. The sign indicates a 15% incline but what it fails to tell is that it is a series of 15% inclines with sharper ramps on left and right turns over at least a mile on the tree lined road. Having taken my last caffeine filled energy gel earlier, I begin counting the ramps but soon lose interest after at least 6. My pain level hits max. The Garmin HR zone is telling me I am in the red and just need to easy back a little. The trees help with the shade as temperatures are now up to 39°c. As I progress, casualties by the side of the road begin to appear. Heat fatigue and cramp are the usual suspects.
With 4 miles to go to the highest point on the route the road begin to open up as the trees disappear and the gradient begin to come down to an acceptable ride able level between 5% and 9%. The views are stunning as you look down to Granada some 2000m below. Down to my last half bottle of energy drink the final water station is a welcoming sight. I am feeling good as my bottle is filled but how I look is of concern to a fellow Spanish cycling hombre as he pours a litre of water over my head.
The top of the climb is indicated with a flag as I go over the top at 2200m and 88 miles in. The finishing point is 2 miles away on the other side of the climb in a ski resort and it is downhill all the way. The pasta party is in full swing as I roll under the timing gantry in 6hr 58mins just with in my target time. Vamos Cycling are already there to congratulate me and help me collect my goody bag and a hard earned cycling Sierra Nevada Limite jersey.
My final thoughts on the ride is that it has the makings of a classic (Alpine style) sportive. If you like long ascents with exhilarating fast descents but without the other 9450 riders that some iconic French rides produce then this is for you. Although not on closed roads it still offered the same challenges and thrills that the Etape du Tour did in 2010. I cannot be more appreciative of Gary’s advice and experience of riding in this region and the heat. Although I have no idea on other peoples costs, for me the whole 5 day experience including 2 nights stay in Granada, all transfers and entry into the sportive (43euro) and flights (booked separately with Ryanair) came in under £500. Compare that to some other big EU rides and I think it has a lot going for it. My last observation on the sportive ride is that the Spanish cyclists take their sportives as races and not fun charity rides. They are impeccably dressed and their steeds in pristine condition. Attempting to turn up with hairy legs and loose fitting charity clothes will really mark you out and a traffic (or fashion) police may divert you away from the route!
El Limite Sportive, Granada Spain 9th July
By Chris Green age 34
The heat of a Spanish July seemed a long way off when I persuaded myself to enter El Limite back in April. With more than 4000m of climbing in the Sierra Nevada packed into 90 miles it was clearly a serious ride that required some serious work to prepare for through the worst of the early British summer.
Come July it was off to Vamos! HQ on the other side of the Sierra Nevada range for a few days to acclimatise, test the legs on the hardest training roads I know and feed up for race day. Feeling a bit wobbly on a big climb in the 40 degree mid-afternoon sun was a valuable lesson in taking the heat seriously – and not turning up for El Lim with one bottle and hoping everything would be ok.
A short transfer with Vamos! - and two other brave El Limite hopefuls – and we were in the beautiful (and even hotter) city of Granada. It has much to offer the tourist but food and sleep were our top priority and both were catered for perfectly.
With more northerly parts of Europe suffering with rain and wind, race day dawned without a cloud in the sky and comfortably above 20 degrees even at 7a.m. The start line of a Spanish sportive is part social club, part boutique and part high-end bike shop – the Spaniards take their cycling seriously and like to look the part! Rolling out of Granada on roads which were all but closed it was readily apparent that the event was extremely well organised, with the riders always given priority and respect, looked after, and given plenty of encouragement from the side of the road. How unlike a sportive back at home.
The climbing starts straight away with the Puerto de Monachil – a short (by Spanish standards) sharp, 10km shock to the system straight after breakfast with plenty of 12% and one or two ramps well above 15%, followed by an awesome 75km/h descent back towards Granada. The route then heads east towards Gaudix on spectacular hilly roads, and back again to reach the foot of the final climb – which is more or less continually uphill for 18km. Gary from Vamos! and I got in group of about 60 riders which rode sensibly uphill and down on these hard roads, all thinking about saving something for the summit finish as we gradually picked off riders who had gone too fast at the start. The group split at the penultimate feed station and was in bits as the climb loomed.
A warning sign shortly after the picturesque village of Guejar-Sierra advised of 15% ramps to come as the serious climbing began. It didn’t say that the gradient wouldn’t relent for nearly 4km on a narrow road with concrete hairpins steep enough to give you vertigo. I felt at home as it looked like Wales – only much longer and slightly hotter. For a while I wondered why I was even bothering to carry a saddle around with me. The junction with the main road to the Sierra Nevada ski station finish – complete with well stocked feed station – was a great relief and it was time to wind it up and make up as many places as possible on the final ascent to 2200m.
The finish was as well organised as the start, with the Spanish TA cheerfully helping out at the magnificent food tent, and goody bags including a Limite jersey that actually fitted instead of lots of junk that doesn’t. 65th out of 571 was a respectable if not spectacular performance – with lots to think about how to go faster next year. With all the Vamos! riders finishing well all that was left was to return to Granada and enjoy the tapas!
Sunday, 22 May 2011
UK
I'm off back to the UK tomorrow to sort a few bits out. I'm going to try and do a few evening tens with my old club East Grinstead cc as well as the Magnificat sportive in Newbury.All good training ready for El Limite and the Marmottee.
Monday, 2 May 2011
Sunday, 24 April 2011
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