Liège-Bastogne-Liège Challenge

daragh_

Saturday the 27th.

Anyone else going?

Heading over with a few lads from the Club and also meeting some pals there. My first time cycling in that part of the world. Looks nice and flat. :rolleyes:

Macy0161

Yes, similar going with a few from the club and a few of their pals. Currently signed up for the full distance but having ability doubts!

Wishbone Ash

Macy0161 wrote: »

... signed up for the full distance but having ability doubts!

You'll be fine. There are 5 food stops so it's nicely broken up and with thousands doing it, you'll never be alone - always someone in front and behind. Great buzz going up the Cote de la Redoute with the motorhomes lining each side of the road.

Macy0161

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

You'll be fine. There are 5 food stops so it's nicely broken up and with thousands doing it, you'll never be alone - always someone in front and behind. Great buzz going up the Cote de la Redoute with the motorhomes lining each side of the road.

Not quite the numbers doing it that the likes of Flanders has had me a bit concerned. I'm kinda going with if I can get a group to Bastogne, and then suffer home.

It's my first time doing one of these big euro sportives, so I assume I don't have to worry too much about packing anything more than the starting bottles of electrolyte/ carb mix and the like?

dastardly00

Macy0161 wrote: »

It's my first time doing one of these big euro sportives, so I assume I don't have to worry too much about packing anything more than the starting bottles of electrolyte/ carb mix and the like?

I did the Tour of Flanders sportive on Saturday and going by the websites for the Flanders and LBL sportives, they seem to be organized by the same people. So I would guess that the food will be the same.

The food at the Flanders stops were waffles, stroopwafels, honey cake (all crappy mass-produced), bananas, oranges and isotonic drinks. All food stops were the same.

There's only so much of the same stuff you can eat before getting sick of it so I'd suggest bringing some other food with you for extra nutrition and variety! I had some protein bars and oat bars/flapjacks from Ireland for Flanders. What I would have done for a hang sandwich though :pac: :pac:

I did the Paris-Roubaix Challenge last year and the food was the exact same as Flanders.

terrydel

dastardly00 wrote: »

I did the Tour of Flanders sportive on Saturday and going by the websites for the Flanders and LBL sportives, they seem to be organized by the same people. So I would guess that the food will be the same.

The food at the Flanders stops were waffles, stroopwafels, honey cake (all crappy mass-produced), bananas, oranges and isotonic drinks. All food stops were the same.

There's only so much of the same stuff you can eat before getting sick of it so I'd suggest bringing some other food with you for extra nutrition and variety! I had some protein bars and oat bars/flapjacks from Ireland for Flanders. What I would have done for a hang sandwich though :pac: :pac:

I did the Paris-Roubaix Challenge last year and the food was the exact same as Flanders.

Sod sports nutrition, gimme an hang sambo any day of the week. Real food every time over plastic rubbish.

Macy0161

terrydel wrote: »

Sod sports nutrition, gimme an hang sambo any day of the week. Real food every time over plastic rubbish.

Well yes, this is what I do here. First half savory, usually chicken or turkey sambo's, (except for maybe a carb bottle mix), second half sweeter and normally homemade like GCN Energy Bars. Actually the bottle mix is about the only commercial thing I regularly use, and even then when I run out I have fructose and dextrose to mix my own.

I guess I'll see what I can get on the Friday evening meat wise!

lizzylad84

Any info regarding elevation for the three routes?

daragh_

lizzylad84 wrote: »

Any info regarding elevation for the three routes?

Long Route
273 km
Elevation gain: 5287


Medium Route
153 km
Elevation gain: 2705


Short Route
75 km
Elevation gain: 1184

Is this as crowded on the climbs as the Flanders sportive?

lizzylad84

Doubtful

NamelessPhil

Macy0161 wrote: »

Well yes, this is what I do here. First half savory, usually chicken or turkey sambo's...

I guess I'll see what I can get on the Friday evening meat wise!

You can buy packets of mini air-dried sausages in the supermarkets, they're ok. Otherwise it is cheap carbs all the way.

Macy0161

red_ken wrote:

Is this as crowded on the climbs as the Flanders sportive?

As far as I'm aware it's a lot smaller - around 6,000 as opposed to 15,000 is it that do RVV?

Wishbone Ash

red_ken wrote: »

Is this as crowded on the climbs as the Flanders sportive?

Most of the tougher climbs are on the return leg so the riders are well spread out by then.

Here's my Strava link from 2015 if it's of any use to anyone. (I presume the route is the same).

https://www.strava.com/activities/292564606

Macy0161

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Here's my Strava link from 2015 if it's of any use to anyone. (I presume the route is the same).

https://www.strava.com/activities/292564606

New route I think. Officially 266km this year. Finish in the city centre, so we get to relive Roche grasping defeat from the jaws of victory (an amazing year could've been even better!).

daragh_

Looks like it's going to be a wet one.

dermabrasion

Oh, I don't fancy your much. 10 wet and windy hours in the Ardennes could be a too much. I'd consider the medium route on the day. You'll get to eat more sausages.

Macy0161

Going to be sticking with the long one. I'll most likely be a one and done, so not travelling to do a distance I've been going further in training for it!

daragh_

+1. Unless it snows I'm doing the full distance. The sausages will still be there when I get back :P

Macy0161

And 10 hours? Ridewithgps giving me 11.09...

Gasco

daragh_ wrote: »

+1. Unless it snows I'm doing the full distance. The sausages will still be there when I get back :P

Daragh_ in full-on badger mode (1980 style)!!

I am looking forward to the review with great interest. Best of luck.

G

daragh_

Nothing as epic as this!

Wishbone Ash

daragh_ wrote: »

Even hard man Sean Kelly pulled out 22kms from the finish saying he couldn't take any more suffering. A day that's up there with stage 14 of the 1988 Giro for utter hardship.

daragh_

That was interesting.

It didn't snow. Rained for a lot of the day with a few showers of hailstones to lighten the mood. I wore full winter gear and ended up putting on an extra Jersey and a second pair of gloves after about 100k.

The sun came out later in the day and seemed to time its appearance with the harder climbs. Not enough time to dry out but just enough to overheat on the climbs.

The legendary climbs live up to their reputation. Utterly insane gradients. TV can't convey how brutal they are

How did everyone get on?

CramCycle

Well done Daragh_ , I didn't envy you as I sat back with a local Blonde (beer) and relaxed.

Macy0161

Definitely my hardest day ever on the bike. Was definitely hypothermic around Bastogne. I probably should've bailed. I had a few wobbles where I was finding it hard to concentrate on the run in to Cote De St Roche, and was about to abandon , but that climb got the heart rate up and the sun came out and I got back to just being cold.
Also had gearing/ indexing/ derailleur issues that had my gears jumping, which definitely affected my performance and mindset.
It was all the uncategorized climbs that really took the toll on me - no surprise to see the one on the "downhill run in from the top of faucons" being decisive in the pro race.
The bit through the city was crap at the end too. Really didn't need so many traffic lights at that stage.
I was adamant I was one and done, but not quite as emphatic on that now.

dastardly00

@ daragh_ & Macy0161

How long did it take ye? I'm half-thinking of doing it next year.

Macy0161

For the actual sportive, I was 11.47. Apart from the crisis period around Bastogne, I made mistakes of when to stick with groups and when to wait for the lads I travelled. I ended up solo for pretty much Bastogne onwards. Also, we didn't start at 6, it was probably nearer 7 (we had one needing to register), but definitely after the majority of the full course.

So make sure to sign on the night before and leave early, and find the right groups.

daragh_

Mine was over 12 but that's spinning down from the Hotel and faffing about at the start, food stops and waiting for pals. One of the lads I was with did it in about 10 and a half - by avoiding all of the above and finding a decent group to ride with. Also the ride back into the city was very tedious. We easily dropped 25 mins getting through traffic and waiting at endless red lights.

I did big chunks of it solo. The standard of group riding was very mixed and I dropped out of groups a few times to avoid the odd lunatic.

Here's my Strava

@Macy0161 - Did you end up doing that cobbled bike lane up the hill about 25 minutes in? Someone told me afterwards that a few thousand of us had been mis-directed and it wasn't on the route at all.

Macy0161

daragh_ wrote: »

I did big chunks of it solo. The standard of group riding was very mixed and I dropped out of groups a few times to avoid the odd lunatic.

I did let one or two groups go early on for the same reason. I think I got stuck at every traffic light coming in, and was a real arse ache at that stage. Also the standard of driving was even worse than here.

daragh_ wrote: »

@Macy0161 - Did you end up doing that cobbled bike lane up the hill about 25 minutes in? Someone told me afterwards that a few thousand of us had been mis-directed and it wasn't on the route at all.

I don't recall, but I was definitely just following at the start as we were diving left and right. The cobbled climb that sticks in my head is the one after the Stockeu - the cobbled climb up to the start of the climb (that's how this race feckin is!) of the Levee.

daragh_

Macy0161 wrote: »

I did let one or two groups go early on for the same reason. I think I got stuck at every traffic light coming in, and was a real arse ache at that stage. Also the standard of driving was even worse than here.


I don't recall, but I was definitely just following at the start as we were diving left and right. The cobbled climb that sticks in my head is the one after the Stockeu - the cobbled climb up to the start of the climb (that's how this race feckin is!) of the Levee.

It was early on at Chenee. We were supposed to take a right to cross the river but we went up a cobbled bike lane and then down a steep descent and rejoined the route. :cool:

My 'WTF' moment was getting to the top of this bit on the Côte de Saint-Roch and realising I was only halfway up.

Macy0161

That climb saved me - nearly crashed on the run in (I was solo, just head was going), but that climb got the heart rate up and some heat into me.

The climbs that really killed me, were the one that the last food stop was on, and then the one after La Roche-aux-falcons. I had in my head (after hearing all week about the downhill run in), that all the climbs were done. Heard it described as a "false flat" on the velocast when they were describing where Fuglsang dropped the other two...