A bit more info about our monument series of rides taking place over the next few weeks.
Sadly, proper racing in Italy is not taking place at the moment which has led to the cancellation of Milan-San Remo, but that doesn’t need to stop us riding our own tribute to La Classicissima around the weekend of 20th and 21st March.
The route (link below) we’ve chosen is generally pretty flat (like the real thing) but does have a longish climb mid ride up the Passo del Bury Hill Turchino and finishes with a sting in its tail on the short, sharp ascent of the Bear Poggio. There is then the technical(ish) descent of Wilson Avenue before the final dash to the sea front and the traditional sprint along Via Madeiroma to the finish at the pier. At 149km long, it is exactly half the distance of the Italian Milan San Remo.
For the monument series as a whole, there will be a presentation on awards night for anyone who completes the full set of rides so get this one in early to keep yourself in the game. I won’t be checking Strava feeds to check everyone’s claims (life really is too short) so it’s just down to your honesty to claim your prize. However, what I do want to see is lots of photos on the Mitre Facebook page. To recreate something of the feel of the Spring Classics, we need to see some muddy legs so full length tights are forbidden for these rides and there will be a bonus prize for the best photo of razor sharp post ride mud lines (Rule 7.1).
On monument weekends, there will still be the usual club ride leaving from the café at 8.30 on Saturday but, to allow as much flexibility as possible, you can ride the monument anytime in the week before or after. Choose to ride it on your own or in a group with your friends, and either take it easy or smash it up; the choice is yours. The only thing we would advocate is to keep group sizes small: ideally no more than 6 but 8 at a maximum as per BC guidelines.
As ever, your safety and that of your fellow riders is your own responsibility. As this is a self-led ride, you need to make sure that you are equipped physically, technically and mentally to complete the ride even if, by some quirk of fate, you end up on your own. For this first Milan-San Remo ride, you will need to take particular care on Bury Hill as it is a very busy section of road on which the cars and lorries travel quickly.