Please follow this link to read the prologue, including detailed information about the race and an interview with Craig. Words and photos by Epic Rider Craig Brophy.
The challenge of the Amsterdam 300 – Part 1
It was time! Months of preparation that included covering thousands of kilometres on the bicycle were now going to be put to the test to see how I would fair on the biggest mental and physical challenge I have ever undertaken – the Amsterdam 300.
My bags were packed, gels and energy bars loaded, tyres pumped and so all 72 of us headed off from the start of the Amsterdam 300. Departing from UK-based disabled charity, Scope’s head office in central London, we made our way towards Dover. This first leg would see us covering 150km in total darkness as we raced to get to Dover to catch the ferry crossing to Calais by 8am.
Lucky for us, there were manned stops throughout our ride. First to ensure all the riders were safe, but also to keep as watered and well fed. The food available to the riders on these stops was just incredible and a lot of sportives out there should take note of what was done.
Our first stop came in at Meopham, approximately 46 km into the ride. This was a quick pit stop allowing everyone to regroup and then depart for the second stop. Before reaching the second stop in Charing every rider had to ascend the cat 4 climb up Charing Hill, with its average gradient of 5.8% over 1.6km.
Once we reached the top, we pulled over for our second stop (at 93km) at the Kerala Spices Indian Restaurant. Here at 3am in the morning we were fed dal in chiappati which was perfect to help warm us up. We also had access to our day bags allowing us to restock our energy bars, gels, and water bottles.
We then headed out towards Dover to catch our ferry to France to start the second leg of the first day’s ride. Here we covered 51km not before ascending Dover Hill (average gradient at 6.6% for 1.6km) just outside Dover. This was a real test especially as we had just covered a total of 140km to get this far.
Craig's video diary
The flats from Calais to Breskens
After some breakfast and very little sleep on the ferry we left Calais and made our way towards Zuydcoote (54km) on the second leg of the first day’s cycling. This was a difficult stage for all of us. As we were riding along the flat coast line, we rode directly into a headwind. We were totally exposed and had no protection from the wind. This made the lunch stop a very welcome one for us all.
The food on this ride was just incredible and after filling up we made our way to Breden in Belgium for the last pit stop of the day (101 km). Again, we had to take on the incredible head wind that was blowing all day. We also took in some beautiful sights that Belgium has to offer. Not forgetting the Belgium parve and the extremely long and dead straight canals that we rode along. This made this part of the ride very difficult as the scenery didn’t change making it feel like groundhog day, over and over again.
As we were running behind schedule, we made a quick exit from Breden towards our campsite in Breskens.
We eventually reached Breskens at 8pm that evening. Waiting for us all was a hot shower and another fantastic cooked meal.
Looking back at the day, we covered a total of 310 km in a riding time of 13 hours and 38 minutes. Our total elevation came in at 1474 metres.
The route maps for both legs of this journey can be found here:
Leg 1
Leg 2
Visit the official Amsterdam 300 website
Visit the official SCOPE website
| Craig's bike: Diablo Ultegra | |
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