The London Orbital 300km - Saturday August 11, 2018

[Phil W]

ok thanks for that

See you on the London "outer" orbital parcours section.

[tippers_kiwi]

Looking forward to serving you all some food at Leaden Roding. Have a nice ride folks, hope the cool weather stays dry!

[BeMoreMike]

Does waiting in turn and doing as your told also extend to the locals with their beat up mountain bikes and bags of shopping ? It's the unknown quantity of these that i can see being more problematic than a bunch of bike riding Morris Dancers !!

FWIW I crossed the ferry at 10am last Saturday.  Earlier than riders on the Orbital will arrive.  There were three bikes.  Me, a woman on a loaded touring bike (who bought a return, which made me wonder why she was taking all those panniers over to Essex and then bringing them back) and a chap whose bike I'm afraid I don't remember.  He arrived at the last minute and then got off before me.

So ... a sample of one.  At the wrong time. 


Previous experiences of the ferry:  August 2016 there were two of us, mid afternoon on a Friday.  We were the only cyclists.  December 2016, a Saturday, early evening.  It was cancelled due to fog, but no announcement or information of this was available anywhere, so I sat freezing my nuts off for ages before getting on the phone and finding out.

Well fortunately for us there's no fog forecast for tomorrow afternoon, so that greatly improves our chances of safe passage.

When I used it last year it had some bizarre pricing where a return ticket is a few pence cheaper than a single. My journey was definitely one way, but I remember the ships first officer advising me to buy a return.
I like to think that Kent & Essex have some sort of immigration / extradition quota system and this encourages the natives to return home every day.
Maybe. 

[Phil W]

Here is the alternate path I will take from Colney Heath through St Albans to stay north of the M25. The kink between 273 and 274 km is where you join the Alban Greenway (cycle track down to it is on right hand side of road at an angle) and you leave it at 277km.  You then go left at end of Alban Way then right and right then straight up Griffiths Way to the A5183 where you take first exit on roundabout, then you take the second exit at next mini roundabout and immediate left at next mini roundabout  on to the B4360 and follow that to the control.  If you get lost off the end of the Alban Way then find St Albans Abbey Railway station and go left / south on the A5183 etc.

I have circled where you would have crossed the M25 to go inside it.

[bhoot]

Thanks Phil, duly noted and alternative route sheet prepared
Hoping that all the rain that's just fallen on East London has used up the quota for a couple of days, cooler weather is welcome but dry preferred!

[Neil C]

Thanks Phil. I pieced together your route from your previous posts but it is nice to see it on a map.

It will probably be dark before I get there but I can see that another option is to stay on Colney Heath Lane to the end and follow the Hatfield Road into the centre of St Albans before turning left down to the control.

Decision to be made tomorrow based on weather, light, and the state of my body and brain.

Weather is looking good, but maybe I need to dust off the longs again for the start.

[citoyen]

Hoping that all the rain that's just fallen on East London has used up the quota for a couple of days, cooler weather is welcome but dry preferred!

Even if it's not raining tomorrow, today's rain will have washed a good deal of crap into the roads... Pack plenty of spare inner tubes!

[Phil W]

Thanks Phil. I pieced together your route from your previous posts but it is nice to see it on a map.

It will probably be dark before I get there but I can see that another option is to stay on Colney Heath Lane to the end and follow the Hatfield Road into the centre of St Albans before turning left down to the control.

Decision to be made tomorrow based on weather, light, and the state of my body and brain.

Weather is looking good, but maybe I need to dust off the longs again for the start.

You go past a school on the left, then you will see the St Albans City sign, then go over a bridge, the bridge is over the greenway, shortly after on the right you turn to descend to the greenway. Turn right at the bottom then keep going straight to the end.

[Martin]

I'd forgotten about the Greenway, rode to Hatfield on it a couple of months ago; does it go all the way into the centre of St Albans? I know the way to Chiswell Green from there.

Longabout bridge looks good too!

[Phil W]

I'd forgotten about the Greenway, rode to Hatfield on it a couple of months ago; does it go all the way into the centre of St Albans? I know the way to Chiswell Green from there.

Longabout bridge looks good too!

It finishes near St Albans Abbey railway station. If you went right from where it ends, then second left down Prospect road you would know where you are.  The end of Prospect road is the main A5183. The station is signed from the end. So it ends slightly south of the centre on the right side of St Albans for getting to Chiswell Green.

If you go left at the end then imm. right right then that takes you the way I am going. Only 500m shorter so either way works just fine.

[teethgrinder]

You can forget the A414, it's motorway in all but name.   Right St Albans it is. Alternate route plotted to stay outside M25.

note from Colney Heath to StA you will have to ride a little way along the A14 on what's known locally as the Longabout, a bit of an accident blackspot, take care!

It is the A414 not A14 and no you don't need to ride on the longabout section of the A414 dual carriageway. There is a seperate cycle track on the pavement there next to the A414 that takes you to the Colney Heath road and away.  In total about 200 metres of cycle track to cover to get you past the A414.

That's where my grandfather was killed on his bike (long before I was born)
I used to cross that junction every week to get to the Herts CTC club night before I moved to Milton Keynes.
If you don't fancy the dual carriageway (and I wouldn't blame you, especially if you're tired) you can either get onto the pavement just before you get to the dual carriageway and ride over the footbridge (it's a shared use cyclepath) or another thing I sometimes did if it wasn't so busy was to ride onto the central reservation at the obvious place, then cross the other carriageway onto the shared use cyclepath. That's actually the crossing for horses. Assuming nothing has changed very much since I last visited...

I'd be riding this event if some kind soul hadn't got me a ticket to see Iron Maiden at the O2. Maybe next year...?

Phil's 200km ride might be a good trip down memory lane for me though. I used to work in a factory less than 50m away from the greenway. It was a rough track then, but I hear it's been improved since I last rode it.
Phil's route on the greenway also avoids a small amount of climbing (if I remember the proper route correctly)

[Manotea]

175 Brevet Cards waiting to be collected for the inaugural edition of the London Orbital Audax!

[bhoot]

Made it to Gravesend, great ride so far. We are in the "touring" group waiting for the ferry to resume after its lunch break. Long wait at the Three Daws for food so we used some local knowledge to sneak round to the Promenade cafe and are enjoying ice creams by the "seafront".

[citoyen]

On way home from Gravesend control. Last rider checked in with 4 mins to spare. It’s been a very pleasant afternoon from my point of view - good beer at the Three Daws. Most riders in good spirits despite Tom’s hilly bits.

[telstarbox]

Had a lovely time jobsharing the Hildenborough control desk. In addition to our stamping duties we dispensed pills and tubes and will repatriate a jersey by Royal Mail. Hope the weather holds for the evening riders...

[Charlie Polecat]

175 Brevet Cards waiting to be collected for the inaugural edition of the London Orbital Audax!

Incredible number! We don't get more than half a dozen riders for a brevet over here. Well done the organisers. 

[jiberjaber]

Well that was a heap of fun helping out at Leaden Roding, such a great diverse crowd from the chap in civys riding round to show his nephew you don't need to spend a fortune to achieve things to the carbon and Ti weapons making fast paces plus a lot of cycle club groups (who I hope I managed to advertise the ACME rides to for good measure!).

Great to bump in to lots of friends from the Audax world whilst serving the tea and coffee

[Tomsk]

Well that was a heap of fun helping out at Leaden Roding, such a great diverse crowd from the chap in civys riding round to show his nephew you don't need to spend a fortune to achieve things to the carbon and Ti weapons making fast paces plus a lot of cycle club groups (who I hope I managed to advertise the ACME rides to for good measure!).

Great to bump in to lots of friends from the Audax world whilst serving the tea and coffee

  The other side of the Audax coin - I heartily commend helping at a control, as an alternative way to spend the day. Thank you to all my helpers at Leaden Roding [almost all of whom rode over from across the county and even over the borders in Suffolk and Hertfordshire], very much appreciated by me and all the riders - note for next time, helpers: bring an empty pannier for left-overs! We ran out of several items, but thankfully the little village shop just up the road was well stocked. Left-overs won't go to waste - Redbond Lodge [old folks home] will benefit from bananas, bread, biscuits and cake today...tinned stuff and sundry other non-perishables will turn up again next year on another of my events.

[bludger]

What a ride. Thanks Paul and all the volunteers that was an unforgettable giro di smoke.

The state of me this morning though... 😳

[grapefruits]

Admittedly I've not done many calendar audaxes but my word, that Leaden Roding control was absolutely incredible.

I had an bloody lovely day. Thanks to all involved.

[Phil W]

Second breakast already and nice thick milkshakes. On the green tea coveyor belt at moment.  Wife going on a social ride this afternoon so checking her bike over.

Cracking ride and was expecting traffic to get busy any moment as the day progressed but it never happened. Lovely rural route and but for the closed roads we could have avoided Brentwood. A few boy racers but they gave wide passes so I was happy enough.

Did anyone else see the red sports car in the ditch?  I opened the door and thankfully no one inside.

Followed my shorter route via the Alban Greenway to stay outside the M25. Also confirmed as quicker then the official route as I saw riders I had been with heading to the control as I headed off back uphill for the final leg having stopped for a feed.

[bludger]

I had 2 mcmuffins, a has brown and a chocolate muffin. Just smashed the two unopened Belgian buns from my saddlebag too, and I cracked open a beer at 1130 and it's not even Christmas day!

Today's agenda; absolutely nothing except hanging up laundry.

[Martin]

Did anyone else see the red sports car in the ditch?  I opened the door and thankfully no one inside.

yes, the door was locked when I tried.

A real 360o ride in all respects, Slough was frustrating as the lights are phased for 30mph (which must have been even more frustrating for the hoots on tandem) but once in Windsor Great Park was fantastic with almost nobody else there and the mist hanging over the lakes. I ignored the closed road ssigns after Newlands Corner which wasn't a problem as there was a loop to avoid the actual "road up". Note to self next time the Garmin says turn left into a scrap yard DO as it was the Cranleigh control! (had to backtrack 5k to find it)

Familiar route through Edenbridge to Hildenborough, now I know where Kent Velo Girls come from! (and Boys which I've never seen before)

Then some Grumping to get to Exedown where TomJ's route down to Gravesend was just the job! Got the ferry with enough time to chat with TomJ Citoyen Fixillated and Mike P. The ferry was real fun (note to Manotea for 2019; gonna need a bigger boat!)


Lovely route to Leaden Roding where Café ACME absolutely hit the spot! then it got a bit damp but was gentle all the way (nice road past the wildlife park never been in those parts before). It stayed warm so I was able to go back to just a jersey for the rest of the ride once the rain passed.


Did the purist M25 external route but went via brother's in St A. Sense of humour failure on Stony Lane and even more so with a front puncture 5k from the finish.


Cracking event! not sure I'll do it again as it's a long way to ride solo, but glad to have done it this time,


Thanks Manotea and all your helpers too numerous to mention.

[citoyen]

gonna need a bigger boat!

[Phil W]

Phil's 200km ride might be a good trip down memory lane for me though. I used to work in a factory less than 50m away from the greenway. It was a rough track then, but I hear it's been improved since I last rode it.
Phil's route on the greenway also avoids a small amount of climbing (if I remember the proper route correctly)

All smooth tarmac now.