Upper Thames 5th November 2022

[Ray 6701]

I've updated the on line entry to £6 on twitter.

[Sergeant Pluck]

Time to consider the clothing + whether to wear my winter boots.

Temp sounds as if it will thankfully be a bit cooler than the last few days.  

[Simonb]

Will see you tomorrow. First bike-related challenge since Ventoux in September (I was SINGULarly exhausted after that one).

[Jaded]

Well, my forecast says that he wind will die down and it will be nearly dry. However it is saying max of 10 ˙C, so a fair bit cooler than today.

I've just been up to some fireworks and got blown about and very wet.

[Manotea]

Well, my forecast says that he wind will die down and it will be nearly dry. However it is saying max of 10 ˙C, so a fair bit cooler than today.
I've just been up to some fireworks and got blown about and very wet.

Best bring some long fingered gloves as the air temperture will plummet once the sun goes down.

[mattc]

Temp sounds as if it will thankfully be a bit cooler than the last few days.  

Amen to that - I detest those sultry double-figure temperatures. More suited for sunbathing than audaxing, what?

(CU all in the car-park.)

[toontra]

One slight problem - being that I have to get up at 4.30am to get to the start, how am I going to get a decent night's sleep with all manner of explosions going off just outside my bedroom window?

[Jaded]

Sleep in the bath.

[phil d]

Well, they're off, and in near perfect conditions - lightest of breezes, and bright day with just a little cloud.  Going to get cold this evening.

About 80 started.

[Marmitegeoff]

I am very envious as I sit here with a very runny nose
 

It will get cold this evening.

Geoff



 

[Manotea]

What a great day. Great route, great weather and a ride round ride from me. I've had some really hard days on the Upper Thames but today it all came together. Excellent!

The usual thanks to Organiser and team for making it happen. I thought the new HQ was a great success if for no other reason then it has a train station at the end of the road. I bet nobody complains about not having to flog up the A4074/Ipsden hill at the end of the ride!

[Martin]

+1 to the new start; nice to be able to see Quiet Lane and also the lovely leafy lane just after. And being able to bring pints from the pub next door into the hall 

Rode on and off with several YACF but mostly LiamF; no visitations for me but helped Peter T fix his and all finished in a respectable time. Many thanks phild and helpers  this ride was an instant success when I first rode it in 2004 and continues to be popular; deservedly so as it's a near perfect route.

[Sergeant Pluck]

Many thanks to phil d for his excellent route and organisation, also to all the helpers   That's a great route and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to get round it (mostly in the company of Tim of this parish).

We were very lucky with the weather today too - I think some of those straight exposed roads would be damned hard work in any kind of headwind.

Great ride. Good to see a healthy yACF turnout.  

Edit to add: I'm very glad we didn't have to ride the first bit at the end...

[Euan Uzami]

excellent ride, thanks phil. 
route was easy to follow, navigated it just fine on last section from brize norton without any gps or cumulative mileage.
Nice mix of roads and not completely flat either. Good countryside. Nice pearl barley soup at the finish.
I think having 2 controls rather than 3 is fine, when they are evenly spaced as they are.
Food and drinks in the controls was nice.

[iddu]

Excellent day indeed.

Must want me bumps felt though; up & out @ 5am, to pickup the route at Park Lane and scuttle over to the start.

Berins Hill was a good early morning shock to many; seeing it in daylight was fun...


Trying to blend into the scenery?


boab, grumping well... Hope you found some string, before becoming a bike park


Humm , wonder what's round there?

Every time on this route I seem to get a visitation somewhere between 12 & 25km; Keepers Corner was todays


Some net curtains, tea facilities - would be a perfect overnighter for the discerning AUK


Know your history - What's this?


Mobile homes for chooks...


Small wheels...Folding...something wrong here...(thinks)...it's the colour, isn't it  


Els, I thought you'd said "Never again" after the BCM


Ross - epic SUCESS  

Arrgh. I seem to have a floater just off the right eye centre line; symbol of female 5cm in front and depressed right 15 degrees, like an off target gunsight. If I squint at you, run - I'll be taking aim

[Tim Hall]

Know your history - What's this?

Sir! Sir! Is it the Victorian Water Tank at Bix? Is it Sir? <jumps up and down excitedly>

[Simonb]

Great day out a-wheel; lots of autumnal loveliness. Almost overslept and didn't make it.

Made an offering to the Punct*re Fa*ry (too little too late):

[Jaded]

It was a great day out.

I was a bit late starting because I got lost on the way in the car. Don't tell anyone that I used to live about 100m from the start location.  

The first section was glorious. Full of autumn scenes and punctures. I counted at least 10 and at one point I thought this could be my Tortoise and Hare Audax. I saw a number of YACFers, and leapfrogged Sgt Pluck and Tim Hall until the first control. The terrifying climb at Ipsden registered a gradient of 15%.

Stunning views. With a proper camera I could have taken about 3-4 days on this ride.



I caught someone up. It is worth reporting, believe me. His first words though were "You'd better not follow me, I'm not on the Audax!" We rode quite a long section until the telegraph pole/post box info control and chatted away. He is called John, from Reading CTC, and also walks and does a little mountain biking (recently did the coast to coast on mtb with his son). The wonderful camaraderie of cyclists.

At the first control (Waterperry Estate cafe) the leaf harvest was in full swing.



The 2nd section appeared tough. Into a slight headwind and (what I discovered looking at the recorded GPS track) a long draggy 22 mile climb from Bicester to Chipping N. When I reached the wonderfully hospitable cafe in Chipping Norton I thought I'd probably fail to trouble the scorers on this ride; I was tired, cold and down hearted. A small local problem hadn't helped.

Still, there were more stunning views on the way to CN.




The cafe was wonderful and an order for a cup of tea mutated into chips, apple pie and custard, a coke and a pot of tea.

Suitably enthused I set off with lights ready to blaze. The sunset crept away to leave 5 degrees of cold.



The run into the finish was fun. A very slight tail wind and stabby climbs followed by leisurely descents. A final sting in the tail of a short climb before the last km run in to Cholsey, past Agatha Christie's grave and the site of the sadly missed Cedar of Lebanon.

Being a prize winner I was offered lots of tasty soup, pudding, tea, etc.

Many thanks phil and gang for a great day.

[AndyH]

+1 to all the messages of thanks to Phil & team. Excellent reports as well, good to see the fine photos. I just wish I had met more of the YACFrs, but good to see Maidenhead Phil & Rich F - oh and postie, disappearing into the distance as usual.

I had a great day, although feeling the lack of miles in my legs. What next ?

[Marmitegeoff]

+1 to all the messages of thanks to Phil & team. Excellent reports as well, good to see the fine photos. I just wish I had met more of the YACFrs, but good to see Maidenhead Phil & Rich F - oh and postie, disappearing into the distance as usual.

I had a great day, although feeling the lack of miles in my legs. What next ?

Tinsel Lanes 

Geoff

[RichForrest]

I had a great day, although feeling the lack of miles in my legs. What next ?

Mine and Manotea's 600km AGM ride?
 

Yes was a good day out and good to see everybody. My day started at 03.00 and I was away at 04.15 as I was doing it as an ECE, very nearly didn't mae it after missing the turning in Chalgrove arriving at Cholsey at 07.15.
Was away slightly late and followed the group up the A4074. I had a puncture after a very slow decent down the lane from Bix. The cogs were coming loose again when I got to Waterperry so another fettle was had there.
Detoured Brill hill again but means a few more miles of the A41 but never that bad.
Chatted to Garry for a bit up until the main road into Chipping Norton.
Then dragged myself over the last  hills back to the start. 11hrs matches my best time for this ride.
Spent too long chatting at the end, kept saying I must go but was still there over 1.5hrs after arriving.
The ride home was slow and getting cold as the temp's dropped to almost 0 in places and was 3c when I got in at 00.00. 20hrs for 360km but with 5hrs off the bike.

[iddu]

Sir! Sir! Is it the Victorian Water Tank at Bix? Is it Sir? <jumps up and down excitedly>

Gold star for Timothy Most just ride straight by...



Now - more difficult; How many times did you pass an old metal "Bucks/Oxon" boundary post?

[Greenbank]

Taking a photo of the information board, how very American Tourist...

[NHRC Chris]

Gold star for Timothy Most just ride straight by...

Or, if it is where i think it is, some missed it completely by taking right fork coming down the hill and having to cycle back up the dual carriageway (must improve gpx making skills)

[AndyH]

I had a great day, although feeling the lack of miles in my legs. What next ?

Mine and Manotea's 600km AGM ride?
 

I think the negotiations on that one may fail ...... It should be Valley Of the Rocks as a perm in a couple of weeks time, to test my masochistic tendencies to the limit.

I also forgot that I did meet someone else from here at the CN control who provided the quote of the day for me (he shall remain nameless).
"16 pages on reflective vests for PBP - It's that sort of thing that gives Audax a bad name"