Equipe Flamme Rouge  

Classics Circuit Champ ~ 36km 10 Ints

Introduction
The Classics Circuits are, along with the Climbageddon Circuits, the signature road sessions of the flamme rouge programmes.  Each one builds on the intensity and volume of the last. 

As an add-in, to a week-end endurance ride, they are a perfect pre-season, race simulation, tester.  Once the season is under way, just use the "circuit" as a mid-week, high intensity, low volume, race pace, top up. 

We are blessed by having "everything" within five miles of our door.  I'm sure wherever you are in the world, if you look hard enough, you should be able to recreate a similar concept in your own "playground" of choice.

Follow The Rules...
You are totally responsible for your own actions.  Ensure your bike is in tip-top condition, keep your head up at all times, have regard for other road users and never go faster than the speed in which you can clearly see to stop in.  Ride safe, give it a hundred percent, and have fun.

Course Description
This circuit takes place almost entirely in the Parish of St Martin and is the longest of our Classics Circuits, making it ideal as a base build session, if ridden slowly or a conditioning session which would be ideal as a shakedown for a major race objective, or a pre-sportive tester. 

It's 37 km's long and can be done and dusted in around two hours (if you live in town), including warm up and cool down.

To start you need to get yourself to St Martin's Arsenal, which is near the Durrell Wildlife Trust. Whichever way you approach it, turn off the main road and head down the road behind the Arsenal, to La Ville Bree. Go through the S-bend at the end and turn right at the guest house. You're now heading for your first interval.

You have 50 metres, down the slope, to get up to full speed.  Hit the dip full-on and give it everything for the 100 metre race sprint from the bottom of the dip to the two big trees at the crest.

Carry on, gently to ensure recovery, to the end of the road and take a left to St Martin's Public Hall. As you hit the church junction, turn right and head for Maufant and the second interval.

Pick up your speed as you drop down towards La Preferance, and, again, as you hit the dip, accelerate out as though it was a Champs Elysee lead out.  Keep going all the way to the shop on the corner. This 300 metre lead out push will fill the legs with acid, coming so quickly after your first big sprint.

Carry on to the Midland Store and take a left to head for Hougue Bie and Queens Valley Reservoir.

The next challenge is the climb from Queens Valley; drop down St Saviour's Hospital Hill and from the bottom of the valley gates, attack Ransom's Climb all the way to the finish, 30 metres from the Give Way sign at the top of the hill.  There's a tiny lane on the left which marks the finish.

Take a right at the yellow line and head towards Gorey, be very careful on the descent.  There are many hidden entrances, blind corners and car parking induced pinch points.  Climb to the left of Gorey Castle, past Geoffroy's Leap and in to Anneport.  Gently, climb out of Moonraker's as you'll be taking the first left turn to attack Archirondel 2.

Tackle this "climb of two halves" with circumspect at the bottom. There is a steep section until the turn, it then flattens slightly but resists all attempts to overcome it, continuing to climb until around the next corner.

Archirondel 2, finishes at the crest, where the side road appears from the right.  This is your target for today.  Once completed, continue to 300 metres to the yellow line, as slowly as dignity will allow.

When you get there turn left, then right, back on to St Martin's main road and head back to the church.

Turn right at the church and drop in to, and out of, the small valley; when you get to the junction at the end, turn right and follow the road all the way to Rozel Harbour, where you start your last, and longest, interval.

rozel

Rozel Harbour at the foot of the three route climb from the valley

Rozel, a killer climb of three thirds. A steep initial third, starts at the harbour slip road.  This initial steep, valley climb, precludes the long false flat at La Tourelle, that dupes you in to changing up to too high a gear as you seem to pick up speed.

Just as you feel like you're winning, you hit the leg-snapping rise at the Parish Sheds, that constitutes the final third. This is where everyone comes back to you if you've got it right, or goes away if you get it wrong.

On a good day it's a big ring climb.  If you're having a "jour sans", it's a little ring slog.

As you hit the walled corner, you're 20 metres from the finish, of the interval and the circuit. At this point you should be sprinting. Well done!

Recover quickly, eat and drink then cover the kilometre or so to the circuit start and go again.  Full-gas.

On your second lap, you undertake Archirondel 3, by pushing all the way to the yellow line.

There are five significant EFR ~ Intervals on this course...

Segment 1 sprints out of the St Martin's dip ~ 10 secs
Segment 2 surges from La Preferance to Maufaunt ~ 30 secs
Segment 3 speed climbs Queens Valley to Ransom's Corner ~ 1 min
Segment 4 runs to the crest of Archirondel ~ 2 min
Segment 5 grovels out of Rozel ~ 5 min
Segment 6 sprints out of the St Martin's dip ~ 10 secs
Segment 7 surges from La Preferance to Maufaunt ~ 30 secs
Segment 8 speed climbs Queens Valley to Ransom's Corner ~ 1 min
Segment 9 runs up the end of Archirondel ~ 3 min
Segment 10 grovels out of Rozel ~ 5 min


Who's it for?
This course isn't for the faint hearted. If you have an above average fitness it can be used to build strength, stamina and speed. If you're a racer, it combines all the elements of a race in to one short, sharp, training session. If you're stuck for time, there's little better to maximise your most precious resource.

If you're not in the island, obviously you can get the drift of what we are trying to achieve. You just need to find a course near you that allows you to replicate the intervals in the order shown above. Generally, shortest first, longest last.

What Next?
That's it!  To try something different, why not choose one of our Race Circuits or Climbageddon Routes, they'll keep you busy for a couple of hours or so.

Due to the "lap" nature of this course, Strava doesn't handle the timing too well, unfortunately as the course timings bear no relation to reality, we've left them off this page.



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