What's to dislike about Audaxes.

[mattc]

Although I believe there is guidance against using repeated loops, I don't see the rules as intending to forbid an event held in Richmond Park.
(e.g. a rough stuff event that had no highway sections would seem to be within the spirit of the rules).

If you wanted to use Alo's interpretation you could just have an info control on the road 10m outside the park.

(Im glad to see that this topic has returned to practical discussions  )

[Alouicious]

Although I believe there is guidance against using repeated loops, I don't see the rules as intending to forbid an event held in Richmond Park.
(e.g. a rough stuff event that had no highway sections would seem to be within the spirit of the rules).

If you wanted to use Alo's interpretation you could just have an info control on the road 10m outside the park.

(Im glad to see that this topic has returned to practical discussions   )

No need for info controls on a DIY by GPS. All the data is on the .gpx

Sounds like a nice day out for the West London people. Is there a cafe and ice cream stand?

The one with the GPS could organise it as a Perm and sign everyone's card every two laps ( as a 'reliable witness' ), at the ice cream stand. This would mean you would all need to roll in a group with a big claxon at the front to scare away the wild animals and kids with footballs.

[Gareth Rees]

Something like this, maybe: 160 loops of the Inner Circle in Regents Park.

[marcusjb]

Something like this, maybe: 160 loops of the Inner Circle in Regents Park.

You'd get dizzy!

I get bored after 3 laps of Richmond Park - particularly if I'm just going one way (usually ACW), I tend to mix it up these days and switch direction every lap.

[Alouicious]

Richmond Park.

As a '15 minute later' afterthought, it could be a good advertising event. Tell the local rag.

[Greenbank]

Otherwise I'd love to do 19 laps of Richmond Park as a DIY 200.

Not permitted.

Reg 5.7 "through a series of controls"

DIY by GPS would sort that. I'd nominate a control at 3 different locations on each lap in the park to guarantee distance and eliminate shortcuts (the roundabouts nearest Roehampton Gate, Richmond Gate and Kingston Gate).

Reg 5.9 "excursion on the public highway"

It is a public highway.

5.  "Off road events have a route consisting of not less than 50% designated Bridleway, Byway or any other right of way open to cyclists as is acceptable to the U.K. Events Secretary as Off Road or Rough Stuff."

So its 0% designated cycleway open to cyclists.

No, the park road is a public road (but the park has limited opening times for cars). Cyclists are allowed in 24 hours a day all year round except after 8pm (until before dawn) for a few weeks in February and November whilst there is a deer cull going on.

What's the speed limit in Richmond Park?  20mph. That should be possible, it's a designated cycleway.  

The speed limit on the road is 20mph and applies to all vehicles (motorised or not). The speed limit on the paths around the outside of the park is 10mph and applies to bicycles. It's easy to pass 20mph down the hills.

[Euan Uzami]

I had that last year on the Gladestry 200km - even at the front-ish of the field - we arrived really drenched and cold at 5.35 pm "sorry, we closed at 5.30".

at rhayader? 

[Manotea]

Something like this, maybe: 160 loops of the Inner Circle in Regents Park.

You'd get dizzy!

I get bored after 3 laps of Richmond Park - particularly if I'm just going one way (usually ACW), I tend to mix it up these days and switch direction every lap.

On a good day its 3 laps, a coffee from the kiosk by pembroke lodge (filter is good, cappuccino less so),  then a last easy lap and home, about 50km all in. Switching direction each lap takes it up to 5, my record is 6. As it happens that was on a bitterly cold winters day when the park was shrouded in freezing fog. Go figure.

[Alouicious]

One of my fave afternoon training runs is round the Birmingham Outer Circle bus route. From home-town and once round its 50km.
The bus timetable is 2:30. I get it done in 2:15ish.
Don't bother with stopping for coffee, it not long enough.

Now DIY by GPS is available, two laps ( one in each direction ) is a 100km BP. About  five hours on Friday afternoons.


Don't get too uptight about riding round in circles all day. The MidMesh Stratford-Measham-Alcester-Stratford triangle is 155 km. Two of these is 310km.. Home is on one of the strings, so a stop-off for coffee and nosh is en-route.
This is, to my understanding, why the MidMesh was created. Take for example Stratford-Evesham- Alcester-Stratford, 55km on paper, 51km in reality. Ride round this triangle ad nauseum watching the Damsons ripen.

[kcass]

Otherwise I'd love to do 19 laps of Richmond Park as a DIY 200.

Not permitted.

Reg 5.7 "through a series of controls"

DIY by GPS would sort that. I'd nominate a control at 3 different locations on each lap in the park to guarantee distance and eliminate shortcuts (the roundabouts nearest Roehampton Gate, Richmond Gate and Kingston Gate).

57 controls on a 200 might be deemed excessive by the powers that be.

[Philip Whiteman]

On the driest day of the year, on an event that does not specify mudguards and somebody angrily complains, "you shouldn't be riding without mudguards".

[Manotea]

The only thing I dislike is commercial controls where the cafe closes half an hour before before the control does. Of course that's not a problem for most of the field.

Yup, it's only the back markers who need the respite the most who suffer. Stuff 'em. Serves them right for being slowcoaches.

The memory of the Poor Student 2008 will haunt me forever, of looking wistfully through the window of the tea rooms at Chipping Camden at a room full of AUKs making merry behind locked doors, and then slinking off into the gloom to score a can of creamed rice from the co-op. Sob.

[ian_oli]

The only thing I dislike is commercial controls where the cafe closes half an hour before before the control does. Of course that's not a problem for most of the field.

Yup, it's only the back markers who need the respite the most who suffer. Stuff 'em. Serves them right for being slowcoaches.

The memory of the Poor Student 2008 will haunt me forever, of looking wistfully through the window of the tea rooms at Chipping Camden at a room full of AUKs making merry behind locked doors, and then slinking off into the gloom to score a can of creamed rice from the co-op. Sob.

I was the last one let in that day, had a good gloat 

Mind you when I did it as perm it was the Coop or nothing

[Philip Whiteman]

Only to find that somebody has finished up all the bread pudding.

[DanialW]

The horror of discovering that you're riding with someone who wants to talk about their bikebuilding project. Big yawn.

[arvid]

The horror of discovering that you're riding with someone who wants to talk about their bikebuilding project. Big yawn.

FTFY 

[dasmoth]

If every AUK carried a QRcode or similar on their jersey, not only would it make LEL controls easier to administer, but there would be enough capacity to encode a list of acceptable topics of conversation.

[Jasmine]

Male AUKs who use the ladies toilets, including at commercial controls.

[Simonb]

Uber-competitive points chasers. Yawn.

[Feline]

On behalf of someone who is an organiser ... people who turn up on the day expecting to be able to enter on the line, not because they had some unforeseeable change in personal circumstance that suddenly allowed them to ride, oh no. But because they were unprepared to play the weather lottery and wanted to just see how things looked on the day and turn up only if they felt like it and things look favourable. (On an early season 100k this year nearly 100 riders did this  )

[jogler]

Others EOL due to not knowing untill literally the night before if they will be working or not on the day of the event

[phil d]

Others EOL due to not knowing untill literally the night before if they will be working or not on the day of the event

In general organisers don't mind this (at least, this one doesn't).  But that is not what Feline is describing.

[jogler]

In reality a stone-cold out of the blue EOL can be avoided if the organiser has email.
My experience of using this is to ask if EOL is ok when I know I can attend & turn up with an sae,entry form & the correct amount  of £ for the entry fee,all with prior agreement

[Manotea]

The horror of discovering you're riding with someone who wants to give you a turn by turn breakdown on all the variations of the route over the last 10 years...

[Feline]

In reality a stone-cold out of the blue EOL can be avoided if the organiser has email.
My experience of using this is to ask if EOL is ok when I know I can attend & turn up with an sae,entry form & the correct amount  of £ for the entry fee,all with prior agreement

Yeah this is not what I was meaning, and the organiser in question had both email and phone number printed in the calendar.