The Dean

[Phil Hears A Who]

The info control at Marlborough had different descriptions on the brevet card and the route sheet, and was off-route anyway, something I've noticed from this organiser before. Seriously, how difficult can it be?

On one ride the distance between the route and the expected info control answer was 4.8km, not visible even on a clear day. Needless to say, no one was turning up at the finish with the "correct" answer. 

There seems to be a general attitude that info descriptions on the brevet card are not important as the information required is on the route sheet.

I think it's part of a backlash against the use of GPS files to navigate, as not being part of the one true way of audax. If I have time, I like to make my own gpx files from start to info 1 and info 1 to info 2 etc based on the route sheet, so I don't miss them.

I was also caught out in Marlborough, fortunately I wasn't fussed about getting the ride validated so opted to just crack on and get out of the cold and wet. None of the other riders I bumped in to seemed to have had any luck with it either.

Interesting point RE brevet card info vs route sheet info - I've never bothered to carry a route sheet (I'm firmly part of Generation GPS, and I'd have to buy a printer whose exclusive use would be printing route sheets). I'm relatively new to audax and I'd assumed the gpx and route sheet contained the same information: how to navigate between the controls. Maybe I need to buy a printer and learn more about this "one true way" you speak of...

[cygnet]

You may misunderstand.

Typically if a gpx is provided, it will follow the route sheet. (Or these days vv)

But a control distance on a Brevet card may be recorded as at the minimum distance from the start. If you follow the route sheet/gpx, you may be several km over-distance by the time you reach a late control.

This is a function of advisory vs mandatory routing.

[grams]

The question in the brevet card is often not sufficiently detailed to locate the feature, so you need to cross reference with the route sheet to work out which corner or pub or sign they’re interested in.

If you’re really lucky the route sheet instructions will lead you to the right location for the previous year’s question and won’t have been updated.

But in any case the root cause is AUK’s unexplained obsession with enforcing minimum distances, which no other country cares much about.

[Owen]

I carried the route sheet and had the latest GPX.
Yes I appreciate the brevet card distance maybe wrong but the clue should be right, and it was right, it just wasn't on the provided route. 
Having gone up and down the road (where according to the route sheet the info was) a couple of times me and the friends I was riding with decided to push on.
On arriving at Membury and chatting to a couple of riders who had ridden The Dean previously, they were happy to push me in the right direction.
So on Sunday morning I set to on Google maps and found the info. The answer was approx. 0.5km off route for the GPX and over a 1km off route for the route sheet ?
Without that push in the right direction I wouldn't have found it
So if that was you helped me, thanks

[Lightning Phil]

It’d be kind of funny, an info not being on the route, if it wasn’t a PBP qualifying event. I’m surprised that wasn’t picked up by the organiser route check a week or so before.

[Wycombewheeler]

Interesting point RE brevet card info vs route sheet info - I've never bothered to carry a route sheet (I'm firmly part of Generation GPS, and I'd have to buy a printer whose exclusive use would be printing route sheets). I'm relatively new to audax and I'd assumed the gpx and route sheet contained the same information: how to navigate between the controls. Maybe I need to buy a printer and learn more about this "one true way" you speak of...

The GPX and route sheet do take you on the same route, both are perfectly fine for navigating the course, but the GPX file is not usually flagged with the info locations. so you need to identify them from either the brevet card or the route sheet.

The brevet card may say "at the t junction; distance to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogogoch", "wetwang; last collection time on postbox" or "Nether Wallop; name of pub", but by reading the route sheet you will know for sure which T junction or location you should be at.

By spending some time creating your own bespoke gpx files, aside from gaining a better understanding of where you will be riding, it will be impossible to ride past an info. Many times I have seen riders ahead of me ride straight past an info, or seen them taking down information before they have reached the info.

Of course this does not help if the info isn't actually on the route. In such cases I just file this under "organisers rides I do not wish to enter in the future", because life is too short to be wandering around a village or town at 2am in the rain trying to find something which should have been on the route.

[TheBerkshireGrinder]

It’d be kind of funny, an info not being on the route, if it wasn’t a PBP qualifying event. I’m surprised that wasn’t picked up by the organiser route check a week or so before.

Sadly this was also the case with another PBP qualifier organised by this individual - to the point that at the end he was telling people what the info control answers were, or correcting those which riders had got wrong/missed on account of his p!sspoor instructions.  If he bothered with a route check at all, he must have done it with his eyes shut.  Getting it wrong on one event is perhaps mere incompetence.  More than once seems wilful. 

[PAC]

It’d be kind of funny, an info not being on the route, if it wasn’t a PBP qualifying event. I’m surprised that wasn’t picked up by the organiser route check a week or so before.

Sadly this was also the case with another PBP qualifier organised by this individual - to the point that at the end he was telling people what the info control answers were, or correcting those which riders had got wrong/missed on account of his p!sspoor instructions.  If he bothered with a route check at all, he must have done it with his eyes shut.  Getting it wrong on one event is perhaps mere incompetence.  More than once seems wilful.

😮😆

[Bikeabilityman]

Still got the light I found on the way to Malmesbury (bought a direct replacement for the Cateye one I lost). I can take it to the Brevet Cymru on 29th April, unless I hear from Tim first.

[TheBerkshireGrinder]

Anyone know if this is running in 2024? I should probably confirm "never again" for a 3rd time before not entering it....

[LiamFitz]

Have signed up for another dose

[Wycombewheeler]

signed up for another ride.

hoping for reasonable info controls

[Lightning Phil]

Sure the info’s will be in the same county as the route.

[veloboy]

Entered 

[P.P.]

I didn't get cold or wet enough last year, so I thought I'd better sign up for another go. 

[iddu]

In, back on the fitness trail..

I'm in the Travelodege Fri/Sat with space for +1 if anybody needs.

[Wycombewheeler]

I think this is going to be a challenge again, I haven't ridden over 100km in a day since I bailed on the full fat festive 500 at 250km, maybe get a 200km ride in on the 2nd of March

[thing1]

I was thinking about this one, but see it sold out already! (It used to be X rated and fairly unconstrained for size, perhaps that changed?)
Think it'll be Horsepower ECE for me that day instead

[mattc]

I was thinking about this one, but see it sold out already! (It used to be X rated and fairly unconstrained for size, perhaps that changed?)

Now it sounds like it's SUPER X rated ...

[Wycombewheeler]

I was thinking about this one, but see it sold out already! (It used to be X rated and fairly unconstrained for size, perhaps that changed?)
Think it'll be Horsepower ECE for me that day instead

still x rated, so no reason to be constrained on numbers, but the event info has already been sent out (really early), perhaps the organiser set a deadline because they are busy/away between now and the start.

[Lightning Phil]

still x rated, so no reason to be constrained on numbers,

Well that depends on how much event admin the organiser wants after the event.  It’s not press a button and done job. Every extra rider adds time, not so much at the start, but certainly during post event validation, and posting cards back.

[Wycombewheeler]

Looking like a wet afternoon tomorrow, showers forecast all over the return route from 13:00 onwards.

[TheBerkshireGrinder]

Looking like a wet afternoon tomorrow, showers forecast all over the return route from 13:00 onwards.

"Brisk easterly winds" too, says the BBC.  How nice. 

[P.P.]

Well if its going to rain you might as well have the rain thrown in your face by an icy easterly too for the full effect.

Sounds earlier reminiscent of last years weather.

[Lightning Phil]

Interesting route map