Fenland Friends 3rd July 2021

[Stretch]

Bus shelter on ridge above Lincoln.

Bus shelters between Hemswell and Kirton have had the benches removed

[Tomsk]

Bus shelter on ridge above Lincoln.

Bus shelters between Hemswell and Kirton have had the benches removed

Ok, thanks. Having ridden my route check and swung by on Friday night/Saturday morning, I can confirm that the rest all have their benches. Some have a a lovely, comfy-looking pile of leaves to snuggle down into ...

More info to follow, email to riders soon. There are some additional places available too, btw.

[Tomsk]

Down to 40 riders (out of 50 entries a week ago) so spare places available. Though five, including myself, have swapped to a Flatliner perm. to say hi to randonneurs spread out across North Lincolnshire and probably a bit of Yorkshire on Saturday evening.

[Tomsk]

A Travelodge room going for Friday night in Dunmow if anyone is interested. Contact me directly: pm/email for details and I'll put you in touch with the vendor.

[felstedrider]

Down to 40 riders (out of 50 entries a week ago) so spare places available. Though five, including myself, have swapped to a Flatliner perm. to say hi to randonneurs spread out across North Lincolnshire and probably a bit of Yorkshire on Saturday evening.

Hopefully see you all at some point on the way back.   The Saturday evening riding should be nice and quiet now.

Are you socialising in the Angel & Harp afterwards ?

[Tomsk]

Maybe going to the A&H afterwards, but Grey Sheep and I are having a leisurely tour back after a Travelodge stop in Gainsborough, so might be fairly late arriving. Done the bus shelter and keep pushing on thing last weekend!

[felstedrider]

Maybe going to the A&H afterwards, but Grey Sheep and I are having a leisurely tour back after a Travelodge stop in Gainsborough, so might be fairly late arriving. Done the bus shelter and keep pushing on thing last weekend!

Fair enough.   I'll be leaving Lincoln at 7am to make the cut at Boston, but I have the longer ride back.   I'll have a look at the pub on the way past, otherwise I'll just drop the card through your door.

[felstedrider]

Changing my clothing plans a bit.   That or just packing a bit more stuff.

[GavinC]

Yes the forecast is looking like it could be a bit soggy tomorrow. At least it looks like there won't be too much wind to contend with.

[Tomsk]

Sandals Weather! (The rain runs in, the rain runs out ... ) Any Fenland ride without wind problems is a good one, in my book. Last week, the wind, though fairly benign, was effectively a modest headwind both ways: NW/N up and shifting to NE/E later.

I was going to take my recently re-sprayed and rebuilt Parkes summer bike, but as I've not had a long shake-down ride on it yet and considering the weather forecast, it's back to the Genesis winter fixie with dependable Durano Plus tyres.

[wilkyboy]

The weather felt a bit boil-in-the-bag this morning when I was out snapping photos of the riders as they passed thru Saffron Walden.

Photos are here and on Facebook.

[Wycombewheeler]

Yes the forecast is looking like it could be a bit soggy tomorrow. At least it looks like there won't be too much wind to contend with.

This is exactly the opposite of my experience.  Very little rain and I found the wind difficult all day Sunday.

[felstedrider]

It tipped down as I was eating my breakfast at 5am and I got soaked riding the 5 miles to the start.  Once moving at 6am it dried up pretty quickly and conditions were benign all day Saturday with just one shower in Lincoln.  I saw the Flatlands peloton a few miles after Kirton Lindsey and then had a thunder storm for an hour arriving at my overnight stop at 9:30 sodden.

I left at 7am and the wind was a bit troublesome but I had a decent lunch in Whittlesey.  I had forgotten the rolling nature of the last leg back from Red Lodge which took the edge off my speed.  I checked in just before 6pm and was home by 6:30.

Slightly emotional weekend as I detoured off route to visit Dad in Lincoln cemetery for a few minutes.  This completed my 25th series since joining AUK in 1993.

[αdαmsκι]

Slightly emotional weekend as I detoured off route to visit Dad in Lincoln cemetery for a few minutes.  This completed my 25th series since joining AUK in 1993.

I saw that photo on Strava. Very moving. 

[Tomsk]

Yes the forecast is looking like it could be a bit soggy tomorrow. At least it looks like there won't be too much wind to contend with.

This is exactly the opposite of my experience.  Very little rain and I found the wind difficult all day Sunday.

On our Flatliner, we had a biblical downpour en-route to Kirton, with the added entertainment of a lane with toadlets creeping across at intervals! Distant lightning on the northern horizon onwards up to Goole. About three colder and briefer squally showers on Sunday. The Fenland Headwind co-incided with Grey Sheeps tummy issues and low energy, so we just plugged away for quite a while at 20kph. Once a bit of power returned, the wind, though stronger by then, didn't seem so bad. The wind will get you at some point in the Fens - at least we've never experienced a 'Fen Blow' on an event (yet!) - that's a dust storm, notorious for bringing traffic to a standstill in poor visibility, clogging up your airways etc ... I once saw a mini-tornado on a Fenland ride, but it missed me - noisy though, with all the leaves, twigs and other debris rattling around in it!

By the way, thanks for the photos Wilkboy.

[Wycombewheeler]

The weather felt a bit boil-in-the-bag this morning when I was out snapping photos of the riders as they passed thru Saffron Walden.

Photos are here and on Facebook.

Certainly felt that way,  so it was surprising to see so many in long sleeves.

[Wycombewheeler]

Yes the forecast is looking like it could be a bit soggy tomorrow. At least it looks like there won't be too much wind to contend with.

This is exactly the opposite of my experience.  Very little rain and I found the wind difficult all day Sunday.

On our Flatliner, we had a biblical downpour en-route to Kirton, with the added entertainment of a lane with toadlets creeping across at intervals! Distant lightning on the northern horizon onwards up to Goole. About three colder and briefer squally showers on Sunday. The Fenland Headwind co-incided with Grey Sheeps tummy issues and low energy, so we just plugged away for quite a while at 20kph. Once a bit of power returned, the wind, though stronger by then, didn't seem so bad. The wind will get you at some point in the Fens - at least we've never experienced a 'Fen Blow' on an event (yet!) - that's a dust storm, notorious for bringing traffic to a standstill in poor visibility, clogging up your airways etc ... I once saw a mini-tornado on a Fenland ride, but it missed me - noisy though, with all the leaves, twigs and other debris rattling around in it!

By the way, thanks for the photos Wilkboy.

I had a heavy downpour shortly before crossing the trendt, and a light shower when approaching Lincoln.  Neither latsted long. Then on Sunday one at Thorney and lastly one near Soham. Needed my shakedry for the first,  and used a bus shelter for the last,  musks two didn't warrant additional layers but then I was wearing my gabba because of the forecast and was too hot most of the time

[felstedrider]

Yes the forecast is looking like it could be a bit soggy tomorrow. At least it looks like there won't be too much wind to contend with.

This is exactly the opposite of my experience.  Very little rain and I found the wind difficult all day Sunday.

On our Flatliner, we had a biblical downpour en-route to Kirton, with the added entertainment of a lane with toadlets creeping across at intervals! Distant lightning on the northern horizon onwards up to Goole. About three colder and briefer squally showers on Sunday. The Fenland Headwind co-incided with Grey Sheeps tummy issues and low energy, so we just plugged away for quite a while at 20kph. Once a bit of power returned, the wind, though stronger by then, didn't seem so bad. The wind will get you at some point in the Fens - at least we've never experienced a 'Fen Blow' on an event (yet!) - that's a dust storm, notorious for bringing traffic to a standstill in poor visibility, clogging up your airways etc ... I once saw a mini-tornado on a Fenland ride, but it missed me - noisy though, with all the leaves, twigs and other debris rattling around in it!

By the way, thanks for the photos Wilkboy.

I had a heavy downpour shortly before crossing the trendt, and a light shower when approaching Lincoln.  Neither latsted long. Then on Sunday one at Thorney and lastly one near Soham. Needed my shakedry for the first,  and used a bus shelter for the last,  musks two didn't warrant additional layers but then I was wearing my gabba because of the forecast and was too hot most of the time

Did I have lunch with you in Subway in Whittlesey ?

[Despuech]

Hi Tomsk, thanks for organising this. MS and I pressed on from Gainsboro. He stopped to brew up at ‘our’ bus shelter, I didn’t fancy a stop as I was still damp. The closed road bridge in Lincoln got me confused, but some dodgy looking blokes directed me over the railway footbridge, which got me back on course. I had another biblical storm, it started when I was about 2 yards from Chatteris, so I could sit it out drinking Costa coffee in the petrol station:) Sunshine and showers back to Dunmow, cheers, m

[Lightning Phil]

The weather felt a bit boil-in-the-bag this morning when I was out snapping photos of the riders as they passed thru Saffron Walden.

Photos are here and on Facebook.

Certainly felt that way,  so it was surprising to see so many in long sleeves.

The photos did look like riders were dressed for winter or middle of the night. Good work to all riders.

[Wycombewheeler]

Did I have lunch with you in Subway in Whittlesey ?

If I'd known where it was you might have,  ask I had was a strawberry milk drink from the supermarket,  I think you towed me along the easterly section for a while until I couldn't keep up any more

[felstedrider]

Did I have lunch with you in Subway in Whittlesey ?

If I'd known where it was you might have,  ask I had was a strawberry milk drink from the supermarket,  I think you towed me along the easterly section for a while until I couldn't keep up any more

Ah yes.  Getting my random conversations confused.  I was on my own a lot.

Hope you found the shop in Red Lodge OK.

[Wycombewheeler]

Did I have lunch with you in Subway in Whittlesey ?

If I'd known where it was you might have,  ask I had was a strawberry milk drink from the supermarket,  I think you towed me along the easterly section for a while until I couldn't keep up any more

Ah yes.  Getting my random conversations confused.  I was on my own a lot.

Hope you found the shop in Red Lodge OK.

Yes and an adequate burger and chips from the kebab shop,  settled my stomach nicely

[Tomsk]

Well done to all who completed, or even attempted, given the dire forecast. In the end, most seemed to get away with less rain/lightning/headwind than feared. So far four DNFs include: a crash on wet cobbles (relatively minor, details still to be filled in for AUK, but ride ending), a seriously sore a£$e, some broken spokes and lastly a combination of comfort issues and mechanicals.

[Tomsk]

Results uploaded. Brevets off to the Validation Secretary in Monday's post.