Windmill rides 26 June

[Oscar's dad]

So long as the pubs stay open we'll be properly hydrated!

[Wowbagger]

The Met Office's crystal ball currently indicates 24°C as a maximum.

[Bendy Bianchi]

I was working off of BBC which says 29.

The Met Office's crystal ball currently indicates 24°C as a maximum.

[huggy]

So long as the pubs stay open we'll be properly hydrated!

Current watch level: Level 2 - Alert and Readiness in one or more regions of England and Wales
Issued at: Friday 24 June 2011 at 09:53
The probability of heatwave conditions in parts of England and Wales between 1200 on Sunday and 0900 on Tuesday is 60%

I don't know why the BBC don't use the same stats as the Met Office but I find they invariably report different forecasts - I prefer to follow the Met Office seeing as that's what they do for a living 

I was working off of BBC which says 29.

The Met Office's crystal ball currently indicates 24°C as a maximum.

[Oscar's dad]

I find Metcheck do the nicest weather.

[Chris S]

I appear to have agreed to captain a tandem on the 100, whilst boablet (stoking), boab (riding fixed) and Jes have girlie chats and gossip  .

I'll be taking my iPod with plenty of Van Halen loaded up 

[CrinklyLion]

Chris, that sounds like an utterly perfect day out.  I'm quite jealous of you (apart from the fact that I will never ever captain a tandem because, like fixed and clipless, it would go wrong and end in pointing, laughing and pain).  I bet you even get CAIK.

[huggy]

Train ticket to Chelmsford purchased, just got to get to the station in time for the 07:43   

[Redlight]

Family matters have forced me to drop out of this one I'm afraid.  Shame as tomorrow looks like being a belter.  I do have the consolation of having ridden a decent chunk of the route on Friday though .  Enjoy to all!

[Oaky]

I appear to have agreed to captain a tandem on the 100, whilst boablet (stoking), boab (riding fixed) and Jes have girlie chats and gossip  .

I'll be taking my iPod with plenty of Van Halen loaded up 

Is there still time to remove the GEARS from the tandem?

[Manotea]

Rode out from W4. Arrived rediculously early, just before some chelmer chaps who collected some gear for a club TT. I'm left home alone in sole charge of the tea and cakes. How on earth will I amuse myself while I'm waiting?

[Oscar's dad]

I'm at Witham station enjoying a cup of tea whilst waiting for Huggy and the train to arrive.

[Oaky]

... train ...

 

 

Looks like a roaster today.  I'm skulking indoors trying not to get too hot.

[Manotea]

Yomped round first 100km then the day warmed up. I don't do hot; I get major heat induced headaches. Currently hanging out at the huts waIting for paracetamol to kickin. The days cooling so I'll kick on at 7pm. 40km to the arrivee then 60km home.

[Oscar's dad]

Having a fooking great time!  Feeling really good!  At The 'uts having tea and Wagon Wheels. Said hello to the previous poster. Sorry mate but I'm loving the heat. Next stop Gt Dunmow for beer then a blast back to Chelmo. 

[GavinC]

Did the 100-what a beautiful ride, and a nice friendly bunch riding it, including Tomsk and his son Dan.

The ride was marred a bit by getting stung on the head by a wasp a couple of km in, and somehow crocking my knee, which meant the last 25km were ridden with gritted teeth.

The heat was a little bit oppresive too, but at least it helped my sandal tan

[Oscar's dad]

Got home at 2200hrs after an amazing day out.  I am pleasantly surprised by how good I feel.  The route, the company, the food, the drink, the weather, my bike were all fantastic.  I'm starting to see the appeal of audaxes - oh dear!

[Manotea]

I got home about 1:30, something under 3 hrs for 65km, flying before a tailwind but lost some time in London as usual. Another full value day for me then.

Regards to all.

[Oscar's dad]

^^^  Good to meet you.

[PloddinPedro]

What a great day. I haven’t ridden this for a couple of years and I’d forgotten how good a route it is, generally speaking. Not to mention the great weather, which had me drinking buckets all day, generally slowing down my ride since I then had to stop for a even greater number of comfort breaks than usual!

I’d ECE’d it up to 300 since I could do 50k to get there from home and reverse the procedure to get back. Chatted to Manotea at the Chelmer club hut at the start and alerted him to the fact that it was an 8.30 a.m. start not 8.00 so he could have had extra time in bed!

Riding so close to the summer solstice meant the whole ride was in daylight. Got towed around by the Ed and Jane train and blown home by a strengthening southerly wind - how much better could it get?!

[Uncle Eric]

This was an interesting experience! First Audax on fixed. Was going to
extend it to a 300 by riding 67k down from Cambridge and then back
up. Maybe a bit too ambitious a plan since my first "ride" on fixed was
a wobbly ride around the block Sat afternoon. Trip down went great,
first 100k to the Newmarket control went fine, looking at a 9-9.5
hour finish time. But then got The Mother of Bad Patches between
the 103 and 152 km controls. Probably light sunstroke and dehydration
despite drinking lots (4 bags of energy drink powder, 6 bottles of plain
water and 4 bottles of water with dioralyte powder). Lay down on the
grass and dozed for 20 minutes at the 152 km control. That helped
it a bit, and the rest went fairly ok. Came back after 12 hours, my
slowest 200 so far. Wimped out and took the train back!

Riding fixed certainly was harder than on my light geared carbon bike.
The soreness in the quads is baaad this morning. I have now great
admiration for the fixed stalwarts like Tomsk et al. Those guys are
hardcore! 

[Bendy Bianchi]

What a scorcher.

First time out on my shiny new Enigma and I guess "only in audax" for the first 60km four out of the first five bikes were all Enigma / Omega Ti bikes and then for around 10km all of the first four were before the Shaftesbury CC express train finally came motoring through. Bumpier than I remember it and I faded in the heat as the day went on. The vat of water at the Chishill windmill was a god-send.

[malrees2]

A really good day out. rode steadily out to Newmarket, even when Ed's group has an enforced stop that allowed us to overtake. 4k later they came past again. We had a picnic beside a village pond before reaching Newmarket which seemed a better idea than the warm cafe. I struggled with cramp up the steady hill out of Saffron Walden, but plentiful supplies of salt tablets and bottles of electrolyte eventually got me going again.
I haven't normally suffered in the heat, but I guess it gets worse with age?
Thankful for the stock of water at Chishill windmill and for a cup of tea at the Victoria hut as a change from bottles of salted drinks.
Didn't finish until almost 8pm, but so what, the quick days are well behind me and the relaxed, enjoyable ones ahead.
Thanks to the organiser and all those we met along the route.
M

[Tomsk]

   Dan and I had a stonker of a day! His first ride over 100 miles - riding out to the Chelmer Club Hut, 15 miles each way - and the 'slightly' over distance 100kms. We rode very gently at first, which was better than his usual trick of treating the first stage of an Audax as a '10'. We resisted the temptation to jump on the back of the Braintree Velo/Chelmer train [they got round in not much more than 4 hours, I gather!] Icecreams and a long chat with Dave and Beryl Russell, and John and Margaret Davies on the Finchingfield control, also with assorted bikers milling about the place.

   The hillier bit round to S Walden saw a few grumbles, but with the fast descent to the Cam valley we were nearly at the Victoria CC hut and the worst of the hills were behind us. We caught several riders on this section too, which is always good for morale! The diy food was quick, but I did miss the puds, from days of yore. I suggested stopping at home for a breather but the boy wanted to push on and get the job done. Approaching Chignal St james he needed to stop for a snack and a breather, when my pal David from the Chelmer zoomed up on his way back to Dunmow having finished with the fast group about an hour earlier! We had about an hour at the hut before the run back. Dan was quite well recovered by then and we had the breeze behind us, so a very happy bunny by the time 100 miles came up at Barnston - 102 miles in total for the day, in under 10 hours.

   Dun-Run, here we come!

   

[Bendy Bianchi]

you folks ate all our food! Was not a lot left by the time the 200km ride got there. 

   
    nearly at the Victoria CC hut and the worst of the hills were behind us. We caught several riders on this section too, which is always good for morale! The diy food was quick,