Black Rat Cyclosportive 2016
Mediofondo 22 May – 120km, 1552m of ascent
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/7672071
‘A very challenging ride. I did this ride back in 2014 and came in 5th overall so I was 
keen to go faster this year. Although this was a slightly different route to the previous and slightly longer I found it most enjoyable /challenging and it really tested my fitness/stamina to the max.
There were two main climbs both long and pretty tough going, the weather was also very unpredictable making it difficult to know what to wear in the beginning of the ride. As we left off in glorious sunshine it began to get gloomy as we crossed the bridge into Wales and the rain began to fall as we entered the Wye valley. Within 20mins it was absolutely pouring down making visibility limited and the roads very slippery.
Descending from the valleys the rain stopped and the roads were dry which meant I could pick the pace up a bit although very very cold by now and so the cramping set in. By the time I had returned across the bridge I was getting cramp in both legs which I think was due to hot/cold conditions and not enough electrolytes/fluids.
I managed the cramps as best I could to limp across the finish line with a print out time of 4:53:07 (14th). The results sheet is not quite right as there were a few riders that had signed up to do the Mediofondo and had decided on route to do the shorter Piccolofondo which messed up the timing chip data!
Overall I thought it was a really well organized and enjoyable event with a really friendly bunch of riders taking part. If I am not doing the Velothon next year I can strongly recommend doing this as an alternative.’
As raced and reported by Paul Hoad
