Gospel Pass - 600km from stevenage

[Wycombewheeler]

Excited about the gospel pass event tomorrow, hoping my form will be good enough to get me to the pass for sunset. It took me 15 hours to get from Chepstow to Menai Bridge two weeks ago, so  6:15 start + 15 hours gets me there just as the sun is setting - perfect. Although 300km events do usually take me longer than 15 hours, so we shall see. Forecast for tomorrow is ENE wind sunny and 22C which should assist getting to Chepstow in good time, but will make the return journey on Sunday tougher.

My first time riding over the pass towards Hay instead of away from Hay, discussion elsewhere suggests this descent is better due to better surface, although it is steeper. I enjoyed many miles of 2-3% downhill going towards Llanthony, but during covid times so there was not too much traffic on the narrow lane, and the surface was also better than it is now.

Good luck to those needing this as a qualifier.

[Redlight]

My first time riding over the pass towards Hay instead of away from Hay, discussion elsewhere suggests this descent is better due to better surface, although it is steeper. 

I rode it around this time last year and the surface going up was awful. The descent, otoh, was very well surfaced (and wider) and I was able to barrel down. The views heading north are better too! Good luck.

[Frank9755]

I'm sure this will be a good ride as Phil's other routes have been excellent.

You may bump into people on the University Challenge 600 at Chepstow, depending on timing.  I'm doing it on a tandem and won't be there until nighttime.

[Lightning Phil]

My wife is less excited about being woken up early, for the second Saturday in a row.

Forecast wind direction looks similar to route check, though they are stronger, so perhaps a bigger push west, and more hindrance returning. Dry, and pretty much same temperatures as route check, which I felt was nice last weekend, if a little hot for me in afternoon.

The Cotswold climbs in the AAA section are mostly in the shade of the trees, which works well.

The Hay descent isn’t really steep until cattle grid.  It’s the ponies and sheep you need to keep an eye out for before that.   I’m also not sure it’s steeper than the Abergavenny side, as the climb from Capel-Y-Ffin to the cattle grid ramps up to about 18%.  But that’s not a long section of climb and the rest is pretty amenable.

[grams]

What are you considering the start of the AAA section?

(The AUK calculator is suggesting fewer points than listed)

[αdαmsκι]

[Lightning Phil]

I’d say from around Sherborne (a little before Northleach) to Gospel Pass, from 150km to 300km or there abouts.

The points are as per the AAA analyser, which Adamski has kindly shared above.

[Bianchi Boy]

I have just been to Hay and can confirm that the 'easy' side has the steepest section 16 to 18% and the hard side is more consistently steep, but my records suggest mo steeper than 14%

Sent from my SM-A346B using Tapatalk

[jackt]

Some of the riders going over the pass under a sensational moonrise, and a dusky descent into the Wye valley.

[felstedrider]

Some of the riders going over the pass under a sensational moonrise, and a dusky descent into the Wye valley.

Thanks, Jack.

Top one is me.

I’m a bit wrecked after the ride back today.  Thanks to Phil and team.  More later.


Rob

[Lightning Phil]

Well done to all the finishers, with my last rider getting back at 22:12, 3 minutes before the deadline.  Getting proper full value out of the event. Commiserations to those who did not finish. 

The event is in the planner for 2024; will be following the full moon, and running on July 20th / 21st.

[Wycombewheeler]

I feel wrecked after that ride, what was essentially my "easy" back up 600. I don't know about everyone else but it was far from easy.

It did not help that I had to add extra distance/time/hills to go and collect my power bank from home on the way.

The route from Chesham - great missenden - ford - Islip - Charlbury was well known to me and entirely expected, the cotswolds were also expected to be tough, in fact there was a next section before northleach that was easier than expected with a route along the ridge with views to the north and south at different times.

Chepstow to Abergavenny, slightly different than the usual route via Usk, but IMO no worse, Gospel Pass also entirely as predicted. I didn't quite see the sunset (due to my earlier diversion), but it was still  beautiful up there with the full moon rising behind me. And on To Hereford arriving at the travelodge at 12:30 "you're the last, your friends are already here" the man at the desk told me. So Day 1 340km (or 355km for me) about as hard as expected and feeling better about the easier day tomorrow.

100km from Hereford to Wellesbourne in 5 hours including a costa stop for breakfast, and I was feeling quite good about the rest of the ride, Wellesbourne to St Neots should be roughly similar to the final leg of the Acme Grand, which I rode at night, and so it proved rolling hills, nothing extreme, pleasant roads, all good. The difficulty here was the heat and tiredness I think.

Turning and riding south to Sandy was quick and flat, but then the turn west into the eastern edge of the Chilterns was really tough, probably the accumulation of previous hills, but it just felt like we kept going up without ever a corresponding descent, there would be views left and right suggesting we were on the highest ground in the area, only to turn a corner and find the road going up more.

Overall my moving average was 22.5kmh, compared to 20.5 on BCM and 19 on Brimstone, so even though it felt comparably hard to the Chapman I can probably put that down to the insanity of doing three 600s in consecutive weekends. seems like I need to work on reducing my stopped time 27.4 hours moving, 38 hours total means 10.5 stopped, only 4.5 was in the travelodge, so delaying elsewhere is costing me sleep.

[Lightning Phil]

You are going from Bedfordshire to Hertfordshire on the last leg.  A lot of my Bedfordshire rides typically average 5-7m per km, where as my Hertfordshire rides typically average 9-11m per km, and I can make it 15m per km with suitably designed routes.  The hill after Hexton only peaks at 7% and that steepness is only the first 1.5km. On freshish legs you wouldn’t think too much of it. There is a flatter more easterly return option, which I looked at originally, and was part of my first iteration of the route, but it’s too urban for my liking, too much traffic, and not a way I’d typically go through choice.

Of course it was quite hot in the sun on Sun afternoon, and that was just waiting at the finish.  We moved into the shade for as long as we could. That will have contributed additional fatigue as well as the headwind / crosswind till Keysoe.

[felstedrider]

Day one largely as expected, ridden mostly with Owen and Ian.  Despite feeling like we were going well the average speed was never that high.  I had a target to get to Hereford between 11pm and midnight as I had a Travelodge booking and believed Tesco was open until Midnight.

We entered the lumpy bit after Charlbury and it started to warm up.  The climbing wasn’t that hard but quite regular.  We had an extra stop at Wooton to top up bottles and Owen treated us to Magnums.  Over the Severn Bridge and down into Chepstow for another Tesco stop.  The climbing after Chepstow was steady but we were rewarded with some great views into Abergavenny.  The Gospel Pass was a joy with great views at sunset as shown in jackt’s photos.  I left my cohorts here and pressed on to Hereford reaching the (closed) Tesco at 11:30.  I checked into my digs and was asleep just after midnight.

Up at 4 and on the road at 4:30.  The run to Tewkesbury was lumpy but I was rolling OK.  I had an hour in hand at the garage.  After that things got a bit harder.  I found the short stabby climbs and headwind a bit troublesome and I was struggling.  I was fuelled OK and drinking fine but nothing seemed to be working.  I’m stuck at it, catching riders and being caught by others.  When we turned at Keysoe it suddenly felt easier and I was rewarded with fast roads and a tailwind.  Having earlier thought I would be in around 7:30 I was making time back.  A quick drop into a lumpy section for a last info had me saying hello to mr tetchy again but it passed.

I arrived back to find Phil W checking us in and Ian having his dinner.   Hung around for a while to see Owen come in.  That was a hard one and I’m feeling it today.  Thanks to Phil and helpers.


Rob

[Lightning Phil]

Must say, I seem to have a time lapse of Gospel Pass, from the photos riders have sent me.  It’s great watching it transition through from day to night.  They’ll be going up on the event web page I’ll be creating at some point.

[Wycombewheeler]

Must say, I seem to have a time lapse of Gospel Pass, from the photos riders have sent me.  It’s great watching it transition through from day to night.  They’ll be going up on the event web page I’ll be creating at some point.

I was just disappointed that when I turned to take a photo of the moonrise there was only a single rider following me, no line of headlights, to go with my photo of a load of tail lights on the Efengyl. I know there were a couple of riders leaving Abergavenny just after me, and a fixie rider I passed on the climb, but they didn't come into view at the top.

[Lightning Phil]

The run to Tewkesbury was lumpy but I was rolling OK.

That section of the route will see some smoothing for next year.  I've a few tweaks I want to make, and I've created and edited my 2024 route masters, in anticipation of that.  As I've found with my other events, there's usually tweaks I want to make here and there, after an event runs, to evolve the routes. I don't believe in the first edition route being sacrosanct.

[sparklyfish]

Numerous jobs to do, so my mind has turned to Phil's Gospel Pass.  Premier Inn Stevenage on the Friday night is currently a bargainous £44, so booked that rather than risk relying on trains. On the Saturday night, Premier Inn Tewkesbury is full, Travelodge Tewkesbury is a frightening price, Premier Inn Hereford is a better price. Any other thoughts or wisdom from last year?

[FifeingEejit]

What are bivvy options like?

LNER price alerts during the week reminded me I need to think of booking trains, but I can see me driving given the prices...
Same goes for Asparagus and Strawberries, already the standard fare for legs 1 and 3 plus the cheapest advance on LNER are higher than a super off peak single.

[Owen]

Numerous jobs to do, so my mind has turned to Phil's Gospel Pass.  Premier Inn Stevenage on the Friday night is currently a bargainous £44, so booked that rather than risk relying on trains. On the Saturday night, Premier Inn Tewkesbury is full, Travelodge Tewkesbury is a frightening price, Premier Inn Hereford is a better price. Any other thoughts or wisdom from last year?

There is probably not a lot in it.
Last year Rob (@felsteadrider), Ian (@howdee) and I rode together on the first day, with Rob stopping at Hereford, Ian bivvying between Hereford and Tewkesbury and me pressing on to the premier inn at Tewkesbury.
I think we all finished within an hour or so of each other, with me being the last of the 3of us in (37hrs elapsed)

I think Rob found Sunday the hardest with the extra distance and Ian had the worst night sleep bivvying.
I had a reasonable sleep at Tewkesbury and being further up the road enjoyed an all you can eat Breakfast at the premier inn before pushing on.

Owen

[Wycombewheeler]

Numerous jobs to do, so my mind has turned to Phil's Gospel Pass.  Premier Inn Stevenage on the Friday night is currently a bargainous £44, so booked that rather than risk relying on trains. On the Saturday night, Premier Inn Tewkesbury is full, Travelodge Tewkesbury is a frightening price, Premier Inn Hereford is a better price. Any other thoughts or wisdom from last year?

I found Hereford to be far enough on day one last year, rolling in after midnight. I Set off early and had breakfast in costa at Tewkesbury, day two wasn't too long.

  the travelodge at Hereford is pricey, checking back it was not cheap last year either.

[Lightning Phil]

If it helps, this year Hereford isn’t a control. You do still pass through though, well if you don’t want to add extra distance or hills For timing purposes you need to be through Abergavenny by 00:39am , and through Tewkesbury by 8:19am.  Thus you can stop when and where you like between the two, without worrying about any middle of the night control timings.

@Sparklyfish There is one other woman entered at the moment. If it’s something you’d consider, I could see if she’s amenable to sharing a room and cost with you. It might depend on how closely aligned your paces are likely to be. But if you don’t ask.

[sparklyfish]

Thanks Phil, I was just trying to decide what time the Tewkesbury control would likely close. 8am sounds like good second breakfast o'clock.

Lateral thinking about bunking up! Thanks for the thought, but I think I would be too worried about affecting someone else with my timing. Ordinarily I'd be up for that, but this is only my second 600 and it looks a bit lumpier than Fenland Friends...

[sparklyfish]

Just noticed that the Hilton in Tewkesbury is cheaper than the Travelodge. 

reckon that says more about the Travelodge than the Hilton!

[sparklyfish]

right, I've gone for a Premier Inn in Hereford. The one to the north (Holmer) showed up as a two-digit sum when I looked today - but earlier in the week was three digits. So that'll do. Bit concerned about that meaning a longer day two than preferable, but staying in Hereford should mean getting sleep during the bit of the night when I know I'm most glad of sleep - then up and out with the larks, lovely.

Will be pleased to hear of anyone stopping at Tewkesbury Hilton, the thought of that has tickled me!