This is the event I've been building up towards for the last 5 months. All the hours training & all the suffering... Come ride with me on this EPIC day on the bike in cycling paradise! Thanks for watching.
Rode it this year, wouldn't ride it again. The start was so disorganised, we were in the rear starting group who weren't let off on time so lost 20 mins before we'd even crossed the start line. That meant groups were blocked on the first main climb which was carnage, people being ridden off the road by groups literally shoving their way past. Because of the push on time, the descent into the first checkpoint was crazy, saw a few people sliding off the side of the road and some very dangerous descending. Not surprisingly saw a couple of people being put into ambulances! There are a lot of people who are not used to riding in groups so it gets pretty dangerous at times. Got my head down, got to the 312 cutoff at 220km and they had closed the checkpoint 20 mins early! WTF! Very arrogant police not letting anyone through and pushing us off on to the 225 course. Big expense to get to the event, complete disarray at the start including people pulling down security fences to get into the start pen, and then the debacle of not being allowed to ride the 312 course even though we got to the checkpoint 15-20 minutes before the 4.30 cutoff. No response from organisers on why this happened. My advice, book yourself a holiday to Mallorca and ride the course on your own or with friends. The course is stunning but there are so many riders you don't see many views as you are continually looking out for yourself and other riders. Save yourself the entry fee and the packed road and do it at your own leisure.
Mallorcan resident here. 5 time finisher, always finishing in top 50. Won’t do it again though until they do something to grade the starting boxes to somehow put the faster riders at the front, slower riders further back. Or maybe have separate starts for the three distances. Either that or they need to reduce drastically number of starters. It is downright dangerous being forced to weave through the thousands of slower, poorly disciplined riders for the first 1-2 hours. Many other regulars feel the same, but the race just gets bigger and more of a shit fight tbh.
I’ve done this event 3 times now and this years event was the best for food stops and organising. 10:19 ride time is exceptional and around top 100 result, you should be proud. I did the 312 twice and this year 225 and really enjoyed it, managed 48th which I’m buzzing about lol. Great achievement that not many riders could do. The experience is genuinely unreal especially when you finish lol
Congratulations Dave, last year i completed the 225, after said never again but i find myself drawn back to give the full distance a go next year. well done again.
Fantastic ride mate be very proud of that time. Sbsolutely amazing effort. Great to watch some of the roads we used to ride on that annual pilgrimage 👍
I could feel the pre ride nerves thru my screen Dave but you pulled a great result! Tremendous effort and as we've come to expect brilliant footage. You shouldn't have any doubts about what you're capable of both on the bike and your decision to go full time with the channel. Keep the faith 👏👏👏
Thanks for watching and the support Neil 👊... I was nervous in the run up... The unknown of riding that far and being in the saddle for that long, I wasn't sure how I'd hold up.. But it went OK.
Thanks mate. If you were part of that train, you boys were flying. I couldn't even sit in the wheel on the back roads towards Selva 😬💨💨💨 Thanks for watching 👍
Great effort Dave !! I was nervous watching that 😂can’t imagine many people can hit that distance with out the dreaded bonk kicking in bud ,loving the videos buddy 🙌
I watched this on the turbo last night and im back to comment - mate that looked wild, the level of fitness to do something like this must be off the scale and I would love to get more insight into your recovery regime. Mad effort, well done.
Thanks mate. It was a big one.... One week on and the legs are coming back. Went out this morning and felt the best I have since the 312. Hope the weather is on the up back in the UK and you enjoy a good ride today 👊
Thanks for sharing the insight of someone also aiming for sub 10h! Great to see, stands out from the other 99% of videos. Managing feed stations/stops without losing groups was also the biggest challenge I faced, I'm the guy in black and blue at 30:14 Great effort and your channel was a nice find!
Awesome mate... Great to reconnect after an epic day.... I was super happy to find a group riding at a similar pace for the last 50k... Same time, same place next year?? 🤔🤣 Thanks for watching 👍😊
Great watch and a true reflection compared to some of the more glorified 312 videos. I rode the 312 last year (2023), the carnage year. I was caught up at the start, finally leaving at 6.58am. I had to ride smart, roads were packed and blocked on the first climb with slow riders doing the smaller rides. I was riding harder than I wanted to to make up time to beat the cut off times, like you balancing heart rate with power. Skipped the first feed station, the 2nd was crazy, two taps, hundreds of cyclists fighting for water. No support, so had to use the organised stops. I managed to beat the cut offs, completed the 312 in a Strava moving time of 10.55, average speed 17.7 mph. Each stop cost me 15 minutes on average (the fist couple took more time to fill bottles, than the last couple). I'm hoping to return next year, I'll see what happens. All the best.
Last year sounds pretty mad.... Non of that this year, it was pretty much all smooth riding ( for me , I know some others had issues with cut offs closing early etc.. ) Sounds like you've got some unfinished business mate 💪... Thanks for watching 👍
Well done mate....great video taking us on the journey of pain. You should consider doing the Cape Town Cycle Tour next March, 109kms along the most picturesque coastal roads of Cape Town. Plenty of great coffee shops here too. Onya 🔥👊
Thank you mate, pleased you appreciated the suffering 😂.. I've actually ridden the event in Cape Town, around 8 years ago. Beautiful part of the world 🔥
Well done Dave, great ride and a big effort. Never fancied it myself, early start, crowds etc. Shame about the weather after - I was in Sucina for the weekend, had 2 rides planned Sunday & Monday - did neither as it was raining both days 😢
Thanks mate. It's a good one.... The organisation this year was great and other than at the start, the sheer volume of riders wasn't really noticable... The early start though 😫 Thanks for watching 👍
Tremendous effort mate chapeau 👋 Very candid and true edit as well, really brings it home how hard that must have been.. Needless to say I won't be doing it 😆 However, it brought back awesome memories of thrashing over the MA-10! Undoubtedly THE best road (and day on the bike) i've ever ridden
Hey, yes indeed it is.... Ive met a few of the Gran Alacant group, you live in a great place ( I'm currently part time resident in Santa Pola )... absolutely love it 😎
i can absolutely agree about the last 80k .. the fatigue in the body plus the road surfaces in the lanes, stop/start corners , and that sodding southerly wind made that 80k so tough... great footage though and i said the same " im never doing that again" ....well plans are afoot to sign up again and next time beat my slower than you time of 11-14 chip time...goal is sub 10 moving ...;-)
Haha, yes mate the last 80k was a killer.... Great time and well done on your ride 👊.. Kudos for already looking at next year - the memory of the suffering is still too fresh in my mind to consider riding next year at this point🤣 Thanks for watching 👍
Great effort, well done. Fitness is one thing, the mind is another. I've done it three times - solo, which I found really hard, with my wife and last one with my daughter both of which were much more enjoyable. I / we just did it for the fun and sense of achievement. I wasn't worried about a time and could never have achieved anything like you did, particularly as you also filmed it, so kudos 👍. I might do it next year as a final goodbye to my 50's 😢
Its a fantastic event... all the distances are challenging and completing any is a great achievement... I reckon you'd love it ( as long as you enjoy stunning scenery, perfect roads and zero traffic 🙃 ) Thanks for watching 😊
Great watch Dave. Have seen a few videos of the 312 as its on my bucket list but this a proper honest and 'real' account of how challenging it is, even for an accomplished rider. I've done most of the route in bits and bobs over the years, but having now waved cheerio to my 50's, I'm not sure I have the FTP or endurance to beat the 14hr cut off. 🤔. Cheers
Thanks mate, pleased you enjoyed it. My advice would be to give it a go! Prepare well for the event and even if you start to flag on the day, worst case you have the choice of bailing on the 312 and doing either of the shorter distances which are both great challenging routes.... It's an incredible event with an unbeatable atmosphere... You'll love it. 👌 Thanks for watching 😊 👍
Nevertheless, it looks like a terrific experience! I was in Pollenca three weeks ago and enjoyed every minute of it. Being able to ride all these amazing cols on closed roads is something i want to experience once as well! Amazing!
Did it myself Dave. Was definitely tough. The stretch in the middle (120k - 180k) ish was grim. Not a course built for me (Im 96kg) but got it done in about 13 hours total time. Well done anyways, subscribed!
@@roadcyclist1 nothing I just thought it was a Sportive, I've done a few myself and it's a bit more leisurely than that 312, however I'm am 51 and very short
Hey, thanks for the message. It can be what you want it to be. There was plenty of riders out there taking there time and enjoying the ride - the 167km route is fantastic, if the 312 is a bit much. Thanks for watching. :-)
Exactly mate... a functional power meter would have helped, BUT do I regret it NOPE. Would I get caught up in the moment and ride the same next time ? PROBABLY 🤣🤣🤣 Thanks for watching 😊👍
Chapeau for finishing it. I’m sure you learned a lot from the ride. I ride 20+ hours a week and even I’d be hesitant to do that distance, once you cross the 3,000m vert it really starts to bite. you really need to get your nutrition dialled in for a day like and train your body to absorb what you are putting in. You also need to ride your own race, few things I picked up on where you put yourself into the red very early on, it’s at that point you should have sat up and just joined a slower group. Put yourself into the red early on in a big day like that you will pay for it big time later. Also no mention of any carb load the day prior not sure if you did this? Final one was dropping your nutrition and not stopping to get it. You are better of stopping and loosing some time to collect that as miss a feed and your day is over! Last one is train with the products your going to be using, time and time again I see people do events like this and try products and lots of it for the first time on race day. No wonder you had bad guts. Set an alert on your head unit for a reminder for every 20 mins to take on some fuel and water. Learn from it go back and do it again 👍
Amazing achievement! I did the route of the 225 last year (not during the event, just a friend and I) - it took me 11:30 (12:15 including food breaks).
Great ride that Dave and some cracking footage of the event. Love Majorca, but thinking of a change next year. Mainland Spain is definitely a contender (any recommendations?)
Thanks mate. Anywhere around Alicante mate... Go 50k North towards Calpe if you want mountains every day. I'm based around 15k South in Santa Pola. Can ride flat/mountains and everything in between you can't go wrong...
I done the 225 this year in just over 8hours. I’m Not keen on the additional flat bit tacked on at the end for the 312. 225 all the climbs and nice bit of flat on the way back to the finish 👍🏻
@@daveridesagain brutal that, nice one. I walked 16 miles today at 3mph, the last 2 miles legs gone, various terrain. Mind over matter, easier said than done. Doesn’t get any easier. 👍🏻 Il be happy to complete a 100mile ride one day. Cheers
Well done Dave once you get those last farm roads/gravel and the kickers it really drains the legs - spot on ride - how much fuel did you go through over the course of the day?
Thanks mate - you're bang on about them farm roads. That stretch killed me.. My fuelling in this wasn't great. I used SIS Beta Fuel throughout. I'd used it in training with no issues, but after around 7 hours started to get stomach cramps.. In the last 2.5 hours, I didn't really eat anything.. Hence why I ended the event on fumes!! Plenty of lessons learned.. Thanks for watching. :-)
Thanks, yeah in the Viva "Tropic" 🤣... Great event, shame the weather was a bit rubbish while I was there and didn't get a chance to do much more riding after the event. 😞 But I'm back on the mainland now and the weather is great, so normal service has been resumed 😎😁
Hey.. I actually has 3 GoPros - 2 on the bike ( front and back ) and one hand held... I switched them on and off at moments I felt could be interesting... I needed to stay switched on to what was happening and it was tough filming at the end but the result was worth it. I hope this helps and thanks for watching.
Haha, I've only been using it 4 months but rely on it so much now... I tried reconnecting it a few times early on, but my Garmin was picking up like 20 units from riders around me so i just forgot about it ( and probably paid the price in the last 2 hours ) 🤣🤣🤣 Thanks for watching 👍
I’d sure you’d likely hit sub 10 being more patient at the start - more bodies for later on - riding hard and solo at the mid-point was courageous but suicidal
Enjoyed the video. The thumbnail says NEVER AGAIN. Did I miss something or was that just click bait? The video doesn't tell the story of the title either, I want to ultimately find out why I should consider watching this video before riding the 312.
Thanks for watching and the message... "Never again" is what most riders or athletes say after doing a hard event... the immediate reaction is, I'm never doing it again!! But normally, once the pain has subsided and all you have left is the good memories and satisfaction of completing a challenging event, your mind switches to " when's the next one... "... I do reference this a couple of times in the video and say it in the last 30km of the ride.... "Watch before you enter. "... I document the challenges in terms of the route, distance, profile, etc, and how I found it... hopefully, this gives viewers a good indication of how tough this event is and whether it is for them ( or maybe adjust their training and preparation for the event....) No click bait... I hope this explains my perspective and thank you for watching 😊👍
@@daveridesagain I appreciate you clarifying in much more detail! Thanks Dave. I thought the honesty of second guessing the 312 distance was really insightful to the headspace, you just want to stop. Chapeau for completing it at such a strong pace, what an arduous ride. The heat, the wind, the climbing, even the flats. it's an incredibly busy event and I can imagine the feed stations and toilets would be a nightmare for anyone going for a time.
Thanks mate... I did in total 6500k from the start of the year... in that was a few 160k rides and one 220k ride... Training went pretty well in the run up... Plenty more planned for this year. 😊 Thanks for watching 👍
Really? I havent heard anything about this - maybe they were swept up before I got there?? Regardless, pretty poor form and super bad luck for the riders affected.... 👎 Thanks for watching. 🙂
Cyclists are weird. Last year i thought "Never again" when I completed Tour des Stations Superfondo. And somehow this year I find myself signed up for the Ultrafondo 👀
