Man of Kent 200k, 2020 edition DEFERRED!!

[hellymedic]

My next ride may be in a velodrome. Can't get too lost there...

Some AUKs could...

[TigaSefi]

Rode with Redlight OTP for much of the time as far as Wingham but didn't see him after that until I got back to the finish. I'll let him tell the story...

It'll take me a while to live this weekend down. 

My next ride may be in a velodrome. Can't get too lost there...

It wouldn't be the right time to point out that the route actually went back through Yalding?

[Martin]

Rode with Redlight OTP for much of the time as far as Wingham but didn't see him after that until I got back to the finish. I'll let him tell the story...

It'll take me a while to live this weekend down. 

My next ride may be in a velodrome. Can't get too lost there...

It wouldn't be the right time to point out that the route actually went back through Yalding?

Did it? I mistakenly routed from the wrong track after New Romney and ended up going L after Laddingford, thinking I was at Teapot Island, but ended up the way I wanted to go which was to the old Blue Bell pub (now some posh faux Oast House homes) and up the cycle path to East Peckham

[TigaSefi]

My map went through Laddingford over the bridge then past teapot and through to second bridge and train lines. It wouldn’t take much to divert and get his wallet.

[Redlight]

My map went through Laddingford over the bridge then past teapot and through to second bridge and train lines. It wouldn’t take much to divert and get his wallet.

True, but I wanted to get to him as quickly as possible (hah) and, of course, had I continued on the ride then I'd still have had to do another 120km with no food 

[Grandad]

I had a protracted fight with my (still relatively new to me) Garmin,

My bottom-of-the-range Garmin doesn't allow me to navigate on the hoof

A paper route sheet and a map would have been a sensible backup - something to consider for the future?

[De Sisti]

Cutting a long, and meandering, story short, .......

TLDR

[Redlight]

A paper route sheet and a map would have been a sensible backup - something to consider for the future?

I did have the paper route sheet with me, but it's surprisingly tricky to navigate in reverse, as I discovered around Yalding itself. I usually carry maps on rides into places that I haven't been before but having done this ride several times I (perhaps wrongly) didn't feel the need.

Live and learn.

[Martin]

as I was a late starter I would probably have seen it if I wasn't concentrating on the road surface;

Lughorse Lane and Hunton Hill are two unique bits of the ride that are an essential part of the route, it gets much better after that

Not so much fun in the dark at the end if you plan the perm that way though....

[Ajax Bay]

A . .  map would have been a sensible backup

. . . I usually carry maps on rides into places that I haven't been before but having done this ride several times I (perhaps wrongly) didn't feel the need. Live and learn.

I navigate using paper maps with significant 'route preparation' beforehand and have the routesheet if needed (on display where I think the route has complexity). Two road atlas pages weigh less than a brevet. A few times I have decided that I don't need coverage of the whole route (for example where the route strays briefly onto the adjacent atlas page). Several times I have rued the decision not to carry that extra page: finding myself off the map in Edmundbyers instead of on route in Blanchland, for example (MP1K 17) or at the 590k point of the BCM where the police closed the road down into Chepstow (from Usk) because a motorcyclist had come off badly. Everyone knows the road down into Chepstow - why would you need a map? We did that May evening. "Live and learn"? Learning requires a change to be made. Memo to self: carry map coverage of the whole route and terrain adjacent, either as your primary navigational tool or as a back-up.

[grapefruits]

Loving Redlight's account of the ride.

I wrote my own up here (hoping linking to this is okay!): https://medium.com/@plasticniki/the-ride-of-the-throat-infection-c38ac16cac54

[citoyen]

at the 590k point of the BCM where the police closed the road down into Chepstow (from Usk) because a motorcyclist had come off badly. Everyone knows the road down into Chepstow - why would you need a map? We did that May evening. "Live and learn"? Learning requires a change to be made.

I vaguely recall reading someone's account of that incident, attempting to use Google Maps and getting sent down a dirt track that was entirely unsuitable for road bikes. Was that you?

I've had similar problems with Google Maps navigation - just goes to show that even if you have a phone signal, a proper paper map may remain the better option.

[citoyen]

I wrote my own up here (hoping linking to this is okay!): https://medium.com/@plasticniki/the-ride-of-the-throat-infection-c38ac16cac54

Great effort.

I had a bit of a sore throat towards the end of last week but like you decided to ride anyway. It has now developed into a full-blown cold with hacking chesty cough - although I reckon it was going to happen anyway, even if I'd stayed at home in bed on Sunday.

[Martin]

Not sure if there was a thread for this year but I'd like to say many thanks for a great event as always MoK, your family and Lise 

There seemed to be a nagging headwind for much of it as it changed from NE to SSW to W over the course of the ride but I almost got back for a long lost 10hr 200 despite this. Big field too!

[rob]

I've not ridden this one for a few years but I really enjoyed the day out in great conditions.   I rode quite briskly on my own for most of it but then got in with 3 other people from Headcorn back to the finish which turned into a bit of a road race.

Quite tired today.

Thanks to Man of Kent and team.

[citoyen]

Couldn't make it this time - only the second time I've missed this ride. Spent a fair bit of yesterday looking ruefully out of the window and thinking what a lovely day it was for a bike ride...

[Bernster]

First time riding MoK, and a thoroughly nice ride it was too in near perfect spring conditions! An overdistance and somewhat hilly ECE made it quite a long day, and I spent much of the day being towed around briskly by GreySheep. Thanks very much to all the helpers, I'm sure I'll ride this again 

[Phil W]

Going back to the discussion on longer events in Kent.  I did a 400 DIY end of September 18 that went south from Hertfordshire, overnight through Woolwich foot tunnel into Kent.  Then returned via the Gravesend ferry and Essex the following afternoon.  I set off at 7:20pm in the evening and the timings worked really well.   So I think if you take in bits of Hertfordshire and Essex and plan an overnight start that passes through east London; an interesting 400 is quite achievable.   The roads overnight through east London were pretty quiet but there were plenty of take aways and mini marts open to top up food, drinks.

[Bernster]

I've always used the Woolwich foot tunnel to ride to/from events in Kent, the roads through East London and then the Docklands are really quiet first thing in the morning, especially on weekends

[ianrauk]

Couldn't make it this time - only the second time I've missed this ride. Spent a fair bit of yesterday looking ruefully out of the window and thinking what a lovely day it was for a bike ride...

I was wondering if you were going to be there.
You missed an absolutely fantastic cycling day. The weather Gods smiled down on the riders for the whole day. Along with the copious amounts of great food at the end, it was glorious.

[rob]

Couldn't make it this time - only the second time I've missed this ride. Spent a fair bit of yesterday looking ruefully out of the window and thinking what a lovely day it was for a bike ride...

I was wondering if you were going to be there.
You missed an absolutely fantastic cycling day. The weather Gods smiled down on the riders for the whole day. Along with the copious amounts of great food at the end, it was glorious.

Ah-hah.  You’re the bloke I see on my commute.

Good talking to you this evening.

[ianrauk]

Couldn't make it this time - only the second time I've missed this ride. Spent a fair bit of yesterday looking ruefully out of the window and thinking what a lovely day it was for a bike ride...

I was wondering if you were going to be there.
You missed an absolutely fantastic cycling day. The weather Gods smiled down on the riders for the whole day. Along with the copious amounts of great food at the end, it was glorious.

Ah-hah.  You’re the bloke I see on my commute.

Good talking to you this evening.

You too...

[TigaSefi]

Signed up for this month's man of kent Looking forward to it!

[ianrauk]

See you there Sefi

[citoyen]

I'm on card stamping duties at Wingham. If you two are riding, I guess I'd better make sure I arrive nice and early...

See you there!