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  • Elenith: 05 April, 2008

Author Topic: Elenith 2008 roll call  (Read 18258 times)

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #50 on: 06 April, 2008, 05:18:10 pm »
we arrived at the airfield control to see Judith Swallow just leaving.

With me and IanH, didn't realise it was you until afterwards. 

Well I am in bits today but I don't know why.  I can barely get up and down the stairs.  Yesterday was a huge struggle and I crawled along the entire way. At no point did I feel good.  Maybe it was the couple of beers the night before, or more likely the complete lack of sleep on the friday night in the bloody Travelodge (I can never sleep in those places).   I had anticipated taking it easy and still getting in at about 10 or 11pm.  As it was I got in at 12.30pm, (albeit with about a 20 minute add-on after not taking that downhill left turn in Bewdley) feeling absolutely shattered.

Don't get me wrong, it is a great route with great controls but if I said I enjoyed it I would be lying.  The only point I felt remotely normal was on the Kite road, partly because I was in a gentle rhythm but also because there was some lovely sunshine.

Made the right decision and took the Dinotte 600 to supplement the solidlights. Great though the solidlights is it isnt enough for anything above 15mph.  Having the 600 meant I could fly down the descents on the last stage.


Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #51 on: 06 April, 2008, 05:43:41 pm »
Out of all the Eleniths that I've ridden, this was probably my toughest. Not helped by the fact that I had two punctures.

This was my first ride of the year that was over 70 miles.

The many hours of riding into a constant headwind for 80 miles or so were quite wearing, also it was cold all day and I don't like the cold.

As usual I was towards the tail end of the field and slowly moved further back  ;D

At Rhyader we had an ACF meet-up with around five or six of us there.

After that it just got colder and damper as the evening went on.

Various riders rode past me on the last section and for the last half an hour it rained heavily.

Finished in last place at 2.55 a.m. Luckily the heavy fall of snow didn't appear until 15 minutes later.
I don't want to grow old gracefully. I want to grow old disgracefully.

border-rider

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #52 on: 06 April, 2008, 07:53:21 pm »


Made the right decision and took the Dinotte 600 to supplement the solidlights. Great though the solidlights is it isnt enough for anything above 15mph.  Having the 600 meant I could fly down the descents on the last stage.



You must have it set up wrong

My experience has been the ability to really fly with the Solidlights, down steep hills and long ones and down windy dark lanes.  I've never had to hold back - in fact last year Treewheeler and I ride the 3D300 (2 am start) and we were dropping ordinary machines and even a tandem on the descents because we had Solidlights and could see properly.




border-rider

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #53 on: 06 April, 2008, 07:54:52 pm »
I set out to try to pace myself so there was none of this tearing off with the fast guys then regretting it later.

Erm, isn't that the whole point of the Elenith ?  :)

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #54 on: 06 April, 2008, 08:00:17 pm »
I set out to try to pace myself so there was none of this tearing off with the fast guys then regretting it later.

Erm, isn't that the whole point of the Elenith ?  :)

I did something right then.

Preparation this year of one each of 200, 100, 150k, the 200 back in Feb, was, I can say authoritively, inadequate.

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #55 on: 06 April, 2008, 09:05:58 pm »
Well. How time erodes pain and distorts memory.

It's only half way round that you suddenly remember what you thought the first time you did it - this ride is a brute, but a brute with plenty of beauty in it.

Not having done anythng since a 100k in January [no commutes, nothing] I knew this was going to

be tough. In fact I had serious doubts whether it was a good idea at all. But the lure was too great to yield to those kind of reservations. My only aim was to get round in the time, and in so doing hopefully beat my time of last year of 2.40am, 20 mins inside the cutoff time :-)

Many made the comment that hauling a recumbent round this one is probably not the best way to help yourself in that respect, but, well....I just can't help it.

Nice to put more faces to names, and this time for me was the turn of Chris N. He introduced himself, and I got the distinct feeling straight away that I probably wouldn't be seeing a great deal of him throughout the day :-)

For the most part we had cold, clear, sunny beautiful weather. After dusk, things changed a bit. For the first 200km, up to Rhayader I was going well, or as well as could be expected. Bizarrely I kept dumping in to Maladict & Co at the controls, and expecting to be passed at any moment, but they never showed up until much later. [See, contrary to popular wisdom recumbents reign supreme in the mountains:-). Last year I got to Tregarron at 5 pm, with not a sole in sight, well and truly holding up the rear end, but this year I was there at 4pm and not alone! And I arrived at Rhayader at 7.pm, over an hour fro last year, so things were looking good. Wow, I could be on to knock maybe 1 1/2 hrs off last years time.

But then the wheels came off somewhat, or rather the chain did - snapping three times in the last 100km! shortened chains start to get prety tight when they've been repaired them 3 times. In the end it was almost a fixed-wheel recumbent [sounds more like an old Saddam Hussain torture]. On setting out to repair it first time at about 70km from base I found my head torch batteries where dying. I couldn't see a damn thing. Broken chain, no light, pitch blackness and then the sleet started. Nice. However I was rescued, temporarily by a couple walking through the lanes to a nearby pub after being at a wedding all day. Or so I thought. They crouched down beside me using the night light from their mobile phones to give me assistance, but their alcoholic in take was preventing them keeping still. First you see it, then you don't. So I still couldn't see a bloody thing! Alas, enter sober veteran campaigner John Spooner and his riding mate Andy Utley to the rescue. Experienced and prepared as ever, John had a spare head torch which he leant me. Good old boy. They stayed around for 10 mins or so to see my fix the chain, only to see I'd mended it in reverse! roll eyes What a dumbo. I thought I'd have the bright idea of pedalling backwards, but wise man Utley assured me, 'Nah, you'll never do that'. No, sure enough, I was going nowhere like that.

I gave myself a hard time after they'd left for holding them up a while. One is always grateful for help, but really help like that should only be necessary when you can do nothing for yourself and not because of bad preparation. A fully charged head torch = essential night time riding. What with forgetting my leggings and having to do the whole thing in a pair of Primark jogging bottoms I think in the future I'm going to have an 'Audax check list' to make sure everything's on board before I leave for the event - including spare batteries for a head torch! I'd be lax preparing for this and paid the price.

Another break after the last control and again some 15k down the road saw me lose all my precious time I'd worked so hard to bank. Now my bottle dynamo gave up, so had zero front lights, and it was raining and sleeting and I couldn't see a thing. What's he using a old clapped out bottle dynamo for? Yes, I know. The rim on my SON wheel has split [again!], so I hadn't had the time to lace a new rim. Actually, truth is, I had had the time but couldn't be bothered. No sympathy there then. At this point decent bloke Tonyh turned up and he guided me back for the last 30k or so. At this point I was really, really shot to bits. And I started to feel the bonk encroaching.

One odd and amusing moment happened in Tenbury Wells, 30km from base. I'd stopped to mess with the chain line [yet again], when I caught sight of this chap who came strolling over, looking rather Santaesque with his white beard and hair sticking out from under his bobble hat.

"That's a strange looking bike"
"It's called a recumbent bike" I said, being civil but really wanting to get going.
"And I can tell ya exactly where it's made", as he points knowingly
"Oh yeah"
"Yeah, that is a Pashley bike"
"It is?"
"Yeah, that's a Pashley bike. And you know how I know that? [He pauses] Because I used to work there", as he nods his head, again knowingly
"Right"
"We used to make all the Post Office bikes, and I recognised it immediately"
Oh boy, this has only gone on for 10secs, and I can't take much more already.
"Ok mate, must get going. See ya"

As I engaged gear, pulled away I could still here him telling me, "Yeah, recognised it straight away, It's a Pashley".

I just had to leave that place. I just wasn't in this part of the world to discuss how one might easily mistake this for this.

Anyway...

There are some who can conquer this ride with aplomb. How do these people get back at 19.30pm? [those riders were an hour last this year. Still unbelievable to me though] but I think for many this ride is a difficult ride to get the psychological upper hand, and I think just getting round is a good achievement. It's a toughie. Such a feat can easily get lost sometimes. The Elenith has a quality about it that tempts you back. Once is enough for some rides, but this is different somehow.

Can I get round a bit quicker? Can I beat my last time? Can I get round at all? Well, this year I was up by 1 1/2, well on course to crush last year's attempt of 2.40am, but alas, after all that, I ended up rolling in at 2.50am  :D In the end I was just grateful to just get home. Sociable gathering at the end. Greenback still looked as fresh as when he started. And Blade, you must have been there too I guess, I didn't get the chance. Maybe next time.

Still, many thanks to Dave Pountney and the team. It's a great ride.
Garry Broad

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #56 on: 06 April, 2008, 10:16:51 pm »
You must have it set up wrong

Well, it's clamped onto the bars, plugged in and angled down.... not sure what else I can do???


border-rider

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #57 on: 06 April, 2008, 10:18:07 pm »
Angle it down more ?  I found it needed to be angled a lot further down than I expected

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #58 on: 06 April, 2008, 10:22:03 pm »
I see you were waiting for my response  ;)

It couldn't be angled further down! Actually, I've a thought... maybe you should come down a hill with my 600 and see if you still think the Solidlights is adequate  :o


border-rider

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #59 on: 06 April, 2008, 10:32:00 pm »
Maybe.

I'm not saying that the Solidlights is the brightest thing ever - no denial that the design is a bit dated now, for one - but I've done an awful lot of dark miles on one in the last few years and I've never needed extra light.  Extra light is fun, though, of course :)

Salvatore

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Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #60 on: 06 April, 2008, 10:45:16 pm »
If you've been reading this thread closely you'll know that:
a) I didn't catch M Pumpé
b) I rode with Maladict to Shobdon
c) I rode most of the day with Andy Uttley
d) I lent rust bucket my headtorch (he didn't mention he was riding his MkII creation - much sleeker than Mk I. Looks like a Pashley)
e) It was a super ride.

The real fun started after the ride, something like this:

Early hours of Sunday: finish ride & socialise
3:00 a.m: Say farewell and thank organiser. Exit to car. Notice winter wonderland which has appeared.
3:05 Attempt to drive car off playing field. Succeed only in navigating (in a skating/skiing fashion) to the opposite side of playing field. Conclude there is no chance of getting out.
3:07 Return to hall.
3:15 Put on all available clothes (cycling and non-cycling) and try to sleep on mats on the stage
4:15 wake up shivering
5:30 Give up trying to sleep and go back to car in an attempt to get going again. Notice subtle re-arrangement of cars on the playing field (including one abandoned right in front of mine, blocking me in).
5:35 Return to hall. Sit on chair.
6:15 Breakfast arrives. Eat lashings of toast and marmalade. Swap 1989 LEL anecdotes with Lee Shale, Alan Jones and Dave P (see below).
7:00 Team forms to move vehicles
7:20 Team succeeds in moving big Derby Mercury van after much sliding, spraying of mud/snow, swearing, laughing and shoving.
7:30 All other cars moved on to tarmac
7:32. Leave Wolverley
7:55 Arrive at sister's for shower and sleep.

Like blade I'll ride it as long as Dave keeps organising it. (Sounds like I can add garry to the list)

Also riding, and making a comeback after 9 years, were LEL Inaugurals Lee Shale and Alan Jones. I rode the 2nd half of the ride with Alan in the 1987 'Wet' Elenith when we finished at 5:30 (Sunday).
Quote
et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

daflloyd

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #61 on: 06 April, 2008, 11:48:10 pm »
I set out to try to pace myself so there was none of this tearing off with the fast guys then regretting it later.

Erm, isn't that the whole point of the Elenith ?  :)

Ah, so that's where I went wrong!!

As Chris N and Pumpe's roomy, I hope that my deep sleep snoring didn't add to their poor night's sleep and they're just being polite on here. Nice couple of beers and craic with them the evening before.

I'm afraid I underestimated how hard this one would be and paid the penalty. I did find a good group and had a fast first leg, and then mopped up 5 guys who took my wheel into the headwind up to the Discoed checkpoint.(One of them was Lee Shale, as mentioned by JS - The first time I'd met him, spent a bit of road time and a lot of control time in his company - nice guy, climbs better than me suprisingly!!). After climbing to Forest Inn, I got on the big ring to Builth.

The run to the bottom of the devil's staircase was a bit of a grind, but stunning. I was chatting to a Willesden lad along here, and you can see why people travel the big distances to ride these roads. I suppose I'm a bit spoilt having this type of terrain close to home.

All the studying of maps and contour lines can't prepare one for a relentless 1:4 climb. I got to the second hairpin, saw the road ahead offered no restbite, swallowed my pride and walked the remainder (and there's plenty of "remainder" after the second hairpin). I knew there was at least 2 other climbs, which both took a little bit more out of the tank. In fact as I aproached the third climb, I asked the aforementioned Lee Shale if this was the last one before Tregaron, to which he replied "No, you'd better leave a bit in reserve".  :o.To compound the agony of the climbs, the steep, narrow, twisty, gravelly descents needed great concentration and offered little opportunity to let the bike go. My stats show a 14kph ave from the checkpoint to Tregaron - the slowest leg of my Audax life by far.

I know the run from Tregaron to Rhayader (Peacocks and Kites leg), and knew that my battered legs would struggle with the last bit of the climb after Pontrhydygroes. So by the time the right turn had come along, I'd already convinced myslef to hop off and walk the last steep bit. This section was a mental low point - physically tired, and only just halfway through - the stuff you tell yourself to do ("think of the next contol only") gets overridden, and I'm having the "how the hell am I gonna get 130k out of these legs?" conversation with myself.

By 25k out of Rhayader I was struggling to keep a decent rhythm when a Simon Gent/George Hanna/John Barkman train arrived and beckoned me onto the back wheel. I managed to chase them down and latch on and amazingly stayed with them in the big ring for the 35k into the control. I even took a turn at the front near the control  8). If they hadn't passed by, I probably would have limped into Kingsland, but their appearance triggered a wonderful second wind.

The aforementioned train left me within 10k of leaving Kingsland, so I had a slow, dark, lonely run into Wolverley. I got in at 11pm for a bit of craic and then a slow drive home.

During the ride, I was questionning the very reason of why I was doing these events if I was not enjoying and hurting so much. Now that I'm in a warm house, remembering the company and landscape, and casually forgetting some of the "scenery" the ride seems more appealing.

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #62 on: 07 April, 2008, 09:36:33 am »


As Chris N and Pumpe's roomy,........ Nice couple of beers and craic with them the evening before.

Yeah, that craic stuff you gave me must have been what kept me up.  It's a bit moreish too...

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #63 on: 07 April, 2008, 09:42:58 am »
Chapeau to you all.  Sounds like a hard day out.  I must give this a go next year!

AC
'Accumulating kilometres in the roughest road conditions'...

border-rider

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #64 on: 07 April, 2008, 09:48:55 am »
Local roads for you Andy...

A classic ride, and the middle  is  tough, but the first and last sections are pretty fast - my experience has been like Maladict's - that this ride can be faster than for example the Dean or (some years) the Rural South

It's not consistently tough like the 3D 300 is tough, or Ian H's Devon & Exemore 300.  I think that's why it's fun - you get to suffer a bit and feel you've achieved something, but  get to whizz along too :)

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #65 on: 07 April, 2008, 10:28:07 am »
but I've done an awful lot of dark miles on one in the last few years and I've never needed extra light. 

It has just occured to me that I am discussing the need for bright lighting on fast descents with  a mentalist someone who rides the Elenith on fixed.

I think I'd better order a second 600l, just in case

 ;D ;D ;D

border-rider

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #66 on: 07 April, 2008, 10:46:27 am »
Damn.  I wondered how long it would take before you noticed :)

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #67 on: 07 April, 2008, 11:26:44 am »
Stunning ride and I am an utter zombie this morning; waited in a cafe for about 2 minutes for them to give me my sandwich, I was already holding it.

Value for money again (15 minutes spare) and great fun. Got in just before the blizzard started. No problem with Solidlights on the descents, but then I only got to about 60kph in the dark (and not much more in the light).

Really happy when I'd done enough mental arithmetic to know that I'd get to Rhayader within time (thanks for the tip Mr Spooner). Took it easy on the last section as I was feeling very dozy (had to stop to pop a couple of ibuprofen purely for the caffeine they put in the pills, should have had a coffee at Kingsland and not Hot Chocolate). Rode most of it on my own or just within sight of some lights in the distance.

Seriously considering turbo purchase (now that Mr HMRC has given me my money) so I can work on improving power output. I don't mind scraping round just inside the time limits on hilly rides (or rides with lots of weather, like this year's Dean), but I'd like to be a bit faster. Growing up in flat Cambridge, and now commuting in flat London mean I have rubbish climbing legs.

Next year? Quite possibly (although it'll be a few years before I'd attempt it on fixed1).

1. Oh how quickly the insanity spreads.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #68 on: 07 April, 2008, 12:48:16 pm »

Also riding, and making a comeback after 9 years, were LEL Inaugurals Lee Shale...

It was very pleasant to make Mr S's acquaintance again. A cyclist and a gentleman.

richie

  • Just sleeping...
Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #69 on: 07 April, 2008, 02:41:25 pm »
A wonderful ride in retrospect.

Low points - the horrid climb out of Pont Rhyd-y-Groes.   Generally feeling crap on more than one occasion.

High points  - Cymystwyth and Elan valley - beautiful scenery in bright sunshine.  The mad hailstorm coming off Clows Top, which i think i enjoyed as i new the finish was near.


 So how does the climbing on this compare to the BCM??  I'd love to do the BCM but felt like I was going backwards on this - severe doubts  as to whether i could hack another 300k on top!
Sheep we're off again.

border-rider

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #70 on: 07 April, 2008, 02:48:52 pm »
BCM is (mostly) long draggy climbs.   I have to walk two hills on  the Elenith (the DS and that steep one after Pont Rhyd-y-Groes, and if the wind is agin that becomes 3 or 4 (the two steepies after the "secret" control, which I can do sometimes)

On the BCM I only have to walk one - the YH drive - and last year I even managed that :)

Itchy, I doubt you'd have any trouble on the BCM.

richie

  • Just sleeping...
Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #71 on: 07 April, 2008, 03:00:35 pm »
I've now go to convince myself that the BCM is a possibility.... which i thought it was earlier this year but now i'm having doubts.   Going to give the Severn Across a whirl and see how I get on over 400.

Trying to balance work,family life and audaxing is becoming something of a juggling act!

Sheep we're off again.

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #72 on: 07 April, 2008, 03:29:41 pm »
I found this Elenith harder than last years BCM scenic, and I should be in better condition this year. 

There is about 30% less climbing on the BCM than the Elenith, mile for mile and as MV says (unless you do the scenic) it is long drags where you can get into some semblance of a rhythm. The thought of walking up any gradients didn't even occur to me on the BCM scenic, but last saturday the Devils staircase and the bit up onto the hafod road required me to walk. (I might have persisted if I'd had a triple chainset)

If you can do the Elenith you can do the BCM.


Maladict

Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #73 on: 07 April, 2008, 10:04:40 pm »
I now have a picture in my mind, courtesy of Pumpers' RR:

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Don't look at me, I am so shyslow.  Don't look at me, just pretend I am not here.  I am shyslow.  I am S-H-YS-L-O-W.

Unfortunately I didn't need the maid's outfit / Pumpers juxtaposition.  Pass the brain bleach.  :(

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Elenith 2008 roll call
« Reply #74 on: 07 April, 2008, 11:23:36 pm »

"That's a strange looking bike"
"It's called a recumbent bike" I said, being civil but really wanting to get going.
"And I can tell ya exactly where it's made", as he points knowingly
"Oh yeah"
"Yeah, that is a Pashley bike"
"It is?"


Maybe he meant one of these Pashley bikes http://www.pashley.co.uk/pashley/products/pdq_half.htm
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...