Whitehaven to Newcastle C2C advice please
| lauriem | 26 Apr 10:40 |
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Joined: 26 Apr 2010 Posts: 3 Bike: | Old guys rule! Just joined as I am a man on a mission (a mature man 56 years young!). My daughter in law has just been diagnosed with Breast Cancer so me and my two sons have decided to show our support by raising £10,000 for Breast Cancer UK. Part of this is to ride the C2C from Whitehaven to Newcastle (my home town). This will be my first long-distance ride, and although I am reasonably fit I have started "proper" training today as we are doing this last week in July. A couple of questions spring to mind: Training My last mad scheme was to do the Great North Run a couple of years ago, and I trained pretty solidly for six months, running three times a week and generally running half the distance of the GNR, i.e. Six to seven miles, then later on stepped that up to eight to nine miles. This was on the advice of a former boss who has ran fifty half and full marathons. Does cycling work like that, or should I be aiming to do 30 miles as my "typical" session (we plan a four to five day trip). Bike I have a old Specialized Rockhopper hardtail MTB, and was planning on using it, possibly with road tyres, but also have a newer (but still old!) Ridgeback full sus bike. I could take either bike and two sets of wheels/tyres (a mate is being our back up in a big 4x4 so no problem with space. Alternatively I could just blow the budget and buy a new road or hybrid. Accomodation We are planning to stay in pu/hotels or B&B's no tents as I will need some comfort! Any recommendations gladly recieved. Thanks Laurie |
| Neil | 22 Jun 20:06 |
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Joined: 22 Jun 2010 Posts: 1 Bike: | Hi Laurie Not sure if this will be any good but I did the same C2C route a couple of years ago. I don't think you need to be super-fit for this. I certainly wasn't (or when I did LEJOG the year before). You do need to be reasonably fit but, more importantly, you just need that little bit of stamina to keep you going up those hills. That, and the sheer joy of cycling, should keep you going. On bikes, I favour hybrids - especially with lots of gears. Being quite a big bloke (although not as big as I was in 2008), my main requirement of a bike is that it be a sturdy beast! I can definitely advise B&Bs. We stayed at Penrith and Nenthead, if memory serves. As we were fighting this damn easterly wind all the way to Newcastle, creature comforts of a B&B were very welcome. Neil |
mr.mole 
| 22 Jun 20:55 |
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 Joined: 24 May 2010 Posts: 47 Bike: My Profile | Hi Laurie, Ive just done the coast to coast last week, but went from Whitehave to Sunderland, the main difference is the last few miles really. Ive been cycling just over a year, and I was exopecting it to be really hard, especially day two, but it wassnt as bad as I thought it would be. but then Ive been tranning really hard for it. As long as you take your time and enjoy it, thats the main thing, its not a race. Its to be enjoyed. I did it over 3 days and stayed in Penrith the first night at great BB called the Albany house, (http://www.albany-house.org.uk) it was great, very welcoming and clean. Bathroom was accross the hall, but it was our own, and was stunning, brand new. If you do stay in Penrith, I would really recomemnd it. As for your tranning, just try and get out on your bike as often as you can. Building up the distance you do when u feel you can. Making sure you put a few hills in to it to get used to it. Hope this helps, and good luck |
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oscar one
| 23 Jun 07:26 |
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Joined: 28 Sep 2009 Posts: 26 Bike: My Profile | Hi.. I've completed the C2C a couple of times and i agree with the above.. The main thing is to take your time and as long as you are reasonably bike fit you should have a great time.. I also used an older version of the spec rockhopper (Steel frame and forks).. From what i've seen concerning full suspension bikes they look like hard work going uphill.. ALL BOUNCY BOUNCY..I could be wrong about that as i've never rode one...In the end it depends on what you think you are most comfy on.. after all you will be on it for a few hours every day.. GOOD LUCK..ps You will get away with slick or semi slick tyres.. Schwalbe marathons are very good tyres.. |
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Outrunner
| 23 Jun 17:10 |
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Joined: 26 May 2010 Posts: 55 Bike: My Profile | I leave for the C2C, Whitehaven - Newcastle, a week on Sunday, as part of a group of 4. We are staying in 2 pubs, the Boot & Shoe, Greystoke, and Allenheads Inn, Allenheads. I have been riding in to work, a couple times a week for the past few months (32 mile round trip), a total of approximately 700 - 800 miles. As an ex-serviceman, I'm riding for Help for Heroes, I'm only £5 off my initial target of £1000 |
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txbnet
| 29 Jun 23:53 |
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 Joined: 29 Jun 2010 Posts: 115 Bike: My Profile | Hi Laurie I did the C2C just after Easter on my own at 54 having a late mid life crisis. I used an old borrowed Scott mountain bike with really chunky tyres. I didn't book anything in advance because I wasn't sure how far I could manage. I had done several short runs about 10 miles to Newcasle and back from the coast. I had done the Seahouses to Tynemouth GNBR so I knew I could manage 50 miles in a day. First day was brilliant, weather helps and it was sunny with a cool breeze. I managed Whitehaven to Keswick by lunchtime, had a great salad at the Pedal Inn and took an hour off the bike. In the afternoon, I did Keswick to Greystoke and took refreshments on board at the Boot and Shoe. But I cracked on and leaving Penrith, there is a fair amount of climbing, so pleased to get that out of the way in the early evening of day one. Arriving at Langwathby 60 miles from the start, found a great caravan site at Little Salkeld which did caravans for £35 quid including breakfast. I had a few pints of real ale in the Shephard Inn in Langwathby, a very quiet village pub but good beer. Second day weather was poor hill mist and drizzle, I did Hartside for very early lunch, Allenheads well before tea, then pushed on to Stanhope as the weather improved and stayed in the Bonny Moorhen, good beer, nice steak and chips dinner and a great breakfast for £33. The climb out of Stanhope was a bugger! Crawleyside Bank in a nightmare into an Easterley, which I had all the way over the moors. But the third day is mainly downhill and I made it to Newcastle easily for early lunch at the Piano & Pitcher and then onto Tynemouth for the dip in the North Sea. All things said, it is a brilliant ride, pity the last few miles through North Tyneside let me down the scenery is quite depressing -bleak ageing industrial sites, stinking rubbish tip at Howdon and this after the exhilarating sites of the Lake District, over the Pennines Carrigil to Nenthead is a canny climb with breathtaking views. Good luck on your ride, you will find an inner steel and a spirit to match. Its a wonderful thing to do. |
| My Latest Route: Jan 2011 Whitley Bay to Bellingham | |
| corky | 23 Oct 11:05 |
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Joined: 23 Oct 2010 Posts: 1 Bike: | hi we did coast to coast in july this year first stop penrith brooklands b& b its lovely really nice people second stop was stanhope bonny moorhen was a pub we stayed in very basic done the job lastnight was in whitley bay for night out. As for training i would go out each time and do about 30 miles on flat and hills it wasnt as hard as you think just take your time its not a race, we took innertubes and gas cartridges (better than pumps)patches plenty of water mars bars and other food good luck anyhow |
| saiadave | 25 Oct 13:35 |
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Joined: 18 Oct 2010 Posts: 2 Bike: | I run a charity ride every march in aid of North East Childrens Cancer Research and along with other coast to coast routes e.g. Hadrians Cycleway we have done the C2C about 6 times now. I would advise getting used to riding about 30 miles in the saddle with several hills in that 30 miles and you should be perfectly Ok. We now normally stay in Penrith first night to break the back of the ride - B&Bs Second day is a stop in Allenheads at the Springboard outdoor centre - bunkhouse. Second day is shorter but more hilly. Third day we ride to Roker from Stanhope/Parkhead it is relatively downhill from the waskerely way. If you want anymore detail you will find my contact details on my Wearside Rangers website - just google "wearside rangers". Dave Willcock |
