Bucks Off Road Sportive

Jon Linscott took on the Bucks Off Road Sportive, here’s his account of this gruelling event…
Who are you
Jon Linscott

The Challenge 
 The Bucks Off Road Sportive 

How long did it take 
 5.5 hrs 

What was the distance 
 100km 

How much did it cost 
 £18 for race entry 

Who was the organiser 
What was it like

We came, We saw, We Rode it…

5am is an insane time of the day (night?) for anyone but a lark to be up, especially 5am on a Sunday morning. However this Sunday, 15th May, I think I just managed to get into the van and head off just as the birds were limbering up their vocal chords. With John and Stu safely aboard, our destination was the Bucks Off Road Classic. 

This is a fantastic 100km event, (‘just remember everyone, this is not a race!”), with a start/end point near Uxbridge but even beginning the ride inside the M25, the route takes riders up into the Chilterns, (up as far as Wendover and Berkhamsted), and around some pretty stuning scenery along the way. With around 65 miles ahead of us, this ride was one that John and I had been targeting all along as a key test of how well our SDW training was progressing. 

The three of us sat on the start line with around 500 other riders and waited patiently for the off. I’ll admit to having some big nerves ahead of the ride simply because this was an event that I failed to finish a few years back. I hadn’t prepared very well that year and cramped severely, (and massively embarrassingly!), pretty early on. On the stroke of 9am, the procession of riders left the start venue at Denham and followed the road out to the first bridleway. Riding this kind of event is so very different to all the other training rides I’ve done. For a start there’s hundreds of other riders over and undertaking you on the road, then until the big groups get strung out on the trails, its incredibly stop/start. 

Around ten minutes into the ride, a further difference dawned on me. I had no soundtrack to this ride. I had no music buzzing in my ears to spur me on. I’d need something else to keep me focused. After about 12 miles that distraction landed in my lap. I had taken a wrong turning and lost Stuart and John. Was this going to turn into a solo event? Retracing my steps cost me about 2 miles and a fair bit of time. It took me another 12 or 13 miles to catch up with the boys who had arrived at the first feed station. With dry dusty trails our pace was good at around 11 mph and having refuelled we got on our way again. Feeling strong and confident, (yes, I know, this is me right?!), we found ourselves moving well through the mix of serious lycra clad racers in their sponsored team colours and casual riders who were out, as were we, testing their abilities in one of the most well respected events in the calendar.
Staying free of impromptu diversions, punctures and mechanicals we pushed on, landing at the second and final feed station which was located around 20 miles from the end. Cruelly the exact location was the front garden of a pub.. Seeing that Stuart was contemplating a beer accompanied by scampi and chips, we got going before this became a serious consideration. John had been very consistent with the pace. Probably a little lighter for him but I was spinning at a level above my usual. 

The dry trails and the ongoing adrenaline rush had helped so all in all, despite the absence of music pumping through my brain, we were on the last leg and in good shape. Feeling as though I could have continued, but perhaps less sure as to for how much longer (!) we made it back over the finish line around 3:15pm. Covered in dust but feeling good. The pictures below show what the day took out of us. Around 5 and a half hours in the saddle is exhausting, but great preparation for what’s to come on this journey. A key objective set and completed. 

Physically and psychologically this was an important ride and one which will be as close as they come to how the 25th June will be in terms of that great cocktail of multiple riders, big adrenaline rush and big miles ahead. It also was a great laugh too, even the hills.. honest. Ride stats here (more hilly than we thought!) Big thanks to John and Stuart. Great company all day as usual.
How should you train

Just loads of off road riding, spend as much time as possible in the saddle. It helps to eat well and load up on carbs the day before. In addition to riding it helps if you can spend some time in the gym focusing on your core. The fitter you are for something like this the more enjoyable you’ll find it.  


Any other useful hints / links

This is a Sportive not a race so you can take it easy if you want (some people took around 10 hrs to complete this), that said if you want to gun it, there’s plenty of stiff competition.