Rohnny sent me a marvellous email in answer to my queries, and with lots more detail about facilities en-route and other things. He said I could publish it here, in return for tidying up his English! (I've hardly had to change a thing.) I've added control times in a couple of places.
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- Are you still taking entries?
Yes, we still take entries, even at the start line, but only for the back to basic option.
- Control close times: do you use 13.3kph to decide all the control cutoffs?
(Some events have fast speeds in the first half of an event, like PBP).
I follow the ACP rules, so 13.3 kph rule will be used for the control cutoffs.
- Do you have any spaces for the "luxury" option?
Sorry, but at this moment, I have no more places left for the luxury option.
If you know another rider who will not participate, please let him/her contact me so we can arrange something. I will refund if another rider takes his/her place.
- For riders who just take the "back to basics" option, what facilities are at the 2 controls (560km and 840km )?
(Will it be possible to sleep on a hard floor there for a short time? Again, like PBP.)
- Will it be possible to buy any water/food during the night? (In the UK I know what petrol stations, shops etc are open and when).
Back to basic means just that: you have to be self supported. I will release the route soon so you can study the route and make preparations for yourself. The route will pass through towns where there are shops so you can buy stuff you need.
My advice is to buy food when and where you can. The route will pass via country lanes or canals so it will be not easy to find food and water when you need it, especially at night. So better buy what you need whenever you can. I didn't find any petrol station with 24h opening times along the route.
There will be drinks at the control for everyone, not just the luxury riders.
2 years ago I didn't provide any food for the back-to-basic riders at the controls. I'll see what I can do for the 2016 edition. Maybe fruits like banana, or energy bars are an option. I'll look into that and will announce it on the website and facebook.
Unfortunately, at the controls there is not enough space to sleep on the floor. Sorry for that. The controls are not in large buildings with real beds(!) so we're very limited in space. Try to make arrangements before the ride. If you want to ride without making previous arrangements, make sure you stop at a safe place.
Let me try to sketch the ride the way I see it.
Start on thursday at 14h.
Going counterclockwise you ride to the coast. That is an easy part. From Knokke to De Panne, if the wind comes from the usual SW, it will be a head wind. So it would be nice to ride in a group.
From De Panne (a control city) the route goes E or NE.
The route passes IEPER (Ypres) at the 200 km mark. My guess it will be after 20h, perhaps after 21h. Food and drinks are easily found in this town, so buffer up in Ieper. It will be dark when you leave Ieper. (the route will pass the Menin gate in Ypres where the Last Post ceremony is held every evening at 20h since 1928. If you are fast enough to make it to Ypres before 20h, I suggest you stop for 15 minutes. It is a very touching ceremony)
If you are a very fast rider and you want to sleep a few hours you can make a detour into Roubaix [231km - close 07:19]. There are some Formule 1 hotels.
The route at night isn't difficult, but there aren't any towns with night shops. That is why you need to get everything you need to make it through the night in Ieper.
Arriving in Cerfontaine at km 389 [close 18:50ish] there is a petrol station with a shop and a Carrefour shop close by. I guess the sun will be up at that time.
Going via Mariëmbourg and Heer (km 432) is easy. After Heer is will be more hilly as we enter the Ardennes. The route passes Paliseul (km 496) and Florenville (km 536), 2 towns with shops where you can go foraging or eat at a restaurant. Make the most of it, as other possibilities are limited, especially do so when it is hot.
After 564 km [close 08:14 Sun] you reach the manned control of Habay. My guess it will be between 19h-23h. If you ride in the back-to-basic style and you want to sleep near Habay, there is a truck stop center (truck-center.be) just south of the E25 in Habay, some 5 km from the control. 2 years ago some riders slept there. Just a hint.
The route is still hilly leaving Habay. Going to Bastogne is hard. In Bastogne is a ravel (an old rail road that is paved now, just for cyclists, no cars allowed) going to Gouvy (km 636), another foraging place. After Gouvy you continue to Sankt Vith, Manderfeld, Monschau, Roetgen and Wezet (Visé in French, km 780)[close 00:26 Sun] where there are shops.
From that point, the hills are over. The rest of the 220 km are flat, riding mostly along rivers and canals to Lommel (km 862), the second manned control.[close 06:30 Sun]
My guess it will be saturday evening, again around 19h-24h. If you ride in the back to basic style you can book a room in B&B's close to the route. Google is your friend
(If you have any trouble booking a room, let me know, maybe I can help)
From Lommel the route continues via canals to Turnhout and Antwerpen (km 952). No problem finding something to eat and drink there.
From Antwerpen there are some 50K left, but there are no shops to buy stuff. So again make sure you got enough water, especially when it's hot.
And that's it. You arrive at the finish on sunday, my guess between 11h and 16h. The cutoff is 17h. 2 years ago the last rider had 90 minutes to spare, so it is doable.
If you want to ride at night and arrive during the night, no problem, I will be there.
This is the way I would ride. Buy food and drinks even if you have something left. It can be very hard to find something in the middle of the Ardennes. That is why those towns I mentioned are along the route.
Again, contact me if you know about someone who entered the luxury style and has no intentions to ride. We will make arrangements to switch names.
If you are looking for accommodations before and after the ride and you have trouble finding something, just let me know and I'll see what I can do to help.
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Meanwhile, I've booked an AirBnb at Florenville on Friday night
(Habay seems a slight stretch too far, and the truckstop website says they close at midnight).