Bryan Chapman 2012

[vorsprung]

Ride plan ^{TM Tuggo}

You have an orange tricycle???

[L CC]

Ride plan ^{TM Tuggo}

You have an orange tricycle???

No, and neither does he¹.

This is the ride strategy recommended to me by TMFKAFT for 'long rides'. I don't get the dozies like he does, but Mr Smith does, so we shall utilising the strategy as best as possible.

I can't believe I've allowed myself to get drawn into this thread already. I've been trying very hard not to think about it.
It's months away. But. Already. I haz teh fear.

1:(Anymore. It's now duck egg blue. It, with the rest of his fleet, will only fall to me on the hopefully far far distant day when he gets it wrong and a tree falls on him.)

[simonp]

ChrisS did the Brevet Cymru last year. To quote Blacksheep:

"If you can do the Brevet Cymru you can do the Bryan Chapman"

If you can, I'd recommend riding that as a warm-up.

[L CC]

ChrisS did the Brevet Cymru last year. To quote Blacksheep:

"If you can do the Brevet Cymru you can do the Bryan Chapman"

If you can, I'd recommend riding that as a warm-up.

We're not. It'll be something to look forward to another time. If everything goes according to plan, that weekend we're doing the MSG/Flatlands 600, as 3 x 200.
 

[Redlight]

Worth noting for anyone planning to get there by train from London that FGW tickets are now on sale for up to May 21st. I noticed that between Friday and today, the price of a single had gone up by about £8!

I'll be on the 15.45 Paddington to Parkway if anybody fancies cruising down from there to the Severn View Travelodge via the pub at Aust  and taking the train back at a leisurely 10.30 on the Monday.

[Bairdy]

I'd love to do this.
Having never ridden beyond 210km I'm not sure I'll be ready for it this May.
Got a 300km planned and my eye on a 400km but still can't quite get my head around a 600 

[Hummers]

I'd love to do this.
Having never ridden beyond 210km I'm not sure I'll be ready for it this May.
Got a 300km planned and my eye on a 400km but still can't quite get my head around a 600 

You've already ridden a 200.

Do the 300 and then move on to the 400.

Do the 400 and then move on to the 600...

H

[Salvatore]

I'd love to do this.
Having never ridden beyond 210km I'm not sure I'll be ready for it this May.

There's only one way to find out. And it involves being in Chepstow at 6 am on May 19th.

[BlackSheep]

There's only one way to find out. And it involves being in Chepstow at 6 am on May 19th.

"The Great One's" big brother has spoken.

Be there or be "a tri-angle "

[Bairdy]

I'd love to do this.
Having never ridden beyond 210km I'm not sure I'll be ready for it this May.

There's only one way to find out. And it involves being in Chepstow at 6 am on May 19th.

I knew this would happen 

[Redlight]

I'd love to do this.
Having never ridden beyond 210km I'm not sure I'll be ready for it this May.

There's only one way to find out. And it involves being in Chepstow at 6 am on May 19th.

I knew this would happen 

You should probably start practising your French for August 2015...

[Bairdy]

I'd love to do this.
Having never ridden beyond 210km I'm not sure I'll be ready for it this May.

There's only one way to find out. And it involves being in Chepstow at 6 am on May 19th.

I knew this would happen 

You should probably start practising your French for August 2015...

On it. I've got ten days cycling in Provence this Summer.
PBP is on the list.

[Somnolent]

I knew this would happen 

You'll not be the only one at Chepstow for whom 600 is a whole new world...
And whilst I expect to have done another 300 before then (only my second) I can't see a way to fit in a 400 before.

[Bairdy]

I knew this would happen 

You'll not be the only one at Chepstow for whom 600 is a whole new world...
And whilst I expect to have done another 300 before then (only my second) I can't see a way to fit in a 400 before.

I not sure I'll be at Chepstow at 6.00am on May 19th 

It's not just the 600km it's the 8300m of climbing that's the main concern. (I had a knee operation last year.)
I might go for the Cambrian 600 this year as that will give me chance to do a 300 and 400 before hand and it won't be such a strain on my knee.

[Paul D]

It's not just the 600km it's the 8300m of climbing that's the main concern. (I had a knee operation last year.)
I might go for the Cambrian 600 this year as that will give me chance to do a 300 and 400 before hand and it won't be such a strain on my knee.

In strain-on-knees terms, don't get hung up on the Chapman's headline climbing figure. A lot of it is done on long A road climbs rather than short sharp lanes (the YH approach not withstanding).

Climbing at 5-6% for 45 minutes is possibly better for the knees than 2 minutes grinding up a 12%+?

[Yossarian]

Bairdy - I'm approaching the BCM having never really ridden over 210km previously. I've also met a number of people who are doing the same, so there will be a quite a number of people in the same boat. Also, I have a shoddy neck which may rear its ugly head on anything over 300 and be the main limiting factor to the completion of the BCM (unless I can get my hands on a Penny Farthing).

I suppose there are three ways this ride will end - I start and complete it, I start and drop out, or simply don't start at all - certainly the last option is the one that I most want to avoid.

What is the 300 and 400 that you were planning to do?

[Paul D]

I suppose there are three ways this ride will end - I start and complete it, I start and drop out, or simply don't start at all - certainly the last option is the one that I most want to avoid.

"The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try nothing and succeed".

[Redlight]

I failed the first time, completed it with about an hour to spare the second time and will be attempting to see Snowdonia in daylight on the third time. By 2015 I hope to be able to get back to Kings in time for some horizontal sleep!

[Bairdy]

It's not just the 600km it's the 8300m of climbing that's the main concern. (I had a knee operation last year.)
I might go for the Cambrian 600 this year as that will give me chance to do a 300 and 400 before hand and it won't be such a strain on my knee.

In strain-on-knees terms, don't get hung up on the Chapman's headline climbing figure. A lot of it is done on long A road climbs rather than short sharp lanes (the YH approach not withstanding).

Climbing at 5-6% for 45 minutes is possibly better for the knees than 2 minutes grinding up a 12%+?

That is good to know having done the Lon Las Cymru twice with a heavily laden bike (camping).
I was thinking it would be similar with lots of short steep lanes.

[Bairdy]

Bairdy - I'm approaching the BCM having never really ridden over 210km previously. I've also met a number of people who are doing the same, so there will be a quite a number of people in the same boat. Also, I have a shoddy neck which may rear its ugly head on anything over 300 and be the main limiting factor to the completion of the BCM (unless I can get my hands on a Penny Farthing).

I suppose there are three ways this ride will end - I start and complete it, I start and drop out, or simply don't start at all - certainly the last option is the one that I most want to avoid.

What is the 300 and 400 that you were planning to do?

O.K. I've done 7 x 200k's since October.
The plan was to do Honiton Old Roads 300 in May, Avalon Sunrise 400 in June, Cambrian 600 July and BCM next year.
Fitness wise I've no worries but I need to drop about 8kg's and get a triple to make it less like Hell.
Injuries wise, dodgy knee, which is still healing, bad lower back, which seems to be less of an issue on my latter 200k's
and a bad neck after so many K's.
I don't expect to be pain free though......does anybody riding Audax events?

I don't really want to go into the BCM  unprepared and have a bad experience and I think May might just be a bit too soon for me.
On top of that I'm off to France for 10 days cycling a week later with the Missus (she might want me to do BCM to bring me down to her pace in France )

[Tewdric]

I'f you've done 7 200s since October you could get round the BC tomorrow.  Just get on with it man!

[Nuncio]

In strain-on-knees terms, don't get hung up on the Chapman's headline climbing figure. A lot of it is done on long A road climbs rather than short sharp lanes (the YH approach not withstanding).

Climbing at 5-6% for 45 minutes is possibly better for the knees than 2 minutes grinding up a 12%+?

I periodically experience a recurrence of a knee problem, and I'd agree with that (except that 'standing' on the YH approach for a breather is permitted so I don't know why Paul says it's not). There's also that final Llancloudy climb and the little sharp one shortly after the 'Left at Forge - easily missed', but over 619 km that's, what, 250m in total?

[Is Bairdy beginning to crumble yet, do we think?]

[Feanor]

It's not just the 600km it's the 8300m of climbing that's the main concern. (I had a knee operation last year.)
I might go for the Cambrian 600 this year as that will give me chance to do a 300 and 400 before hand and it won't be such a strain on my knee.

In strain-on-knees terms, don't get hung up on the Chapman's headline climbing figure. A lot of it is done on long A road climbs rather than short sharp lanes (the YH approach not withstanding).

Climbing at 5-6% for 45 minutes is possibly better for the knees than 2 minutes grinding up a 12%+?

That's interesting to know.
I'd imagined it more like doing the Snow Roads twice in a row.
This is tempting.

[Paul D]

I'd imagined it more like doing the Snow Roads twice in a row.

No, you're thinking of the Kernow & Southwest or Wessex Hellfire 600s. The Chapman is a ride to enjoy, not endure. 

[urban_biker]

I periodically experience a recurrence of a knee problem, and I'd agree with that (except that 'standing' on the YH approach for a breather is permitted so I don't know why Paul says it's not).

Last time I rode this in 2010 I arrived back at the hostel in the early hours, soaking wet in the peeing rain only to fluff a gear change on the initial hill, toppling over and somehow finding myself sliding backwards down the hill with my bike on top of me. I felt it was OK to walk up the hill at that point. It was about all I could manage.