Author Topic: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?  (Read 152848 times)

Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #700 on: 14 December, 2020, 11:04:21 am »
206km DIY on Sat around the war memorials of Hertfordshire. That’s my Dec ride done for RRTY. Visited 35 in total. Rain to about 2pm and strong westerly. Met Tomsk going opposite way on his Bricks and Moretaine 200 perm. Some comedy off road up a steep muddy hill in the Chilterns. Fortunately it was possible to gingerly ride down the other side to rejoin the roads.  Some really over the top Christmas light displays after sunset. Didn’t stop at any shops.  Had a flask of hot chocolate with me in addition to my water. Fantastic.

Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #701 on: 30 March, 2021, 08:21:04 pm »
At last, a 200k DIY.  And for the first time since last Summer, not from home.  Drove to Staindrop and did a nice circuit down to Winston (Whorlton bridge being closed for the foreseeable).  Quiet roads down to Northallerton, then a very badly surfaced stretch of main road to Thirsk with a gusty headwind and some fast traffic. 

Nice to get on the minor roads again zig zagging to make up the distance and bouncing across the increasingly rickety Aldwark bridge.  Back up to Boroughbridge, more lanes and a couple of loops to keep off main roads then through Northallerton again.

Very tired on the last stretch, the longest ride I've done some the beginning of December is only 45 miles.  Or maybe the unaccustomed heat, once the breeze was behind me it felt very warm.  I even took my jacket off.  Loads of daffodils, birds making a lot of noise including some crows who appeared to be working on making the next generation.  And two woodpeckers (heard, but couldn't see them).
Sunshine approaching from the South.

First time in 1,000 years.

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #702 on: 01 May, 2021, 02:17:43 pm »
Yesterday, my 11th run around the Snow Roads 300, in consecutive years.
Ridden as a Perm, starting / finishing at Banchory.

Weather not great.
Front light failure had me ride the final hour over the Cairn o' Mount in darkness, with only the residual light in the sky and night-vision to see by.
I'm expecting comments in the local FB page 'Fubar News'!

https://www.strava.com/activities/5221690214


Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #703 on: 01 May, 2021, 05:46:40 pm »
Did the Devil's Punchbowl 100, plus the ride up and down to Steyning from Worthing. Great little Coffee shop 'cyclist friendly' sticker, just by the control called Cookies. Had an even fancier coffee in Shoreham on the way home, and maybe more cake was consumed...

Had my left pedal seize up (but not unrideably so) about 30k from finish, but still made the time limit, despite the annoying feeling everytime I pushed the left pedal round.

Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #704 on: 15 May, 2021, 09:08:08 am »
A 200k DIY in North Yorkshire yesterday, taking advantage of a favourable weather forecast which turned out to be accurate - light breeze, cloudy and a bit of drizzle but turning dry and brighter in the afternoon.  Mostly quiet roads and I managed to avoid school run and rush hour on my two visits to Northallerton.

I wimped out of Deano's calendar event '3 Bromptons, a Moulton and a Bickerton' a couple of weeks ago, but on this ride I managed one Moulton, and one Brompton.  (Although I wasn't riding either a Moulton or a Brompton) Shortly after crossing the bumpy Aldwark bridge I saw two cyclists at the side of the road so stopped to check if they were OK.  Turned out to be trying to identify some flowers in the verge.  I was happy to offer my expert knowledge.  "Those are purple ones, the others are yellow ones".  Nice to be able to help.
Sunshine approaching from the South.

First time in 1,000 years.

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #705 on: 31 May, 2021, 07:51:31 pm »
This was not the 400 I'd planned to do this year, but changing circumstances forced my hand. I needed something I could do at short notice from the front door.


02:30 on the Cairn o' Mount by Ron Lowe, on Flickr

An inauspicious start had me riding into dense sea haar for the first few hours, till I was south of Forfar. The Pictish stones at Aberlemno loomed out of the dense mist like some ghostly presence.
The haar burned off as I headed inland towards Perth, and then onwards into the Kingdom of Fife.

I always forget how unrelentingly hilly Fife is. It's like they had some mountains left over after making the West Coast and the Cairngorms. With nowhere suitable to put them, they chopped them into smaller pieces and fly-tipped them all over Fife.

From my vantage point on the top of the Hill of Beath, the vista of the Forth Valley is laid out before me. The valley is deeply enshrouded in more dense haar, clinging to the river estuary. The very tips of the bridge towers emerge above the gloom, their beacons flashing in the clear sky.
As I lose height down to the valley, the temperature drops with every km I move. Tiny water droplets condense out on my bike and clothes, turning my black shorts a light grey. From the bridge, the presence of the other bridges to my left and right could only be guessed at.

Once I put some distance between me and the river, Edinburgh itself is clear and pleasant. The parks are full to bursting with people. I change into my overnight kit, have some food, and set out on the return journey.

It is 2:30am by the time I reach the Cairn o' Mount, and the early glow is in the sky, foretelling the approaching dawn. The dawn chorus begins at this early hour, and the great cacophony of querulous crows debating the forthcoming day follows me for the remainder of the way home.

https://www.strava.com/activities/5387478713

Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #706 on: 31 May, 2021, 07:57:33 pm »
A DIY 200 today to salvage my current RRTY series that seems to have been running for 15 years.

Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #707 on: 31 May, 2021, 09:48:54 pm »
This was not the 400 I'd planned to do this year, […]

The haar burned off as I headed inland towards Perth,



I thought that might have been you going past when I looked out of the window yesterday morning, looks like I was right!

Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #708 on: 31 May, 2021, 09:59:53 pm »
Around Weald Expedition for me yesterday.

Vastly better weather than two weeks ago when I aborted after 20km, although I still didn't see the sun until 5 hours in. Probably a good thing as I broke the back of the ride before heating up too much.

Such a beautiful route, I'd done it once before but forgotten just how good the scenery was  :thumbsup:

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #709 on: 05 June, 2021, 10:31:42 pm »
This 600k DIY ride marks the cumulation of my Audaxing career.
It is the cumulation of 10 consecutive years of SR series (200, 300, 400, 600k in a season), and induction into the Hall of Lunacy that is the Ultra Randonneur.

My journey along the Moray Firth coast is also a journey into my own past.

Approaching Macduff, I pass Tarlair Swimming Pool; a sea-water pool which sported a 5m diving board in the day. It is now in a state of mostly-ruin. Somewhere, there is a black-and-white photo of a teenage Ron diving off this 5m board, into the icy pool. I had been persuaded into this folly For Art, as part of the school photography club we were in. You need to suffer for your art, and apparently, I was the one who needed to do the suffering.

Through Macduff, I pass what was once the newsagents shop my parents ran; the shop is no more, but the flat above it looks unchanged. I glance up at what had once been my bedroom window, with a view over what was then a busy fishing harbour and fishmarket.  Then the boatyard, where my maternal grandfather had worked as a boatbuilder, crafting the wooden boats that plied these costal waters. In his day, there was no boat-shed; it was hard outdoor work all year round.

On through Banff, the place I went to school. I do not have time to stop at my mum's for a chat; for I am against the clock. That will no doubt be Noted on My Card when it comes to it. But hey, it will pale into insignificance against all my other malfeasances!

The back roads to Portsoy and beyond are well-known to me from all those years ago.

I reach Burghead, where I went to primary school. I do not go into the village itself, rather heading towards Kinloss, passing the football pitch where we held the school sports day. This triggers a powerfull memory from long ago, a small Ron laying in the sun with the smell of freshly-cut grass filling his nostrils.  In Roseisle forest, somewhere there is a clearing with three trees, one with my name on it: my parents took us all to plant saplings in this place when we were very small.

Day two is a journey into my more recent past; into the lands around Montrose.

Entering Montrose, I see the derricks of my former workplace still standing; somewhat forlorn and derelict against the sky.  The orange paint is faded and peeling, giving way to the orange of rust and decay beneath.  I was probably the last person to operate these; and as best I could see, the moving parts were exactly where I had left them when I shut them down and turned my back on them and walked away all those years ago.  No longer a source of work or value; just a pair of hulking twins, rusting pieces of industrial archaeology.

No ride report is complete without a cafe recommendation, so today I'm going to go with Joinery cafe in Meigle.  A well-known coffee stop for local riders, it always hits the spot, and today was no exception.

Kirriemuir is of course made entirely of hills, and will cheerfully remind you of this at every opportunity.

"Isn't this where I came in?"
In a curious quirk of fate, the final leg out of Kirrie on this significant-for-me Audax follows in the wheel-tracks of the first leg of my first Audax some 11 years ago; the Snow Roads 300. This is not lost on me.

I reach home, and un-clip on the driveway. I swing a rather stiff leg over the saddle, which fails to clear the rack pack. I go down on the chuckie stones like a sack of tatties, the bike on top of me.
An ignominious end to a glorious ride! That'll learn me.

https://www.strava.com/activities/5419891068

That's all, folks.
Normal service will be resumes as soon as possible.

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #710 on: 05 June, 2021, 10:53:01 pm »
 :thumbsup:

Yes, which tit decided to build Kirriemuir on top of a hill?  :demon:

John Stonebridge

  • Has never ridden Ower the Edge
Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #711 on: 06 June, 2021, 08:29:05 am »
Well done Ron and welcome to the club.   

Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #712 on: 06 June, 2021, 11:03:43 am »
That’s a lovely report of a lovely route. Well done!

I rode a fixed gear 400 on Friday from SW London to Westbury and back. Unexpected rain until Reading and then glorious weather for the rest of the ride. Hungerford to Westbury was very scenic with a number of white horses to be seen. I borrowed from the Kennet 200 to return from Hungerford to Reading via Newbury. Stunning lanes and scenery in the dying light of the day and lots of wildlife about. Note to self- return to do the 200. A quiet overnight ride (fortunate given the fog) was enlivened by the queue for coffee at Marlow 24hr petrol station. Rolled home with the dawn chorus for a grand, if tiring, day out.

John Stonebridge

  • Has never ridden Ower the Edge
Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #713 on: 06 June, 2021, 11:19:38 am »
I managed a DIY300 yesterday, my first at this distance since September last year.

Once again I doubled up a trip to visit a lady friend to use Darlington as a base for a not very hilly audax. 

I managed to evade the train chaos at Waverley Station by leaving relatively early on Friday.  Did some work on the train and then later al fresco on the boulevards of Darlo.  No need to take days off work with this set up, long may it continue. 

My route was pretty much an out and back to Goole with a different route through/around York.  Id always wanted to ride the Planets bike path south of York and did so both ways.  It was obviously a wee bit slower than the road alternative but it made a nice alternative.  Quite a few tree roots damaging the surface though. 

Even though I set off at 5am it was warm almost immediately and stops were more frequent and longer than would otherwise be the case.  Id enough Factor 30 to ensure that I was not being scorched. 

Traffic was bearable....surprisingly light on the bit between Riccall-Highfield-Goole but disappointly the 10km from Ripon to West Tanfield featured many overtakes while a car was oncoming - in fact there wasnt one car that waited. The bit from Wiggy to York was busier than Id expected but Ive concluded that every road in and out of York is much the same.  I think my detour round York on my way North was a better idea.     

Id aimed to get the first 200 done in 10 hrs including stops and dawdle the rest if needed but my average moving speed only dropped a little in the final 1/3rd so managed to finish in short sleeves n shorts and certainly no need for a front light. 

Ride highlight was near Ripon on the way home when 3 "taps aff" yoofs on mountain bikes each with a can of cider in hand passed me with a resounding and broad "HOW DO".  Gotta love Yorkshire. 

Even had time for a pint in the excellent ORB before last orders. 

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/68649257

Just a 400 and 600 to plan now.   

Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #714 on: 06 June, 2021, 12:43:53 pm »
Set out on a DIY 200 this morning. Sheffield up to North Yorkshire to do Hanging Grimston, would've been 240km. As it was, rear gear cable snapped about 20km in, turned around and limped home, it was raining for the first time in over a week as well so it's probably for the best that I'm now sat on the sofa.

Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #715 on: 06 June, 2021, 03:58:23 pm »
North Yorkshire, fixed in my leaky memory of LEL13 is setting off from somewhere, in the dark and the hammering rain to climb a short but steep and unexpected hill, at the top was a sign saying 'North Yorkshire'. Not in the best of spirits, I said to my teammate 'There's a North fucking Yorkshire?'.

After a 7 year break, I will be on a ride in two weeks and will do my best to give a review.

Zed43

  • prefers UK hills over Dutch mountains
Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #716 on: 17 June, 2021, 08:17:09 pm »
40 points in 19 DIY rides so far this audax season. I've been an AUK member since December 2016 and before the onset of the plague I had a grand total of two DIYs...

Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #717 on: 20 June, 2021, 10:00:08 am »
I set off on a 200 yesterday to test my knee, bag some squares and end up at my folks for tea. I front loaded the hills (I thought) and 'enjoyed' the climbing but heading on the A1068 into Amble wondered why /how I hadn't visited Widdrington Station, I had a firm but clearly erroneous memory of adding a dog leg to their co-op. I trundled on, including some spurs down golf course gravel (squares, squares, squares). As I reached the junction at Budle Bay I was struck again that This Wasn't Right, surely I was supposed to turn at Glororum? And where was the field ingress required for the northern end of the Brunton Airfield square? By now I was hot, tired, my back was killing me and it was less than 10km to the promised land of my mams place.

197km. I had ridden a previous iteration, not the submitted route.

Idiot.

Nice day out, thobut.



Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #718 on: 20 June, 2021, 11:18:03 am »
200k yesterday, setting off from home to 'enjoy' the relentless hilly B road through former pit towns in East Durham before reaching a flatter, more rural, and prosperous North Yorkshire.  Lovely weather, a bit cloudy in the morning and increasingly sunny later on with light breezes.  Mostly quiet roads and sensible drivers.  Just one stupid overtake on a blind bend followed by a quick swerve to avoid oncoming cars; and a couple of drivers near Sedgefield who saw the lack of traffic as a reason to drive at stupid speeds, even on narrow twisty roads.

After my second covid jab I'd felt a bit off for a couple of weeks, resulting in a DNS and a DNF at two previous 200k events.  Felt better last week when I did a 100k from Wigginton (first time in two years) so gave this a go.  Quite a reasonable time by my standards despite nearly 6,000' of climbing and more importantly I enjoyed the day out, even the first / last sections.
Sunshine approaching from the South.

First time in 1,000 years.

Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #719 on: 22 June, 2021, 12:00:20 am »
To commemorate the solstice this past weekend, I rode George Berwick's Twilight 600 perm. This is a perm version of a route originally put together by Duncan Peat.

To avoid peak tourist traffic on the A82 over Rannoch Moor and to enjoy the West Coast section during the day I started at 9pm Friday by first departing the Edinburgh Area and heading North to Aberfeldy and then West through Crianlarich, past the Green Welly in Tyndrum and then over the Moor to the Coast. Unfortunately there was nowhere to control at 4am in Crianlarich so a selfie at the station was the best I could do. As an aside, long distance perms are becoming increasingly difficult in Scotland with the reducing number of ATMs and 24 hour services. I grabbed a ticket for my control on the Corran Ferry (first time getting proof of passage while afloat) and then onward to the wee filling station in Strontian for my first refuel 230km in. A loop of the through the West Highland Pennisulas of Ardgour, Sunart, Ardnamuchan and Moidart requited me with the West Coast Midge especially when stopped at the wee shop in Acharachle for second breakfast. A quick return east to Ft William for lunch before a 50k blast down the coastal road to Barcaldine where some audax friends put on some food and a bed for me, feeling like I wanted to keep moving forward with the light I only managed 30mins of sleep. Come 8pm I was ready to head East again with about 200k to go. Once back at Crianlarich the train station the regular audax hotel (Train Station Waiting Room) was locked due to Covid, so somewhat like Mary and Joseph I was to find shelter in the station's toilet. As public toilets as sleep stops go this one I'd say gets 3.5 stars - Warm, enough room for me and a bike, fairly clean and open 24/7.  After about an hour of dozing in and out of sleep I decided best to push on and road into the few hours of darkness at midnight. By around 2am I was getting towards Callander my next control but suffering from the dozies found the shelter of a covered patio around a locked up tourist info center on Loch Lubnaig. The temperature was down at 6deg so my foil blanket and light down jacket did a good enough job, but when I woke up shivering after about an hour and a half I knew I had to press on to warm up. From there it was a rather uneventful final 75km through Stirling and the Skinflats to S. Queensferry for a celebratory pancake breakfast.

Keen to do this ride again, but perhaps with a central start at Crianlarich with a bunk house, or a morning start and take the risk of hellish traffic on the Moor.

bhoot

  • MemSec (ex-Mrs RRtY)
Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #720 on: 22 June, 2021, 10:01:54 pm »
Unfortunately there was nowhere to control at 4am in Crianlarich so a selfie at the station was the best I could do. As an aside, long distance perms are becoming increasingly difficult in Scotland with the reducing number of ATMs and 24 hour services.

E-brevet now provides a useful alternative proof of passage via a phone app without the need to submit a full gps track. It's available on a number of perms now. Any perm organiser wanting to find out more or to make their events available this way can contact Dave (webcontent@audax.uk) for more information, and if necessary help to set up the route, and John Ward for approval.

Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #721 on: 23 June, 2021, 08:58:46 am »
Unfortunately there was nowhere to control at 4am in Crianlarich so a selfie at the station was the best I could do. As an aside, long distance perms are becoming increasingly difficult in Scotland with the reducing number of ATMs and 24 hour services.

E-brevet now provides a useful alternative proof of passage via a phone app without the need to submit a full gps track. It's available on a number of perms now. Any perm organiser wanting to find out more or to make their events available this way can contact Dave (webcontent@audax.uk) for more information, and if necessary help to set up the route, and John Ward for approval.

Thanks for the heads up on that. I'll look at emailing Dave for my own perm. For the Twilight 600, I'm not sure if digital PoP will ever be a reality, you still have to enter by post and cheque to George :)

John Stonebridge

  • Has never ridden Ower the Edge
Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #722 on: 11 July, 2021, 08:48:27 am »
Ive just completed a 400km ride for the first time in over two years.

I started from the Audax capital of the UK, Darlington, at 1600 on Friday.  My ride took me south via Ripon and York to Goole where Id booked the Premier Inn knowing Id be here twice - at 150km and 250km on the way back north.  I showered and rested before heading out at midnight for the overnight leg south to Scotter and back.   

The evening had been beautiful but the rain started at Howden just before Goole.  I passed two riders coming towards me just before the Services who looked suspiciously like audax types but the rain prevented anything more than a shouted “hello”.  The rain/mist continued overnight, but It was very warm though.  The McDs in Scunthorpe was closed but the petrol station was open though sadly their hot drinks machine was Hors Service 

Had 40 winks back at Goole, breakfasted at McDs and set off for the final 150km north at 0730.  It was a tad nippy to start with but it had warmed up enough by Ripon to allow short sleeves n shorts.  The east wind was a bit niggly and the “kms to go” really did drag so I chose to stop for 5 mins every  10km just to keep my spirits up.  Finished in just under 25 hrs, very gentlemanly.  I ran out of puff in the final 100km thats for sure but had loads of time in hand. 

Total time per each 100km.   

1st 100km : 4h 20m
2nd 100km : 6h 25m
3rd 100km : 8h 0m
4th 100km : 6h 5m

Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #723 on: 11 July, 2021, 09:41:11 am »
Managed my first 200k of the year yesterday. Pretty flat route but was glad to make it round using one flat & one SPD pedal due to ongoing issues with balance. Got caught in few heavy downpours but felt good to be out doing longer runs again.

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/70934833
Mind of a cyclist, body of a dart player.

Re: Have you been out today on a Perm or DIY?
« Reply #724 on: 15 July, 2021, 12:01:29 pm »
Rode the Dark Peak perm yesterday. Forecast was glorious and it seemed wise to test the legs with a few AAA points before the calendar version in a few weeks. To cut a long story short, my legs are garbage (or I'm carrying a little too much lockdown weight), but I made it round. Met a couple of riders on Holme Moss, including the organiser of the East Midlands Forests 200k, casually riding the length of Derbyshire as a route check for something.

Good to see the Bank View Cafe is still open. Mortimer Road has been resurfaced since I was over that way and a delight to ride (the downhill bits anyway). The run down Snake Pass quieter than I'd expected. Almost skipped the Penny Pot Cafe in Edale, but made a late u-turn and was rewarded with a free veggie sausage roll as they were shutting up. Computer recorded highs of 31c. Was very glad to scrub off the sunscreen, dust and squished flies when I got back.

Will be back with a fresh set of brake pads for the calendar event in a couple of weeks.