Author Topic: my full fat festive 500 - half pint  (Read 900 times)

Wycombewheeler

  • PBP-2019 LEL-2022
my full fat festive 500 - half pint
« on: 31 December, 2023, 06:49:02 pm »
Due to lack of car, travelled to the event by train and stayed in the travelodge the night before, cycled to my local train station and walked up the stairs as people were coming down from the train I was due to catch. Just in time and boarded with bike. (Elizabeth line, always loads of space). Trainline alerted me that my connection from Bristol was running late, but so was the previous train, so I caught that instead, 5 minutes saved.

Cycled to travelodge, no issues, changed and headed out for dinner, lightweight jacket. After dinner raining quite hard so got wet. After dinner went to fit a new chain to bike, as the old one looked like it was suffering from my lack of maintenance, found I had left chain on table by back door at home. Rolled out in the morning, rear tyre was flat, strange it was fine last night, pumped up, went down, pumped up again, seemed to be an issue with the valve not sealing, but was OK when fully screwed down, rode to the start, no issues.

Arrived at The event start in plenty of time, already raining and left my slightly damp bag of clothes to wear on the train home with Will. All good and everyone in fine spirits, away we went with the rolling hills on he first leg preventing a large group from forming, but the drizzle stopped and the weather was fine, possibly even a slight tailwind, easy solo riding to Farringdon, passing people when they stopped, and being passed on the climbs. Arrived at Farringdon in about the same time as last year.
Dealt with a few messages on the phone, left phone on the bench, headed off for the next control (garmin alerted me it had lost contact with phone, wondered why the phone had turned off, didn't occur to me it was not in my pocket.

Oxford, tyre felt a little flat, probably that dodgy valve, same as before, pumped up ok at second attempt, carried on then hid from the very hard rain at st clements outside sainsburys. Pushed on again, once it eased. Arrived at Wimslow went into one stp, realised I didn't have my phne at the checkout, paid by card, went outside, found another rider waiting, and asked him to call my phone, up popped a whatsapp message "phone left at Farringdon failed to find owner at wimslow" (must have past me while I was playing with my tyre, or when I stopped for a pee, he sent a message back to the group that it was indeed my phone but I was only in wimslow now. Figured I would see it at the end no issues.

Next rider to arrive "are you James? Dave has you phone and has just let Wimslow, he will soft pedal for a while" guzzled the rest of my refreshments and set off as fast as I could, did not catch Dave, either "just left" was an understatement, or Dave is much fitter than I am and his soft pedalling was rapid.

Another heavy downpour and not my hands and feet were wet. 220km and my tyre was soft again, had a brainwave, I could swap a valve core from a spare tube into the tubeless valve as i was carrying a core remover, (old valve core fired out like a champagne cork), just needed a layby with good hard surface so as not to lose bits in the grass. valve core swap not successful, so after feeling all round the tubeless tyre for sharps in went the tube, seemed to be oK, pressed on - not ok less than half akm down the road, carried on to the petrol station and tried again, found two previously sealed sharps and removed them with tool, all seems OK, but no more spare tubes, continuing was risky. Cambridge only 16km away, surely I could abandon there and catch a train.

5km short of cambridge hit a manhole cover that was not well fitted, pinch flat. walked on to cambridge. no trains running, there is a rail replacement bus to Royston (turns out royston station was only 8km from my abandon decision location, no phone really cost me here). booked into the hotel by the station and waited for the orning, I could find a bike shops replace the tube and ride to a functioning station. in the morning I found that some replacement bus drivers would take my bike, so headed back to royston, quick train to London and then train home.

Unfortunately my bag of clothes was in Bristol and my phone would be arriving there, back to the train station, raced up the stairs, just in time, to find my lizzie line train was cancelled, got to reading and caught the train after my train, then to find all GWR trains were diverted due to incident at Swindon. arrived at Bristol, reclaimed my stuff and returned to station 19:00 train cancelled, next at 20:00, but I could change at parkway.

Got to parkway 19:56 train arrived and then sat in the station waiting for guard to arrive on a westbound train delayed by earlier chaos. Eventually made it back to maidenhead to find my return ticket was booked for 29th rather than 30th, still at least the last ride home was dry, and with a tailwind.

Eddington  127miles, 170km

mmmmartin

  • BPB 1/1: PBP 0/1
    • FNRttC
Re: my full fat festive 500 - half pint
« Reply #1 on: 31 December, 2023, 11:16:07 pm »
Wow. That. Is. What. I'd. Call. An. Epic. Ride.
Besides, it wouldn't be audacious if success were guaranteed.

Re: my full fat festive 500 - half pint
« Reply #2 on: 01 January, 2024, 01:29:43 pm »
What an eventful (mis)adventure!  I rode with Dave in a couple of stints between Winslow and into Cambridge.  He hung back after leaving Winslow and then stopped to wait for you on the outskirts of Cambridge but by then it was too late I guess.  These tales make me think a spare tyre would be a good idea on similar rides in the future, I suffered from a tubeless failure but was lucky that a tube did the trick.   See you on another ride soon!

Justin

Wycombewheeler

  • PBP-2019 LEL-2022
Re: my full fat festive 500 - half pint
« Reply #3 on: 02 January, 2024, 12:12:37 am »
What an eventful (mis)adventure!  I rode with Dave in a couple of stints between Winslow and into Cambridge.  He hung back after leaving Winslow and then stopped to wait for you on the outskirts of Cambridge but by then it was too late I guess.  These tales make me think a spare tyre would be a good idea on similar rides in the future, I suffered from a tubeless failure but was lucky that a tube did the trick.   See you on another ride soon!

Justin
I carried a spare tyre on LEL and on my easter arrow, all a question of risk and importance. Failing ff500 doesn't break my season, failing LEL would have. failing on the arrow could affect my team mates.

Eddington  127miles, 170km

Re: my full fat festive 500 - half pint
« Reply #4 on: 02 January, 2024, 08:37:56 pm »
What fun you had. Quite the adventure.