The Fred Whitton is a classic sportive through the Lake District organised every year since 1999 in memory of the secretary of the Lakes Road club who died aged 50. I have done it once before in 2017 and remember it for ‘bonking’ not far from the finish and then finding a snack pack of Haribos in my back pocket that someone had given me near the start. They had an immediate restorative effect.

I entered and got a place through the ballot for this year. It meant I would be taking on two challenging rides within a week of each other. London Wales London and then the Fred. I was quietly pleased that my recovery from LWL seemed to go well and on the Saturday morning I did my pre race warm up which Niel Copeland, my coach, had put into my training plan. It wasn’t a doddle and boosted my confidence that I still had ‘legs’.

I was aiming to get to Grasmere to register on the Saturday, then set up camp at Rydal Hall before driving over to see an old friend who has a house near Coniston What I wasn’t expecting was to get a message from an ex work colleague with a photo from the event saying it had reminded him of me. Nor did I expect to find him and another ex colleague camping on the same pitch as me at Rydal! It was great fun to catch up.

Getting to and through Ambleside was slow work because of the traffic but my plan came together and I had my number and tag for the ride and the tent set up.

The weather was stunning so I wasn’t too worried the way I pitched the tent wasn’t exactly perfect…. (memo: must practice pitching better).

Google maps unexpectedly took me over Wrynose pass to get to Alistair’s. I definitely prefer doing it on a bike than in a car!

Alistair is a doctor as well and has got involved in the local mountain rescue team. He is in fact part goat as evidenced by his sorties up the climbs around him in the Lakes on foot and bike.

After a lovely dinner and catch up I headed back, avoiding Wrynose, to get some sleep.

Up at 4.30am to brew coffee, munch hot cross buns and pack everything up. Despite setting off around 5.30am there was slow traffic on the short drive to the start and I joined a very long queue of people 15min before the start.

The climbing kicks off with Kirkstone Pass which came up on my Garmin as the longest climb. I had no illusions about smashing it and had been advised to take it steady early on. It also meant I could really enjoy the weather and views.

I was passed by a constant stream of riders, some in chain gangs of 4 or 5, powering their way up the climbs. I suppressed the urge to latch on and paced myself, consuming multiple Rice Krispie Chocolate Squares, gels and Haribos. There would be no boring this time!

There were two feed stations on the route and I was hoping for some non-sugary food but all I could get at the first were some bananas and nut bars. I did manage to grab half a tuna sandwich at the second but maybe I should have stopped somewhere to get myself a pavement picnic. I definitely could have benefited from some coffee.

Honister pass brought back memories from All Points North. I remember getting up the climb and then turning round to ride back to Penrith where I had a room in a Premier Inn. The only night I slept indoors for that event and the only night it rained. It proved to be impossible to ride up it this time as there were cars log jammed on both sides of the road and riders trying to pass were obstructed by others walking up. Mostly the drivers were patient as there were plenty of signs telling them that 2,500 cyclists would be riding up these roads at the time they drove along them…

This time there was no turning back on Honister. I had to press on. Newlands also proved to be a leg tester.

The west coast came into view and I knew I would be turning back East, before long, towards the sting in the tail: Hardknott and Wrynose. I tried to suppress my fear of the climb on Hardknott and continue to enjoy the warmth, the views and the wonderful support given all round the route. There are people manning corners and junctions to make sure you stayed on course safely (there was even one person dedicated to a particularly nasty pothole!), water stops in addition to the food stops and general support from the public. Coming to the top of climbs, like Whinlatter, you would be greeted by cowbells, whistles and shouts of encouragement. It is so motivating.

I was also passing down memory lane as I have had a number of memorable holidays with the family in the Lakes. Turning into Eskdale was especially nostalgic as it is where I have had some fun camping holidays even though I napalmed a toe with melting marshmallow once (there is a stream through the campsite which helped relive the pain).

The road over Hardknott and Wrynose is closed for the event so I was surprised to get passed by a motorcyclist on the road up from Eskdale who subsequently looked very disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to roar up past the struggling stream of cyclists.

Did I ride up? Did I chuff. There has been a new emphasis on ‘durability’ for cycling. As I interpret it, it means can you sustain a hard effort at the end of a long ride as well as at the start. I need to talk to my coach about my durability but, unlike my previous attempt, at least I had SPDs rather than cleats and could push past other riders who were slip sliding on the hot tarmac. To be honest I am not sure I could have ridden up faster than I walked up the really steep bits. Kudos to those who can.

Just beyond the Summit of Wrynose I met Alistair who was manning a first aid/mountain rescue point. I blagged a couple of paracetamol off him for a headache I had developed but mainly just to make sure he was made use of 😉

My Garmin registered just one climb left. I crested it to yet another panoramic view and asked one of the crew to take a picture that included me and Gus.

I lost count of the number of times people complimented my bike (and my gearing). It is an incredibly comfortable ride and I am positive enhanced my experience.

Thereafter it was flat or downhill pretty much all the way to the finish where I could cash in my food voucher and devour a delicious pie with mushy peas.

Would I recommend the Fred? Without hesitation but I am grateful to Niel Copeland for helping me commission the bike and give me the training that made it a real pleasure to do. I am also grateful he advised me not to cycle to Plymouth for a walking holiday with friends this week. I would have had to start on the Tuesday to realistically make it for dinner on Thursday. I now know that was a very silly idea!

However, I am cycling back 🙂

The stats: