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I’ve decided to do the Cycling Weekly Sportive again this September. I did it last year (the short route) and I really enjoyed it. With the laps of Oulton Park it was about 74km with about 500m of climbing.
I’ve decided to try the standard route this year, which is 80 miles (so probably 130km if I do a timed lap of Oulton Park at the end). The standard route includes Mow Cop towards the end of the ride. Now I know it’s called the Killer Mile, but how hard actually is it; particularly for someone who isn’t a climber at all?
By means of some background I’m 120kg (down from 125kg at Christmas) and the plan is to keep dropping weight. Hopefully I’d be somewhere near 105kg by the ride. I’ve got a compact and an 11-32 cassette so I’m at the easier end of roadie gearing.
I did it for the first time the other week. The start is a bit of effort and then it eases off a bit before kicking up st the end. It’s about 100-200m of 25%. I just weaved up it - Slow and steady all the way
How hard is a subjective regard. How could I possibly answer the question. Perhaps for me if 10 is a road so steep that you cannot ride it then the killer mile is about 7.5-8. I've ridden it many times but on a mtb with a granny. She had to walk 😆
It was too much for me today, the steep bottom section got me and I cramped up (it was 80km into my ride) and the last bit was never happening; that was crazy steep. I pushed those bits!
it's next to a pub for a reason. I find it best to zig zag.
I found it harder on the tandem with 26-32 low gear than on the solo with 36-32 bottom gear. We made it up without stopping
It's a road. It's a steep road, but still a road.
You could put some stupidly small cassette on and make it pointlessly difficult like some roadies do. Or you could just use a low gear and spin up it.
Compared to the classic off road ascents, it's a complete non event.
you'll be fine. If you're not, then just choose a lower gear.
When I went up it yesterday the photographer commented that hardly any people made it up.
So don't worry about it, I was on of the later ones as I did the Epic. Add in riding to the event I had 170km in my legs at that point, made it up though.
The photographer had the decency to only take photos of those that were actually pedalling. I wasn't too ashamed of pushing the steepest bit as pretty much everybody else was around me. There were a couple of people at the feed station at the top who had fallen of clipped in on the climb.
I did the standard, which was still the furthest I've ever ridden on a bike. The timed lap of Oulton Park was a bit of a waste of a time though, I was battered by then. The warm up lap at the start of the ride was actually quicker.
Done it on a 39 x 24, but that was the Cheshire Cat and it's early in the ride. Just pace yourself until you get to the pub as it really ramps up. It would be a different kettle of fish some way into a ride. It's also not easy when there are people getting off in front of you - hard work picking a path through the bodies.
plenty of good off-road up there if anyone's interested 😉
Managed it yesterday on the EPIC (95miles in). Toughest hill I've ever been up by a mile (Blaze Hill might now seem easy when I next visit it) but yesterday was my first Sportive. It looked like a vertical wall after rounding the bend after the first steep bit at the bottom 🙂
Everyone was walking when we went up it and the photographer and walkers were giving those of us still on the pedals motivation as we went past which was nice.
We rode up both sides of Whinlatter pass on Friday on our tandem. Imo Mow cop was harder.
it's hard, but you can always walk, Don't think it would even make it into my top 5 hardest hills in the uk though 🙂
Nowhere near as hard as at least 3 or 4 of the climbs in the Cheshire Cobbled Classic, but it's still hard!
I managed it yesterday after around 80 miles (we did the Standard plus the second 30 mile loop of the Epic - so we put 109 miles in)....but I had to walk a couple of years ago when riding a 53-39 and a 12-25 cassette (that was a clear mistake!!)
Sore legs today after averaging 18.2mph for the 109!