The Flatlands 2017 - 9th Sep

[Andy C33]

Are you riding with us, back to your childhood homelands Andy C33333?

Yes, bad back allowing, blood is thicker than water, (although itlooks like we'll be getting wet again).

[Carlosfandango]

Are you riding with us, back to your childhood homelands Andy C33333?

Yes, bad back allowing, blood is thicker than water, (although itlooks like we'll be getting wet again).

Excellent, will be good to see you, I`m looking forward to your gallows humour. 90+ semi-drowned rats scurrying to Goole

[tippers_kiwi]

Carlos, you've done a dash down the A120 before right? Is it likely to be safe/quiet at about 3:30am between Marks Tey and Braintree?

[Tomsk]

the AMCE self-flagellation festival

can I suggest a rebranding of the ride for 2018? this is too bloody brilliant to go wasted. anyway, I'm in.  neither on fixed nor on tubeless though. but as I'm currently technically homeless, Audax hotels are my friend. plus, if I finish, inadvertently completing an Essex SR series will be one of my last actions before emigrating to free Europe.

 I'll ride out from east London tomorrow night and and will ride in the  Standsted Skyline Hotel (why do I have the feeling that the name will be the poshed bit of the hotel?)

anyone fancy meeting up for dinner at GD, and maybe a couple of Essex energy drinks, Friday night?

I'll be popping in to the Angel and Harp tonight, with any of the Sleepover Fraternity who fancy a nightcap 

[The ACME Self-Flagellation Festival would be a great sub-title for the 2018 ACME 1000...when I've settled on a name for that...]

[redfalo]

the AMCE self-flagellation festival

can I suggest a rebranding of the ride for 2018? this is too bloody brilliant to go wasted. anyway, I'm in.  neither on fixed nor on tubeless though. but as I'm currently technically homeless, Audax hotels are my friend. plus, if I finish, inadvertently completing an Essex SR series will be one of my last actions before emigrating to free Europe.

 I'll ride out from east London tomorrow night and and will ride in the  Standsted Skyline Hotel (why do I have the feeling that the name will be the poshed bit of the hotel?)

anyone fancy meeting up for dinner at GD, and maybe a couple of Essex energy drinks, Friday night?

I'll be popping in to the Angel and Harp tonight, with any of the Sleepover Fraternity who fancy a nightcap 

  I'll be there.

[psyclist]

After today's rain, the forecast for Saturday and Sunday looks quite alright from a precipitation perspective. There's some wind, but if you use the hours of darkness when the wind dies down you'll be laughing.

Good luck all.

[Carlosfandango]

Carlos, you've done a dash down the A120 before right? Is it likely to be safe/quiet at about 3:30am between Marks Tey and Braintree?

Yeah, it`s OK tippers, it is quite narrow in places, especially near Braintree which means traffic squeezes you if there is something coming the other way, but at 03:30 the traffic is very light, trucks usually pull out and pass completely on the other side of the road. You can detour through Coggeshall which is more direct and about 25% of the distance. New surface is fast too. Might not be quite so good riding back on a Sunday evening though.

It`s suprisingly awkward cycling North, South or West from Colchester and you can`t get far East without a boat!

[tippers_kiwi]

Carlos, you've done a dash down the A120 before right? Is it likely to be safe/quiet at about 3:30am between Marks Tey and Braintree?

Yeah, it`s OK tippers, it is quite narrow in places, especially near Braintree which means traffic squeezes you if there is something coming the other way, but at 03:30 the traffic is very light, trucks usually pull out and pass completely on the other side of the road. You can detour through Coggeshall which is more direct and about 25% of the distance. New surface is fast too. Might not be quite so good riding back on a Sunday evening though.

It`s suprisingly awkward cycling North, South or West from Colchester and you can`t get far East without a boat!

Perfect, thanks that is what I was hoping. The paln to sleep in Dunmow has changed so need to head over in the morning and taking the A120 makes it significantly shorter.

I'll take the usual tourist route home on Sunday and maybe catch a train from Witham if I CBA at that point. (Or I might ring the team car for recovery from the A&H)

[BFC]

Carlos, you've done a dash down the A120 before right? Is it likely to be safe/quiet at about 3:30am between Marks Tey and Braintree?

Yeah, it`s OK tippers, it is quite narrow in places, especially near Braintree which means traffic squeezes you if there is something coming the other way, but at 03:30 the traffic is very light, trucks usually pull out and pass completely on the other side of the road. You can detour through Coggeshall which is more direct and about 25% of the distance. New surface is fast too. Might not be quite so good riding back on a Sunday evening though.

It`s suprisingly awkward cycling North, South or West from Colchester and you can`t get far East without a boat!

Perfect, thanks that is what I was hoping. The paln to sleep in Dunmow has changed so need to head over in the morning and taking the A120 makes it significantly shorter.

I'll take the usual tourist route home on Sunday and maybe catch a train from Witham if I CBA at that point. (Or I might ring the team car for recovery from the A&H)

A120 from Marks Tey to Braintree is OK and legal on a bike. I used to ride it fairly regularly on Saturdays and Sundays to nip into Colchester.
Don't forget to take the old road through Braintree and Rayne - its shorter, and the new A120 has the no cycling signs from the Cressing road junction (McD's roundabout).

What is the expected arrival time on Sunday? I may manage a ride out to say hello.

[Tomsk]

ETA at the Angel & Harp between about 6 and 9pm - ie 36-39 hours, depending on sleep, headwinds etc.

[grams]

Crash involving four cyclists on the A15 last night that's very likely to be Flatlanders. Anyone have any more info?

http://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/serious-crash-closes-stretch-ofa15-452957

[jiberjaber]

I've not heard anything so far, from Twitter looks like Tippers is going well (still tweeting 2 hours ago from the Green Welly @ Chatteris with 100km to go)

[Rod Marton]

Christ, that could have been me. There was a small group 15-20 minutes ahead me who would have been on the A15 at that time - I know they were going that way. I abandoned at Lincoln due to a major mechanical - perhaps a blessing in disguise.
Can't give names now, of course - I might be wrong.

[αdαmsκι]

Crash involving four cyclists on the A15 last night that's very likely to be Flatlanders.

Oh shit.

[alwyn]

It would appear that this collision concerns riders on Flatlands.

[psyclist]

Driver of the car involved has been arrested, not that that matters at this stage. I hope we'll hear some positive news about the condition of the 4 cyclists soon, and each recovers swiftly.

[TigaSefi]

Awful news and I hope everyone recovers!

[Redlight]

Terrible news. Fingers crossed that all involved recover quickly. 

[Graeme]

Oh no.

[Graeme]

It has been reported elsewhere that the Flatlands route was diverted onto the A15 by another car crash: http://thelincolnite.co.uk/2017/09/man-dies-hit-car-roadside-near-lincoln/

[hellymedic]

and on the bbc. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-41220187

Hoping all involved recover well.

Dreadful news!

[tippers_kiwi]

I was through a little earlier and the police were dealing with the incident on the B1188 which is the route.  They turned me around and told me to follow the diversion which went directly onto the A15.

[whosatthewheel]

I was through a little earlier and the police were dealing with the incident on the B1188 which is the route.  They turned me around and told me to follow the diversion which went directly onto the A15.

Sounds like they are a bunch of incompetent moxxns... no matter how serious an accident is, you can squeeze a bike through a gap (even if it involves walking on the grass for 100 yards or so) and maybe it is a safer option than re-routing cycle traffic onto a fast moving A road in the middle of the night.

Hope everybody recovers swiftly!

[Wobbly]

Terrible news; I hope it's not as bad as we all fear.

I hate the fact that the news is reporting this as the four riders were "in collision with a car"...

[text redacted by mod]

[tippers_kiwi]

I was through a little earlier and the police were dealing with the incident on the B1188 which is the route.  They turned me around and told me to follow the diversion which went directly onto the A15.

Sounds like they are a bunch of incompetent moxxns... no matter how serious an accident is, you can squeeze a bike through a gap (even if it involves walking on the grass for 100 yards or so) and maybe it is a safer option than re-routing cycle traffic onto a fast moving A road in the middle of the night.

Hope everybody recovers swiftly!

I got close enough to realise it was the forensics team working on site and it looked as if a body was in situ so I didn't discuss.

I did think as I was going down the A15, what if? I took my chances with a lane that got me back to the route but I was very tempted to just take the A 15. I know another rider took the cross country 'private land's route.

I guess the were not expecting a bunch of cyclists but it wouldn't hurt to have an officer at the blockade advising options.