Dartmoor Classic 2009 (Phil O'Connor, www.sportivephoto.com)

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If the first Dartmoor Classic was too wet and the second too hot, the third edition of this increasingly popular sportive failed to produce the hoped-for Goldilocks conditions. One thing that was just right, however, was the job done by organisers Mid Devon Cycling Club.

Efficient signing-on and start arrangements, impeccable marshalling, bountifully stocked feed stations, a family-friendly departure village and a course that was demanding without being pointlessly gruelling – it all combined to create an event that offered a high degree of rider satisfaction.   

Conditions looked to be shaping up perfectly as around 1,600 riders set off on the 100km and 100-mile routes, but climbing above the tree line and into the National Park itself, as the distant rock formations known as Tors hove into view, it was clear that if the weather did turn there would be no escape.

At around 30 miles' distance the first sight of the brooding Victorian prison near Princetown was enough to scare anyone into filing squeakily clean tax returns, but more importantly it meant the first feed station was not far ahead.

Once there, timing mats logged interim times and riders filled their pouches before the 100km and 100-milers went their separate ways. For the longer distance cyclists, the thrilling descent of Peek Hill was a chance to clock their top speed of the day, with 50mph entirely possible.

Late in the morning it began to look like there was a good chance of rain setting in and sure enough, by early afternoon the initially light precipitation was growing steadily more persistent. After the second visit to the Princetown feed station a chilly, driving easterly wind had given the rain droplets a flinty, face-stinging quality while the by-now greasy road surface meant caution was required when cornering at speed.

© Phil O'Connor, www.sportivephoto.com

A damp cattle grid caught one holidaying Scottish participant out and after crashing heavily he was flown to hospital in Plymouth by air ambulance. With a cracked vertebrae plus multiple cuts and bruises, he didn’t exactly come off lightly, but after a night under observation he was discharged to continue what sounds like an unforgettable family trip. 

At around about the same time as his crash, his young son broke his arm in a fall at their Devon holiday cottage. Should he be tempted to risk his luck next year, Mid Devon Cycling Club has offered the rider free family accommodation and free entry to the event.

For those who did make it to the finish, there was a ripple of applause to welcome them home plus a mounted lump of Dartmoor granite to take away as a memento of a great day. The better riders also collected gold, silver or bronze medals, though an early rush of 100km medallists meant some were in short supply for 100-mile finishers and would have to be sent by post at a later date.

For those of us too slow to secure silverware, missing out somehow didn’t seem too big a disappointment – completing the course was reward enough, and in any case, the 2010 edition is getting closer every minute. 

© Phil O'Connor, www.sportivephoto.com

Times (100-mile)

Times (100km)

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