The Woodman and The Woodman's Daughter 100/50km, Saturday 14th April 2018

[psyclist]

The return would be the same to avoid sending in two files

I always do just a single route, including both my route to and route back from the start/finish of the calendar ride. It gets validated with no issues.

[Phil W]

Lovely route and bonus weather. First ride on road bike in a year.  Adjusted to foreign position as I went. All the off road sections were very mild and all rideable. Cream tea at the finish. Another great addition to the calendar. ECEd it so April 200 in the bag.  Thanks Tomsk and helpers.

[bloomers100]

We had a lovely day. Beautiful route and some roads i’d never ridden before. Thanks to Tomsk and the team.

[stefan]

Great route - many thanks for organising it Tomsk et al. (We also had a very entertaining outward ECE leg!  )

Annoyingly I couldn't finish because of a mechanical problem that I couldn't sort out.

However I'd far rather find that out on a nice sunny afternoon with easily accessible public transport links, than in other circumstances. So I will count that as a positive. And in future I'll trust my instincts about the repairability (or otherwise) of fancy stock wheel sets.

[Phil W]

Forgot to mention I saw the 50km riders during my inbound ECE. May have taken a picture of them. Can't remember. Will check tomorrow. Chinese and beer priority at the moment.

[Martin]

Didn’t realise we could still do ECE old school]

yes you can; mandatory route enables you to follow an exact route but if you want to be flexible Google maps is still fine

[Bikeabilityman]

The return would be the same to avoid sending in two files

I always do just a single route, including both my route to and route back from the start/finish of the calendar ride. It gets validated with no issues.

Yes, one file is easier. After a winter of doing around 80 miles to Witham or Kelvedon, I'd been thinking about doing a loop north (towards Cambridge?), to add on 25 miles or so, then a straighter route back, to make the ECE 300, but I should be thinking of a return leg which avoids the A507 (not too bad heading to Essex in the early hours, but a pain at times in evening traffic).

Anyway, I enjoyed my ride to the start yesterday. Left home at 4am, and arrived at 8:30 (aimed for 9), to enjoy four slices of toast with Tom's homemade grapefruit marmalade, and some (Aldi?) Jaffa cakes. I saw the room empty of the 50km starters, then slowly fill up with the 100's. I was also pleased to hear from Wilkyboy that the Big Saxon had arrived, as I'd been eager to ride with my team mate all winter. I couldn't spot him on the start line, so let the first wave go. Then I spotted a familiar face in the second wave, although in an unusual red ensemble complete with the ACME ss jersey (mine is still in its bag). He was lined up with the Strangler (sorry, Straggler), so my aim was to ride with them, seeing who'd get the Lanterne Rouge (none of us in the end).

The route was lovely (the farm bit not so), and the weather the best in months. We enjoyed the bakery stop halfway, but I couldn't convince them, after we'd all agreed on a Witham stop, to go in 'spoons for a quick pint. the Mcolls shop won, at which point I noticed my soft rear tyre (in protest?). I pumped it up, as I didn't fancy changing it in front of the local teenagers drinking and spitting on the bench outside. It went down quicker than anticipated on the last leg, so I stopped to change the inner and tyre, saying I'd catch my companions up. I only just caught them as they were on the A120 overbridge, and we sailed into the finish together, to enjoy a leisurely cream tea finish.

well done Tomsk and helpers!
 

[psyclist]

He was lined up with the Strangler (sorry, Straggler)

Sounds like the Straggler has something in the closet that needs to be shared ...

A lovely route and superb service provided at the start/finish yet again, thank you Tomsk, Tomsk juniors and other helpers.

Weather was somewhat surprisingly the same as it had been forecast, so nicely warm. A good day awheel, and some good riding companions along the way.

[the straggler]

He was lined up with the Strangler (sorry, Straggler)

Sounds like the Straggler has something in the closet that needs to be shared ...

Yep, every audax event should make allowance for civilised pace riders ie minimum average speed 12.5 kph.

We got our riding pace and control stoppage times wrong and enviously missed out upon Tomsk's lantern rouge Easter Egg prize. That honour went to Mrs Andy T. Well deserved, the Easter Egg award that is.

[JenM]

Opted for the 50km off-road route for a short day out. It was splendid - great route, not too muddy, most of it rideable on a road bike, good weather and a cream tea at the end. Many thanks to Tomsk, the lads and other helpers, it was good to see you all again.

[Tomsk]

Thanks for the appreciative comments. The weather was fantastic! Everyone seems to have had Type 1 Fun; just enough off-road to remind some that they don't like it, without spoiling their day. Unfamiliar roads and quaint corners of Essex that some seasoned riders didn't know existed.  Lots of ECEs, including one 300km day. The Straggler didn't ECE  but had a sociable ride with Big Saxon and Bikeability Man.

87 starters, 83 finishers on the 100km - DNFs all spoke related; 22 starters and finishers on the 50km. Several new to Audax, with their mountain bikes/hybrids/gravel bikes on the Off-Road route for the Woodman's Daughter. Two helpers in addition rode the 100 the week before with me, Grey Sheep got his first 50km brevet, in between helping at the start and finish, while I got my first for a while, riding a 'Helper's' on Monday, in the rain...I can make a start on acquiring a 'Grand Slam of Shiny'.

I'll be repeating the events next year, around Easter...

[drossall]

I enjoyed the combination of some roads (and tracks) that I hadn't ridden before, and also doing a section from another ACME event in reverse, through Great Baddow and so on. The farm track pictured above had a muddier section into the farm yard at the other end, of course, but was still rideable, even if I do have a bit of bike cleaning to do.

I don't think riding over from Elsenham counts as an ECE, but it made a nice trip. Annoyingly, I left the HQ three minutes too late, after staying for a cuppa and a cream tea, and so ended up waiting 57 minutes for the next Cambridge train to make a connection home. Now if they hadn't closed the Banana Line...

[Phil W]

I should be thinking of a return leg which avoids the A507 (not too bad heading to Essex in the early hours, but a pain at times in evening traffic).

The A507 between Baldock and Buntingford is fine most times of day and is rarely busy. I presume you mean the A507 to the west of Baldock being busy?  It is the main route cutting across to the A1.

If you want a different route east of Baldock you can take the road up the side of Weston Hills, just before the George IV pub. Go into Weston, then turn right then left towards Halls Green.  After Halls Green and a descent, then sharp bend and up. At end of long straight, take a left, where the road curves right. Then right at T then Left at next T. Then turn right for Ardeley. Follow that road all the way to a cross roads at Great Munden (after church on left). Then you can either go left and follow road through to Buntingford and your ECE route at the mo. Or go straight on and follow the lanes between Buntingford and Puckeridge, or even further south which brings you onto my current favourite ECE route to Gt Dunmow.

For west of Baldock the flattest route is to the north.  You would need to swing up through Ashwell then Hinxworth to cross the A1 at its nearest crossing point north of the A507.  You then want to head for Ireland then Houghton Conquest north of Ampthill. Alternately take the back roads to Letchworth, then onto Arlesey (cycle track goes under A507 junction), onto Henlow and then head towards Ireland...

[jiberjaber]

I'm not sure this is the picture the ride was based on...

[Phil W]

Of course if Tomsk routed it out to just east of Hertford you could visit

http://thewoodmanpub-chapmore.com/

Lovely pub in sleepy village.

[Bikeabilityman]

Thanks Phil. Our CTC group go via Houghton and Ireland on loops to the Shuttleworh cafe and local pubs, and I’ve thought about this route to or from Buntingford. Nothing quite beats the A507 when it’s quiet and there’s no headwind for getting home fast. More potholes are appearing MK bound though. I’ll plan an ECE well in advance of my next Essex event.