A wet sportive...

Out of the 2000 or so riders, only a few had mudguards. I expect that will be the case on Sunday out of 25,000 riders. I am not going to start fooking about with flimsy guards having travelled 200 miles by train to get there. Ass saver will the best you are going to get on my bike, be sides how many road bikes easily cater for mudguards, not many I would bet?

If it rains, I will get wet to some extent, if I want/need to draft, I will get soaked, consequence of riding in Britain

I did a very, very wet 70mile Sportive in Stafford on Saturday. For me bibknickers, overshoes and spray jacket made it comfortable. Yes I was soaked but I was never cold.

We still rode on each others wheels and drafted around but it was a bunch of lads who are used to riding together and trust each other so whilst a face full of spray isn't fun it's also not the end of the world. We were all still wearing glasses but all had either yellow or clear lenses in.

As for descending most of us went down as normal (for the conditions) bar one 15% bank where you could hear the brakes going on way earlier than you'd normally expect as people took much more cautious lines through the exit of the downhill S bends. Most on their hoods and not the drops as they (and would normally do.

One thing experience has taught me is put your phone in a zip lock poly bag to keep it dry.

Regardless of the weather, Sunday will be excellent.

I've been unlucky with Sportives this year, two that I did in June/July both ended up being 4 hour rides in the rain.

Like most weekend riders, if it's pissing it down I tend to shrug my shoulders and do something else. Of course when you've booked a Sportive that's not really an option.

Things to be careful of, make sure you have wet weather gear. IMO it's better to be over-dressed and possibly too hot, than caught out in nothing more than shorts and a jersey in the rain for hours. I made this mistake doing the Wiggle Chiltern Classic the other week - the forecast was iffy so I took a chance.

The first two hours were lovely and sunny, summer gear + shades was perfect. Then the heavens opened and I got very cold and wet very quickly - it made the last 30 miles miserable if I'm honest.

Shades are something to be particularly aware off, I always ride in glasses as I've had issues with things getting in my eyes at high speeds. If the forecast is dodgy accept that you need clear or low light lenses, on the aforementioned Chiltern Sportive I could barely see anything due to rain and low light while wearing shades.

I'd personally recommend against drafting anyone in the wet, it's just miserable with spray from other riders.

Regarding descending, it's a Sportive not a Race. IMO it's not worth going all gung-ho on descents in the wet. Neither your grip nor your brakes will be anything like as good as normal - play it safe. Five minutes extra on your time is better than stacking and damaging yourself or your bike.

If you are set on beating last years time, just ride harder on the flat and up hills!

You'll get wet, you adjust your riding to suit the conditions.
Maintaining a reasonable pace on the downs in the wet comes to experience and confidence, and understanding how the wet affects your braking points and turning.

Of course if you're really bothered about a better time perhaps you should have put some more training in to get quicker on the ups instead of relying on the downs!

I know a fair few people who have applied twice and not got a place in the ballot.
With that in mind, I will ride the event whatever the weather.

Looking at a few videos of last years event and done a 100 miler in the rain , I would re assess your expectations. The wheel spray from hundreds of cyclist will be terrible, especially if you want to draft. I was absolutely soaked and filthy. So far the the latest weather, rain is expected in the afternoon if it arrives at all. Personally, I was hoping for sub 6 hrs but will now make a judgement call on the morning.