The Dean

[bhoot]

I see what you mean!

[Wycombewheeler]

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.

that's fine, since I'm developing a penchant for getting the train back to the start, at least I get the tailwind leg first.

[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.

that's fine, since I'm developing a penchant for getting the train back to the start, at least I get the tailwind leg first.

I might just do it in the car....

[iddu]

Meh -an early/rare  DNF for me (by Stow), with recovery via PRS (Partner Recovery Service).

Steering went / felt really wierd and unsafe..

Rummage...



So (ringed) ball had split in half,, loading & causing premature wear on the two each side, which ended up rubbing metal on metal.  Bah..

[Lightning Phil]

Been a harsh winter for headsets. I replaced my headset bearings last month.

[Von Broad]

Meh -an early/rare  DNF for me (by Stow), with recovery via PRS (Partner Recovery Service).

Bad luck on the DNF iddu.
Hope the 'comeback' is still on track henceforth.

[LiamFitz]

Meh -an early/rare  DNF for me (by Stow), with recovery via PRS (Partner Recovery Service).

Steering went / felt really wierd and unsafe..

  Bah..

I kept wondering why you were the only rider not to overhaul me!

That felt like a tough ride although my Strave figures say otherwise. However, I did not appreciate my Garmin at 305km having a hissy fit at the A40 junction and telling me I was off Course (sending me round in circles for 10 minutes), then having a visitation as I went around in circles and then trying to fix it as I started getting the shakes (cold and very wet by then).

Note to self - riding a 300 the day after long haul travel isn't terribly wise.

My highpoint was the incredible kindness of the staff at Malmsbury Waitrose. The cafe had just closed when I got there but they still found me a hot coffee and a place to sit down.

[mattc]

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.

Each one also adds ££££££s. Presumably a very good hourly rate to process the extras.

Odd.

[Wycombewheeler]

Well that was my slowest ever completion of the Dean, even slower than the time I had only just recovered from Covid. Conditions felt relatively kind on the way out, but heading back east was tougher than usual.

Interrogation of my strava trace shows pretty much all of the eastbound segments from Chepstow To Membury were my slowest ever. Met up with 3 riders at the services and had a nice social ride to the finish.

Never felt in danger of DNF or out of time