Kent Corners200 / Kent Fruit & Veg 100 05/07/08

[gonzo]

how CAN people ride SOOOOOOOO slow.

If you can imagine being the wrong side of 60, have done very little exercise for years, have a mountain bike or at best a Halfords hybrid and have just decided that you ought to do something a bit physical, are too nervous to ride on the roads alone and don't know the local lanes or how to avoid the hills you would have no trouble riding at this speed.

We started this ride in March about 4 years ago and by the September over 100 such newbies had been out to try it. A good proportion have stayed and most now ride with the faster/longer groups. Others are quite content with the slower speed and help and encourage the steady flow of newer riders who have been coming to try these rides ever since.

I quite liked the letter published in the club mag last month:
"Hello, I'm new to cycling. I've got a mountain bike and can maintain 15mph for 35miles. Would I be able to do one of your club rides"
That was a year and a half ago. This morning, he did 100 miles in 4.12!

[Grandad]

Almost as impressive was going from 18 stone to 12½ stone over the same period.

[Martin]

and the stretch from just after Faversham to Lenham, which is not steep but is a relentless uphill slog all the way for several miles until the plummet down Lenham Hill at the end. The rest of it is mostly rolling in a very pleasantly Kentish way.

is that the bit we did at the end of the first smutch - o perm? I really enjoyed it   it was just after Faversham and

Cider drinking yoof on park bench; "oh look three people on a bike"
Arabella; "no, three people on three bikes"

[nuttycyclist]

Anybody got a GPX of this route yet?  I've got the routesheet but not yet tried to map it in mapsource.


Usual caveats apply - I take full responsibility of checking GPX against routesheet and don't hold the author responsible for cock ups errors

[nuttycyclist]

I don't know whether it's accurate or not, but this afternoon in one conference call I found a 200k ride with this subject on bikely, submitted by "smutchin".

The start is in the right place, as is the Lenham control.  I'm still working through it to check it matches my routesheet and to program up the GPS, but it's looking good.

[Martin]

I don't know whether it's accurate or not, but this afternoon in one conference call I found a 200k ride with this subject on bikely, submitted by "smutchin".

The start is in the right place, as is the Lenham control.  I'm still working through it to check it matches my routesheet and to program up the GPS, but it's looking good.

smutchin is of this parish; and was even going to ride it but will not be around now.

I'm going to plot it as a proper turn by turn route which is always entertaining on the day; will PM you when it's done.

[nuttycyclist]

I know smutchin       I was trying to be subtle re "just nick it off bikely"


I've found that plotting turn by turn is a pain.   I prefer to ride with the routesheet (because it's nice and descriptive of "sign hidden in hedge" etc.) and have the GPS as a friendly backup.

To that extent I put a route in mapsource, clicking enough via points to put the route onto the organisers choice instead of Garmin's choice; and then ride on the day with "follow road" selected in the edge 605.

This has worked great so far, and if I do go off route (e.g. to pop to a shop etc) then the GPS re-routes back to the course pretty quickly.

Therefore the planning for this, and last weekend's Windmill Ride is as simple as load GPX trace, select the route tool, click along the GPX trace while reading the instructions, confirm routing is correct and then send to device.

[citoyen]

I don't know whether it's accurate or not, but this afternoon in one conference call I found a 200k ride with this subject on bikely, submitted by "smutchin".

Yep, I think I did that last year or maybe the year before when someone was asking about the route. I assume it hasn't changed much since then - though I've done the ride twice and there were a few minor route differences the second time. Mind you, that could be because I got lost the first time by foolishly following someone who wasn't following the route sheet.

As Martin says, I was planning to do it again this year until I realised I have a diary clash. Boo!

d.

[nuttycyclist]

Arrrrggghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Although I have programmed up the GPS I prefer to use a route sheet and that is still sitting on my desk at work 


Has anybody got one they can scan and email to me TONIGHT ready for me to ride this?

email to

audax
at
nuttycyclist
co
uk


many thanks.

[PatC]

Enjoy the ride tomorrow, the weather looks good as per usual for this event. I'm not riding as I've got too many bits and pieces to do which is even more of a pity as I've recently moved even nearer the start. Be back next year for my 7th KC.

[Martin]

Arrrrggghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Although I have programmed up the GPS I prefer to use a route sheet and that is still sitting on my desk at work  


Has anybody got one they can scan and email to me TONIGHT ready for me to ride this?

email to

audax
at
nuttycyclist
co
uk


many thanks.

YHM; swap you for the GPS route 

gonna be a fantastic day  ; delayed putting the GPS bracket on my non-mudguard bike until tonite just in case

[nuttycyclist]

I hope you got the files I sent earlier, and that one will work.

[Martin]

yes thanks; found the route sheet unintelligible from a GPS POV so copied smutchin's as a route and downloaded yours (too many points to follow road but will work it out between the 2)

[nuttycyclist]

Yes, it's annoying how many points go into the GPX file.

In mapsource it doesn't seem to matter how many points are used as it only seems to mark them as "via points" on the route in the GPS, and then only when they're being used to force the route off the automatic "follow road" track.

[Martin]

the really annoying thing is that using Mapsource you can nail the route down to the exact one off the route sheet using viapoints but when you download those points to the identical map on the device it tries to route you all over the shop  

[Martin]

what a fantastic ride; as good as it gets   why has this evaded my radar so far?

due to taking the wrong junction off the M20 and going through Gillingham I was late starting; compounded by using the cafe at Lenham (1/2 a * in the El Supremo Audax control catering guide) so rode most of the first 2/3 alone; met nutty and Phixie sporadically and finished the ride with Anton (now of this parish ) other than that only saw Garry King at a couple of controls. Also wasted an inordinate amount of time watching a plane circling Headcorn aerodrome hoping to see some nutters jump out on parachutes - like Zoom jr is doing tomorrow in Germany with the Army cadets- to no avail. Enjoyed the Painters Forstal to Lenham section as it should be ridden; in daylight (without a frost as I have experienced on the last two smutch-o-perms)

After the Lenham Mistake I opted to look for some proper food in Rye and found a superb deli in the top of the town; a lovely veggie scotch egg and a cheese straw did the biz  
Therafter got blown along Romney Marsh by a warm tailwind all the way to Hythe complete with views of giraffes up on the hillside (side effect of Dungeness apparently) ; had to pinch myself a couple of times.

the route was very benign apart from the Crowny bits around Hythe and Peene; componded by getting no AAAs for these today. But the promise of BEER in Guston got me up them all OK (and afterwards it was almost completely flat apart from the traditional last hill so 1 pint Doom bar and 1/2 extra cold Boddies had little detrimental effect). Saw a pretty big jet take off from Manston; I thought it had shut  

The sea wall at Reculver was sublime and also empty once away from car-park bound peds; even saw a new Javelin train from here as well as the new offshore windfarm (is this the London Array or a lesser one?) and the
Maunsell Towers Sea Forts



I'll be back next year....

[Rob]

the new offshore windfarm (is this the London Array or a lesser one?)

Kentish Flats Kentish Flats offshore wind farm

The London Array will be a lot further North off the same coast.   It only closed a few weeks back so will be a while until it's operational.

The on-shore one near Rye is npower's Little Cheyne Court.

[PatC]

The seaforts are really weird, like something out of Waterworld. I think that they do trips out to see them.

Reculver was where they tested Barnes Walllis' bouncing bomb.   

[citoyen]

Cliquez ici if you want to know more about the Maunsell Forts.

You can see the London Array from the cliffs of Ramsgate and Broadstairs. It's bigger and further offshore than the Herne Bay wind farm.

Martin, I'm surprised you saw a Javelin from the coastal path - it's not meant to be running on the line that you can see from there! Are you sure it wasn't a different bit of the route where you saw it?

Sorry I missed the ride - sounds like it was lovely weather down here yesterday.

d.

[Rob]

You can see the London Array from the cliffs of Ramsgate and Broadstairs. It's bigger and further offshore than the Herne Bay wind farm.

That's Thanet, still under construction.   London Array has not started construction yet.

Operational plant here :-

BWEA - UKWED Operational wind farms

Under construction here :-

BWEA - UKWED Wind farms under construction

Sorry to divert from the topic.   I like the Kent Corners.   Weekend off this year.

Rob

[Martin]

Cliquez ici if you want to know more about the Maunsell Forts.Martin, I'm surprised you saw a Javelin from the coastal path - it's not meant to be running on the line that you can see from there! Are you sure it wasn't a different bit of the route where you saw it?

Barry of Underground Kent is the man to see about going to the coastal forts; he's got me into lots of good stuff down there. apprently there is another one you can walk out to at low tide but couldn't see it.

Smutch; no it was definitely a Javelin and definitely near Reculver; they are going to be serviced at Ramsgate (I think that's what Simon B told me) so they are probably checking they can go both ways round Thanet to get there; incidentally the loop that goes round Broadstairs wasn't until the Southern Railway joined them up at Dumpton Park which is when the Ramsgate railway tunnel to the harbour closed.

so what's the story with Manston? open or shut or freight only?

[Teapot]

Martin, I'm surprised you saw a Javelin from the coastal path - it's not meant to be running on the line that you can see from there! Are you sure it wasn't a different bit of the route where you saw it?

I saw a Javelin train at Chestfield and Swalecliffe station on the Victoria to Ramsgate line a few weeks ago,so Martin wasn't dreaming!

[Teapot]

Saw a pretty big jet take off from Manston; I thought it had shut  

Manston is still a busy air freight aerodrome, although not sure if it offers any passenger charter flights anymore.Did you have any of Jay's vegetable chilli and home made fruit salad after the ride?It was a real treat as always!

[citoyen]

That's Thanet, still under construction.   London Array has not started construction yet.

Ah, I see. I didn't know about that one - I just saw the construction work going on and assumed it was the London Array.

Smutch; no it was definitely a Javelin and definitely near Reculver; they are going to be serviced at Ramsgate (I think that's what Simon B told me) so they are probably checking they can go both ways round Thanet to get there

I saw a Javelin train at Chestfield and Swalecliffe station on the Victoria to Ramsgate line a few weeks ago,so Martin wasn't dreaming!

OK, I'm confused now...

Right. Just had another look at the draft timetable at southeasternrailway.co.uk and it seems there's going to be a service from St Pancras to Faversham (albeit not really a "high-speed" service because they're stuck behind the regular service for most of the route), so I guess it's not so odd to spot them on that line after all - although it seems they won't be running as a passenger service on the stretch between Faversham and Margate, probably just getting from Faversham to Ramsgate as Martin says.

d.

[aregister]

Did you have any of Jay's vegetable chilli and home made fruit salad after the ride?It was a real treat as always!

Hear hear! Food was delicious and very much appreciated. Plus the cakes.