Author Topic: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September  (Read 2474 times)

Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« on: 23 April, 2019, 12:36:39 pm »
Kingston Wheelers original and virtually 'classic' late season audax event, The Rowlands Ramble 200km (Sunday 29 September) has now been added to the Audax UK calendar and is open for entries.

http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/19-368/

For those who have done it before, the route and controls remain largely unchanged but there is a welcome addition of a dedicated manned control at Rowlands Castle which replaces the cafe or commercial control option offered in previous editions. For those who havent done the ride before or are new to audax, here is a brief summary from the events page...

"213km cycling event starting from Surbiton, Greater London. Controls at Hindhead, Rowlands Castle and Wisborough Green, plus 2 information controls.

A scenic ride out of the smoke and over the hills down to Rowlands Castle (near Portsmouth) and back. Save some energy for a sting in the tail on the way home!

A repeat of KWAC's original ride. The Kingston Wheelers Audax Chapter invites you to enjoy some final carbo-loading at the start before setting off on a scenic route with climbs such as the Devil's Punchbowl and Leith Hill and a double crossing of the South Downs. New fully staffed venue for the control at Rowlands Castle. Dinner will be served at the finish in a bar with optional real ale-based recovery drinks for the needy"


Any questions etc please feel free to contact me via the email on the calendar entry page.

Chris C

Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #1 on: 06 September, 2019, 10:28:10 am »
Just bumping this. Routecheck set for the next week or so and planning has started for the catering.

Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #2 on: 11 September, 2019, 08:11:53 am »
Is it feasible to join this one by arriving on the 7:22 at Berrylands? I can't see any other way to make the train schedules work.

Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #3 on: 11 September, 2019, 10:00:49 am »
Is it feasible to join this one by arriving on the 7:22 at Berrylands? I can't see any other way to make the train schedules work.

It's a 0.8 mile ride from Berrylands to the starting point. Uphill mind so i would say it is feasible :) couple of minutes late should not be a problem I hope as I'll be doing the same thing.

Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #4 on: 11 September, 2019, 11:29:45 am »
Is it feasible to join this one by arriving on the 7:22 at Berrylands? I can't see any other way to make the train schedules work.

You'll be fine, the organiser is usually there until 8am or so.

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #5 on: 16 September, 2019, 04:01:53 pm »
I'm keen for this and I think I've got a mate on board. But some others might need some extra time to get to the start.

From former years, does the gun go off at 0730 with 'carbo loading' served up from around 0700? Just want to make my prospective comrades as fully informed as they can be.

Will be registering myself once my courier pay comes in tonight...
YACF touring/audax bargain basement:
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Ban cars.

Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #6 on: 25 September, 2019, 06:23:27 pm »
What everyone's take on the weather ? Weatherbagel says rain at the start and finish. EpicRideWeather says rain all day and lots of wind though tailwinds all the way home. I am just coming off a man flu for the last 10 days :(....

Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #7 on: 28 September, 2019, 12:40:23 pm »
From former years, does the gun go off at 0730 with 'carbo loading' served up from around 0700? Just want to make my prospective comrades as fully informed as they can be.

yes, in fact carbo loading starts from around 06:30; we don't have a gun!

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #8 on: 28 September, 2019, 12:50:54 pm »
Terrific. I will be along with mudguards and bin bags. Might be a bit Flemish!
YACF touring/audax bargain basement:
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Ban cars.

Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #9 on: 28 September, 2019, 04:08:25 pm »
Anyone have coordinates or similar for the controls (particularly info)? They're not marked on the GPX from what I can see.

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #10 on: 28 September, 2019, 08:06:00 pm »
No coordinates but the route sheet does specify where the controls are quite closely.
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Ban cars.

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #11 on: 29 September, 2019, 08:31:36 am »
Currently hiding in a village hall porch. My foul weather gear isn't rated for downpours, so hoping it lightens within the next 30 mins. O really don't want to ride 180km drenched wet!
YACF touring/audax bargain basement:
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Ban cars.

Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #12 on: 29 September, 2019, 06:12:40 pm »
How did everyone get on today?
Looked like biblical proportioned rain in SE London this morning, till about 10:30.
Chappeau to all those that set off!!  :thumbsup:

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #13 on: 29 September, 2019, 11:41:06 pm »
It was pretty heavy going for me. I managed the first half pretty ok but I started to get tired through the last Surrey hills bits. Still very glad to have come out and given it a crack. The team did a terrific job, definitely the best meal that's been laid on mid-ride for me in audax so far. And because there were so many no shows helpings were plentiful!

I will make an effort to start on time next year. I kicked off about 20 minutes late and if I hadn't sheltered from rain or loitered at Rowlands so long I'd have been back at least an hour earlier. Strava reports that while my time was something like 13.30 hours, my actual moving time was more like 10.

Thank you to everyone involved in the ride  :thumbsup:
YACF touring/audax bargain basement:
https://bit.ly/2Xg8pRD



Ban cars.

Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #14 on: 30 September, 2019, 10:13:08 am »
Really enjoyed that. The comedy semi submersed sections were an added bonus this year ;D

Thanks to all at KWAC for a great day out.
How much can a koala bear?

Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #15 on: 30 September, 2019, 10:30:44 am »
Real tough one this, between the rain, the climbs and the road surfaces. I made it round (thanks  to some excellent food en route) but only barely.

Might have to make that my last for the year, or at least watch the weather more closely. Between the lane descents on wet leaves and the large puddles of unknown depth, I had a couple of moments that didn't feel safe, though to be fair the grip was always there in practice. Maybe I'm getting old.

Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #16 on: 01 October, 2019, 07:22:49 pm »
A tough day out but still enjoyable. The rain started soon after the start and was reluctant to clear despite the forecasts. The roads got worse as the ride progressed, many were much worse than I had ever seen them - roads turned to rivers, lifted manhole covers, gravel and puddles the full width of the road, often in very dangerous locations. Many flooded roads with no indications of depth or pothole locations but luckily I survived those unscathed.

I had just a couple of punctures but judging by the number of people I passed at the side of the road I think that was under par.

What really makes the ride is the route and the warm welcome at each of the controls. The new village hall control in Rowlands Castle worked very well and I was force-fed for nearly an hour before I escaped to ride the return leg to Surbiton.

Thanks KWAC, can we have the return of ice cream weather next year?

Jeff E

  • Formerly JRe
Re: Return of the Kingston Wheelers Rowlands Ramble 29 September
« Reply #17 on: 02 October, 2019, 01:39:13 pm »
This route is always tough, but I actually enjoyed the ride more than usual.  Yes it was wet and windy but it was remarkably warm, so I never had to don my waterproof jacket over my two gilets, and thanks to to strong wind, I kept drying out between showers, and never got cold.   The addition of a fully manned halfway Control with large food portions was an incentive to get there on the way out, and made the return so much more enjoyable.   The Tailwind for most of the way back also helped of course.     The roads were certainly covered in debris and water in many places, but the route was so well devised that we saw very little traffic.

Richard's very experienced KWAC Team are always so cheerful and welcoming to everyone for the whole day, that it is always a pleasure to ride their Events.   The food laid on throughout the day is always plentiful and hits the spot.    To cap it all the Club provided multi charging points for our Mobiles at the Arrivee

A model Event.