Wiggle Tour of the Peak 2014

Rated Event: 77.778%

SiBirch wrote:

Beatiful day and course, a little disappointed with Winnatts pass not being truly 'Closed' to traffic. Amenities at the start & finish were lacking and could have easily been made a little more comfortable. Read about free water, water van, sun cream... all news to me as I didnt hear/see any of that!
All in all still its the road and the course that make the day and both were fantastic.

Rated Event: 48.889%

wrote:

Well done Wiggle/Kilo to go I wont be doing any more Sportives. Shockingly bad value for money.

Rated Event: 91.111%

Chapmake wrote:

Interesting that Tour of Peaks appears to have more climbing than the Fred Whitton Classic

Rated Event: 72.222%

IanBlack wrote:

Agree with other comments from previous and this year. You can't fault the concept, the area is outstanding, as a bonus the weather was fabulous and we really did have a great day riding.
However, £35... seriously? I know its not a fortune but what did we get for our money?
A 5am start / 2hr drive to park in a (boggy) field with a handful of portaloos. Had it been raining the facilities would have been wholly inadequate !
Timing - my start time was 30+ minutes out and total time did not tally with my Garmin.
Well signed course (although about a hundred of us went off route after about 10 miles... credit to the outrider who put us right).
The closed road climb up Winnats Pass was in fact a road closed to traffic going up the pass... but not down (bit of a surprise).
Feed station adequate but nothing to shout about, and nowhere to sit down in Macclesfield (ended up doing the 100k so can't comment on the other stops)
No showers resulting in a 2hr sweaty/salty drive home.
And the ride in / drive out routes were not signposted well at all. I rode back in against cars leaving and drove out against cyclist coming back into HQ, not to mention the Car Boot traffic.
As a comparison, this weekend the 100k Wheel Heroes ride from Stratford upon Avon Racecourse (organised by CFC charity) will cost £22; indoor HQ, proper toilets, showers for 50p and a host of other activities running for the whole day.
As someone else commented - don't get complacent K2G as there is a lot of competition out there and you don't have exclusive use of public roads. Please listen to your customers before the bubble bursts!

Rated Event: 33.333%

ArthurKelly wrote:

Great course but not enough support. I think I will keep my money next time

Rated Event: 66.667%

wrote:

Kilo to Go really need to go and do the Fred Whitton to see how to put on an event. However the day was fantastic, the route and the weather are pefect. Hence the plusses were the location and the weather, neither influenced by KtG. The negatives - i puntured coming down Holme Crag so fixed it and got to second feed but they didnt even have a pump so second half of ride was done on a half inflated tyre. Ive never done a sportive where feed stations arent stocked with bare mechanical essentials. Woman at second feed is just plain rude. Feedstocks are stocked with the bare minimum and the HQ was a field with a couple of tents and insufficient toilets - just as well it wasnt raining as there would have been nowhere to sit or eat the food you had just had to (over) pay for. No changing facilities so i drove home with the sweat still in my eyes! Unlike the Fred every KtG event feels like every penny is being extracted from you...

Rated Event: 82.222%

lanternerouge wrote:

Still a great, thrilling route. However it is disappointing that some of the issues highlighted in last year's reviews have not been addressed by Kilo to Go. Same problems with lack of toilet facilities and poor feed stations as last year, and they really need to get rid of the grumpy woman at the feed station at Tideswell! Not sure what the point in the email asking for rider feedback is if they then ignore it. Be careful KtG, don't get complacent - there is lots of competition out there these days. Glossop Kinder Vélo's High Peak Hog has had rave reviews and would be a good alternative for next year if KtG can't be bothered to improve things!

Rated Event: 88.889%

joegregson wrote:

Excellent ride with a very testing long route and some superb climbing. Perhaps an increase/improvement in the toilet facilities available before the event for 'gentlemen' is the only thing I would suggest could be improved. I thought the food stops were fine.. I always take my own sandwiches on a long, all day sportive, so the gels, drinks and snacks on offer were fine. I would certainly consider doing this ride again.

Rated Event: 91.111%

robgriffith wrote:

Good, perhaps fewer riders than last year.

Rated Event: 68.889%

ironmanpete wrote:

Nice enough route but struggled due to poor food on offer.Proper sandwiches etc are needed ratehr than gels etc over this distance, for me anyway. Also had to queue lots for toilets and water at feed stops

Rated Event: 83.333%

PhilGrayBlest wrote:

This was my first proper sportive and I really enjoyed it. It was certainly challening, especially with the hot weather and the long exposed climbs, but a thoroughly great day out. Isn't Winnats a tough little climb. The descents were challenging too, especially the one that came soon after Winnats, it tricks you into taking a fast descent and then the gradient increases suddenly and it was difficult to reduce speed. Scary moment.
I thought the feedstations could have been better. The long queues for drinks could easily have been prevented with a couple of extra water/drink containers. The lack of energy gels at the second feedstation was poor too, energy gels would have been very welcome at that stage of the ride.
I also managed to miss the signs for the first feedstation and climbed all the way to the A623 before turning back to Tideswell. Okay, it was my own fault, but with it being in a village, there was plenty of other stuff to be paying attention to and if others were making the same mistake then maybe something a bit more attention-grabbing at the junction would have been a good idea.
Anyhow, the bottom line is that I'll be back next year.

Rated Event: 78.889%

Sean.Lacey wrote:

Great HQ, stunning but tough route but the feed stations were pretty poor, and no mechanics in attendance at the stops.Good event, but sadly not up to the usual high KTG standards.

Rated Event: 80.000%

samuelholley wrote:

First time riding this event, unfortunately got there at abou 9.30 and missed the mass start which I always like about sportive riding. Nevertheless it was an efficient start due to no sign on. Throughout the ride I was impressed with the amount of marshalls and medics on the course and they must have been busy. I saw several accidents including the fella who ive now read broke his hip at Tisdell feed. He went down on some gravel and I have to say some of the country lane descents were a little hairy to say the least, at times it was a choice between letting the bike run away from you or risk hitting the breaks on loose gravel and I nearly came a cropper a couple of times myself. I was relieved to get round in one piece but this all made for an exhilarating ride that was challengeing in every way, more so with the heat and headwinds. There were some fab descents as well. Made Winnats pass which I was chuffed about in the heat of the day but what a lousy place to park an ambulance, almost forced to stop. Thought the feed stations were poor, hardly worth the long que for half a banana and a couple of cheap high 5 gels. And the length of the que which was about 10 mins meant I missed out on a silver time standard by 2 minutes. I agree that the food at the end was a bit below par as well for £3.50. Water vans were a good touch although didnt stop. All in all a fantastic ride in spectacular scenary that was a real challenge at this stage in the season.

Rated Event: 93.333%

lanternerouge wrote:

I think okramum's being a bit harsh above, no offence :) KiloToGo went through all the riders with sun cream and gels at the start line - a nice touch I thought. They also showed adaptability and got out there and set up 2 impromptu water stations, one on the medium route and one on the long. Some of the criticism is unwarranted - how long has the route map with Feed Station been on the website, for example? Hard to miss if you knew it was coming up.

I thought it was a great event despite having one of my worst days on a bike in terms of how I felt! Such a hilly course in that heat is always going to be tough and I made the mistake of not doing enough training, remembering how I sailed round last year - it gets easier every week in my head afterwards!

There was a great atmosphere at the start, people were friendly, and the whole thing was incredibly slick as usual. Feed station was fine with bananas and Soreen, water and energy drink in plentiful supply.

I had a fantastic massage afterwards and some much needed shade!

The only thing I would agree on would be the catering - it did feel a bit cheeky to be asked to cough up £3.50 for a fairly bog standard chili/rice affair at the end. I'm sure the Leisure Centre want to make a few quid but it would be good if it were included.
The rider support seemed excellent and it was good to see the poor guy who broke his hip at Tideswell being well looked after with an ambulance on the way. All in all a good value day out in my opinion, an awesome route and an excellent atmosphere attached. I know KtG listen to their riders and are always looking to improve and that is why I keep going to their events. Well done guys.

Rated Event: 78.889%

GedColl wrote:

First time I have ridden in the Peak District. A hard ride, but beautiful scenery. I was very pleased to finish it but looking back, I really enjoyed the day. Cheers!

On the down side, did I really hear an announcer stating water was available at the start, but at a cost? Could the organisers not have had a tie in with Buxton water? I also thought the feed stops were poor for such an event.

Could have done with more impromptu water stops really, especially as the weather was predicted days in advance. I must thank one particular house owner who stood outside her house offering jaded cyclists water from her kitchen tap. God bless her ;)

Rated Event: 72.222%

wrote:

The route was great and I enjoyed riding with other people. I had an excellent massage afterwards. I thought the catering was poor considering how expensive it is to enter. I would have expected food/drink to be free before and after the event and the supplies at the feed station (I only went to Tideswell) were particularly disappointing. The signs were excellent throughout except near the Tideswell feed station - I wasn't the only one to ride past the turning. I appreicated the availablility of sun cream on the start line.

Rated Event: 81.111%

Cumbriancyclist wrote:

Spectacular and challenging day on the bike, with some wonderful climbs, sweeping descents and an interesting route through some wonderful countryside. I think I enjoyed it!