ACME Miscellany

[psyclist]

Sorry to butt in but if I do Fenland Friends, where do people usually stop for a kip?

I booked the Travelodge in Scunthorpe when I rode Fenland Friends, and amended the route a little on the return from Goole to pass by the hotel.

I had a minor issue on the ride though ... I could see the lights of Scunthorpe as I rode through the night back from Goole, but they didn't appear to be getting closer. I'd loaded the original route on my Wahoo and not my amended version. Once I realised that, the thought of an extra 30 minutes to cycle back to the Travelodge wasn't too appealing, so I ended up riding through the night.

Another ACME rider who shall remain nameless had an issue with the same Travelodge the year before. His issue was that he had booked the wrong day, and they were full when he turned up!

[αdαmsκι]

I am assuming this is correct for the route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27069525?lang=en

Scunthorpe feels a bit too early for me, being at ~320 km.

[felstedrider]

@Nick

That prompted me to look myself. Lincoln is the sensible location, but nearly £100 for the Travelodge or £85 for the Premier Inn options.

Based on that I'll be riding through.

Lincoln is an excellent option for a stop.     

[felstedrider]

I am assuming this is correct for the route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27069525?lang=en

Scunthorpe feels a bit too early for me, being at ~320 km.

Yes that's the one.

[felstedrider]

Anyway, also regarding Fenland Friends.   If all goes well I'll be buying beers at the finish.   There's a good chance I will tick over a long term goal that weekend.

[psyclist]

Scunthorpe feels a bit too early for me, being at ~320 km.

Circa midnight stop, and up early for day two. Suited my pace. If only I'd gone via the Travelodge.

[tippers_kiwi]

Many thanks - it'll be my 1st 600 so I might have to swallow it. Do you do the whole thing with no sleep at all?

Hey Nick, I've always ploughed through on the Flatlands, the easier terrain seems to make me less tired than something that is more, scenic.

I always go into the ride with the intention of pushing on to the end but with the thought that if I need to have a kip if I can just get to after the cool period after sun up I can have a kip next to the road somewhere. I have had brief sleeps in the bus stop at Pinchbeck (not recommended, it would struggle for *), Sleaford McDonalds and the Ivy Wall in Spalding at various times, always the 15 minute Catnap which does wonders.

[jiberjaber]

You could always do 'an Oaky' at the A&H!  

[Oaky]

You could always do 'an Oaky' at the A&H!  

Not recommended.

It's ancient ACME wisdom: "He who falls asleep on a bar stool wakes up on the floor"

[Carlosfandango]

You could always do 'an Oaky' at the A&H!  

Not recommended.

It's ancient ACME wisdom: "He who falls asleep on a bar stool wakes up on the floor"

Yeah and 3 times🙄

[Lightning Phil]

Hello all,

Sorry to butt in but if I do Fenland Friends, where do people usually stop for a kip? Is there a Travelodge someone mentioned on here before? Might have been felstedrider.

Thanks

In 2019 I changed the route to go via Bardney and the Water Railway to Woodhall Spa, then roads to Boston. I wouldn’t recommend the water railway at night, too many tree roots and gates.  Anyway Bardney church has a suitable porch to sleep in whatever the weather.

There’s also a lane I used on our 2019 Easter Arrow when we controlled at Woodhall Spa. That had a really wide nicely cut grass verge that’d be comfortable to sleep on if it’s dry. It looked like the posh house owners alone it took care to keep it in top shape. Can’t be far off the official route. 

Anyway possible bivvy locations. If you want the location of the latter I can overlay Fenland Friends with my Easter Arrow 2019 route to see.

I’ve never managed a 600 without a sleep, even if no more than 3 or 4 hours or so.

[αdαmsκι]

Lincoln is an excellent option for a stop.     

Unfortunately I've failed in finding any relatives who live in Lincoln 😅

[felstedrider]

Hello all,

Sorry to butt in but if I do Fenland Friends, where do people usually stop for a kip? Is there a Travelodge someone mentioned on here before? Might have been felstedrider.

Thanks

In 2019 I changed the route to go via Bardney and the Water Railway to Woodhall Spa, then roads to Boston. I wouldn’t recommend the water railway at night, too many tree roots and gates.  Anyway Bardney church has a suitable porch to sleep in whatever the weather.

There’s also a lane I used on our 2019 Easter Arrow when we controlled at Woodhall Spa. That had a really wide nicely cut grass verge that’d be comfortable to sleep on if it’s dry. It looked like the posh house owners alone it took care to keep it in top shape. Can’t be far off the official route. 

Anyway possible bivvy locations. If you want the location of the latter I can overlay Fenland Friends with my Easter Arrow 2019 route to see.

I’ve never managed a 600 without a sleep, even if no more than 3 or 4 hours or so.

This is pretty much what I do.  After Kirton Lindsey I use the lanes to pass Lincoln to the East and my overnight stop.  I then pick up the Water Railway at Fiskerton and through the lanes to Boston.  It’s a bit further but quieter.

[Nick]

Wow, many thanks to you all for such comprehensive help! Lots of options for me to consider here, so i hope you don't mind if i don't respond to all of you individually!

Very much appreciated and I'll no doubt be asking more questions based on your answers soon!

Thank you, guys

[josser]

Amazing effort.  Well done.

Saw Felstedrider at the pub tonight and he told me you were all following me and discussing it on yacf - hadn’t realised until now! Thank you all for your support etc. Hopefully I can provide some more entertainment later in the summer

[josser]

Hello all,

Sorry to butt in but if I do Fenland Friends, where do people usually stop for a kip? Is there a Travelodge someone mentioned on here before? Might have been felstedrider.

Thanks

For me, Gainsborough Premier Inn for the civilised or the solidly built bus shelters along the ridge towards Lincoln. We have our ACME favourite here (it's the one with a blue plaque, 'Tomsk Slept Here'  ) - depending on the forecast overnight temperatures, it's either just a down jacket or a proper sleeping bag strapped onto the Carradice.

Not so pleasant in the bus shelter if you’re unfortunate enough to end up sharing it with me…

[josser]

I wonder if the hive mind might be able to help me with a little route planning for TCR please - the question is climbing vs distance: if I cycled 100km with 1,000m of climbing in x hours and 100km with 0m of climbing in y hours, is there a rough general rule for the difference between x and y? I know rider weight, power, gradient and altitude will make a difference, but in general is there a rough rule for time for elevation vs distance? Is it worth, for example, riding 50km further to avoid climbing an extra 1,000m? I realise it’s late and I haven’t framed my question very well…

[psyclist]

I wonder if the hive mind might be able to help me with a little route planning for TCR please - the question is climbing vs distance: if I cycled 100km with 1,000m of climbing in x hours and 100km with 0m of climbing in y hours, is there a rough general rule for the difference between x and y? I know rider weight, power, gradient and altitude will make a difference, but in general is there a rough rule for time for elevation vs distance? Is it worth, for example, riding 50km further to avoid climbing an extra 1,000m? I realise it’s late and I haven’t framed my question very well…

I’m not aware of any general heuristics. When I ride hilly events I calculate my time estimates for each section using my own average speed from rides with a similar rate of climbing (m/km). The data from my 10 day ride across Germany showed a strong correlation between rate of climbing and average speed, and for me is a good source for planning similar off-road singlespeed rides.

So one answer might be to look at your own rides, especially those ridden on a similar bike (ie gears), across different levels of hilliness.

[josser]

I wonder if the hive mind might be able to help me with a little route planning for TCR please - the question is climbing vs distance: if I cycled 100km with 1,000m of climbing in x hours and 100km with 0m of climbing in y hours, is there a rough general rule for the difference between x and y? I know rider weight, power, gradient and altitude will make a difference, but in general is there a rough rule for time for elevation vs distance? Is it worth, for example, riding 50km further to avoid climbing an extra 1,000m? I realise it’s late and I haven’t framed my question very well…

I’m not aware of any general heuristics. When I ride hilly events I calculate my time estimates for each section using my own average speed from rides with a similar rate of climbing (m/km). The data from my 10 day ride across Germany showed a strong correlation between rate of climbing and average speed, and for me is a good source for planning similar off-road singlespeed rides.

So one answer might be to look at your own rides, especially those ridden on a similar bike (ie gears), across different levels of hilliness.

Thanks, I thought about it more carefully when I went to bed last night. I thought if I looked at all my rides over 150km on De MOAB (which has a power metre) and then plotted average metres climbed per km against watts per kph I should be able to get a rough curve from which I should be able to work out a predicted kph for a given wattage and level of hilliness.l assuming weight is fairly constant.

[Toby's Dad]

I was hoping to do a 600 in August as not doing LEL but there are none being run due to that ride. Anyone fancy doing a scenic 600 during that month - I guess we could do as a group perm?

I'm expecting a deafening silence on this one...!

[Oscar's dad]

I was hoping to do a 600 in August as not doing LEL but there are none being run due to that ride. Anyone fancy doing a scenic 600 during that month - I guess we could do as a group perm?

I'm expecting a deafening silence on this one...!

Weekend of 13 / 14th setting off on the Friday night (12th)?  And a start location which requires very little travel or we start from our homes and arrange to meet somewhere en route? 

I'm happy to consider starting such an audacious endeavor on the understanding there's no guarantee I'll finish it as I will most probably be woefully under prepared.

[felstedrider]

Myself and psyclist were over in Wales on a 600 this weekend.  Good weather and a challenging route.  I do feel slightly jaded today.

[Oscar's dad]

Myself and psyclist were over in Wales on a 600 this weekend.  Good weather and a challenging route.  I do feel slightly jaded today.

 

[psyclist]

I was faced with an interesting dilemma after about 250km of the Welsh 600km at the weekend. I'm running tubed tyres, and had a rear flat. When I tried to unscrew the valve nut, it was stuck solid. Even the rider I was with couldn't budge it.

What would you have done?

As luck would have it, the other rider produced folding pliers. These worked a breeze. They were also very useful in removing a stubborn flint from the tyre.

In hindsight, if we hadn't got the nut removed, I could have repaired the inner tube without removing it completely from the wheel, instead of just sticking in a new inner tube.

[josser]

I was faced with an interesting dilemma after about 250km of the Welsh 600km at the weekend. I'm running tubed tyres, and had a rear flat. When I tried to unscrew the valve nut, it was stuck solid. Even the rider I was with couldn't budge it.

What would you have done?

As luck would have it, the other rider produced folding pliers. These worked a breeze. They were also very useful in removing a stubborn flint from the tyre.

In hindsight, if we hadn't got the nut removed, I could have repaired the inner tube without removing it completely from the wheel, instead of just sticking in a new inner tube.

I would have taken out angle grinder and cut the valve off