Author Topic: The Shark 200  (Read 45085 times)

Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #75 on: 08 April, 2016, 03:24:53 pm »
From Sam's manifesto on freewheeling (in the SS thread):

When you’re riding fixed there is no element of free will: you pedal or die, much like sharks.
“That slope may look insignificant, but it's going to be my destiny" - Fitzcarraldo

Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #76 on: 08 April, 2016, 03:31:31 pm »
When you’re riding fixed there is no element of free will: you pedal or die, much like sharks.

I picked up my first ever fixed gear bike today and put this into practice by setting off directly into London traffic to ride it back to my office :facepalm:

Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #77 on: 09 April, 2016, 01:48:05 pm »
I scratched at Seaford as my knee was hurting but it was a very pleasant ride down, especially when it stopped raining. Lots of new lanes and the sun came out when I was on the train to Brighton. 
Won't get back to London much quicker than if I'd ridden as the trains are disrupted today. 
Shame to miss the best part of the day, and a tailwind for the climb out of Seaford! 

LMT

Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #78 on: 09 April, 2016, 07:07:24 pm »
A good day out, thanks to the ACH for the ride and the food and drink at the control.

Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #79 on: 09 April, 2016, 07:38:09 pm »
A good day out, thanks to the ACH for the ride and the food and drink at the control.

Ditto from me. Super control at Chiddingly which came at a handy point once the rain had cleared. I went BIG and it fuelled me for most of the rest of the ride! Was nice to pass other riders in/out of Seaford. The 'best' hills were saved to the last, Hogstrough was a real nasty one after 175k in the legs. Will certainly be back for more ACH hospitality.

Redlight

  • Enjoying life in the slow lane
Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #80 on: 09 April, 2016, 08:02:22 pm »
Spotted quite a few weary looking souls dragging themselves through Blackheath between 6pm and 7.30pm.  Worryingly, one lady in a light blue top forked right instead of left at the exit to the village and headed off back round the one way system. I didn't see her go by again so if she was on the ride I hope she realised in time to cut back across the heath.
Why should anybody steal a watch when they can steal a bicycle?

marcusjb

  • Full of bon courage.
Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #81 on: 09 April, 2016, 08:42:48 pm »
Great to see lots of friendly faces and ACH seemed to have served up another great ride.

Well done all riders and the ACH team!
Right! What's next?

Ooooh. That sounds like a daft idea.  I am in!

Martin

Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #82 on: 09 April, 2016, 10:46:27 pm »
A hard but rewarding day out; some of the climbs were a bit more vicious than I prefer but it's still the only ride I've ever done from the Thames to the coast and back in a day. Fantastic bluebells on Hogtrough Hill with plenty of time to admire them!

The nasty rain at the start certainly had an effect but it was all over for me by Ide Hill; I was pretty broken after Cudham with very little to offer but my lowest gear for the rest of the hills.

thanks Ivan and all the other ACH for a top notch control ;-) it saw me round the whole ride

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #83 on: 10 April, 2016, 12:55:51 am »
A bit harder than I'm used to — and that's an understatement!  The climbing was relentless, the descending mostly of the straight-down variety, a brief respite across the Weald.  It was difficult to get a rhythm together and so it felt even harder still — staring up Toys Hill knowing it would take about 15-20 minutes of constant, unrelenting effort to get up, and then getting overtaken by someone much fitter  :facepalm:  The rain added a certain frisson of hard-done-by, but blew through before the Chiddingly control.  The "Ivan-e-strone" soup was delicious and well timed in the ride.

The there-and-back section to Seaford was fun, waving at all the oncoming riders, knowing that they have to climb over the South Downs twice yet  ;D

I spent a significant chunk of the day on my own, trying to maintain some sort of pace that wasn't embarrassingly slow, but also rode with Ian, inappropriate_bike, and someone else whose name has been lost.  The final run through south London, Ian and I were mobbed by the Crest and Kingston Wheelers riders and we had a blast riding back through all the traffic with them  :)

Thanks Ivan, with Justin, Adam and all the other ACH helpers  :thumbsup:
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #84 on: 10 April, 2016, 07:42:37 am »
It was nice to ride for a bit with wilkyboy yesterday - not least because that was when the rain stopped  :thumbsup:

I was sorry I couldn't hang around a bit longer at the pub but parts of me were starting to freeze - an excellent day, thanks ACH.



The checkout girl at the shop in Mayfield was very confused why so many cyclists were passing through.

Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #85 on: 10 April, 2016, 10:39:13 am »
Thanks ACH for a great day out and a particularly fine control at Chiddingly. That soup was excellent, will there be an ACH recipe book out soon?

You have set the bar high for London audax rides. Kingston Wheelers Audax Chapter will be rising to the challenge on September 11th, hope you can join us!

http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/16-368/

Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #86 on: 10 April, 2016, 11:05:22 am »
Excellent route and controls. A spring classic of a ride- cobblestones would have been entirely appropriate.kudos ACH

Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #87 on: 10 April, 2016, 11:25:34 am »
An excellent day out indeed. The feast at Chiddingly was superb. A hearty broth was just what I needed at that point!

Thanks ACH!  :)
Those wonderful norks are never far from my thoughts, oh yeah!

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #88 on: 10 April, 2016, 11:49:05 am »
Yeah, just to echo what everyone else has said, that was a great day out on the bike. A really well designed route and the control at Chiddingly was perfect - both in where it came on the route and in the catering provided.

I'm pretty pleased with how it went. It was the end of a tough week at work, and I didn't get to bed until 1am the night before, then was up at 4am to get the first train up to Bromley. Plus I'm in no condition for a hilly ride at the moment - unfit and overweight.

Stayed with the big bunch for the first stretch down to Ide Hill, then just pootled along at my own pace, occasionally falling in with other riders but mostly riding on my own. I had decided even before the start to approach the hills with the mindset of just getting up them, rather than attacking them in any way, and that proved to be very much the correct decision. I got passed by a few people on Toy's Hill but at least I managed to get to the top without stopping.

Hogtrough is pretty nasty. You can see the road ahead rising almost vertically from soon after you pass under the M25, and when I saw it, the main thought going through my head was "You have got to be fucking joking!" but at least it doesn't go on too long.

High & Over was tougher than I was expecting too - the top bit is really rather steep. Lots of fun coming back down it the other way though.

The rain in the first couple of hours added to the general toughness but I'd mostly dried out by the time I reached Seaford, although I think I have a touch of trench foot. Unfortunately, I tore one of my Velotoze overshoes while fiddling about with them on the train and then binned them in a fit of petulance. That was a mistake.

Total riding time of just over 9hrs is about what I was expecting and hoping for, so I'm pleased with that, but stoppages added another 90mins to that, which is a bit disappointing. I was intending to avoid lingering at controls and other unnecessary stops, so often my downfall on audaxes, but I ended up spending over 40mins in Mayfield alone. Having spent 15mins hanging around outside the supermarket scoffing a steak slice, I set off but then spied loads of bikes outside a café I'd missed on the way in, so decided to stop for much-needed warmth and caffeine, and to use the loo - a blessed relief as I'd been wanting to do that since very early on (had failed to find anywhere in Crowborough, and didn't fancy the facilities in Seaford).

Would have happily spent longer at the finish, enjoying the fine beer and even finer company, but having checked the train times, I realised that I had to dash off or risk not getting home until very late. Plus it was a bit too chilly for sitting outside a pub, even if Jonah was doing his best to pretend otherwise.

Well done, Ivan & co, for putting on a splendid event. I'll definitely be back if you run it again - hopefully a stone lighter by then so I can really enjoy it properly.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #89 on: 10 April, 2016, 11:55:19 am »
It was nice to ride for a bit with wilkyboy yesterday - not least because that was when the rain stopped  :thumbsup:

According to Strava, I spent a good bit of time riding with Wilkyboy too without realising it...

Wilkyboy - I'm guessing that was you dressed in red who I briefly chatted to outside the supermarket in Mayfield. And then you rolled into the finish a few minutes after me.

Strava makes for interesting reading. There's quite a variation in the amount of climbing recorded by different riders - some as little as 2,700m, which doesn't sound nearly enough, and some with over 3,500m, which is possibly a slight exaggeration but sounds closer to the truth - and certainly closer to what it felt like.

Quote
The checkout girl at the shop in Mayfield was very confused why so many cyclists were passing through.

I thought she was sweet. She seemed quite excited to hear about what were doing - not the usual "You lot are nuts", but almost "I'd love to do something like that".
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #90 on: 10 April, 2016, 01:29:39 pm »
Thanks for all the feedback. Just worked my way through the finish list: had 106 starters, 89 made it to the first control and 83 brevets received at the Arrivée. Very happy with the way it went as my first event as an organiser, though it was a bit overwhelming at times how popular it was - as I couldn't accept any more entries, there then appeared to be 5-10 people 'just riding round', which isn't ideal. Think it'll be back next year with few changes, just increase the brevets to say 150 and try and keep the list open until Friday night - really don't fancy doing EOLs, but have to consider this as well.
“That slope may look insignificant, but it's going to be my destiny" - Fitzcarraldo

Jonah

  • Audax Club Hackney
Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #91 on: 10 April, 2016, 03:14:54 pm »
I had a top time!

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #92 on: 10 April, 2016, 05:51:56 pm »
According to Strava, I spent a good bit of time riding with Wilkyboy too without realising it...

Wilkyboy - I'm guessing that was you dressed in red who I briefly chatted to outside the supermarket in Mayfield. And then you rolled into the finish a few minutes after me.

Yes, that was me — looking and sounding like I was having a tough time of it, which I was  :facepalm:  It was good to chat, albeit briefly, and apologies once again that I got the last banana milkshake from the shop  ;)

Looking back at the Strava fly-bys, it's interesting to see how many riders rode just a corner or two away from each other — always there or thereabouts but always just out of sight!  I'm a flatlander, so riders would gain on me up the hills, but as soon as it got to a reasonable gradient (i.e. nearly flat) I found my legs again and put a couple of corners back between us  ;D  Those last two hills, though — Toys and Hogtrough, I was duly caught and passed by many  :facepalm:

Strava makes for interesting reading. There's quite a variation in the amount of climbing recorded by different riders - some as little as 2,700m, which doesn't sound nearly enough, and some with over 3,500m, which is possibly a slight exaggeration but sounds closer to the truth - and certainly closer to what it felt like.

It depends almost entirely on which GPS you use.  For a long-term test I'm running an older Garmin 800 and a new Garmin 1000 side-by-side to compare and contrast their data (I happen to still have my old 800 after I treated myself to the 1000 last year for PBP).  For the ride yesterday, the 800 reported 204.3km (by GPS) and 2260m ascent, whereas the 1000 reported 208.1km and 3,401m of ascent (which Strava smooths down to about 3200m).

A problem I've noticed with the 800 is that the altimeter port (hole) on the bottom surface tends to be badly affected by any moisture collecting around it, due to its position near the front of the device, whereas the one on the 1000 has been moved behind the mount and so is less affected, if at all. The 800's altitude graph is significantly damped (no pun intended) and lacking any detail until Seaford and then after the turn it picks up again showing all the peaks and troughs; the 1000's altitude trace is detailed from end to end.  I've had this before and mitigated its effect by regularly wiping a finger over the port to clear it — but I had enough on my plate yesterday to even think about it, gurning my way up those climbs!

The difference in recorded distances I think was the 800 was under-recording due to starting in a built-up area and continuing through them hills, leading to an under-distance of about 1% — GPS error.  On the 1000, I bought the new-style no-magnets wheel and cadence sensors just a few days ago, so I don't know whether the 1000 auto-calibrated the wheel sensor correctly, hence an apparent over-distance of about 1% — I tried to get the old, reliable, magnet-based speed/cadence sensor, but Garmin haven't made them for a year or two and there doesn't appear to be any old stock anywhere.
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #93 on: 10 April, 2016, 06:15:53 pm »
Thanks for all the feedback. Just worked my way through the finish list: had 106 starters, 89 made it to the first control and 83 brevets received at the Arrivée. Very happy with the way it went as my first event as an organiser, though it was a bit overwhelming at times how popular it was - as I couldn't accept any more entries, there then appeared to be 5-10 people 'just riding round', which isn't ideal. Think it'll be back next year with few changes, just increase the brevets to say 150 and try and keep the list open until Friday night - really don't fancy doing EOLs, but have to consider this as well.

Shame there were 14 DNS's.  I planned to enter on Thursday afternoon (being a lightweight and wanting to be sure there wouldn't be any biblical weather) but it had just closed!  I had thought about riding along without a brevet (not using the controls of course) but decided that would be "bad form", so I got up early and did the ride today instead. Very good route!

I'll definitely be in for next year, especially if you are able to keep the list open a bit longer! 
The sound of one pannier flapping

LMT

Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #94 on: 10 April, 2016, 06:24:31 pm »
Thanks for all the feedback. Just worked my way through the finish list: had 106 starters, 89 made it to the first control and 83 brevets received at the Arrivée. Very happy with the way it went as my first event as an organiser, though it was a bit overwhelming at times how popular it was - as I couldn't accept any more entries, there then appeared to be 5-10 people 'just riding round', which isn't ideal. Think it'll be back next year with few changes, just increase the brevets to say 150 and try and keep the list open until Friday night - really don't fancy doing EOLs, but have to consider this as well.

Shame there were 14 DNS's.  I planned to enter on Thursday afternoon (being a lightweight and wanting to be sure there wouldn't be any biblical weather) but it had just closed!  I had thought about riding along without a brevet (not using the controls of course) but decided that would be "bad form", so I got up early and did the ride today instead. Very good route!

I'll definitely be in for next year, especially if you are able to keep the list open a bit longer!

Certainly had the weather for it compared to yesterday.

Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #95 on: 10 April, 2016, 06:43:09 pm »
Sorry I missed it - will the route be registered as a permanent? I might fancy this next weekend. Otherwise I will submit a diy

Martin

Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #96 on: 10 April, 2016, 07:23:20 pm »
Sorry I missed it - will the route be registered as a permanent? I might fancy this next weekend. Otherwise I will submit a diy

In theory it could be made into a perm but I think personally it worked best as a calendar event;

check out Hillbilly's 2 excellent perms Around Weald and Meridian as alternatives to a DIY

http://www.aukweb.net/perms/detail/WW09/

http://www.aukweb.net/perms/detail/WW11/

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #97 on: 10 April, 2016, 07:32:36 pm »
Blimey, that was a day out on me bike! 

I found that sticking the bike in the lowest gear and just grinding up the hills worked well and saved my legs.  It was only towards the end that I had 2 or 3 walks.  I found the ride physiologically challenging more than physically - the relentless climbing and descending plus lack of progress.  Needlessness to say I was pleased to get back to Greenwich!  However, today I'm basking in a warm glow of achievement  :thumbsup:

A big thank you to Ivan and his ACH team and to Tomsk, bobb and carlosfandango for the company and the lift home.

Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #98 on: 10 April, 2016, 07:40:46 pm »
I agree with Martin - the limitation of no infos on BR perms means I can't really see how the ride could be adapted without some work and divergence from the calendar routes, in which case you might as well ride some of the other excellent perms in the area. As a DIY it works quite well, I tend to stop in Crowborough on the way out instead before hitting the tearooms of Alfriston.
“That slope may look insignificant, but it's going to be my destiny" - Fitzcarraldo

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: The Shark 200 - Saturday 9th April
« Reply #99 on: 10 April, 2016, 07:49:57 pm »
Yes, that was me — looking and sounding like I was having a tough time of it, which I was  :facepalm: 

I thought you were looking and sounding remarkably chipper!

Quote
It was good to chat, albeit briefly, and apologies once again that I got the last banana milkshake from the shop  ;)

Banana milkshake? You're welcome to it! :sick:

(You might be confusing me with someone else. ;) )

 
Quote
For the ride yesterday, the 800 reported 204.3km (by GPS) and 2260m ascent, whereas the 1000 reported 208.1km and 3,401m of ascent (which Strava smooths down to about 3200m).

Interesting. My 510 gave me 2,857m. I've never taken its elevation data seriously though.

Another thing that might cause under-recording for me is the fact that a couple of times on the climbs I was going slow enough for the autopause to kick in.  :-[
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."