Dragon Ride climbing tips from the Professionals
Professional cycle coaches Rowe & King give Dragon Ride L'Etape Wales riders some great advice on how to tackle the legendary climbs!
Dragon Ride L’Etape Wales by Le Tour de France returns on Sunday 10th June 2018. Famed for its stunning Alpine-like scenery, this iconic sportive is arguably the toughest one day cycling event in the UK. Riders take on routes from 100km right up to the Dragon Devil at 305km, which includes 5,000m of vertical climbing.
The Bwlch |
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| Dani Rowe MBE, former Olympic Champion | |
| “The Bwlch mountain comes at the very start of your Dragon Ride - so whilst you may have a spring in your step, its vital you tackle this climb efficiently. Hands in the middle of the handlebars, choose a light gear and don’t make any surges in effort. A nice consistent effort on the way up and then take the opportunity to recover on the descent the other side’. | |
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Rhigos |
| Luke Rowe, Team Sky Rider | |
| “Rhigos comes in very quick succession after the Bwlch, so in-between these two climbs make sure you have something to eat - an energy gel or fig roll are good ideas. Also make sure you drink. Rhigos is another long climb, but not too steep so it's all about finding your own rhythm. Maintain a nice high cadence (circa 85-90rpm), stay relaxed and don’t let others influence your pace. It’s a long day out.” | |
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The Devil’s Elbow |
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| Courtney Rowe, former World Championship medallist (road & track) | |
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“Arguably the hardest climb on the route - make sure you are prepared with suitable gearing. A 34 tooth chainring and 32 tooth sprocket is about right. With a max gradient of 21.7%, if it is wet, your back wheel will skip when out of the saddle so be prepared to ride the whole climb seated. On the hairpins, ride wide to avoid the steepest sections and be aware of other riders around you. A wobble from a fellow rider may put you off and force you off the road, so give yourself space to manoeuvre.” |
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Throughout November, Human Race will be releasing information on each of the 10 key climbs of the Dragon Ride on the L’Etape UK by Le Tour de France Facebook page and the Human Race Strava Club. Like our page or join our club to receive updates.
Ahead of the Dragon Ride L’Etape Wales event, Rowe & King will be running a training weekend on 7th and 8th April 2018, allowing you to experience the actual training methods of professional cyclists. You can be part of the training weekend, gaining expert advice from the team at Rowe & King by registering here: letapeuk.co.uk/wales/letape-wales/event-info/dragon-ride-training-weekend
About the Dragon Ride L'Etape Wales by Le Tour de France
Dragon Ride L’Etape Wales by Le Tour de France will return on Sunday 10th June 2018, offering riders the chance to tackle epic climbs amidst stunning Welsh scenery. Each autumn sees the annual rush to secure one of the limited places in this iconic sportive, that brings the Tour de France experience to South Wales.
Dragon Ride L’Etape Wales is part of the global L’Etape Series, alongside UK counterpart TP ICAP L’Etape London and the challenging L’Etape du Tour. Returning for its 15th year in 2018, the event has become one of the must-do sportives of the cycling calendar, attracting riders from as far afield as Australia, Norway and the UAE. This year, over 5000 cyclists from 14 different nations rode a combined total of 974,965 kilometres through the Welsh hills. Riders consumed 1,200kg of potatoes, 3,360 flapjacks, 11,200 bananas, and 1,072kg of jelly babies as well as drinking 45,000 litres of water during their cycling challenge. Next year’s event promises continued growth, as organisers Human Race and A.S.O further develop the Tour de France experience for riders, from the feed stations stocked with French savoury food, to the Tour de France style podium at the finish.
For more information and to register, please visit: letapeuk.co.uk/wales
About Rowe & King Cycle Coaching
Rowe & King offer cycle coaching, giving you the opportunity to be coached using the training methods that Luke Rowe and Dani King have used throughout their careers and are still using to this day.
Both Luke and Dani were attracted to the sport from a young age and have enjoyed a cumulative total of 25 years racing and training. Luke starting out on the back of a tandem with his father Courtney, whilst Dani was picked up through the British Cycling Talent Team Programme, where the first assessment was to ride a mountain bike round the school football field.
Luke and Dani have since progressed through the youth, Junior and U23 ranks to reach the top echelon in the sport as fully-fledged professionals. Along the way, they have won an Olympic Gold, 3 x World Championships, completed the likes of Paris Roubaix, Tour of Flanders, a Grand Tour and competed all over the world in the sport’s biggest events.
On their journey from aspiring youth to professional riders, Luke and Dani have tried and tested almost every training method. Through a development process with some of the world’s best coaches, both are truly equipped with some of the best cycling knowledge in the world today.
For more information, please visiit: roweandking.com
About Human Race
Human Race is the UK’s leading mass participation events company, putting on over 30 events each year in triathlon, cycling, running, duathlon and open water swimming. Part of Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.), owners of Le Tour de France and the leader in the French running and sportive market, Human Race’s prestigious portfolio includes the Windsor Triathlon, Dragon Ride L’Étape Wales, the Cancer Research UK Winter Run Series and VitalityMove with Jessica Ennis Hill. The company also specialises in delivering bespoke corporate events, working with businesses such as JLL and Cisco.
Human Race’s events bring together an active community of people taking part in sporting events for reasons ranging from fitness, competition, charity, health, fun or to simply finish. The participants vary from nervous first timers of all ages through to World Champions. Collectively, the events raise millions of pounds for hundreds of charities.
For more information, please visit: humanrace.co.uk
About ASO
Amaury Sport Organisation is a company that owns, designs and organises top international sporting events. Specialised in the ‘non-stadia’ events, it has in-house knowledge of professions linked to organisation, media and sales of sports events.
A.S.O. organises 260 days of competition per year, with 60 events in more than 20 countries.
A.S.O. is involved in 5 major sports including cycling with Le Tour de France, motor sports with Le Dakar, golf with the Alstom Open de France, sailing with Le Tour de France à la Voile and mass events with the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris.
Amaury Sport Organisation is a subsidiary of the Amaury Group, media and sport group that owns famous newspaper L'Equipe.
For more information, please visit: asochallenges.com/en-EN/
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