Author Topic: Denmead 400 - Perm  (Read 3337 times)

chillmoister

  • King of Compton
Denmead 400 - Perm
« on: 08 July, 2011, 04:30:49 pm »
can't go off without letting you all know where we'll all be .....the Faccombe boys are on the road tonight for the Denmead 400 ......evening start from Denmead (18:00) emulating PBP , sunrise in Cheddar and breakfast in Weston Supermare or Glastonbury.  Then hopefully a nice spin back in some sunshine with the wind on our backs via the Blackmoor vale and a little bit of the New Forest and home  :thumbsup:
appearing in a tea room near you

Re: Denmead 400 - Perm
« Reply #1 on: 08 July, 2011, 04:52:38 pm »
Good luck. Hope the weather forecasts are being overly pessimistic. Otherwise you'll be in for a soaking tonight :(
You're only as successful as your last 1200...

Re: Denmead 400 - Perm
« Reply #2 on: 10 July, 2011, 10:57:35 am »
Too late to wish you luck - but looking forward to the ride report and photies  ;)
Behold the turtle - he only makes progress if he sticks his neck out.

LEE

Re: Denmead 400 - Perm
« Reply #3 on: 10 July, 2011, 12:08:51 pm »
Thanks for the good luck messages..they worked!

Dry all night.  In fact the only rain we had was on Sunday when we had to shelter from a couple of short showers around Shaftesbury.

This was the best 400 I've ever ridden, much better than the normal format of an early morning start.

I started at 19:15 and rode down to Romsey to meet Chillmoister and Keeks at 20:15, that meant we replicated the PBP start time and rode into the night.
No early morning rush required, and, best of all, it meant we finished the ride in lovely sunshine rather than dawn's first light.  Sunday is usually a lost day after a Saturday 400 but I feel great today.  All in all I highly recommend a Friday evening start for a 400, it's just about the only overnight Audax stage I haven't disliked.

We had timed the ride to arrive at Cheddar Gorge at dawn but we miscalculated and made better progress than anticipated.  We got to the Gorge at 02:45 in total darkness.  What a surreal experience that was, descending in total quietness we had the gorge to ourselves.  We stopped at one point, in a normally full car park, to shout "ECHO" and so on against the sheer rock faces.  I definitely won't forget that experience.

After hauling our way out of Cheddar we bimbled our way to Weston, arriving at first light around 5am and no chance of any food (apart from a Kebab, for late night revellers making their way home I suppose).

A Cabby directed us to a "24hr" MaccyD (actually opened at 5am), Chillmoister banging on their window forcing them to honour their 5am opening time.  Fuelled by a plastic breakfast in a bun and a large Coffee we turned 180 degrees and headed back on the daylight leg home.

Note.  This leg is usually ridden into the dusk and nighttime.  I've been as cold and miserabl eon this leg as on any Audax I've ever done.  Food & water opportunities are scant and it can feel a long way to Ower Services when it's dark and 0degC.

By contrast this leg was superb, views of Glastonbury in full sun, a warm and lively Shaftesbury and a sunny run in to Ower for a MaccyD milkshake (the one thing they do well).  I parted company at this point and rode the Test river route back to Andover, my legs beginning to fail me by this point, made worse by a slow puncture I picked up in the New Forest.  I couldn't be arsed to fix it so I stopped a few times to add more air until I arrived home.  I caught some TV but 20 minute chunks are missing (due to me slipping in and out of coma every so often).

Great day and a great way to ride a 400.

Chillmoister at the Gorge (camera flash-meter struggling to deal with the copious amounts of relective material)


Keeks at same


Keeks and me at WestonS-M


Chillmoister in Weston.  Damnit! The Amusement Arcade is closed


Keeks & Chillmoister.  Fun in the sun instead of freezing our nuts off in the dark


Me, looking for the Hovis Delivery boy


Please note we were all flying the Audax England flag.  What we shall refer to as a "Full English"


Re: Denmead 400 - Perm
« Reply #4 on: 10 July, 2011, 06:28:11 pm »
 :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

PS - I like Keeks' matching red knee warmers  ;D
Behold the turtle - he only makes progress if he sticks his neck out.

LEE

Re: Denmead 400 - Perm
« Reply #5 on: 10 July, 2011, 08:01:19 pm »
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

PS - I like Keeks' matching red knee warmers  ;D

He's not wearing knee warmers...he forgot his sun cream  ;D

keeks

  • shooting from the hip ... because I am
Re: Denmead 400 - Perm
« Reply #6 on: 11 July, 2011, 10:29:31 am »
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

PS - I like Keeks' matching red knee warmers  ;D

I always knew you had style  :thumbsup:

keeks

  • shooting from the hip ... because I am
Re: Denmead 400 - Perm
« Reply #7 on: 11 July, 2011, 10:32:01 am »
We stopped at one point, in a normally full car park, to shout "ECHO" and so on against the sheer rock faces.  I definitely won't forget that experience.

Lee tell them about the Echo fart , that was the best bit of the ride  ;D

LEE

Re: Denmead 400 - Perm
« Reply #8 on: 11 July, 2011, 10:34:50 am »
We stopped at one point, in a normally full car park, to shout "ECHO" and so on against the sheer rock faces.  I definitely won't forget that experience.

Lee tell them about the Echo fart , that was the best bit of the ride  ;D

I'm too much of a gentleman, but, if you were going to fart loudly, then the Cheddar Gorge at 3am gives impressive reverb (and it's more socially acceptible than using St Paul's Cathedral to achieve a similar effect)



I think this is a more evocative image of Gold Hill

chillmoister

  • King of Compton
Re: Denmead 400 - Perm
« Reply #9 on: 12 July, 2011, 04:39:07 pm »
a cracking night and day out despite starting in a very shakey way for me ...basically a 400k ride will bike you hard if you go into it with a large sleep debt and having not eaten properly (in my case too much too near the start of the ride) ...suffice to say I almost packed at Amesbury with massive indigestion and no energy in the legs department.  However 10 rides into a RRTY and knowing that Els would never pack in such circumstances I decided to see how the next 50k to Frome would be.  I'm very glad I did as things settled down, some enregy arrived and what started as a mare turned into another great ride out with top friends.   Cheddar Gorge at 3am was a treat and WSM at 4.30 am looked like aliens had abducted everyone!  The return 200 was a joy in the sunshine ...previously only seen illuminated by a few feet of LED lighting!  We cruised back ...90hour touriste style,  making the most of the novelty of summer audaxing!





















appearing in a tea room near you