Hi Whuppingboy,
The Fred Whitton is an extremely tough event - probably one of the toughest out there for sportive riding.
Ideally, I'd say you need a good season (perhaps two) behind you of simply riding a handful 100 mile sportives before riding this one.
To train, you need a combination of time in the saddle working on your fundamental endurance above all, and then you need a lot of hill rides to gain the necessary strength + stamina to cope with the demands of this event.
You will also need a good fuelling strategy for this particular event because you'll be on your bike longer than most 100 mile sportives (cos of the hills) - so you need to know what's going to work for you.
One other tip is to remember to pace the event - pacing is everything for the Whitton especially - so go out very easy indeed, just like you'd run a marathon for example.
Also think about your equipment - you need low gears, really low - say a 38 x 27 or triple to get up the climbs as they are steep and after 80 miles or so you'll need your lowest gears due to the fatigue that accompanies riding these types of hills successively over so many hours...!
Either way, you need a solid preparation before riding the Whitton - it's one not to enter unprepared!
Best of luck Whuppy,
Rebecca
http://easycycling.com
