Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Audax => Topic started by: αdαmsκι on 21 May, 2018, 09:18:43 pm
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Having got unfinished business with The Irish Mail (I ditched ChrisN in Bangor & got the train back to Shrewbury :-[ (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=47360.msg948827#msg948827)) and needing to get some climbing in my legs in preparation for the Alpi4000 I've now entered the Irish Mail 400 from Upton Magna. It's being organised by John Hamilton et al. so expect fantastic TLC at the manned controls, and some hills. In fact 5¼ AAA points worth of hills.
The route is here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19576367 and details of the ride are here: http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/18-50/y
(http://www.aukweb.net/perms/50b.jpg)
John's also offering the Snowdon & Lakes 300 the same day, which looks similar but without going across Anglesey http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/18-425/
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I'm in for the 300... I made a few tweaks to the route to divert onto the Llangollen canal towpath and the Pontsycyllite aqueduct. Revised route available as GPX file if anyone wants it
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And unfortunately now full up. Demand has been somewhat higher than I expected and way more than any of the original editions of the event. Couple of places left on the 300 but that's all folks.
All the significant climbing is in the 100k from Llanfyllin to Llanberis. Most people get to Pete's Eats later than they expect but all the hard work is done by that point. The A5 return leg in particular is a good fast run and the climbs are all well graded.
Route has already been ridden by ourselves last weekend. There's a new cafe for the control in trawsfynydd now so less on the A470 as you miss out Coed y Brenin. Holyhead control is new as well, now at the new truckstop on the edge of town. Good hot food, and a bar for your isotonic recovery drink :) Bangor Services is currently a building site so the next control is at Menai Bridge instead. It's a long overnight leg but the 24hr garage at Betws is there if needed. Danial Webb will be feeding you all at Llangollen and there will be airbeds etc if you need to get your head down before the final early morning run back through Shropshire for a full English at the finish.
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And unfortunately now full up. Demand has been somewhat higher than I expected and way more than any of the original editions of the event. Couple of places left on the 300 but that's all folks.
All the significant climbing is in the 100k from Llanfyllin to Llanberis. Most people get to Pete's Eats later than they expect but all the hard work is done by that point. The A5 return leg in particular is a good fast run and the climbs are all well graded.
Route has already been ridden by ourselves last weekend. There's a new cafe for the control in trawsfynydd now so less on the A470 as you miss out Coed y Brenin. Holyhead control is new as well, now at the new truckstop on the edge of town. Good hot food, and a bar for your isotonic recovery drink :) Bangor Services is currently a building site so the next control is at Menai Bridge instead. It's a long overnight leg but the 24hr garage at Betws is there if needed. Danial Webb will be feeding you all at Llangollen and there will be airbeds etc if you need to get your head down before the final early morning run back through Shropshire for a full English at the finish.
Thanks John, Is Llangollen a manned control also for the 300?
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Can't wait. I rode the Snowdon and Coasts 400 in 2010. Cant remember the route but I do remember a fast run to Vrnwy then a hilly bit to Llanberis.
Do I need to reserve camping space?
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Phew. It sounds like I was one of the last entries on the 400.
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I'm on the 300, coz 400s are horrible. Can't wait.
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Phew. It sounds like I was one of the last entries on the 400.
Phew, I think I was probably ‘the’ last entry for the Irish Mail! 8)
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I'm in on this one, hoping the weather is a little kinder than the elenith,
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Do I need to reserve camping space?
No, we've got loads of room. I'll get the revised route sheets uploaded and all the info sent out to entrants over the next few days.
Thanks John, Is Llangollen a manned control also for the 300?
Yes. 300 is the same as the 400 minus the Anglesey loop. Same route and controls out to Llanberis. To avoid some of the traffic on the return there's an alternative exit from Bangor on the Lon Las Ogwen cycle trail. There's an additional control to break the Llanberis - Llangollen section into more even chunks - this is a free choice anywhere between Capel Curig and Betws y Coed. Recommendations are Cafe Siabod in Capel, or the Spar (with an excellent bakery) in Betws if you don't want a sit down feed (still stuffed from Pete's Eats in Llanberis). Llangollen will be open from 6pm so unless you're right on the minimum time limit there'll be food available there. Hot grub at the finish, and if you're staying over on Saturday night I'm sure we can manage a breakfast on Sunday morning along with the Irish Mail finishers.
I'm in on this one, hoping the weather is a little kinder than the elenith,
So am I, don't fancy another round of pushing folk out of the camping field. Although the previous incarnation of this ride didn't have the best fortune with the weather - 2007 wet, 2008 hot, 2009 good all round, 2011 windy (& wet). And after all this good weather recently we must be due some proper Welsh weather. Some threads from the past..
2011 https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=47360 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=47360)
2009 https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17459 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17459)
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I recall no washing opportunities in Upton Magna. Is this still the case?
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Sounds amazing, can't wait!
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I recall no washing opportunities in Upton Magna. Is this still the case?
There's no showers certainly. Just washbasins in the toilets. You can get a shower at the Shrewsbury Sports Village (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Shrewsbury+Sports+Village)
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Thanks John. A basin wash will do it. I'll just have to try and get back before it gets busy.
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Looking forward to the Irish Mail especially as I didn't get my finger out and enter Mille Cymru !
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Just looking at food options for Friday night
The local pub is fine dining rather than carbo loading
http://www.thehaughmond.co.uk/menus (http://www.thehaughmond.co.uk/menus)
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I see the ride is now easier as it's just 5 AAA rather then 5¼ AAA ;)
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Really looking forward to this – the last edition was my very first 400km, and it was unforgettable – still by far the most powerful wind and rain I've ever ridden in: it was a torrential storm that blew for more than 12 hours. Above the sea wall at Holyhead there was a ceiling of horizontal water: it was incredible.
I remember before the start John Hamilton was looking at his laptop weather forecast, in all innocence (having avoided weather forecasts all week) I asked 'what's it going to be like?' "er, a bit damp in the afternoon" he said. I took him at his word not realising that it was my first experience of Audax understatement ...imagine my surprise :facepalm: I remember feeling my eyeballs dent as the rain hit them descending into Llanberis, and the night A5 section: ferries cancelled, no cars, just torrents of water and our little group of 3 hanging onto our bikes with all we had to keep them from getting blown off the road. At the end while I was texting home I felt tears rolling down my cheeks. It was only then I realised how deep I'd had to dig to get to the finish. Epic.
Anyway, really happy John is running it again, and very much looking forward to revisiting it in more benign conditions!
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The forecast for the weekend is certainly looking rather better than it was in 2011 (and this year's Elenydd so will be a bit drier underfoot for the campers).
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Weather Bagel prediction for the Irish Mail at 24 km/hr: http://www.weatherbagel.com/f/3c53adc8-206f-410f-bba1-3d951a86a3f7
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and our little group of 3 hanging onto our bikes with all we had to keep them from getting blown off the road.
I remember it well Andy, see you at the start on Saturday.
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Forecast is improving in line with my theory that longer term weather predictions usually arrive earlier.
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...see you at the start on Saturday.
well this is embarrassing, as soon as I saw this in the calendar I thought, I'm doing that, but when I checked the start time on the auk site this morning there was no 'you have entered this event' at the top, and it seems I totally neglected to tell John that was my intention / enter :facepalm:
So it's a porkers for me this weekend! I *have* entered the MC1K, so will be in Upton Magna once this year, and not twice as expected. Sorry! have a great ride everyone.
Andrew.
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Been there done that for running events.
In my Google calendar I now add question marks to events I'm thinking about entering. Once I've entered the question mark changes to a tick.
Enjoy Porkers
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In my Google calendar I now add question marks to events I'm thinking about entering. Once I've entered the question mark changes to a tick.
That is a REALLY good idea. Thank you.
Diary entry for 18/7/19 now reads ?PBP :thumbsup:
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In my Google calendar I now add question marks to events I'm thinking about entering. Once I've entered the question mark changes to a tick.
That is a REALLY good idea. Thank you.
Diary entry for 18/7/19 now reads ?PBP :thumbsup:
You doing PBP a month early?
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...You doing PBP a month early?
Doh. it's not been my finest day :facepalm:
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Another fantastic event, incredible weather and amazing food... many thanks to John and Linda for organising it and to all the volunteers along the way, especially the control at Llangollen... the soup was exceptional! :thumbsup:
Seeing as we were in Llangollen early, we took a small diversion to cycle on the aqueduct, which was quite something!
(https://i1.wp.com/whosatthewheel.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/photo0236.jpg?ssl=1&w=450)
(https://i1.wp.com/whosatthewheel.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/photo0238.jpg?ssl=1&w=450)
(https://i1.wp.com/whosatthewheel.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/photo0239.jpg?ssl=1&w=450)
(https://i0.wp.com/whosatthewheel.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/photo0241.jpg?ssl=1&w=450)
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Lovely ride in awesome weather. A shame I wasn't fast enough to keep up with company for the last bit.
Unfinished business with this ride as front mech/chainset issues forced to off a few times.
Must try again.
Interestingly though it was my second fastest 300 (behind hereward the wake) despite the climbing, my gear issues and riding solo from the first control onwards, i ended up with less total time and less moving time than on the dean (twice) or oasts and coasts. So i'm feeling like i am hitting good form in time for mille pennines.
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I rode the 400 with Flatus and Graham G. The first part out to Lake Vyrnwy with a tailwind was fast and furious. A tactical wee stop meant we fall out of the large group we'd ended up at the head of and things calmed down.
Lake Vyrnwy was looking stunning as we cycled along the shoreline. We took it sensibly up Bwlch y Gros, enjoying the fantastic scenery & ignoring the few drops of rain. I found it odd riding up this climb knowing I'd ridden it in September on fixed and, apart from the very top section, finding it all okay. I guess when one doesn't have the options of gears it is just case of getting on with riding.
The next section across Trawsfynydd mountain road was brilliant. I must have ridden this road back in 2011, but the weather was terrible and it all felt new to me. It's nice being able to link the main road sections I know from things like the BCM 600 together. Another quick stop at Trawsfynydd control meant we were quickly on our way to Pen y Pass. I really like that climb as I find it the perfect gradient to tap out a good rhythm. Flatus and I are waiting for the photo from the top to find out who won the sprint for the summit.
The stop at Pete's Eats was possibly a mistake as it was baking inside & all three of us had a slow ride to Bangor digesting food. On the BCM 600 I dislike the Llanberis to Bangor section and it was the same today. At least it's not far.
The first part across Anglesey was a tad dull after all the amazing mountain views, but the coastline ride back made up for the inland section.
Then all we had was the ride along the A5. In the evening light it was an incredible trip. The gradients are perfect, the traffic light after the first little bit and I enjoyed spotting all the old toll houses, mile markers etc that one misses when driving. Not having to think about navigation made this a mentally much easier section.
The food at Llangollen was great and we then sorted out warm clothes for the last leg. It was a shame to leave the A5 and get back onto some smaller roads with gravel and potholes to dodge in some cases. We still made decent progress and finished just before 1am covered in grime and bugs. I used the outside tap to clean myself off before collapsing in my sleeping bag to dream about a fantastic ride.
Many many thanks to John, Linda, Edwin, Daniel and the other helpers.
(https://pbs-0.twimg.com/media/DfP-_BGX4AEdmJj?format=jpg)
(https://pbs-0.twimg.com/media/DfP--JYX4AAjaDx?format=jpg) Bwlch y Grows
(https://pbs-0.twimg.com/media/DfP-9e0X0AA03Po?format=jpg) Trawsfynydd
(https://pbs-0.twimg.com/media/DfQl2WkX0AAFbwR?format=jpg) Riding onto Hollyhead
(https://pbs-0.twimg.com/media/DfRGQhuW4AM_z3w?format=jpg) Audax glamour: sat outside Waitrose at Menai Bridge & getting disapproving looks from the customers heading in and out of the shop
(https://pbs-0.twimg.com/media/DfRbv7pXUAEQSKO?format=jpg) Ogwen
(https://pbs-0.twimg.com/media/DfRpwJzXkAEHW_W?format=jpg) Sunset on the A5.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1629390482
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Well that was jolly fun.
Loved it all except for the Menai-Holyhead section which was a shit.
Highlights:Snowdonia (obvs) Vrnwy lake angry fat shouty man, mountain road over the Belch, Trawsfyndd mountain road, Anglesey return leg, Menai to Capel Curig mountains, into the darkness with Underworld and Leftfield in my ears.
Thanks John, Linda, Edwin and the other helpers
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The stop at Pete's Eats was possibly a mistake as it was baking inside & all three of us had a slow ride to Bangor digesting food. On the BCM 600 I dislike the Llanberis to Bangor section and it was the same today. At least it's not far.
I think we did the right thing to raid the SPAR instead... ice cream, coca cola, sandwich and kit kat bar were a lot more suited to the weather. Pete's Eats is great when it's cold
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My first ride over 80km since my crash so a certain amount of trepidation but started well and rode near the front but just off the pack so I could spot potential pot hole issues. Passed more often on the downhills rather than uphill due to very cautious descending. I really enjoyed it until it got dark and the temperature plummeted, the descent into towards Betws had me longing for another hill to warm up on. I stopped for a kip at Llangollen to minimise night time riding, leaving as soon as it was light. This resulted in feeling very fresh at the finish rather than the normal getting my head down for a couple of hours before driving.
We were very well looked after at Llangollen, and again at the finish, a super event all round!
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Lovely, lovely day out on the bike, finest Snowdonia trip I've ever done. Feel much better prepared for next big ride now between the extra miles in the legs and great hints, tips and reminders from flatus and adamski, appreciate it all. Now feeling suitably battered.
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Many thanks to John and his helpers for a great day out on the bike and their fabulous hospitality. It was a stunning day on the bike with good vegan food (I had 3 bowls of Danel's soup so I hope he didn't run out) among many highlights were my first time up Bwlch-y-groes, the evening jaunt through the west of Ynys Mon and a really beautiful ride back through Snowdonia around sunset. The section from Bethesda to Betws-y-coed was remarkably beautiful in the last fading light of day, being slow has it's rewards sometimes.
My first time on this event so I hope it won't be anoher 7 years before it's run again
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WHat a wonderful route, which had a bit of everything, I was still a bit tired from the previous weekends endevours but I am glad I made the effort and rode.
Control #2 was an awesome setting I could have stayed there all day.
Thanks to Undulates and Mrs Undulates Danial and Edwin and everyone else who helped to put this on. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Thanks everyone. All seems to have gone well. We were blessed with pretty much perfect weather, certainly a bit different to the last edition in 2011.
Seven years ago I decided to retire this event as I'd never managed to get a field of more than 36 riders, and the 2011 edition was only just over 20. Which didn't make the event viable either financially or from the point of view of getting enough helpers to run the overnight control. But never say never, and I reckoned it was time to give it another go. So I was pleasantly surprised to end up having to close entries early when I ended up with 80 takers. That turned into 66 starters which certainly makes it worth running.
I'm biased of course but I'd forgotten how good the route is, with its great variety of scenery. The new truckstop at Holyhead has transformed it as well - so much better than raiding Tesco's - you can now get some hot food ready for that long night leg. Overall I really enjoyed putting it on again, so whilst I can't say for definite I suspect it may not take another 7 years to reappear. It won't be next year though - the PBP qualifying schedule means it would have to be a month earlier and the Brevet Cymru/BCM behemoths make finding a slot in the calendar difficult then. PBP year also seems to attract the weather - both 2007 and 2011 were wet and windy whereas non-PBP years seem to consistently attract good weather. Maybe in 2020 though...
And lastly thanks hugely to Mrs Undulates and all my other helpers at Upton Magna, Danial & Edwin at Llangollen, and Bay at the Old Barn for opening up early for us.
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Perhaps it attracts the weather because of being a month earlier to fit the PBP schedule.
Irish mail would still be a viable qualifier at only one week earlier. Just saying this as I feel I have unfinished business with this ride.
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Just saying this as I feel I have unfinished business with this ride.
http://www.aukweb.net/perms/detail/JHA05/
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I think the Snowdon & Lakes 300 option was the perfect ride and I hope you still offer it in the future... long and hilly enough to provide that sense of achievement, but at the same time short enough to allow tweaks of the route for a bit of "sightseeing".
Most importantly, I love a ride that ends before the pub shuts... ;D
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Just saying this as I feel I have unfinished business with this ride.
http://www.aukweb.net/perms/detail/JHA05/
Can't be used as a PBP qualifier though if it is a perm. I can't think of any other 400 I'd rather do. Although with a weekend away for the 600 and again for pbp I might have to go for the local 400 to keep it as only one day out.
I expect demand for qualifiers will be up on previous years. It coukd be mire a cse of ruders competing for pkaces on rides than rides competing for riders.
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Can't be used as a PBP qualifier though if it is a perm. I can't think of any other 400 I'd rather do.
Hot trod?