Author Topic: Cheltenham Flyer 200 17 Mar 18 (+ Cider with Rosie 150 & Character Coln 100)  (Read 3504 times)

3peaker

  • RRTY Mad 42 up
Only a couple weeks now for the Cheltenham Festival, normally a spectacle in glorious Spring weather. But if you miss the Horse racing, the following Sat 17th, you can enjoy the pleasures of the Cotswolds and Wiltshire Downs with a choice of 100km, 150km or the established 200km Cheltenham Flyer. As usual, the Controls are internal facilities, with the Uffington WI womaning the Fernham Church/VH, Burbage ‘Fill the Gap’ providing soups+ at Burbage and the Nat Trust in Lacock.

Anyone thinking ahead for our Summer Gospel Pass day (9 Jun) might note that the middle ride is now 162km or Imperial 100 miles; so, you could take on the Cheltenham CTC Double Century Challenge with the 100km Character Coln in March and the YatMon160 in Jun.

With the days lengthening, most 200 riders finish in daylight. Local lanes are still showing Winter damage, so daylight is a reward after the Winter dark riding.
SteveP

Promoting : Cheltenham Flyer 200, Cider with Rosie 150, Character Coln 100.

3peaker

  • RRTY Mad 42 up
At last all the route data posted or emailed, so I can now relax tomorrow on the Organiser Flyer 200 taking Control packs to the teams downroute.

If any 100 rider is accompanying a 200 rider and thus has time to kill waiting to start, I would welcome some help in the kitchen. Let me know.
I can accept late entries but please email to confirm (or PayPal entry). EOLs not popular and will cause delay.
SteveP

Promoting : Cheltenham Flyer 200, Cider with Rosie 150, Character Coln 100.

simonp

Current forecast is for snow at the start and in the evening.  :(

Just doing the 100 but looking forward to it as a change from the 200's I have been riding as part of my rrty attempt.

Will be nice to ride to the start too.


Riding to the start from Stroud, riding the 200 route as far as Tetbury, then peeling off back home. At least that is the plan...

Back home around 4pm. Really enjoyed it. Cruised round in Z2 with one stop. All really easy until 15 miles from home when I bonked  :facepalm:


As ever, many many thanks to Steve for his care and dedication, and also to the ladies and gents of Fernham and Burbage.

3peaker

  • RRTY Mad 42 up
It has been a touch hectic recently. There was no way I was going out today to collect the Control packs from Lacock, Burbage and Fernham. That is my Wednesday ride, when the weather warms up.

Many congrats to the 54 hardy finishers, particularly the 25 on the 200, including 2 teenagers, where there were tales of frozen blocks and -3 temps.

Overall there was a 57% DNS rate, mostly weather-related; I have emailed all the DNSers to offer them a Perm ride from my 47 route collection; accept offer by 31 Mar please. If you elect to ride the Perm version of the CNF200, the Cheltenham 2012 Flyer, I will send you an amended Calendar event Brevet and request you complete the ride this AUK year (30 Sep 18).
SteveP

Promoting : Cheltenham Flyer 200, Cider with Rosie 150, Character Coln 100.

3peaker

  • RRTY Mad 42 up
I have emailed all the DNSers to offer them a Perm ride from my 47 route collection; accept offer by 31 Mar please. If you elect to ride the Perm version of the CNF200, the Cheltenham 2012 Flyer, I will send you an amended Calendar event Brevet and request you complete the ride this AUK year (30 Sep 18).

Just a reminder of my cut-off to my Perm offer. Have had 20 take-up with 11 choosing the Event route using an adjusted Event Brevet.
SteveP

Promoting : Cheltenham Flyer 200, Cider with Rosie 150, Character Coln 100.

S2L

Snow last year... looks like wind and rain this year... who's up for those?

3peaker

  • RRTY Mad 42 up
21 Starters from an initial entry of 45 for Flyer 200. Lesser rides hit hard with 75% DNS; most are not the hardened (younger?) AUKs, with less  (prestige/PBP Qual) to lose.

Big losers are the support teams at Fernham and Burbage, who have stuck by me to support the riders for this, the 8th edition of my Flyer.

Thoughts to use later March dates in future years, rather than link to day after Cheltenham Gold Cup. So, I will look at 22 Mar for 2020 and not before 20 Mar in future. Any thoughts??
SteveP

Promoting : Cheltenham Flyer 200, Cider with Rosie 150, Character Coln 100.

It's an excellent event  in all ways...route, flow, and support.
I've ridden it in all weathers, and whilst sunshine and tailwind all the way round would be nice, I think spring rides are all the more interesting for the possibility of a mix of weathers.

That said, I've DNSd the Rough Diamond 300 today purely because of the exceptionally high winds.

I use the word exceptional deliberately, and I would point out that last year we had snow on multiple occasions including late April.

So, in short, if weather is a factor, then I think there is nothing in it. If the Cheltenham Gold Cup is a factor then a move might be wise from the point of view of availability of local accommodation.

S2L

21 Starters from an initial entry of 45 for Flyer 200. Lesser rides hit hard with 75% DNS; most are not the hardened (younger?) AUKs, with less  (prestige/PBP Qual) to lose.

Big losers are the support teams at Fernham and Burbage, who have stuck by me to support the riders for this, the 8th edition of my Flyer.

Thoughts to use later March dates in future years, rather than link to day after Cheltenham Gold Cup. So, I will look at 22 Mar for 2020 and not before 20 Mar in future. Any thoughts??

Non starter here... sent you an email yesterday, sorry. The wind was just too much... I've had it in the face all week commuting to work and it's been hard... didn't fancy doing triple figure Km in that. I also think on the more exposed sections the 40-50 mph gusts can be dangerous.

Weather wise mid March or late March makes no difference... it's a lottery either way... had this gone ahead in mid February we would have enjoyed 16 degrees and sun... however, the Cheltenham races obviously curb your intake from local clubs, so a different weekend is probably a good idea.

simonp

Also a DNS. Given I failed to complete the turbo session I just attempted it was probably a good thing. Been feeling under the weather for a few days tbh.


21 Starters from an initial entry of 45 for Flyer 200. Lesser rides hit hard with 75% DNS; most are not the hardened (younger?) AUKs, with less  (prestige/PBP Qual) to lose.

Big losers are the support teams at Fernham and Burbage, who have stuck by me to support the riders for this, the 8th edition of my Flyer.

Thoughts to use later March dates in future years, rather than link to day after Cheltenham Gold Cup. So, I will look at 22 Mar for 2020 and not before 20 Mar in future. Any thoughts??

I don't think a change of dates would make much difference, March weather is a bit of a lottery and you get what you get. Indeed, as I look out of the window this morning it looks calm and inviting (though I don't think I'll go out on the bike after yesterday's exertions). Having said that, I've done this event three times now and had bad weather for each...

As it turned out it probably wasn't as bad as it could have been - the wind shifted from the west to the south-west during the event which meant that we didn't get the full force of it on the exposed road along the Vale of Pewsey, and even got some stretches of tailwind on the last leg. Though the Lambourn Downs were interesting.

Please pass on my thanks to the support teams at Fernham and Burbage - they really are good, as are the cakes!

Thanks Steve and your helpers from Cheltenham CTC at the start/finish and controls. Thanks too to the ladies at both Fernham and Burbage (Eastcourt) who could not have been kinder. The staff and mine host at Lacock Stables were very good too.I think all those who started expected the wind to be testing. The Cotswold walls and the Coln valley offered shelter to start with, but later on gusts of 40+mph (forecast and actual - measured/recorded by RAF Fairford a couple of miles away) meant that out of woods/walls/hedges you really felt it: but nothing a bit of a lean and a few gears lower couldn't sort. We 2019 few knew that the 'hard bit' would be the middle 'third' into the wind, but with the assurance/payback of a stonking tailwind for 50+k, from the Fosse Way heading 'home' to Andoversford. There was also the threat/promise of light rain becoming heavier from 6, so an incentive to get round by then, the balance being to enjoy the hospitality of the controls.
I was lucky to have company to take turns on the hard bit across the Lambourn Downs. I expected the push across from Burbage to (Devises) to be harder than it was, even across fairly open terrain below the scarp (and its white horse) on the north side of the Vale of Pewsey. And from Lacock onwards we could look forward to an excellent tailwind which kicked in once we turned onto the Fosse Way with 50k to go. From Tetbury we took the pleasant and well-worn line though Cherrington and Daglingworth. Sure enough it started spitting once up on the Whiteway and the snaking wet wooded descent into Withington was not a place for bravado at 196k. But the climb back up to Andoversford was soon done and Steve's / Cheltenham CTC's warm welcome in the village hall appreciated.