Author Topic: BBC London  (Read 17989 times)

Pete Mas

  • Don't Worry 'bout a thing...
Re: BBC London Sept 14th
« Reply #50 on: 01 September, 2019, 03:14:04 pm »
Who is hoping to ride? it's my last chance to bag a 600 for my SR this year, so I will try to be there. :thumbsup:

http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/19-236/
''It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive."

R.L.Stevenson

parkysouthlondon

  • PBP (11,15,19,23), 1001Miglia (2021), TCRNo8(2022)
    • SWRC FB
Re: BBC London
« Reply #51 on: 04 September, 2019, 10:16:47 pm »
I'm going to ride. See you there
South Western Road Club
2024 events    Tour Divide USA

Martin

Re: BBC London
« Reply #52 on: 09 September, 2019, 10:53:09 am »
did a route check this weekend, some cracking places en route

First day  has very quiet roads almost all day and slowly builds up to the challenging Peaks section, second day (for me anyway, we stayed in Chesterfield) starts very lumpy but soon subsides. Great use of cycle paths, especially the Monsal Trail, the quick riders might get the chance to see this iconic bit before dark!

Draycote Water was a great inclusion!

It was nice to see Boston Stump again, it used to feature on Double Dutch when it was a DIY. The "Stump" comes from the fact that it has a square tower rather than a spire, quite rare in UK but very common in Netherlands / Belgium.

Re: BBC London
« Reply #53 on: 09 September, 2019, 11:51:30 am »
The "Stump" comes from the fact that it has a square tower rather than a spire, quite rare in UK but very common in Netherlands / Belgium.

Not that rare - the OS even has a specific symbol for them ...

Martin

Re: BBC London
« Reply #54 on: 09 September, 2019, 11:59:43 am »
The Stump isn't the usual square tower type church, it's a lot more Dutch



and Utrecht (used to be the highest bar in the country with a wooden staircase up the outside but they took it away after a few fatal falls; that's what they tell you on the tour anyway!)



Here's an interesting one, All Saints in North Kensington, it was intended to have a spire but they discovered the ground could not support the weight (or they ran out of money whichever is true)


markldn

  • Next ride: TCRno10 '24
Re: BBC London
« Reply #55 on: 09 September, 2019, 01:16:05 pm »
Weather is looking great.  Will sign up in coming days.  Hopefully legs will be back to normal post-PBP.

Edit: Paid.

Martin

Re: BBC London
« Reply #56 on: 11 September, 2019, 12:14:00 pm »
Just wondering; is anyone staying overnight anywhere (other than in McDonalds)?

I stayed in Chesterfield which was a welcome stop but at 295k a bit earlier in the ride than I'd normally prefer, they are usually at the 350-380k mark

markldn

  • Next ride: TCRno10 '24
Re: BBC London
« Reply #57 on: 11 September, 2019, 12:23:58 pm »
Could bivvy down along the alternative Water Rail Way route between Lincoln and Boston.  There are little alcoves of grass/benches.

Martin

Re: BBC London
« Reply #58 on: 11 September, 2019, 12:39:56 pm »
Could bivvy down along the alternative Water Rail Way route between Lincoln and Boston.  There are little alcoves of grass/benches.

yes that looked interesting, I missed it as went up the A15. Does the alternative route go through New York?

Phil W

Re: BBC London
« Reply #59 on: 11 September, 2019, 01:59:59 pm »
There's a nice open porch of the church at Southrey as well. Don't know how close your BBC route passes to that.  There's also a lovely wide verge of short grass, edge with hedges both sides,  on a road west of Woodhall Spa. Rode along it on our Easter arrow this year, but didn't stop there. Anyway both perfect spots for an undisturbed bivvy..

Martin

Re: BBC London
« Reply #60 on: 11 September, 2019, 03:20:32 pm »
Forecast says down to 9oC in Lincoln Saturday night. There were a few brass monkeys wandering around looking for parts of their anatomy last weekend

Re: BBC London
« Reply #61 on: 11 September, 2019, 05:39:03 pm »
Rode some of the route on Sunday and it was great. This is the view as you drop into Ilam with Thorpe Cloud to your right.



Then after you've done the mingin' climb out of Ilam, you're rewarded with these mates.



I am unsure whether this route is mandatory or advisory but I took the Tissington Trail out of Ashbourne to Thorpe rather than the A515 which can get a bit hairy at times, though by the time you get to it, it will probably be ok and you're not on it for long anyway.

Enjoy - I'm thinking of doing it starting in the Peak District some time as that's my stomping ground.

Martin

Re: BBC London
« Reply #62 on: 11 September, 2019, 05:44:52 pm »
It's not mandatory route, I started doing the Tissington Trail (having eventually found it from the A515) but got a puncture after 2k so went back to the A515 which was horrid, very busy and uppy / downy. The proper route is much nicer.

There's an alternative to the route out of Buxton to the very end of the Monsal Trail but it's not really suitable for road bikes as the bridleway section from the A6 is quite rough. And you just get a couple of extra tunnels.

A shock to the system for me was the A619 to Chesterfield after Hassop; I've driven it many times but it's a real proper col on a bike.

Re: BBC London
« Reply #63 on: 11 September, 2019, 06:33:10 pm »
A shock to the system for me was the A619 to Chesterfield after Hassop; I've driven it many times but it's a real proper col on a bike.

Yeah naff road even to drive. Plenty of nice ones on the tops over Curbar if riders are tempted to change it from there.

markldn

  • Next ride: TCRno10 '24
Re: BBC London
« Reply #64 on: 11 September, 2019, 06:47:50 pm »
Could bivvy down along the alternative Water Rail Way route between Lincoln and Boston.  There are little alcoves of grass/benches.

yes that looked interesting, I missed it as went up the A15. Does the alternative route go through New York?

Here is my Strava of Fenland Friends where I take the Water Way between Lincoln and Boston.  Not sure where "New York" is.  If done again I would NOT cross east over Langrick Bridge but rather rejoin the BBC route at Brothertoft.  Reason being the cycle path deteriorates into Boston—wheels have to contend with destroyed asphalt from roots whilst body must avoid overgrown trees—requires a snail's pace.


markldn

  • Next ride: TCRno10 '24
Re: BBC London
« Reply #65 on: 11 September, 2019, 06:50:04 pm »
There's a nice open porch of the church at Southrey as well. Don't know how close your BBC route passes to that.  There's also a lovely wide verge of short grass, edge with hedges both sides,  on a road west of Woodhall Spa. Rode along it on our Easter arrow this year, but didn't stop there. Anyway both perfect spots for an undisturbed bivvy..

Thanks for the recommendations Phil!  I will definitely try one of these out for a power nap.

Martin

Re: BBC London
« Reply #66 on: 11 September, 2019, 06:59:15 pm »
New York is a proper place with a sign. I've ridden from New York to Boston which sounds cool but it's only about 10k. It's somewhere in that grid of roads around Holland Fen.

There's nothing to remind visitors of its larger namesake but apparently they put flowers on the village sign after 9/11

pdm

  • Sheffield hills? Nah... Just potholes.
Re: BBC London
« Reply #67 on: 11 September, 2019, 09:32:14 pm »

A shock to the system for me was the A619 to Chesterfield after Hassop; I've driven it many times but it's a real proper col on a bike.

Better to turn off the A619 onto the B6050 and go to Chesterfield via Pudding Pie hill and Old Brampton if you really want to go that way... Its a fair bit quieter and no longer. You can also admire the clock on the spire at Old Brampton which has a funny number of minutes (63!) to the hour....

markldn

  • Next ride: TCRno10 '24
Re: BBC London
« Reply #68 on: 12 September, 2019, 12:21:35 am »
New York is a proper place with a sign. I've ridden from New York to Boston which sounds cool but it's only about 10k. It's somewhere in that grid of roads around Holland Fen.

There's nothing to remind visitors of its larger namesake but apparently they put flowers on the village sign after 9/11

This is class.

Also - looks like i didn’t post my strava. Oh well.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: BBC London
« Reply #69 on: 12 September, 2019, 10:45:38 am »
New York is a proper place with a sign. I've ridden from New York to Boston which sounds cool but it's only about 10k. It's somewhere in that grid of roads around Holland Fen.

There's a group of cycle couriers trying to organise a bit of a race from Harlem to Brooklyn. Sorry, autocorrect, Haarlem to Breukelen.

Going via America or Engeland are both too far, being that they are in Limberg and Overijssel respectively...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Martin

Re: BBC London
« Reply #70 on: 16 September, 2019, 10:07:45 pm »
how did it go? I appreciate there's more or less nobody left posting here but I don't do faceache  :)

Pete Mas

  • Don't Worry 'bout a thing...
Re: BBC London
« Reply #71 on: 19 September, 2019, 03:42:39 pm »
how did it go? I appreciate there's more or less nobody left posting here but I don't do faceache  :)

Well it a great route, and nice weather to be out. I finished - but well out of time!I just discovered that I nearly passed one of my cousin's front door on the way to Ashby. I was progressing OK as far as Buxton, but had just lost my 1 hour up on the clock at that control. Earlier my dynamo light had snapped from the bar bracket, so I had to tie it in place using a spare USB cable as a cable-tie! On the way to Ollerton tiredness kicked in and some navigational errors meant I was 3 hours down by Ollerton. Thoughts of making up some time on the flatter Fenland sections didn't materialise. Couldnt find Paul's number, so sent him an email. Saw a couple of other stragglers who had also had a 'bad night' Dozed a couple of times on the hilly run -in to Chalfont. The traffic on route was horrendous due to diversions caused by an M25 accident, I think? Never seen so many cars in 'the lanes'Finally got back for my longest ever 600km at around 50 hours  :facepalm: Think I will accede to advancing years and take up golf, maybe  :-\...(or at the very least do a bit of 'training'). I appreciate it has been a couple of years since my last AA Ride.
Thanks are due to Paul for the route and Paul and Martin for route-checking.

How did everyone else do? Are the ride stats available? ( Entries,Starters, Finishers,DNF).

''It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive."

R.L.Stevenson

Manotea

  • Where there is doubt...
Re: BBC London
« Reply #72 on: 19 September, 2019, 08:03:07 pm »
Hi Pete, Glad you made it back OK! Yes there were two other stragglers out well after midnight so you were not alone. Just to cheer you up, first home was just after 12 (thats pm, not am!) and the next two around 2:30 then it was quiet till about 4pm and riders started drifting in through till about 9:30pm. A quiet night for me with 23 starters and 17 finishers (one mechanical DNF and another couple trained home from Lincoln). I was happy to keep things low key first time round to see how the the route went. I thought it was quite ambitious to set up.. I put a lot of work into trying to thread past various conurbations and keep riders off main roads but it sounds the traffic followed you! And I'm still looking for the mythical flat route for the last few km into Chalfont from the north! I'm planning to run the event next year with a village hall control after Ollerton (325), which I think will be welcome. About half the riders pushed on at least to Lincoln (375) where they found it was Freshers Week at Lincoln Uni which is where the MAcDonalds control was (Oops) so that was a bit busier than usual, but Ollerton is far enough for me on day 1, as thats where all the AAAs are.


Martin

Re: BBC London
« Reply #73 on: 19 September, 2019, 09:24:57 pm »
being not made of sterner stuff  :-[ all my 8 600s to date have involved a proper overnight Z stop and the route check was no exception,

I think a 325 overnight stop would be brilliant next time :thumbsup:

Davef

Re: BBC London
« Reply #74 on: 20 September, 2019, 04:11:30 pm »
I thought it was a great 600. I was making a proper mini break holiday staying the night in the premier inn at Canwick and breakfast in Boston. I had heard of them giving away rooms if you were very late checking in. Not being able to get in touch on the phone I went for a bit of a panicky sprint to get there around midnight. my concerns over the off road 20km off road into Lincoln were also completely unfounded. Fab.


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