Bryan Chapman Memorial 2010

[Hot Flatus]

Or a llw

[Von Broad]

I was the last to arrive at the finish, certainly while it was still manned, where I explained to Mark that I was disqualified having accepted a lift. In spite of my difficulties it is a fantastic ride. Some days you can do it and some days you can't. C'est la vie.

Sorry you had a bad day Dave, but I must admit I did enjoy reading your report. I was with you every word of the way. Wonder why? Something to do with mirroring experience or the like 

I did get a picture of you, I've just been fiddling with it, it needed sorting as it was a bit dark by then, it's a bit noisy,
Rich Forrest BCM on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

On the new frame by the looks of it. 
Working out ok Rich?

[BlackSheep]

I didn't realise you spoke Cornish Mark! 

Well I've been told that the two languages are very close, by virtue of the fact that years ago some Welsh folk Swam south thinking they'd got to France  , instead they landed just west of Bude.

[Euan Uzami]

People can say what they want regardless of what any self-appointed guardian of the spirit of audax thinks.

If Simon is chuffed with setting personal bests, then great

Self-appointed guardian? Well I didn't create the spirit of audax, but I'm happy to stand up for it. It's pretty bloody obvious that non-competitiveness is a cornerstone.

Your 2nd statement is redundant - I made it pretty clear that I approve of Simon racing himself.

It's pretty obvious to me that people DO ride audaxes competitively, otherwise why were the other people that were getting to dolgellau at the same time as me (1:30am-2am) asking to be woke up at 4/5am. Even if you set off well after 7am (as I did) and are a LOT slower than you were on the first day ( as I was) then you're still going to finish not only on time, but in daylight. There's no harm in that, imho, though.

Serious question, and possible a question for its own thread, but: If audax isn't competitive, then why bother with validation at all?
If there were no validation, and either the money saved went toward slightly more subsidised food, or it were cheaper, or even more in the pocket of the organiser for his efforts, then how many would still ride audaxes?

[Deano]

Well, the quicker you finish, the quicker you can get home!  It wasn't an issue for me on the BCM, but this weekend I'll be aiming to hammer around a 400 and have an early night.

Also, if you're quick enough to ride the first 400 of the BCM in sub-20 hours, it gets you a good few hours' kip at the youth hostel.  Riding a bit quicker and being aware of your times isn't just about one-upmanship or PBs - it can be the difference between a comfy ride where you spend most of the hours of darkness asleep, and a less pleasant ride where you grab a few minutes' kip at handy bus shelters.

[simonp]

I tried to ask to be woken at 7 but this was refused and I had to go for 6.

[Deano]

I did hear about a couple of people, in a dormitory where everyone else was being woken at 5.00, asking for a 4.45 wake-up call

I went with 5.00 cos that's what everyone else wanted.  Suited me fine.

[RichForrest]

On the new frame by the looks of it. 
Working out ok Rich?

Yes doing ok with it,  done over 2500km on it since the 1st April.
It's better than the other one due to being a couple of inches longer and the bigger wheels help the rolling speed 

[BlackSheep]

I did hear about a couple of people, in a dormitory where everyone else was being woken at 5.00, asking for a 4.45 wake-up call
I went with 5.00 cos that's what everyone else wanted.  Suited me fine.

Sleeping will always be a problem at Kings YHA, there are effectively only 36 beds. but this in itself is only part of the problem.
Sleep and the lack of it, does funny things to people.

I remember in PBP 2003 a rider asking to be woken in an hour, they were - then promptly went back to sleep. This always happens on every event.

Some poor sod get taken to a bed where the occupant has agreed a wake time, but has gone back to sleep. result two unhappy bunnies. One has missed their planned departure (and possibly riding partners), the other their slumber.

I think the 4:45 may have been a red herring, the one area I stressed o sleep controllers, was to be accurate on custommer requirements - it can have a huge bearing on th esecond day. And all bookings were made with the cyclists stood in front of them.
We had a couple of 4:30s, and I got them myslf, walking in the rain to get them - what a joy.

Next year I hope to have an extra 20 or so beds, so the problem will not exist. 

[kcass]

If audax isn't competitive, then why bother with validation at all?

There's PBP qualification for a start - that's what AUK was originally invented for.

[BlackSheep]

Whilst on the subject. we found out at about 5:00 that we had an unused bunk in dorm 5 and another in dorm 3 they had been allocated but the cyclists did their own thing  . Guilty paries will be saved being named

And we had cyclists waiting until 4:00 for a bed  .

OK only an hour you may think - not so, they could have ben waiting since 2:00.

I was asked at the end of the event, "Why was sleep rationed so much"?

It's a case of woking backwards (don't go there Hummers ). The late arrivals will be getting to Kings YH any time from 5:00 onwards. The earlier riders from about 22:00 (the earliest left before this time - but cycled through). main field starts to arrive from midnight, so that allows circa 6 hours (of two lots of 3 hours) for the main part of the field. Every one can then get about the same ammount of rest.
If you're feeling that good, there's always the next control 60 clics down the road. Get there at about 4, you could sleep until midday  

[Jasmine]

I'm in the second year of trying to learn it

How did your linguistic challenge at Tre'Ddol go?

I passed on it - bounced the control I'm afraid

I tried at the Cei Newydd control on the Brevet Cymru, but the conversation rapidly span out of my understanding

The best place to try on this ride would have been the Menai Bridge control.  If you had lost the conversation you could have just pretended it was because you were tired from the ride.  Of course, if you are learning in South Wales, you might become unstuck quite quickly talking to Gogs. 

[Euan Uzami]

If audax isn't competitive, then why bother with validation at all?

There's PBP qualification for a start - that's what AUK was originally invented for.

ok, granted. But:
* PBP is in itself just another audax
* lots of people ride audaxes in britain that either have already done pbp (and thus presumably qualify for it again), or else have no intention of riding it.

[vorsprung]

It's pretty obvious to me that people DO ride audaxes competitively, otherwise why were the other people that were getting to dolgellau at the same time as me (1:30am-2am) asking to be woke up at 4/5am. Even if you set off well after 7am (as I did) and are a LOT slower than you were on the first day ( as I was) then you're still going to finish not only on time, but in daylight. There's no harm in that, imho, though.

ok I got to Dolgellau for a kip at 1:30am.  Arriving at this time was planned because I usually find it difficult to stay with it after 2am.  Leaving at 6am ( and so waking at 5am ) was also planned.  Three hours sleep is plenty for me and waking up at 5am isn't difficult.  I needed to finish at 7-ish as I was going to work the next day and I wanted to drive back to Devon and get a good nights sleep.  As it happened I went quite well on day two.  There were some good bits with tailwinds and no bad patches.

Competitiveness had nothing to do with it, just practicalities.  I'm more surprised that my plan actually worked out!

[BlackSheep]

ok, granted. But:
* PBP is in itself just another audax
.............................

 
Try telling the ACP that. The bicylcle was invented for PBP 
Folk were just messing about on things like Giro D'Italia and suchlike  before this.

[urban_biker]

*comments moved to "why bother with validation thread"

[mattc]

...

To save someone else pointing it out ... one has to qualify for every PBP separately. Hence AUK has some purpose in validating rides for a while to come, at least 1 year in 4.

***WOAH***
A nice man has rather sensibly started a new thread about all this:
If audax isn't competitive, then why bother with validation at all?

[arabella]

It's pretty obvious to me that people DO ride audaxes competitively, otherwise why were the other people that were getting to dolgellau at the same time as me (1:30am-2am) asking to be woke up at 4/5am. Even if you set off well after 7am (as I did) and are a LOT slower than you were on the first day ( as I was) then you're still going to finish not only on time, but in daylight. There's no harm in that, imho, though.

Personally I like to think that these folk who get up at 5:00 am are being considerate and leaving some empty beds for those of us that won't arrive until 5:00 am (when I did BCM 2 years ago)  I'd get very whiny if I thought _fast_persons_ were hogging a bed for a full night's sleep and I had to slum it on the floor for my meagre 2 hours.
I set off well after 7:00 am and DIDN'T finish in daylight (fvm).
You obviously have no idea what it is like at the slow end of the field etc.

[Euan Uzami]

ok, granted. But:
* PBP is in itself just another audax
.............................

 
Try telling the ACP that. The bicylcle was invented for PBP  
Folk were just messing about on things like Giro D'Italia and suchlike  before this.

furthermore PBP at least used to be a race. (according to a cycling video i watched in france).
Ok, tell me: does PBP itself have validation?

*comments moved to "why bother with validation thread"

A nice man has rather sensibly started a new thread about all this:
If audax isn't competitive, then why bother with validation at all?

Thank you

[JStone]

It’s humbling to read some of these accounts of epic speed and fitness, with riders setting new PB times and getting back to Dolgellau before I'd even arrived at Menai Bridge. So in the interests of ‘fair and balanced reporting’, I’m delighted to announce a new PW time, rolling in to the finish at 9:45.
Enjoyed the ride – mostly. Struggled through the overnight rain, up the endless hills, and tried in vain to keep up with various passing groups.
Took full advantage of the slow rider benefits – pre-warmed bed, maximum value for money (hr/£), and no guilt about hoovering up food at controls - no need to save any if there’s not many behind.
+1 to all the praise for the organiser / helpers – don’t think I'd attempt a ride like this without knowing that there was guaranteed tlc every few hours.
NB – did anyone else notice the irony that the only wind turbine not busily spinning around was the one on the hill above the Centre for Alternative Technology at Machynlleth?!

[3peaker]

Arabella:
You obviously have no idea what it is like at the slow end of the field etc.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I approached Dolg YH around 7.30am with all these bright eyed bikies/trikie coming the other way.  Thought I was catching up but then realised they had had several hrs of luxury to explain their mood.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some of us did not even make it in for a bed having to 'slum/cat nap' it in on tables (taken away), bus shelters, grass verges to avoid falling asleep on the wheel (done that (Trike-PBP95) - ouch); so a bed or a dry warm floor (LEL09 but not a Control) is a real bonus.  In the rain the hardest part is to make it to a dry spot/bench etc.

SteveP

[Euan Uzami]

Personally I like to think that these folk who get up at 5:00 am are being considerate and leaving some empty beds for those of us that won't arrive until 5:00 am

I would have been quite happy to have been woken up at 5am if someone else had arrived that wanted the bed. But I wasn't.

(when I did BCM 2 years ago)  I'd get very whiny if I thought _fast_persons_ were hogging a bed for a full night's sleep and I had to slum it on the floor for my meagre 2 hours.
I set off well after 7:00 am and DIDN'T finish in daylight (fvm).
You obviously have no idea what it is like at the slow end of the field etc.

What I read of the event before doing it was that there would be multiple sofas etc in the YH for those that didn't get a bed, and there were.
As I saw it, the bed was a luxury that *might* have been available if one were lucky, not a given that you could bank on. And I was quite happy to undertake BCM with this in mind.
I think you'll find that at > 36 hrs I *am* at the "slow end of the field".
I hope you have a good ride & sleep if and when you choose to do it again, and I think it's nice of Mark to seek to arrange extra beds. Thanks.

[Greenbank]

You obviously have no idea what it is like at the slow end of the field etc.

*checks tracklog from 2009*

Indeed.

In 2009 I arrived at Kings at 7:15am and left at 8:30am. I didn't even bother even thinking about a bed, I'd had a 15 minute nap at Menai and another 15 minute nap on a bench just before Penrhyndeudraeth which saw me through the rest of the day. At Kings I just had some food and a chat with the people there (who correctly convinced me that it was easier to cycle back to Chepstow than bother packing) and tipped half a bidon of cold water down my front (failing to put the top back on properly).

I finished at 10:48pm (BR timings in 2009 not the hard 10pm deadline of BRM).

[Hot Flatus]

As far as I'm concerned, getting in early enough to get a clean bed in an empty dormitory is just another facet of natural selection....

 
 

[Greenbank]

As far as I'm concerned, getting in early enough to get a clean bed in an empty dormitory is just another facet of natural selection....

I use your sock whilst you sleep.