Author Topic: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013  (Read 13229 times)

huggy

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Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #50 on: 19 April, 2013, 06:24:24 pm »
will we need a lock for the mogul? Or are we bringing bikes inside?

I'm only bringing a cable lock for the cafe control en route, but if we'll need to lock up for the curry as well I may bring my d-lock then leave it in manningtree till the end.

Bladdy locks...
You cannot take bikes inside, there are bike stands and benches close by to lock bikes to.  Previous performance is no indication of the future but there wasn't any issue with bike tampering outside The Mogul last year - you can always lock your d-lock to something and collect it tomorrow, just don't forget it  :D
Never knowingly underfed on an Audax

Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #51 on: 19 April, 2013, 06:35:42 pm »
Thanks for that :) I will bring the d-lock along for the curry!

I'll probably be getting a train back out from london to pick up the lock after I forget though :p

Auntie Helen

  • 6 Wheels in Germany
Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #52 on: 20 April, 2013, 11:22:12 am »
Last night after my choir practice I popped along to the Mogul in Manningtree to see the audaxers who were preparing via the curry method.



More people arrived over the evening, some of whose names I got, most of whom are on here or at least lurk.

Having already had dinner before choir (at 6pm so felt like quite a long time ago) I just partook of puppodums and, later, a plain naan. This is a surprisingly cheap way to have a fairly filling meal - the naan was accompanied by the remaining pickles/sauces from the puppodums.

I was feeling pretty tired and so when the curry was finished, rather than having a coffee I decided to head home.

I detoured via Manningtree railway station and there bumped into Chris S and fboab along with a couple of others. Two trains arrived whilst I was there disgorging a fair number of cyclists into the chilly Essex air.



I headed home before the Mogul lot arrived, the car said it was just 1.5 degrees and it had felt pretty cold. I got into my nice warm bed and thought of those poor souls cycling up to the north of Norfolk!

I will probably pop down this afternoon to Manningtree and maybe cycle a little along the route to see some folks. I may even take the dog in the basket!
My blog on cycling in Germany and eating German cake – http://www.auntiehelen.co.uk


Mike Conway

  • Wheel builder and general bike rider
    • 23mm-wheels
Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #53 on: 20 April, 2013, 02:32:40 pm »
Freezing start and all through the night until about 8am. I was out with the front group comprising of zig zag, cygnet and others. Fast pace for the first 75k and came to the first control well ahead of the 25kph maximum. Since it was too cold to wait around, we got our receipts and rode off into the night.

Unfortunately due to navigator error on my part, we missed the turning to Burnham Deepdale, so made tracks to Burnham Market which was the control town for those on a quicker ride. Slipped on some ice in Burnham Market while waiting for a shop to open at 6am, but nothing serious. Zigzag and I rode most of the audax together until the Morrisons cafe, where he pressed on, which was just as we'll as he was in much better shape than me, and I'd pretty much been a passenger for 20-30k already.

I pressed on alone after the cafe at my own pace, enjoying the strong sunshine which was thawing my hands and feet. Arrived in Manningtree just after 1pm and now waiting for the 3.15 train at a lovely chippy in the sun. Great ride, but I was underdressed for the first 180k, so suffered more than I should have. Also there was quit a bit of rolling terrain in parts - definitely not all flat. Good thing too was the wind, or lack thereof!

 First 300k I've done where the last 50k didn't feel like a death march. Probably something to do with the perfect sunny conditions and postcard towns along the way. Loved Needham Market ;)


Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #54 on: 20 April, 2013, 07:16:44 pm »
Mike I gave you a wave at the beginning but I got blanked  :-[ too many riders!

I see you're keeping up appearances by roaring around the course in record time ;)

And that's a nice pic as well :) By time myself and a couple others passed that spot there were children playing/doing something in there!

Mike Conway

  • Wheel builder and general bike rider
    • 23mm-wheels
Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #55 on: 20 April, 2013, 08:27:16 pm »
Hi Jordan, oh crap I did see you, but thought you were waving at someone else! Hope you enjoyed the ride? In retrospect we were going way too fast at the beginning... I wasn't in my 'happy place', but at least the high tempo kept me sort of warm!

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #56 on: 20 April, 2013, 08:54:28 pm »
it was good riding with you, ekimeno! got back home not long ago after 426km today. will tell more after i have some sleep

marcusjb

  • Full of bon courage.
Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #57 on: 21 April, 2013, 12:49:40 am »
What a cracker!

620km on the clock.

This Super Randonneur* will write more in the morning......maybe afternoon when I wake up...

*subject to validation
Right! What's next?

Ooooh. That sounds like a daft idea.  I am in!

marcusjb

  • Full of bon courage.
Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #58 on: 21 April, 2013, 09:46:40 am »
I'm awake and feeling pretty good.

I will write up the ride later - it was fantastic.  I am ashamed to say that despite half my family coming from Norfolk, I really don't know it well enough.  The section I rode with Tomsk at dawn was superb and very beautiful - I'll remember that fondly for a long time. 

Loads of faces old and new.  Curry, ice cream, waffles, dubious pork products. 

I will say though - I didn't see one yellow field.  I want my money back.  (I assume a difficult winter meant the first rape crops are late flowering? There was one field with a smattering of yellow flowers).

It was a grand day out on the bike - pleased to have ridden my first 600 of the year without many dramas. 

As always, a massive thanks to Tomsk for organising the ride.  I'm going to have to look at the calendar and perms list though to try and earn an Essex SR medal!
Right! What's next?

Ooooh. That sounds like a daft idea.  I am in!

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #59 on: 21 April, 2013, 10:25:50 am »
Doesn't rape flower later in the spring anyway? (I recall yellow fields in Schleswig-Holstein after O Levels in late June)
Has this event been moved to earlier in the season than when it originated?

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
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Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #60 on: 21 April, 2013, 10:34:17 am »
I will say though - I didn't see one yellow field.  I want my money back.

I agree!  Did anyone see even one of these bad boys?  Tomsk mentioned at curry he'd seen one sulking behind a hedge somewhere the previous week, but I beg conflict of interest!  ;)
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #61 on: 21 April, 2013, 11:01:51 am »
Ahem.

Look carefully. There is definitely some yellow in here:

marcusjb

  • Full of bon courage.
Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #62 on: 21 April, 2013, 11:03:40 am »
That may be the same field I saw my only yellow flowers in. 

Blimey - are we approaching new levels of depraved sadness even in the pit of despair that is audax? Field spotting.....
Right! What's next?

Ooooh. That sounds like a daft idea.  I am in!

Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #63 on: 21 April, 2013, 11:07:03 am »
Can I just lower the tone even further then?

Spot the tandem (it's a descent):


 :facepalm:

Chris S

Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #64 on: 21 April, 2013, 11:28:52 am »
As we collapsed in bed at about 7:30 last night, I said to fboab, "I'll be awake again by midnight." Famous last words - next thing I knew it was 6am!

We ECE'd the G&YF into a 400 by riding down from Diss, via Clare. I switched the tandem over to summer tyres and, it being early evening on a Friday, we decided to brave the A143 to Bury. No problems with traffic at all, and we bloody flew along on the new tyres - averaging 30kph without undue effort for the first 50km.

We buggered up navigation slightly between Clare and Sudbury (but a bonus visit to the Belchamps was nice, with a pretty floodlit church), but from there it was simply a case of riding the outward route down to Manningtree. We toyed with riding into town to the Curry place, but in the end elected to socialise on the platform at the station, including a Hello from Auntie Helen.

Tomsk let us depart slightly early, lest we freeze to the spot, but sadly I was already freezing cold. I mangled the gears on the steep climb after the railway bridge - mainly because my hands were too cold to operate the levers and get the right gear  :facepalm:.

On the way down, we'd been nervous that the damp roads in the Dedham Vale would be icy, but there was no evidence of such - just cold freezing fog in a few places. No Nightingale this year sadly, but we had company (Mel Kirkland and Swisshat) on the road and we collected a large group just before Mildenhall, who had passed us whilst we were stopped for a loo stop at Sudbury Tesco.

Cold again setting off, and once again, my hands bore the brunt - even with the new Specialized Radiants. I should have packed  the lobsters. I eventually warmed up and we tracked (and eventually passed) a couple of riders in the Forest. We made use of McD's at Swaffham - the Dulwich boys (Cygnet and friend) were already there when we arrived, and we were soon joined by Halloween, Wilky Boy and someone that fboab tells me is Karen Caroline. I was very dozy - and needed some shut-eye moments. We were happy to languish for an hour there - in the warm. Cygnet looked how I felt on the Arrow when we stopped at Thirsk - a shivering, slightly blue-at-the-edges cold person.

We got underway again; there were patches of ice across the road at Castle Acre, and the Dulwich boys soon overtook us on the Peddars Way rollercoaster up to Massingham, but we largely caught them up again on the excellent descent to Brancaster. A lot of the ride had clearly passed us while we'd been hanging around in Swaffham, including Tomsk who kindly stamped our cards. We were soon away again (no need to stop again here - the plan was to eat next at Dereham) - but by the time we reached The Creakes, I was feeling low and sore. My shoulders ached a lot - I'm not convinced my position is quite right on the Longstaff yet, and I was also feeling sleepy. But it was sunny, and there was warmth in the sun which always cheers you up when you've been cold for hours.

The drag away from Fakenham seemed to go on forever - it's 5km of false flat that takes you from 20m at Fakenham to 90m at the top of the ridge, but it just seems neverending.

A Morrison's fry up at Dereham really helped restore my faith in the world. We waved at Marcusjb as he rode past, and several others also.

We were gradually shedding clothes again as the day became milder, but the light SE breeze (sometimes a little less "light" and a little more "brisk" I thought) had a chill edge to it, serving to remind us that it's still only a few weeks since we were riding in snow and ice.

We joined with Rob and Richard Thomas on the run to Needham (they both riding fixed) and we had a very pleasant break sat in the sunshine outside the Co-op.

From there it was a short hop and a skip back to Manningtree, which included another encounter with Auntie Helen at Brantham, though this time she was more suitably attired, in that she was wearing a bike trike.

We timed our arrival perfectly to make the 15:55 Norwich train (delayed by 6 mins), as did Halloween. One of us managed to stay awake until Diss (clue - it wasn't me) and there was much grunting and groaning as we had to get back on the bike for the short bimble from the station.

All in all - a lovely day (and night) out, despite the overnight chill.

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #65 on: 21 April, 2013, 04:05:53 pm »
I will start by saying that I have issues: I don't know how to pace the first half of the ride, I have blisters where I shouldn't, and my hands have stopped working and turned into claws.

That said, the curry was nice: I never did get the scrambled egg on top that the menu promised, but it was tasty nonetheless.  I am not sure it's how I'd want to start every ride, but given that the promised 2ºC overnight descended to an indicated -5ºC, we needed everything we could get!!  And it's nice to meet a few of the riders before the ride, to break the ice (although when they put a helmet and glasses on then I don't recognise them any longer anyway).

It was a slightly surreal start at the station: well past bedtime, slightly misty and lots of people milling around in Lycra and hi-vis on bikes.

         

At Tomsk's muted "go", we set off down the hill and immediately back up the other side.  Faffage meant I was a minute or so slower setting off (damned iPod), so I put in a bit of a push to catch onto the back of anyone (no point in doing these night legs solo).  I caught up with the lone 'bent rider (Ian?) for a quick chat, before pushing on and caught the back of a largish group at the climb after the railway bridge.  Being a bit lacking in the low-range department, I climbed up through the group and got near the front, chatting to a few on the way past (and it's only a little climb).

I recall pushing on with Dave on his red Thorn until we rolled onto the back of Rob and Richard(?) on fixed: I love riding with fixies, because they provide a measure and cadence that suits me well, even though I do have a small selection of gears; not too quick, not too slow, steady up the climbs.  We stayed on their wheels for a while, but each time Rob looked back, the look on his face seemed like "come on you lot, it's someone else's turn at the front!" (although he didn't say it).  So at the next long-looking hill where the fixies would grind up slowly, I stepped out and rolled past and on, followed by a few others.   Dave/Thorn joined me at the front, and I could see Caroline's* floodlight helmet lamp lighting us from behind.  Then I discovered a somewhat disconcerting feeling whenever I checked over my shoulder: a sea of oddly placed bobbing bike lights and headlamps weaving around completely blinding and a bit scary!!  Very weird.  A bit Mad Max at night!  :o

It's a nice run to Mildenhall and Dave had ridden it the previous week and so was able to give an insight into what lay ahead: hilly for the flatlands.  Dave and I kept a steady 25kph average on the front, dragging along a motley crew of dayglo and cold fingers for an hour or more, picking off other riders as we went.  It felt really good -- possibly the "curried effect" -- but it was too good for me, really, because that's one of my issues: not pacing myself in the first half.  Soon enough Caroline and a couple of others took over and Dave and I tucked in for a bit, Dave stepping back onto the front for a while again, me not so much thanks, done my turn  ::-)  As we got within 10km or so of Mildenhall the pace picked up and I leapt onto the wheel of someone with green mudguards (it's about all I could focus on at 3am).  We whipped along into the final 2km when suddenly there was a bright light on the right and a cheery "halllooo!!" as the tandem rocketed past, dragging a significant crowd of chilly riders along!!  I leapt onto the back wheel and we hurtled all too soon to the crossing at Mildenhall and into the first garage we could see. Which wasn't going to open its doors for us and it was ferkin' cold standing there waiting to be served by the slower-that-slow attendant -- next time I'll try the other one.

Looking at the stats, I reckon we arrived about 2 minutes after the earliest we could to be validated, with the lower top speed of this ride -- I am quite pleased with that, although a bit surprised at how much work it required to get there!!  I clearly need to do more high-intensity training  :facepalm:

Just as hypothermia began to set in I set off again with Caroline.  I spent a lot of time staring at my light shining on her whitewall tyre, trying not to get too close to it, another sure sign that I am not as strong as I like to think.  We (um, Caroline) began picking off other riders, finding Dave and Halloween along the way.  Doing the maths (mental sums at 5am :o) we were going to be about 45mins early for Burnham Deepdale, so I suggested a pitstop at McDonald's in Swaffham (ChrisS's idea originally) to get a coffee and warm up and almost got a standing ovation ;)  A missed turn added on an extra km, but we got there in the end to find ChrisS and Boab and a couple of others warming themselves under the air conditioning (which was blowing cold) -- it really was that chilly outside!!  Moving off, I discovered my body had shut down.  I blame the crap they put in McDonald's myself for screwing with my digestion, but it could just as easily been sleep dep, reached my limit, stopped for so long my body switched to recovery, or something else. 

On the run to second-breakfast I couldn't climb at all and just beyond Castle Acre suggested Caroline and Halloween leave me to suffer on my own, and they were only to happy to oblige  :facepalm: 



I trundled along with HR below 120 for half an hour and then felt my legs coming back and was able to spin a respectable pace the final 10km to the control.  This bodily reaction is still all a bit strange to me.  But at least the sun was now up, even if there was still a noticeable frost on the ground although we'd been lucky as there was only one single patch of [slushy] ice at the bottom of the climb to Castle Acre and nowhere else!!  :thumbsup: 



Breakfast was big, slow, warm, welcome.  Could've done with a bigger bench so I could've lain down for a quick 10mins, but no we were off again.

 

At this point I was definitely third wheel with Halloween doing a great stint on the front before Caroline swapped.  However, they dropped me several times on the hills (and these aren't even proper hills in any sense of the word), but I started to get a squeak-clack on each pedal stroke so stopped to tighten up a suspected loose crank** just after Fakenham.

From here I rode on my own: 130km trying to ignore the voices in my head telling me it hurt too much and that we should just stop at any of the stations en route, which all go to Cambridge, and it would be so easy to abandon, no guilt at all ::-)  At least the sun was properly up and the forecast-nice weather arrived, although the wind still had a bit of an edge.  My Garmin reckoned we hit 12ºC during the day, which is a nice temperature so long as you still have tights and a base layer on.  I think I could've done with one fewer layers, because I was constantly hot and thirsty!  I focused now on keeping my HR down below 140 and just trying to find a nice cadence.  I didn't manage, but I tried.  I remember some monster yawns as the dozies really started to bite: one going on for nearly 5km!!  Other people must've thought I was trying to catch flies or something.  Getting towards Wymondham and the dozies struck hard: every field opening, front lawn, even the verge in places looked soooo comfortable, just for a few minutes!!  In the end I chose the picnic area just before Wymondham for a snooze.  My first Audax-hotel experience  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I rolled into Wymondham around 12:30 to bump into Tomsk just leaving.  A buttie and a couple of slices of cake and I was off again.  I met another rider just about to set off (long hair, no helmet, not marcusjb), who was applying sun cream -- ha! I thought; the sun's not hot enough!  Nope, he was right and more fool me: the first thing my wife commented on when I eventually got home was that I was sunburnt on one side of my face!!  :facepalm:  Feeling in a non-social mood, I set off alone and found a tempo that I hoped would get me to Needham Market without too much pain, which it pretty much did.  I decided to take the official, scenic route out of Stowmarket, and didn't like the unexpected climbs much.  But I was fantasising about farmhouse ice cream, so I wanted to go that way for the farm shop.  The ice cream was nice enough (rhubarb and ginger), but it didn't help with the getting going.

My legs had completely left me by this point, so apart from a brief chat with the not-sunburnt rider at the crossing of the B1113, I now felt I was lanterne rouge and deserving of the title (I don't know if this was the case or not).  Faced with the climb on the old A12 I nearly gave up.  But I climbed it (slowly) along with all the other climbs (I managed them all, eventually) and rolled down the hill and across the river back into Manningtree station to a bored reception in the café at 18:45  :facepalm:  All done, now I could go home to figure out what I did wrong.

That was not my quickest 300, nor my slowest, but in many ways my most disappointing performance to date: I had promised myself a steady-Eddie ride with minimal faffing at controls and always moving forwards to try to find an endurance balance to my planning/riding.  That's not how it turned out: I had a fast (for me) and self-indulgent first 3 hours and then blew up for the other 13.  I also wish I had been able to enjoy the scenery more and take more pictures.

The ride itself comes thoroughly recommended:  it's most unusual going out for a curry and then riding into the night, a bit Dunwich Dynamo without the mahoosive crowds on Pashleys. The night section is fast and easy up to Burnham Deepdale.  The day section is quick in places and very scenic.  The controls (apart from the garage in Mildenhall) are accommodating and well spaced.  And the fields are very green***.

For the pain in my posterior I am going to try a Brooks, although at 90-something days to go to LEL, I wonder whether I haven't left it too late to change.  And for the pain in my hands I am going to explore alternative bars/ends for more positional options, because the pain kills me in the second half of any ride, and that would be everywhere north of StIves come July.

* Self-declared lurker in this parish, but too blonde to post [Edit: her words!].
** I very-much-later discovered the main-tube bolt had come a quarter-turn loose, only happened once before  Edit: Except that the squeak-clack is still there today when the bolt's tight, so it's back to a loose pedal or crank or BB shell or possibly a fractured crank, boo!
*** But not yellow.
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

marcusjb

  • Full of bon courage.
Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #66 on: 21 April, 2013, 04:39:46 pm »
Great write up wilkyboy.

You were going like a rocket at the start (as I think we all were - I think the vast majority of us had clothing that was a layer short of optimum for the far colder than anticipated weather. The only thing you can do in those conditions is to HTFU and keep yourself warm with effort).

I wish I could say that, in my third season of audaxing, I had learnt not to get carried away playing with fast boys and girls. I still do from time to time. Sometimes you get away with it and others, as you experienced, you end up in a mess.

You got to the end - the most important thing.

It is a great ride and, about a dun run vibe without the pashleys, there is the odd lunatic on a brompton to make up for it.
Right! What's next?

Ooooh. That sounds like a daft idea.  I am in!

Mike Conway

  • Wheel builder and general bike rider
    • 23mm-wheels
Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #67 on: 21 April, 2013, 05:47:48 pm »
it was good riding with you, ekimeno! got back home not long ago after 426km today. will tell more after i have some sleep

You too zigzag! Well done on riding back too. I considered it for about a microsecond when I realised I had to wait 2 hours for my train, but the allure of fish and chips and lazing about in the sunshine won me over.  :thumbsup:

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #68 on: 21 April, 2013, 05:50:28 pm »
Great write up wilkyboy.

You were going like a rocket at the start (as I think we all were - I think the vast majority of us had clothing that was a layer short of optimum for the far colder than anticipated weather. The only thing you can do in those conditions is to HTFU and keep yourself warm with effort).

I wish I could say that, in my third season of audaxing, I had learnt not to get carried away playing with fast boys and girls. I still do from time to time. Sometimes you get away with it and others, as you experienced, you end up in a mess.

You got to the end - the most important thing. ...

Thanks and I am glad to hear I'm not the only one who gets sucked along; hopefully by season 2 I will be wise enough that I won't do it or be fit enough that it won't matter.  Getting to the end certainly feels like something worth something: I convince myself when I'm past halfway that it's definitely not worth bailing out now the bulk of the work's done no matter how uncomfortable.

... there is the odd lunatic on a brompton to make up for it.

From where I was sitting, I couldn't see one of those   ;D
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

marcusjb

  • Full of bon courage.
Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #69 on: 21 April, 2013, 05:53:28 pm »
You have my respect. I rode the dun run on my brompton 3 or 4 years ago (as we discussed on Friday night, the photo in my icon is from that day). The lack of hand positions (s-type) made for very sore shoulders and hands. I wouldn't fancy a 300 (or longer!) on it.
Right! What's next?

Ooooh. That sounds like a daft idea.  I am in!

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #70 on: 21 April, 2013, 06:42:27 pm »
You have my respect. I rode the dun run on my brompton 3 or 4 years ago (as we discussed on Friday night, the photo in my icon is from that day). The lack of hand positions (s-type) made for very sore shoulders and hands. I wouldn't fancy a 300 (or longer!) on it.

It's certainly uncomfortable at 300 and I am dreading 400 and 600 weekends (in May) and will have made big adjustments before then (hopefully for the better).

My big regret from the Dun Run last year is I don't have any pics as cool as yours! :)
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

Chris S

Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #71 on: 21 April, 2013, 06:43:16 pm »
I think you're being a little hard on yourself, wilkyboy. I've never ridden a small-wheeled bike, so I don't know what the limitations are when it comes to long distance. If it's anything like riding fixed-gear, then it's another layer of constraint that makes the whole experience a wee-bit harder.

Keeping a high average speed, at night, when it's -5 and you're all trussed up your winter woolies, is tough going. Also - Norfolk and Suffolk aren't fenland. Sure, there are very long flat sections of this ride, but around Sudbury and the North Norfolk coast, there are a few hills.

It sounds like you faded a bit at the end. I know that feeling well; last year I did the first 200 with D.G.E and Adamski in 8 hours, and then took 7 hours for the last 100  :facepalm:.

I think this format of ride is actually quite tough. Guaranteed missed night's sleep (probably cold, this time of year - especially this year) riding 100km, followed by a 200.

marcusjb

  • Full of bon courage.
Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #72 on: 21 April, 2013, 06:57:47 pm »
I think this format of ride is actually quite tough. Guaranteed missed night's sleep (probably cold, this time of year - especially this year) riding 100km, followed by a 200.

I'd certainly agree with that. This and the Hereward the Wake 300 (started at 9 when I rode it in 2011 - assume it still does) make for tough conditions - it's at the end of the working week (for us wage slaves), straight into an overnight section.  Means you are (typically) going to be 35-40 hours before you get home and go to bed again.

The cold made it very challenging - it was way colder than I expected.  I wish I had worn my thicker winter longs as it was a mistake to only have thin longs on. 

I was worried about suffering with lack of sleep - I usually do.  I did struggle a little around dawn and post-breakfast I had thought I might find somewhere to have a nap in the sunshine.  In the end, I didn't need it and felt pretty good all day.  It's the first 600 I have ever done without sleep - making it good prep for my LEL plans. 
Right! What's next?

Ooooh. That sounds like a daft idea.  I am in!

cygnet

  • I'm part of the association
Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #73 on: 21 April, 2013, 07:24:33 pm »
Some good reading here.

I was also underdressed and set of at a pace to try and keep warm with ekimone and others. Unfortunately the tailwind meant it was too fast, and after 50km had to try to judge slowing down (and getting cooler) against time spent stopped waiting (and getting colder faster) for the control to 'open'. The tailwind, terrain and temperature were a hinderance to this; myself and clubmate Alistair still arrived 10 minutes early and I was already chilled.

Leaving shortly after a large group arrived it was a no-brainer to ride to stop at the McDonalds outside Swaffam. Even so I spent the next two hours muttering that we were riding too fast, whilst getting even colder. After stopping for some directions from a market trader who was setting up, we rolled into the McD's almost bang on 5am.

Here I owe major thanks to Chris S for a) posting upthread about it's existence, and b) giving me some handwarmers to try and warm myself up with when he and fboab arrived shortly afterwards. God knows what I'd have been like if he hadn't. Thanks Chris.

One hour later, and though I was not much warmer the sun was up and we had time buffered to ride hard enough to finally get (and stay) warm. We reached the cafe just head of the tandem and just after everyone who'd ridden straight there had placed their breakfast orders (or so it seemed).

After this lengthly stop I finally started to feel warm, and the rest of the day was quite pleasant - when Alistair punctured in Stowmarket I even took off my overshoes and legwarmers.
I Said, I've Got A Big Stick

Re: Green & Yellow Fields 300km, 00:01 Saturday 20th April 2013
« Reply #74 on: 21 April, 2013, 07:38:28 pm »
Some wonderful descriptions, which I won't attempt to improve on but I thought I would like to know how cold it was. According to the Met office the second coldest place in the UK on Friday night was Cairngorm at -3.9C, easily beaten by Santon Downham just 2.5km from our route after Brandon at -4.5C.
I also claim the Lantern Rouge, having fallen apart at Castle Acre and left Wymondham with just 14 mins to spare. I finally crawled back to Manningtree just after Chris S and fboab went to bed at 7:38! Great route, but if it's as frosty next year it should be renamed the Green & White Fields.
RRtY, SR, LEL 2013, retired 2014, tempted back by PBP!