andy-wood.biz

Good luck to everyone doing the Manchester 100 this weekend. I'm still in two minds whether to compete but if you are ready and raring to go you'll be in for a good day on the bike.

Just keep a nice steady cadence, keep it easy until the route split and then lift the pace slightly until the halfway point. After the halfway point the roads are very rolling so get in a group if you can and work together to set a nice pace.

Don't hang on with a group if you can't handle the tempo. There is no point just about hanging on, wou will end up worse off. Keep at your own tempo and you'll come across someone who is your perfect partner.

It's a nice course with pretty flat country lanes all the way round. Leaving Wythenshaw Park you will head through built up Hale before breaking into winding country lanes through Ashley, past Tatton Park to Knutsford.

From Knutsford you will cross the A556 past The Windmill pub into Pickmere, the chocolate box village of Great Budworth (watch a sharp hill at the crossroad junction and later on through near Marbury Park). A decent down into Winnington before a sharp, short hill before the t-junction after you turn right going through the industrial estate.

It is around this point as you head through Hartford that the 2 routes will split. The 100 mile route will continue to Delemere Forest and onward to Beeston Castle (where it gets a bit lumpy) before stopping at Nantwich for lunch.

From Nantwich you will head home via Warmingham (re-uniting you with the shorter route). The route takes you from Middlewich into Wilmslow past Styal (and a sharp hill) and back to Wythenshaw Park.

My top tip would to add on an extra half an hour on what you're thinking to get to Wythenshaw Park. It gets very busy!! Watch out for dodgy riders all over the road, give twice as much room as usual.

Have a good one!