Marlow Red Kite Ride 2013

Rated Event: 100.000%

GrahamR wrote:

Excellent event, very well organised with good signage and well stocked feed-stations, friendly marshals, I'll be back next year !

Rated Event: 90.000%

KeithPicard wrote:

The 50 mile course was very well planned. Great scenery along reasonably safe roads. This was my first sportive and I feel encouraged to have another go. No major criticisms but it would have been good to have a more visible cycling club recruitment presence (not just Marlow Riders).

Rated Event: 88.889%

davidBatchelor wrote:

Great event, 2 improvements, firstly clear signs back to the free car park, got a bit lost.....and secondly I love a medal at the end !

Will do it again though, just a shame some roads are poor condition, nothing you can do there though Many thanks !

Rated Event: 100.000%

MikeRichardson wrote:

Fantastic event well run and good route

Rated Event: 91.111%

PaulLewis1 wrote:

My first sportive, really enjoyed it. I rode the 80 mile route which offered me the challenge I needed having taken up road cycling in May this year. I think Marlow Riders put on a terrific event, well done to them. Everybody was friendly and happy to help if you needed assistance. A great sportive through some stunning countryside which I would be happy to recommend to fellow cyclists. Thank you Marlow Riders!

Rated Event: 93.333%

ThomasNewman wrote:

Great event, well organised, super friendly staff and wonderful weather.

Rated Event: 93.333%

ClaireDonald wrote:

Feed stations were really good again - just a tiny request from me (and this is really really picky and personal to me as I don't really like sweet flapjacks, etc) - it would be great to have more savoury stuff on the early stations. There were sausage rolls on the last one (100M) which was great - thank you :-)! That is the ONLY request for a fantastic sportive that I will definitely enter again next year for the 3rd time.

Rated Event: 88.889%

MichaelJackson1 wrote:

Great event, did the first one last year and this time round was even better. Will sign up for next year definitely, well done guys and girls great ride.

Rated Event: 94.444%

OllyBarrett wrote:

Friendly and well organised.... what more could you ask for?
Brilliant!

Rated Event: 100.000%

DarrenEvans wrote:

A very well organised event andxwould definitely recommend it to friends and others. Will probably do it again next year as it is fairly local for me. Great day...thanks very much for making it simple to book, easy to park and an enjoyable route!

Rated Event: 96.667%

AndyClutterbuck wrote:

I have always been a keen pleasure cyclist but only started taking it a bit more seriously last year, and entered my first sportives this year - I have done two of the Evans Ride It events, and now the Red Kite Ride - after the Evans events I thought you would have a hard act to follow but am delighted to say that you have done even better - quality of the food stops, facilities, and just having that added "club feel". Its days like yesterday that have me kicking myself that I left it until age 45 until I started taking my cycling more seriously ! Definitely will be back next year. A massive thank you to all that took the time to put this event together. It looks like a lot of work and thought had gone in to it, and I bet in reality it was at least twice as hard to pull off as I am imagining ! Well done to you all. The quality of the membership shone threw.

Rated Event: 96.667%

jmcel wrote:

Excellent organisation good route planning.

Rated Event: 98.889%

AlistairDuff wrote:

Organisation was faultless - signage very clear and that made the whole thing easier (well as easy as could be expected for my first ride over 60 miles! (I did the 100) - only reason I gave 9/10 for the food was that there were no pork pies at the first stop !!

Rated Event: 95.556%

Steve_J1 wrote:

A fantastic, really well organised event. Great course and scenery with well stocked and varied selection feed stops at sensible intervals. Even managed to spot a couple of the fabled Red Kites too! The river crossing at Twyford was a great addition. I'll definitely recommend this to friends and plan to be back next year. Rates as the best sportive I've entered so far!

Rated Event: 100.000%

WayneHarris wrote:

After last year's event I had high hopes for riding this again, albeit the 80 this time instead of the 100m. From being a very well ran event last year, the organisers outdone themselves with another superb event. The weather really helped, but this is a great course, taking in some of the best parts of the surrounding Chilterns, from the vistas of Oxfordshire, into the more wooded scenery of Berkshire. The Ford was a welcome recovery for tired legs, and provided quite a talking point. Having done the Chiltern 100 for a number of years, I would say that although not on the same scale with numbers, this has to rate as high in regards to the whole event (although thankfully not so hilly). Next year's Red Kite event will certainly be in my diary!

Rated Event: 95.556%

markblackman wrote:

very well organised ride, with excellent signage, including appropriate warnings. Friendly and helpful stewards helped me round the route.

Rated Event: 95.556%

garethmaloney wrote:

A really great event, very professional but also very friendly which is a hard trick to master

Thanks

Rated Event: 100.000%

DavidTidd wrote:

A fantastic event, which possibly rates as one of the best sportives I've ridden. It was incredibly well organised, the route was beautiful and in many places almost traffic free. Signposting was spot on with plenty of advance notice before a turn and a reassuring 'straight on' sign after the turn. Above all, the marshals and volunteers made the event, always cheery and enthusiastic, with some of the best food stops I've seen (sausage rolls anyone?). Looking forward to next year!

Rated Event: 90.000%

StuartPearce wrote:

Great course (50 mile) my first sportive but it won't be my last.
I will be back next year and I hope the course is similar if not the same.
It had just the right amount of hills for me, I understand it is more usual for sportives to be 60 miles in length that would be fine as long as the extra 10 were relatively flat.
There was only one sign missing on the whole route, but that may have been removed by someone else.

Rated Event: 83.333%

PeterGurney wrote:

Overall a good event in a beautiful area and I would highly recommend it to all levels of riders. As it was the first year I would expect some niggles, the signage was not adequate and is easily rectified with markers at every junction, rather than the the handfull there seemed to be, luckily I have a garmin but still had to map out the route prior as for some reason as I could not find the 50 mile route to download (the 100 mile route was available but not the 50?). Lastly parking may be suggest contacting the hare and hounds to use there car park for next year. Well Done Marlow Striders for a good inaugural event and I look forward to next years.