[Closed] #Cotsduro18 - Racing without racing, coming first & not winning, a brief report:

I had no event plans this year, so a timely text from Dave of The Racing Collective that alerted me to one right on my doorstep had me dusting off my CX bike after a summer spent mainly on my MTB.

The concept is pretty simple, no entry fee, no winner, a route, 5 strava segments within it to motivate you, 100% self-sufficiency, don’t be a dick & first one back buys the next returning rider a beer (apologies, I’ve only just read this, so I owe someone a beer!).

Cotsduro18 is an introductory one day ride to showcase what their two day events are like (which themselves showcase what a longer bikepacking trip could be like), started 1 mile from my doorstep & takes in 100km & 2000mtrs, with the first half of the course being relatively flat. I know most of the trails & did have a recce out towards Wooton Under Edge the week before, but the event route issued days before was subtly adjusted.

The ongoing heat wave & 10am start had me a little concerned as I don’t fare too well in heat, so I upped my water intake & knocked the espressos on the head in the preceding days.

At 10am yesterday the Stroud Brewery car park had the honour of hosting the start to the inaugural Cotsduro event, seeing approx 40-50 riders have a brief meet & greet catch up, a short welcome and brief by Dave and then off we went. Fast whippets migrated towards the front as we casually made our group departure along the tow path. A brief mile saw the first brutally steep climb up towards Minchenhampton, and the group found its natural pecking order.

A mix of brief road sections linking up farm tracks within the beautiful Cotswolds in golden sunshine, a harvesting farmers delight. An 8 mile gravel segment within a 60 mile route takes some strategy on how hard to push it, too much & you risk blowing later in the day. We wound our way through rural farmland, home to red kites, dry & dusty being the order of the day. The route warmed us up in the first half and saved its sting of ascent for the second half. Brutally steep, loose gradients, that tested a riders mettle & traction control. I was hoping to set myself the target of riding every f*****g inch, until, THAT mound…. I checked my Garmin a few times, but there was no denying that my purple route line went straight up & over the damn thing, there was nothing else for it but shoulder the bike & trudge upwards in the intense heat of the day, once at the summit a group of riders arrived at its base, from up on high in the still of the day I could hear them curse. The following switchbacks & crazy steep grass descent made the trudge worthwhile.

I succumbed to a few twangs of cramp towards the end, I eased off a little & they receded allowing me to carry on at a reasonable pace.

The final climb had a 20% road sign, I was hot & suffering, I was scouring the local houses for someone who might be in their garden enjoying a sprinkler & wouldn’t mind me joining them. Then I happened upon a dog bowl with a top up bucket of water beside it, it was bliss to bathe my roasted head, neck & arms in water, and its cooling effect as I proceeded up onto Rodborough common was very much appreciated. A bumpy descent beside Winstones, a quick lane, a brief canal ride & I was back at the Stroud Brewery.

A brief chat with other returned riders and then with it being so hot & me so local I opted to pop home for a long cold shower & then headed back to chat with the other riders & their families over a beer & pizza.

In summary: hot, hard, hilly & brutal. I had a great ride that pushed my limits in those conditions.

My intake for the day: (I have no idea if this is “normal”): 4 hot cross buns, 3 Torq bars, 1 can coke, 7 litres of electrolyte water.

Many thanks to Dave & Mostyn who I believe are the drive behind The Racing Collective, check out their website for other TRC events nationally.

https://linktr.ee/theracingcollective

So, how’d I stack up? 65.2 miles, 6:21:30 moving time, 10.3mph average, 6610’. Some were faster, some were slower, but it doesn’t really matter, cos we weren’t racing, but all had a collective experience.

Dave & Mostyn:

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