Bryan Chapman Memorial 2014 - A Thread

[rabbit]

Right then,

Where you staying?

What you looking forward to?

What are you dreading?

What bike are you riding?

What tips do you have for the first timers? 

What's the food like - I can carry enough of my own for a 400, but a 600 I am not so sure.  Will I be able to get beans on toast?

[marcusjb]

What tips do you have for the first timers? 

Hold your breath if you are retrieving a bag from the common room and there are bodies everywhere.  It's a special smell.

Enjoy it - it is a/the classic for a reason.

[Hummers]

The first tip that comes to mind is to avoid faffage - the arch villain of any ride over 300k.

Specifically for the BCM, be mindful that it is in Wales and the weather can make an otherwise delightful event into a very challenging one.

H

[wilkyboy]

Don't be afraid of the dark: unless you are very fast, you will be riding for quite some hours in a very dark and quite hilly part of the world.  But it's a very magical experience, and climbing without any view of the end of the hill is character-building stuff at 2am 

If there's a queue at the second food stop then grab an alternative receipt and get back on the bike and buy something to eat at the next pub/garage/Post Office: we wasted over an hour at the second stop last year queuing and waiting for our food.  I noticed a couple of well-known Moultoneers knew this to be the case as I passed their bikes at the café a mile or two before the official control.  Since this control has moved this year, according to the AUK summary, it's going to be a bit of an unknown.

Another tip to avoid being nearly out of time most of the way round is to ride a quicker bike 

[Lars]

Something to be aware of - It's almost 20k over-distance and BRM. The control
cutoff times on the brevet card are the times for averaging 15 km/h at the distance
of the control. Which means if one reaches the penultimate control close to the
cutoff time and then averaging 15 km/h for the final section will put the rider out
of time due to the 20k over-distance...

[Hot Flatus]

Take your fastest bike.
Ride steadily...its a long way, and putting yourself into the red will cost you later.
Get in a nice group but not one going faster than you are comfortable with.
Force yourself to start drinking straight away, eat something every 20 minutes.
don't get tempted into the race at the start
Keep eating and bounce the first control.
Have a change of clothes and gloves in your dropbag
Brush your teeth
Aim to be at the 400k sleep stop before midnight...do this by not turning yourself inside out at any point and avoiding all faffage
Don't give the second day any thought, it will take care of itself

[vorsprung]

As I haven't booked a room at the Travelodge yet can I ask if anyone has a spare bed in their room?

Friday night only, I'll get back to Devon after the event

[Euan Uzami]

What tips do you have for the first timers? 

change down to the lowest gear *before* the left turn to the youth hostel

[marcusjb]

What tips do you have for the first timers? 

change down to the lowest gear *before* the left turn to the youth hostel

Feck - yes - the best piece of advice I was given before my first (and only so far) BCM - how could I forget! 

[The Seldom Killer]

I've decided not to do the BCM this year so have a room at the Severn View Travelodge available for the Friday night and the Sunday night. You're for the bargainish price of £20 per night and comes with a free, complimentary non-motorised bridge crossing.

[vorsprung]

I've decided not to do the BCM this year so have a room at the Severn View Travelodge available for the Friday night and the Sunday night. You're for the bargainish price of £20 per night and comes with a free, complimentary non-motorised bridge crossing.

yhpm

[Jonah]

Can I have it?

[vorsprung]

The first tip that comes to mind is to avoid faffage - the arch villain of any ride over 300k.

Specifically for the BCM, be mindful that it is in Wales and the weather can make an otherwise delightful event into a very challenging one.

H

Also, if it is very very wet there is a "drying room" at the youth hostel.  It's full of radiators and stuff and can dry out gloves, boots etc over night

[Somnolent]

Since this control has moved this year, according to the AUK summary, it's going to be a bit of an unknown.

Well spotted !
Tre'r Ddoll would make for a rather long second leg, and the provisional route sheet mailed out last earlier this month still stays Nant Yr Arian
Where you saw the Moultons would have been the Red Kite (?) which AFAIK used to be a control and was also very slow in times gone by.
The garage in Ponterwyd is a good alternate.

[TOBY]

The provisional routesheet was mailed out with these notes

".....  Also, I would like to transfer the control after Bow Street back to Tre'r Ddol as the Cletwr cafe is open again.  However, it is now a community run operation so we need to see that  it is still open in May. I will email a final route sheet nearer the event.

[vorsprung]

..the Cletwr cafe is open again

Most excellent

[wilkyboy]

Since this control has moved this year, according to the AUK summary, it's going to be a bit of an unknown.

Well spotted !
Tre'r Ddoll would make for a rather long second leg, and the provisional route sheet mailed out last earlier this month still stays Nant Yr Arian
Where you saw the Moultons would have been the Red Kite (?) which AFAIK used to be a control and was also very slow in times gone by.
The garage in Ponterwyd is a good alternate.

Yes, it was the Red Kite (from StreetView).  The garage at Ponterwyd doesn't have much in the way of "food", more in the way of "snacks": I stopped there last year with the hope of getting a sandwich and only managed a milkshake, a packet of crisps and a restock of Jelly Babies.

If it's Nant yr Arian again this year then, unless I am somehow a couple of hours quicker than last year, I will be buying a car-park ticket and heading down the hill to Tre'r Ddol, which has a pub, a garage and the aforementioned café.  Oh, and of course since it's mostly downhill or flat from Nant yr Arian then it doesn't feel much further (but it wasn't raining last year).

One other tip: if you find yourself with not much time in hand on Sunday, find someone who looks like they are still going strong and shamelessly suck their wheel all the way to Chepstow ... thanks, PpPete! 

[caerau]

Right then,

Where you staying?   Home - I live in Cardiff so will drive down in the morning

What you looking forward to?  The Scenery and the company

What are you dreading? All the climbing, not my strong point but I'll try and muddle through.  I shall be changing to long cage rear derailleur and ultegra 30T rear cassette for this methinks

What bike are you riding? Almost certainly the old faithful BMC streetacer - my only other bike is not really suitable for the BCM being a commuter.  Though of course there will undoubtedly be loads of nutters fine fellows on foldables and suchlike

What tips do you have for the first timers?  Am a first timer too

What's the food like - I can carry enough of my own for a 400, but a 600 I am not so sure.  Will I be able to get beans on toast?  dunno - first time too


This ride is like my SR series last year.  Each was a major step up to the unknown and I roundly pooped myself before each one.  This will be much the same I think.  Been a while since I've been proper scared by an audax but this one is giving me that tight chested feeling just thinking about it already.  Very much anticipating it being a great ride too though.  This gets even better reviews than the Dean which very much lived up to the hype so here's

to looking forward to it too

[Lardy]

Right then,

Where you staying?

Severn View Travelodge. I've two spare room-spaces on the friday and sunday nights.

What you looking forward to?  The Scenery and the company

^^Likewise

[Somnolent]

One other tip: if you find yourself with not much time in hand on Sunday, find someone who looks like they are still going strong and shamelessly suck their wheel all the way to Chepstow ... thanks, PpPete! 

Yebbut I was only on your wheel because my usual lead-out was unwell.

Top tips - Don't think of it as a 600.  It's just stages of between 60 and 90km between controls, all you have to do is ride to the next one; refuel and repeat.

[Hot Flatus]

Top tip. Try, as best you can, to block out the constant pain and feeling of doom. Ignore the screams of other riders. Always keep in the back of your mind that from Chepstow things are going to keep getting worse.

[jamesld8]

Take your fastest bike.
Ride steadily...its a long way, and putting yourself into the red will cost you later.
Get in a nice group but not one going faster than you are comfortable with.
Force yourself to start drinking straight away, eat something every 20 minutes.
don't get tempted into the race at the start
Keep eating and bounce the first control.
Have a change of clothes and gloves in your dropbag
Brush your teeth
Aim to be at the 400k sleep stop before midnight...do this by not turning yourself inside out at any point and avoiding all faffage
Don't give the second day any thought, it will take care of itself

thanks and  great advice for my first 600 too---R230 setup to ride , tyres pumped up, legs tired though .... maybe too many km already this year (3 500 ish and hilly ones too)

[wilkyboy]

One other tip: if you find yourself with not much time in hand on Sunday, find someone who looks like they are still going strong and shamelessly suck their wheel all the way to Chepstow ... thanks, PpPete! 

Yebbut I was only on your wheel because my usual lead-out was unwell.

That's not quite how it happened: PpPete towed me most of the final leg at least to Monmouth in the sun last year, in spirit if not in actual draft (we weren't going very quickly by that point).  It can be difficult to maintain the mental side for 600km, especially on an exceptionally hilly (or exceptionally flat) 600 when you don't get much sleep at the sleep stop: riding the final 100km with someone else can be good for both riders and keeps the pace a little higher and makes the final leg a lot more enjoyable — a lot less like self-inflicted torture.

[Lordy]

Lots of things to advise, beyond those already stated all I can add is:
1.
 if you sleep at The YHA and it's cold in the morning, don't worry as you'll soon warm up within the next 10 miles.

2.
The climb near to Weobley is a £uck@r. 

3.
Don't miss out on the Barmouth bridge section.

4.
It's bound to be wet, especially after a dry 2013 ride.

[αdαmsκι]

What tips do you have for the first timers?


1. Avoid Mr. Sucky because he will suck the life out of you.
2. Bounce the first control
3. After the first control go via Boughrood to avoid the A470 like so: http://goo.gl/maps/6xe2o Minimal time lost for a far better ride.
4. Avoid the shitfest lanes between Knighton & Weobley like so: http://goo.gl/maps/FT403