RG Active takes on the "Hell of the Ashdown" Sportive

Rose Bikes UK sponsored riders in the RG Active team took on the "Hell of the Ashdown" Sportive recently, heres what they had to say!

"RG Active had a group of riders all participating which added to the occasion. The weather was looking good and although cold it was dry and that was good enough for me. The registration was quick and easy, which is more than can be said for the bathroom queue. We got changed, set the bikes up and headed to the start line.

The start was very relaxed like the whole atmosphere of the event, it didn’t have the nervous tension that surrounds a ‘race’ so when you were ready you rolled over the mat and you were off. Marsha and myself rode with Josh and Ramsey, so we all had our RG Active cycle kit on and looked great as we followed the signs and marshals into deepest, darkest Kent. The course was brutal, the ascents were long and the descents were steep and on tight twisty lanes that were damp and in some cases so muddy you had to ask if a mountain bike would have been more suitable?

For me personally it was a hard ride, I was in some level of discomfort after a heavy weights session on the previous Thursday meant that I ached everywhere, I couldn’t get to my jersey pockets and every bump and bobble in the road meant pain and suffering for me! but, that was my own fault and I was there for Marsha who is training for Ironman South Africa (only 6 weeks away). I had a mental block at about 75km where I just wanted to climb off, I was cold, I was aching and I was hungry…….. but as anyone who cycles knows, you will always bounce back and that is exactly what happened, I came good and finished the event feeling strong and in much better spirit. Marsha had a fantastic ride as did Josh and Ramsey who are both in the early stages of training for Ironman Nice so as we crossed the line together we all had huge smiles on our faces, and we missed the rain!!!!

To sum up, I would have to say it was a great day. There were plenty of negatives that included bad, muddy roads, not great marshalling, my bike getting filthy, my aches and pains, the grey British weather but you can ignore all of those when you look at what the positives were. I got to spend 4 hours 28 minutes with my Mrs and two friends, travelling around a very pretty part of Britain. On top of that I was doing something that was making me fitter, stronger and something that I love…… riding my bike!"