Faccombe Haul - 100km - April 12

[LEE]

Anybody joining me, Urban_Biker and Chillmoister for this lovely little ride?


From Linkenholt

[border-rider]

Sadly no, but I do recommend it unto your gentle senses.

I rode it a few years ago on far-too-big-a-gear, and thoroughly enjoyed it, inna eye-popping kind of way. 

[Paul D]

Rode the autumn one last year with a friend and even though it tipped it down all morning it was a lovely ride. The halftime beans on toast was superb as you could stand next to the chef & urge her to put more on! I still had seconds...

Promised myself I'd come back and do it again in the sunshine, but my word counts for nothing as I shall be Heart-of-Englanding that day instead.

[scampi]

Hopefully I'll be round-tripping it from Romsey again...

[urban_biker]

I'll be riding up from Denmead on the Kingsworthy route. I have arranged a lift back - don't want to overdo it.   

Waiting for my routesheet although I assume it will be the same as last year. Chillmoister has his so I'm expecting it to arrive today.

[LEE]

Same route as 2007 (which is no bad thing)

[iddu]

Not this year - have to go & support Sweetness while she does the FLM.

[keeks]

yes Lee I'm in finally

[LEE]

yes Lee I'm in finally

The "4 Amigos" ride again (Chillmoister, Urban_Biker, LEE and Keeks)



If only we had weather like early Feb.

[Dinamo]

Unfortunately I cannot ride it this year.
Hope you enjoy the same weather as last year !

[Hummers]

So?

How was it?

H

[LEE]

Lucky, Lucky, Lucky.

The weather held up aganst all odds and it was actually a pretty nice, sunny day.  Only had to put waterproof jacket on once and, as you'd expect, the rain stopped the second I put it on (Can't say I enjoyed climbing Woodhay in a Waterproof in the sunshine).

Lunch sat next to Keith Chegwin at the Jack Russell (I kid you not) was quite a surreal experience.  Very odd when the only person in a remote, Hampshire, country pub is Keith Chegwin.

Strangely I felt distinctly '80%' all day but that may be the Chinese meal and bottle of red the night before.  I won't be doing that before Denmead 300, I need more energy for that.

Great ride though.  It does what it says on the tin, gratuitous use of every hill in the (small) area providing superb views (I'm sure I could see Scotland from Combe Gibbet).

107 miles (173km) in total as I rode to/from the event as prep for 300km.  I doubt whether Denmead 300 will have a middle 100km as gnarly as Faccombe 100 though.

Great ride and great company.  Congrats to chillmoister and Keeks on their Grimpeur medals (surely there should be a special medal for Keeks who zig-zagged his way up every climb and probably covered 200km in doing so).

Anyway, hopefully that will carry me thru the Denmead 300 and I'll feel a little bit more '90%-100%' on the day.  Maybe I'll give this water stuff a try the night before.

Did I dream the Keith Chegwin bit?

[Hummers]

Keith Chegwin?

Was he naked?

H

[urban_biker]

Keith Chegwin?

Was he naked?

H

Strangely enough I was asked that question at least twice back at the village Hall control. Thankfully the answer was no.

[chillmoister]

wow ...a grimpeur under my belt and only my 2nd Audax.  All the training rides in Devon, Wiltshire and the South Downs (there just no hills in Pompey!!) certainly paid off ...I don't think I would have got round without them ....also the the loss of nearly another stone since the Denmead 100 helped!  Finished pretty strongly and no leg cramps on the ride.....so personally very satifying to feel the improvement in my fitness ....more weight to lose though!  All in all another great ride out with the 4 amigos over some stunning countryside....see you next at the New Forest 200 on May 11th....and who will be the mystery celebrity?  Cheggers .....too surreal!

[scampi]

Lucky, Lucky, Lucky.

Yep, that's about right.

I set off early (way too early it turned out) to ride to Faccombe. It was a clear blue sky and there was a definite smell of spring in the air - it was absolutely lovely. I was almost taken out by some deer on Furzedown skittering across the lane. It was clear enough I was going to be rather early so I had to put in two extra mini-loops in order to avoid getting there at too much of a ridiculous time...

The knees (more accurately, left knee) had been knocking rather on the way up so I was torn between doing the ride or getting to the start and DNS'ing there and then 

I decided I'd give it a go - my knees would surely suffer no greater than those of Rained-On-Eur (who was riding on fixed, getting in some practice for the Demon Hilly next weekend...)

After being nice and warm at the start (at the top of a big hill) I had gradually become freezing cold so I was glad to get the first descent out the way and start climbing, just to warm up.

The first half progressed well and, after riding for a bit with several small groups, I joined up with a guy from Overton (who as it turned out grew up living in the same road as my wife - small world) and also with a young lad (Oliver-from Whitchurch) who I remembered from last year's ride.

They were going pretty fast and it was a fair stuggle for one-speeded me to keep up. As we climbed up Walbury the second time a huge black cloud loomed, but mercifully it only rained for about a minute though all the roads seemed to end up completely soaked. No need for waterproofs.

After a quick stop back at Faccombe we were soon on our way again and I managed to stay with the (now enlarged) group on and off, as various people, including me, were delayed with several p***tures due to the flinty wet lanes...

The second p***ture occured at the bottom of that gravelly, winding lane off of Conholt Hill so I had a solo ride for the last few km's.

Despite this I managed to get in a bit quicker than usual due to being dragged around by my companions. Though not as quickly as the first time I rode this, back in 2002 when I was young and keen

So I just had the ride home left. Not too hard, just follow the river valleys all the way home. Only the wind made it hard but it stayed dry. Eventually Furzedown was crested once more, downhill all the way from there...

A good day out in terrific countryside, and didn't feel a thing from the knee all day 

[ParrettPedaller]

my knees would surely suffer no greater than those of Rained-On-Eur (who was riding on fixed, getting in some practice for the Demon Hilly next weekend...)

Not so.  Knees were fine, however leg cramps to die for (and nearly did!).  There's a lesson there somewhere - like
1.  Get more miles in over the winter
2.  Don't assume that jus' cos' I did the FH last Autumn on the same gear I can do it again
3.  Lose weight. Pies + pints = pain (later)

On the upside...
1.I didn't puncture (unlike the 20 or so I saw by the roadside) altho' back tyre was soft once I left the HQ and loaded the bike in the car
2.  walking up hills with cramp at 2-3 mph isn't much slower than riding up at 5-7mph.  I got round only 9 mins slower than the Autum Haul in 2007
3.  As the rain held off in the first half, I saw the views that were shrouded in low hill fog last September - worth the effort
4.  I now know that at this level of fitness (or lack of) doing the Demon Hilly on fixed next week is suicidal

ParrettPedaller (aka Rained-on Eur on ACF)

[LEE]

Rode this on Saturday, just as a solo ride (no Brevet card).  I forgot how nice it is.

It's a shame that the figure-8 nature of the ride seems to have fallen foul of the Audaxing verification rules because it makes for a relatively traffic-free training ride up some very scenic hills and down some barnstorming descents.

Lots of lovely views in a very small area but it still manges to take you into 3 counties.

Highly recommended as a 100km ride even if it's not an official Audax route any more.

I must be getting fitter because some of the hills seem to have shrunk.

[Martin]

You had me excited there; thought it had been passed again for next year  Yes this ride fell foul of The Rules and so was lost the only Hampshire GdS (I believe the replacemnt was the Henley Hilly Hundred which is out of region)

[LEE]

I'd one day like to run an approved version of this ride.  I'm sure I could string a route together that took in the best of the gnarly climbs but without the double loop which makes it easy to "cheat" (although personally I couldn't give a damn if people take short-cuts it seems that AUK rules care).

Faccombe then to the slog over Watership Down, then head west, south of Andover, before heading north through the Chutes and into the Newbury Downs for a slog up Combe Gibbet, down to West Woodhay, up the hill before a nice freewheel back to Faccombe.

There are some lovely ways of stringing that together, plenty of pub opportunities, and a bit easier overall than the gratuitous Faccombe Haul (although West Woodhay, Combe Gibbet and Watership Down give the rider something to consider when selecting gears).

[phil d]

This ride stopped because it ran out of organisers.  I am not aware of any rules causing it to stop (though accept that if it were to be proposed as a new route now it might not be accepted).  It is an old ReadingCTC event, put together by John Hollands.  John now concentrates his efforts on ReadingCC (the Anthony Maynard Sportif is his design) and while I might be wrong I don't think he has any design on re-establishing this event.  If someone wanted to take on the Faccombe Haul it would be (for etiquet's sake) easy enough to contact John.  I can provide his email address if you want it.

[scampi]

It was a great ride - 100km almost entirely on deserted lanes and very scenic - shame it's no more...

[urban_biker]

This ride stopped because it ran out of organisers.  I am not aware of any rules causing it to stop (though accept that if it were to be proposed as a new route now it might not be accepted).  It is an old ReadingCTC event, put together by John Hollands.  John now concentrates his efforts on ReadingCC (the Anthony Maynard Sportif is his design) and while I might be wrong I don't think he has any design on re-establishing this event.  If someone wanted to take on the Faccombe Haul it would be (for etiquet's sake) easy enough to contact John.  I can provide his email address if you want it.

I like this idea - in fact the Faccombe Four really should take this on.

[Somnolent]

Would be happy to support it if you do.

[phil d]

I've just had some correspondence with John, and it turns out I was wrong - the route was challenged by the AUK heirarchy and it seems unlikely that it would be permitted now - it was very tight on both distance and climbing, which with the "convoluted route" .  A shame, as I agree it was a lovely (and challenging) route.

So if it is revived it would have to be just as a social event.