Author Topic: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.  (Read 63784 times)

Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #125 on: 11 February, 2018, 11:17:21 pm »
Entered the 400 BP as it was available and, actually, a good enough challenge for this year. Without the 'need' to do a PBP or LEL I get to enjoy things a bit more right? Also sets off at the same time as the BR so I can pretend to be proper hard core for a while at least.

Now to find some appropriate tyres for the Tripster... and a considerably smaller inner ring.... Now, time to get some training in...

chillmoister

  • King of Compton
Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #126 on: 12 February, 2018, 11:48:32 am »
Having spent the last 10 years riding some of the finest events on the Audax calendar and after LEL last year I was starting to feel that I'd quite like to do some riding that was a little bit different.  This ride popped up with perfect timing and was an immediate 'must do'.  Although billed 'This is not a Tour' I wanted to approach this not as a straight, tough 400 but use the BP option to break this into two pretty tough 200's with an overnight wild camp. Full value maximum fun with still enough of a challenge to keep me focused on fitness and plenty of opportunity to think about bike and kit.

I don't have many bikes to choose from, and it is tempting to splash out on a new 'gravel bike' (I still reserve this option!) but currently my plan is to use my trusty Thorn Audax MK3 which, after a chat with Andy Blance the designer at Thorn,  will comfortably take 35mm tyres with mudguards removed and I think this should be fine.  Therefore I'm going to rebuild my wheels with Mavic A719 rims ( the old rims are nearly worn out and this means I can still use 28mm Tyres as a minimum) and fit 35mm Panaracer Gravel King SKs.   I'm still busy weighing up (metaphorically and literally) what kit I will need to take for the overnight camp....bivvy option / one man tent etc etc....and the camp location.  :thumbsup: 
appearing in a tea room near you

Planet X Paul

  • The Green Machine
Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #127 on: 12 February, 2018, 02:28:49 pm »
  I'm still busy weighing up (metaphorically and literally) what kit I will need to take for the overnight camp....bivvy option / one man tent etc etc....and the camp location.  :thumbsup:

I'm also on the 400 BP and also intend breaking the ride up with an overnight camp, maybe 250 Km on day 1 with a leisurely 150 Km on day 2.  I have never bivvied before, but quite fancy it for this adventure, as I feel it is more in keeping with the ethos of the event.  My main concern is actually finding somewhere that I could actually do this that is practical in terms of privacy and relative comfort, and not get to the stage where I'm riding in the dark and not being able to find anywhere.

Any pointers in this respect.

Cheers

Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #128 on: 12 February, 2018, 04:16:06 pm »
  I'm still busy weighing up (metaphorically and literally) what kit I will need to take for the overnight camp....bivvy option / one man tent etc etc....and the camp location.  :thumbsup:

I'm also on the 400 BP and also intend. . . . . . . . .          . . . . . . able to find anywhere.

Any pointers in this respect.

Cheers

Looks like a romantic evening along the shores of Llyn Vyrnwy for one.



I would suggest rather than just decide that the stop is going to be at a specific distance, you might look at the route profile for lsecond half of the ride. Afterall you might find that 250km is on the top of a windswept grass desert. I'm a fully subscribed member of the "No sleeping on tour" fraternity, but This is not a tour!


If I was wondering what to do, i would ask the man that completed the Scotish 1300k in 2014 and the 1200k in 2016. He is the master of this sort of thing. If you get to the start in time for the 600, I'm sure a few last minute tips might be gleaned.
where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
    • Didcot Audaxes
Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #129 on: 12 February, 2018, 04:46:00 pm »
...

 If you get to the start in time for the 600, I'm sure a few last minute tips might be gleaned.

Nothing like preparing in good time!
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #130 on: 12 February, 2018, 05:10:03 pm »
It is interesting in the way that the planning to sleep wild seems so much more realistic than the actual practice of it. But, if one does intend to carry out such a plan, I would highly recommend a bivvy to crawl into than a tent set-up. A bivvy can go just about anywhere and is low enough not to be obtrusive whereas a tent takes some ground preparation and is more visible. 

Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #131 on: 12 February, 2018, 05:16:51 pm »
...

 If you get to the start in time for the 600, I'm sure a few last minute tips might be gleaned.

Nothing like preparing in good time!

Standard practice these days. Get bike to start, pick up bre et card, turn-on GPS, hand in brevet card, get validated.
where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #132 on: 12 February, 2018, 05:17:53 pm »
It is interesting in the way that the planning to sleep wild seems so much more realistic than the actual practice of it. But, if one does intend to carry out such a plan, I would highly recommend a bivvy to crawl into than a tent set-up. A bivvy can go just about anywhere and is low enough not to be obtrusive whereas a tent takes some ground preparation and is more visible.
+1
where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Zed43

  • prefers UK hills over Dutch mountains
Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #133 on: 12 February, 2018, 07:23:16 pm »
Since I'll be only riding 300km (the BR) I don't need to bother about sleeping. Bringing my 650b campeur with its low gear of 16 gear-inches and 42mm tyres, although I'm still contemplating buying 48mm ones (they should still fit with mudguards attached).

I would like to peer at the GPS files though, at the very least splitting them so I have multiple tracks each ending at a control. Now the question is, when will these be available? I'll be leaving for the UK on May 17 to ride BCM and if the GPX only comes available I'll have a challenge...

Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #134 on: 13 February, 2018, 12:00:32 am »

I will be perfectly honest, it has surprised me that there has been such little conversation both on this  and other forum or social media about how one might tackle any of these rides. Perhaps everyone has their plan worked-out and keeping it to themselves. Or the more prevalent practice of not always doing useful research upfront.

On planning, have I missed the release of GPX files?
If anyone could point me towards the 300 BP I'd be grateful :)

Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #135 on: 13 February, 2018, 08:47:09 am »
My main concern is actually finding somewhere that I could actually do this .......

The beauty of planning to bivvy is that you don't need to do any planning. You just kip when you feel like it, rather than having to reach a particular location.

Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #136 on: 13 February, 2018, 10:30:14 am »
I've sketched out rough GPX tracks based on outline maps on the website. Note these are *very* approximate in places!

300: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26685308
400: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26685114

I've marked roughly the start and finish of each unpaved section. The BP and BR are the same route.

keeks

  • shooting from the hip ... because I am
Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #137 on: 13 February, 2018, 01:07:22 pm »
I'll be riding with Chillmoister on this and have done for near enough every ride over 200k . I like the idea of a bivvy but I have a great one man tent so I that's going to be my sleep over thingy. I'm trying to avoid buying stuff that in all probability will only be used once in a very blue moon. With that in mind besides my tent , my commuter Marin is front runner at the moment. But I've got to try it out over 50k on biggy tyres to see if I'm kidding myself.

This is a monster ride regarding the elevation - distance. But to add on a commuter bike with big tyres and some camping kit  - I should be concerned but for some reason this seems more relaxed . For all my other rides the 600s or PBP LEL and the like , I kinda zone in , sometimes too much - but this seems refreshingly chilled. I'm not nonplussed - far from it , but just not concerned . Wonder if Mike felt like that ?

jiberjaber

  • ... Fancy Pants \o/ ...
  • ACME S&M^2
Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #138 on: 13 February, 2018, 01:09:53 pm »
Thanks for that Graham, looks like the last 2 sections of off road might be the challenge give they are on an incline, the other sections look relatively flat and the surface appears to be not too bad but I know my average speed off road is significantly lower than my on road by a good 6kph.
Regards,

Joergen

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
    • Didcot Audaxes
Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #139 on: 13 February, 2018, 01:25:34 pm »
Yes, great work graham  :thumbsup:
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #140 on: 13 February, 2018, 01:33:48 pm »
I've sketched out rough GPX tracks based on outline maps on the website. Note these are *very* approximate in places!

Brill, thanks Graham!

Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #141 on: 13 February, 2018, 02:08:47 pm »
My main concern is actually finding somewhere that I could actually do this .......

The beauty of planning to bivvy is that you don't need to do any planning. You just kip when you feel like it, rather than having to reach a particular location.

Do you have a particular bivvy you have found to be the best for wild camping?

Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #142 on: 13 February, 2018, 03:08:28 pm »


Do you have a particular bivvy you have found to be the best for wild camping?
[/quote]

I use an Outdoor Research Helium but whether it is "best for wild camping" I'd leave to more experienced users than me as the only other one I have used was a heavy army issue gortex bivvy. All I can say is that it has worked for me.

Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #143 on: 13 February, 2018, 10:39:52 pm »
My current plan is to carry a "Lightweight Emergency Survival Bivvy" - on the idea I don't intend to use it, as will be cycling straight through, but it will be a useful backup plan.

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/practical/VE104.html


I think this was mentioned somewhere on these forums.

Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #144 on: 14 February, 2018, 06:53:45 am »
Sunset at 9:30 and light before 5.

Thanks to a bit of over enthusiastic shopping for LeL I probably have enough batteries to run my big off-road light for 6h-7h.

Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #145 on: 14 February, 2018, 09:54:08 pm »
Sunset at 9:30 and light before 5.

Thanks to a bit of over enthusiastic shopping for LeL I probably have enough batteries to run my big off-road light for 6h-7h.

Check the lunar cycle - you might not even need them for that time.
where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
    • Didcot Audaxes
Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #146 on: 15 February, 2018, 10:10:40 am »
Sunset at 9:30 and light before 5.

Thanks to a bit of over enthusiastic shopping for LeL I probably have enough batteries to run my big off-road light for 6h-7h.

Check the lunar cycle - you might not even need them for that time.
Are clear skies included in our entry fee?  :thumbsup:
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

chillmoister

  • King of Compton
Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #147 on: 15 February, 2018, 12:12:01 pm »
Sunset at 9:30 and light before 5.

Thanks to a bit of over enthusiastic shopping for LeL I probably have enough batteries to run my big off-road light for 6h-7h.

Check the lunar cycle - you might not even need them for that time.
Are clear skies included in our entry fee?  :thumbsup:

no, but someone once said 'weather guaranteed'  ;)
appearing in a tea room near you

Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #148 on: 20 February, 2018, 11:16:11 am »
Quote from: chillmoister link=topic=104706.msg2257459#msg2257459 dte=1518696721
no, but someone once said 'weather guaranteed'  ;)

I'd love to meet the guy that originally promoted his audax with that   slogan.
where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Re: This is not a tour. Welsh rides in the spirit of Mike Hall - 2/3rd June 2018.
« Reply #149 on: 20 February, 2018, 12:37:54 pm »
Thanks for that Graham, looks like the last 2 sections of off road might be the challenge give they are on an incline, the other sections look relatively flat and the surface appears to be not too bad but I know my average speed off road is significantly lower than my on road by a good 6kph.

The penultimate climb has an 18-inch ribbon of tarmac up the middle — all you need is a low gear, good balance and patience.  If you're carrying a water filter, there's a ford at the top that's good for filling up at.

The final climb looks to be a firm-grass/gravel track and even if it needs to be walked it won't add on more than 15-20 minutes over riding it.  I reckon Graham's dropped the start-point too early, I think it's surfaced for another 2km or so after that, to beyond the farm about halfway up the hillside.

The rest of the off-road sections are, as you say, benign.
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...