Fortunately the British weather has a habit of bringing us crashing back down to earth. In Wirral Mamil Ade's case quite literally. This weekend was Polocini's winter sprinter. A 60 mile sportive near to the affluent area of Altringham (or for those that know the area and want to be more precise Wilmslow, Alderly Edge, Lymm, Knutsford and Hazel Grove). The event manages to find 2594 feet of climbing including the infamous Swiss Hill.
With the week before suitable for sunbathing and many riders getting their shorts out early it was easy to get carried away with the event.Polocini know how to run an event and all for a reasonable £20(more on that later). Having woken up to torrential rain and temperatures hovering above freezing, not to mention gale force winds my first thought was 'roll over and miss it'. That's the [great] thing about riding with others. No-one wants to say you are being stupid and cancel it. So I met up with fellow Wirral Mamils Ade and Paul and headed off in the team bus/Renault something.
45 miles of driving later and it was still hammering down and 3degrees. However, Allen from policini greeted us warmly at the village hall and we were soon carried away with the atmosphere of the event. There was free fresh coffee on arrival, porridge with fruit and our race packs of three gels and three energy bars. Having won the award for the biggest moaner we set off a little after 9 into what was the quietest sportive I have ridden with most people just gritting their teeth against the cold and rain.
The great thing about sportives though is, they are non-competitive and you can sit in with other groups, enjoy the scenery and 'normally' a chat about cycling. The first thirty miles are what I would describe as undulating, a great warm up for what was to follow. The scenery included some great car dealerships such as Aston martin, rolls Royce and some others too expensive to name. With the pedigree of motor vehicle available I was shocked to see Ade having a close look at a BMW X1. That was until I realised it had turned left in front of him and knocked him off his bike. Only his quick reactions saving him from more serious injury. The driver felt so guilty he took off at high speed without stopping, (No wonder they get scratched) picking himself up Ade rode on with a stiff leg and a stream of expletives only his navy chums would understand.
Anyway back to the ride, Paul was riding his longest ride in many months after coming back from injury and straddling a Chinese frame weighing less than a 150 page novel. So no sympathy for him- on we rode. With respect to Ade for riding his Fausto Coppi up some of the most difficult climbs Cheshire has to offer. For those of us unaware, Coppi was one of the most prolific winners of bike racing in the early, fixed wheel days of the Tour D'France. Ade left his carbon Italian babe at home and lugged his heavy vintage machine up the hills before disappearing off the front charging down hills. Some say he was on a pilgrimage to the great men in recognition of his achievements. I have thought about it long and hard and know he is just nuts.
Just after the 30 mile point you hit the infamous Swiss Hill included in the 2010 tour of Britain. It's not that long but is covered with large cobbles and mud.
Add to this the downpour plus the 18% gradient and, to put my sulky head on, it's just not fair. Sit back and the the front wheel leaves the ground, stand up and the back wheel spins. It's not if you will get off but when. A few triples made it but the rest of us managed the first bit, realised what was happening and elected to walk. Just before the top I managed to ride the last section before plummeting down the reverse of the climb including the cobbles. Having survived and feeling good it's a left turn and a similar climb for close to a mile minus the cobbles. This was the way the ride went for the next 25 miles-torture.
I have to mention the feed station though at about 36 miles it included hot coffee, an energy drink top up (have I mentioned the free bottle) flapjacks, bananas, chocolate, in fact it was more like a sweet shop. With the finish just five miles away for the short course riders we debated continuing and of course pushed on for the sixty. The hills continued to torture until about five miles to go when it felt like the rest was downhill (more or less). It was over and 25 minutes quicker than last year. After a quick change in the car park and loading the bikes up it was back to the hall for a recovery drink, black pudding, sausage and mash, Mr Kiplings trifle cakes and bananas. the food of athletes.
All in all the best sportive available I strongly recommend a look at his site and, if you fancy a sportive these are the ones to do.
www.polocini.com 
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