MARC, THANKS FOR A GREAT DAY REALY ENJOYED IT, I AGREE WITH THE OTHER COMMENTS IT WAS HARDER THAN THE POLKA DOT THE HARDEST ONE I EVER HAVE DONE LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR THOUGH

Thank you for such a fantastic event last Sunday.
The organisation and sign posting and marshalling were first class. The feed stations were very welcoming and friendly, and the food was excellent. The scenery was something I wasn’t expecting, I was amazed, “wow” was a word I kept using. The hills were tough as anything I have come across, and it was nice to be traffic free, and that was all down to superb planning by you and your colleagues. It was difficult at times not to stop just to take in the views.

I will be coming back next year and will spread the word. This is an event that deserves a field of 500.

Once again thank you to everyone involved in making the ride truly memorable. It was even better than the Gran Fondo Cymru in Bala, and I never imagined anything could be tougher and better than that.

Thanks for the results and just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the event. It was my first sportive and it's certainly given me the taste for more! Thanks for all your organisation and hospitality - it several years since I'd been to the Peak District and I'd forgotton how scenic it really is - especially when you get to the top of those rather intimidating hills!.

I just wanted to pass along my thanks and appreciation for such a well-organised ride on Sunday.
It was a tough one (just 500 metres less climbing than this year's Etape as noted in last week's Cycling Weekly!) but also enjoyable and made so much easier by your professionalism. I thought the signing was excellent and compares very favourably with the CTC challenge rides where you are left to fend for yourself. I hope that the ride managed to raise some decent funds as well for the air ambulance cause.

May I just drop you a line to thank you and all the organisers for an excellent event. Five of us from the Bowline Climbing Club in Leicester took part and I know found it a very challenging and interesting course through parts of Staffordshire and the Peak I have never got to before. Very well organised and a great day out – thank everybody from us.

Just wanted to drop you a line and say thank you for the Leg Breaker Challenge on Sunday. I have been sending in reports on all the sportifs I have completed this summer and will be sending the below in for the next magazine. I think you asked for feedback so thought you might like to see it.
Kind regards
Lucinda

Leg Breaker Challenge, Leek
Sunday 6th August 2006

At only 130km it was understandable to find ourselves at the start thinking this would be a relatively easy outing. How wrong can you be? It might be shorter than the more usual 100+mile sportif but with 3000m of climb it was anything but easy.

The start was very efficient with a route briefing and groups leaving at 10 minute intervals. As everyone else chose an earlier start time, it took about an hour before we caught up with the tail of the ride. Feed stations were evenly spaced along the route and were well stocked with sandwiches, cake and water (served by local Mountain Rescue teams at the second feed station). The climbs were also pretty evenly spaced throughout the route with approximately 1000m of climb in every 40km. The ups were mixed in gradient and length and some of the downs really made up for any climbs.

After being out for 6 hours we completely forgot that Leek is located at the top of a hill. With about 10km to the end, the route seemed to take us around Leek and include every local hill. After the final descent to the outskirts of Leek, we climbed again and raced briefly through the town to the finish.

The ride was undersubscribed which is a shame (perhaps because many sportif enthusiasts had carried out their post etape threat and actually sold their bike). A lot of thought had gone into the route to keep it challenging and also encouraging. The organisation, facilities and catering were very good. The Leg Breaker Challenge is thoroughly recommended for next year.

Just wanted to thank you and all of the organisers for an excellent ride.

Feedback:

Perhaps slightly larger direction arrows (one or two were a little hard to spot at speed)
A third distance between 72 + 130 km may have attracted a few more entries?

Signage was very comprehensive though.
All officials very pleasant, helpful and encouraging.
Feed stations well stocked.
The Belgian Bar was a wonderful place for signing on, really added to the whole experience.

Overall a fantastic ride through tremendous scenery and a very positive experience

Did the 130K at the weekend. Thanks for a great event. Very well organized and friendly. I thought the Marmotte was hard !!!

You asked for some feedback on the legbreaker. All positive!

Unfortunatley, I didnt finish the route (I broke my wheel early on, and had to withdraw), but from what I did see I thought it was extremely well signposted and marshalled. The hospitality was amazing, never seen so much food and drink, and the support crew were extremely friendly and helpful. And all for the bargain entry fee of £18! Only comment?? What about a t-shirt! Laughs. Seriously, the four of us who travelled up from FVS TRI all had a wicked day out and will be back next year to try to tame the beast.