The Dean

[teethgrinder]

Almost certainly a DNS for me. Mostly because I haven't ridden the Audax bike since I put it away after the Essex 1000 last year and it needed quite a lot of TLC and I, as usual, have left it to the very last minute. I'm taking my time getting it up to a reasonable standard, replacing knackered bits and if I am very lucky, it'll be ready to go before I set off at 3am to make the start and I might even get the route onto a GPS before then too, so although it's unlikely I'll start, you never know! But I might be sleepy by then, or just go to bed anyway. The risk of ice for about 6 hours doesn't appeal and neither does the bash along the A44, let alone the A34 to get to the start on gritted roads.
I don't think the roads will be that bad but definitely a risk of ice. The roads seem mostly dry but I popped out for shopping at 10pm and water on the cycleways was already turning to ice. It only takes one small patch to end the ride and maybe rule out riding for several weeks or months, which isn't good when you need to ride to earn your living on the gig economy.
All is not in vain. It means I should be ready for the Tewkesbury 300 next week with at least one bike ready to go.
Have fun...

[PeeJay]

Surprised no one's mentioned Torvill and (The) Dean yet

[Hot Flatus]

Reckon I would ache for a year if I spent 14 hours in 4⁰

[Hot Flatus]

It's gross out there. Just ride 2 miles to brewery and back. Was horrid

[Phil Hears A Who]

A bit of a day of two halves. Roads were fine in the end, dry, a few frozen puddles on the side of the road but no frost. Chilly start but nothing unmanageable, then lovely sunrise and some views of snow capped Malverns.

Then had my first proper tubeless failure in the forest of dean, and a rather wet and windy stretch from Severn bridge to Membury.

Cheers Tim for organising.

[P.P.]

I took the A44 option from the start to Stow and it was absolutely fine, ice free and with minimal traffic. There were a couple of minor ice patches after Stow but nothing worrying and once we dropped off the Cotswolds the roads were fine and dry.

A great run down to Chepstow, and then some blustery wind fun for the run home, accompanied by some (read lots) of icy rain. A puncture in the dark after Marlborough, courtesy of an almost invisible sliver of flint required 2 tubes before I found the little blighter (and may have resulted in a bit of a sense of humour failure).

A final flatter, faster, wind assisted leg back to Oxford made up for the days trials and tribulations though, and all in all it was a great day out, along a lovely, if somewhat hilly, route.

Many thanks for organising and sitting at the start in freezing conditions to hand out the brevet cards and see us all off, and chapeau to all who ventured out in yesterdays wintery weather.

[mattc]

Anyone know numbers? Entered, started?

[thing1]

Well done for everyone that started, and chapeau to those that got around.

[Bikeabilityman]

Still can’t believe this ride lost its 4 AAA points.

I picked up a light between Chepstow and Malmesbury. If anyone messages with what it was. I’ll bring it to the Rough Diamond on Saturday if you are on it. I lost my Cateye Ampp 500 the second time it bounced off somewhere before Membury ☹️

[Wycombewheeler]

Still can’t believe this ride lost its 4 AAA points.

looking back over my results as a regular

2016 - 4AAA
2017 2.5AAA
2019 2.25AAA
2022 2.5AAA
2023 0AAA  (not ridden)

personally I feel the 4 may have been a bit generous, but the 2.5 felt about right. my records show between 3100 and 3700m of climbing on my attempts, with the climbing all finished by the second crossing of the ridgeway.

I don't know if the points have been lost because it's been decided the hills can be avoided without skipping controls, or just because the elevation has been recounted using a stingier assessment.

I'm sure the route has not changed.

[Bikeabilityman]

It was my fourth or fifth time, and I still go up hills I don’t remember, whilst others I do, and then I wonder why I’m back! I said to someone in Chepstow spoons I shouldn’t be having pizza and a pint before the climb out, and they weren’t aware it. “Ignorance is bliss”, or something like that, he said.

[Ajax Bay]

Still can’t believe this ride lost its 4 AAA points.

personally I feel the 4 may have been a bit generous, but the 2.5 felt about right. my records show between 3100 and 3700m of climbing on my attempts, with the climbing all finished by the second crossing of the ridgeway.

I don't know if the points have been lost because it's been decided the hills can be avoided without skipping controls, or just because the elevation has been recounted using a stingier assessment.

If the route has not changed, how can your records vary by 600m yet retain any credibility? Anyway:
https://www.audax.uk/awards-pages/audax-altitude-award-aaa/aaa-points/
"To qualify for AAA, an event must be hilly enough. Hilliness is measured by the rate of climbing which varies with the event distance, and is based on the original AAA formula thresholds:
    100km or less, 15m/km
    200km, 14m/km
    300km, 13.33m/km

The first 40km are flattish and so are the last 60 but whichever way you cut it, no section merits AAA points. Well done for everyone who was bold. "The wonderful Mike Wrigley's" Rough Diamond promises (per forecast) to be a lot warmer.

[Wycombewheeler]

If the route has not changed, how can your records vary by 600m yet retain any credibility?

looks like 3600m and 3700m were measured as per garmin 530 altimeter, while 3000m was provided by "strava gpx". whether this was due to using phone app or correction applied I can't tell. But strava is not consistent with this data, because if I take that gpx track and convert to a route, suddenly their route builder finds 3700m of elevation gain again. 

the fact remains that 6 years ago this route was considered to be worth 4 AAA points, I have never measured 4000m of climb on the entire route.

then for a number of years since then it was 2.5AAA

Now it's none. so the upshot is the route has been remeasured with a more miserly (maybe more accurate) measure, taking away AAA points, unless the rationale is that some hills may be bypassed while still hitting controls.

AAA requirement
150km   2175m   14.50m/km   2.25

By my estimation playing with the route and cropping a section starting with the last climb before Stow on the wold and ending at the top of the somerset monument would be 2147m in 141km, exceeding the 15m/km requirement (15.22m/km) and earning 2.25 AAA, but it's close to the wire (<1.5%) and maybe the AAA tool thinks otherwise.

If I take a section from the last climb before Stow for the next 100km (ends just before the descent into Chepstow) I get 16.2m/km which is less marginal. (8%) that would at least give the ride 1.5 AAA

I need to have a play with the AUK AAA tool, to see how different those figures are.

[Diesel]

A few thoughts.

Whilst some took the official route to Stow, a lot of us took the A roads - which were well gritted and quiet for traffic. After Stow there was some slush and roadside snow/ice but nothing bad (and nothing like some of the northern audaxes this weekend I suspect!) Most then followed the official route but I stayed on the B road then a little bit of the A46 to Tewksbury.  Which again was quiet enough.

The rain started soon after I left Chepstow and persisted for most of the second half. It wasn't that hard but I should have put on more layers and was cold and wet by the time I got to Malmesbury. It was just above freezing so I was seriously cold by then. Big learning point for me.

Then a bit of a Waitrose disaster. They closed the cafe as we arrived and pointed us to their in-store coffee machine. But other staff wouldn't let us use that - no MyWaitrose card - so no hot drink. Might need to get one for the future just in case?

Quite demoralised at that point, so much of Audax is mental challenge. I'd been riding with a Leics rider called Peter for a while and we agreed to stick together to support each other to the end. That was a big help.
Added a couple more layers and dry gloves so I was wearing more now than when I started at the sub-zero start.

Really appreciated Membury Services. Not just the hot coffee! But it's a good warm up spot. You can wheel your bike inside through the back door and the Starbucks is open pretty late.

Got back later than expected nursing that 'never again!' feeling.... that seems to dull after a couple of days...

A few lessons learnt as always. 

I picked up a light between Chepstow and Malmesbury. If anyone messages with what it was. I’ll bring it to the Rough Diamond on Saturday if you are on it. I lost my Cateye Ampp 500 the second time it bounced off somewhere before Membury

Rode with a South African guy who had lost his main light - I think his name was Dave? but I don't know him I'm afraid. 

[Bikeabilityman]

Thanks Diesel. I was gobsmacked when I arrived at spoons as you were finishing your meal! I’d been looking forward to a pint since well before Newent.

[teethgrinder]

I can't believe it was ever worth any AAA points! But I lost interest in AAA some time in the early 1990s when yet another method of calculating them was argued at the AGM, ad infinitum for years to come... I remember when The Elenith was worth 1.5, then something else the following year, then something different the next and so on...

But a 300 in March is good going and just finishing a relatively easy one is plenty good enough. 300s never got going until April 25 years ago and most people struggled round them then.

[Lightning Phil]

A few thoughts.


The rain started soon after I left Chepstow and persisted for most of the second half. It wasn't that hard but I should have put on more layers and was cold and wet by the time I got to Malmesbury. It was just above freezing so I was seriously cold by then. Big learning point for me.

How wet it is, can make a big difference to how cold you get. I think water conducts heat at about 60 times the rate of still air, or something like that.

I was out in the snow, sleet, and hail, and rain last Thursday.  Only 3 hours, but after 1.5 hours I changed my mitts to some dry spare warmer ones as could feel hands chilling.  The wet mitts I’d removed had been fine down to -6C when dry during the cold snap before Christmas.  But wet and 1C and they weren’t enough to keep my hands warm.

In a way I’m glad we are getting this cold snap after it had warmed up.  A reminder not to go too light in the spares / extra layers I carry as backup as my events come up.

[TheBerkshireGrinder]

Some from me, as per Strava:

Tough - possibly tougher than last year. The day started reasonably, despite needing to fill the newly fitted tubeless rear tyre with sealant in the car park at the start as I hadn't had the time to ride the recommended 25km post-filling the manufactures recommend. Luckily, leaving the track pump at home wasn't a problem too.

A fear of ice meant I took gritted main roads to Newent, rather than the recommended route, adding a few extra K, but missing out one big climb, which I was pretty happy about. After Newent the headwind made its presence felt, which was quite unwelcome given the hills and a snapped spoke in the back wheel didn't help, although I thought I could nurse it round.

Much like last year, the wind meant I was too busy chewing the stem and cursing gravity to appreciate the scenery but I eventually made it to Chepstow and the Severn Bridge. The north side path was closed, but the south was fine, and offered a back way into the Severn View services where I controlled, going large on a Burger King whopper meal. Unfortunately, the moisture in the air crossing the estuary wasn't sea spray, and by the time I left it was raining, which continued for the rest of the ride - another 10+ hours.

Getting to Malmesbury the back wheel gave up the ghost, with (we determined in hindsight), the snapped bit of spoke getting stuck in the rear cassette, impeding freewheeling. Cold, wet and knackered, I dithered around trying to decide what and where to eat, and how I might get back to Oxford by myself. Luckily, one of the staff in the Co-Op suggested trying the Wheelers' Retreat, a bike shop in town which I'd seen, but appeared closed. He said the owner would sometimes help out of hours, so seeing the shop lights were still on, I rang the doorbell and to my utter delight shop owner and wheel builder Gary opened up, and was kind enough to fit a new spoke, true the wheel, straighten the bent rear mech hanger and generally sort me out, charging only a very reasonable amount. The guy's a legend, and I can't thank or recommend him highly enough, especially if you're in the market for handbuilt wheels...

Leaving the Malmesbury out of time, I pushed on into the headwind which was utter purgatory: unlike last year the ESE wind blew right down the climbs, with Hackpen Hill being endless misery, and some of the hills feeling like we were in the rain clouds up there. 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?

From Marlborough we got a bit of a tailwind, although I was pretty close to the time cut at Membury, where some free 'BBE date today' crisps from the nice lady at the services helped, and the flatter terrain dragged up the average speed and down the estimated arrival time. Falling in with Owen and 2 other ACME riders, we eventually TT'd down the A4 and back with about an hour to spare. Finished, in every sense of the word. RRtY 5/12

[alfapete]

How to explain why you love audax:

Tough - possibly tougher than last year.

A fear of ice....I was too busy chewing the stem and cursing gravity....  and by the time I left it was raining, which continued for the rest of the ride - another 10+ hours.

the back wheel gave up the ghost, new spoke, true the wheel,  the guy's a legend, and I can't thank  him enough,

Leaving  out of time, I pushed on into the headwind which was utter purgatory: Hackpen Hill being endless misery, The info control at Marlborough was off-route . Seriously, how difficult can it be?

I was pretty close to the time cut at Membury, where some free 'BBE date today' crisps from the nice lady at the services helped, and the flatter terrain dragged up the average speed and down the estimated arrival time.

Finished, in every sense of the word.

[Wycombewheeler]

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.

[Von Broad]

Tough - possibly tougher than last year.

Chapeau to you good rider!

[N0rb3rt]

(...) 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?(...)

It's a shame. Organizers does not provide GPS coordinates to 'Info controls' . Description is often not accurate. When I  asked one organizer I got told: 'never been asked for them in 20 years of organising audax events'
Also asked Audax UK, but no help either.
If you don't have the exact location planned on your Garmin, it will be a pain to look for an unlit pub in the rain at 2am. It happened to me: rolled through the village, no pub visible,and of course I didn't go back up-and-down looking for it, instead at the finish I looked it up on Street View ,and wrote the name of it on the brevet card. It was indeed unlit, and no lights up at all, no wonder I haven't seen it at 2am in the dark.
If you have a friend at home with a computer, just take a picture of the brevet card Info Control question at the start,send it to them, and they can look it up on Street View,and you don't have to bother with it. In this way you can plan the route on your Garmin before the event.

[N0rb3rt]

(...)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.(...)

Looks like they are giving us deliberately a hard time, or some of the organizers don't know how to right click in Google Maps, and copy the first line of  the pop up menu.

(...) 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.(...)

No you can not make your own GPX files without the Info control location. By the time you turn up at the event, you can not make any adjustments to the already loaded GPX files on your Garmin. Rerouting by Garmin is useless, got myself into trouble using that function. So basically Garmin only good for pre made routes from your computer.

[Wycombewheeler]

No you can not make your own GPX files without the Info control location. By the time you turn up at the event, you can not make any adjustments to the already loaded GPX files on your Garmin.

I mean I spend an hour with the route sheet (which has the info locations and is sent out before the event) and route planning site ridewithgpx/strava etc creating my own route files of the route. not doing this once I arrive at the start. But instead of one track for the event I will have one track for each info control location, (full controls are harder to miss)

My point is that the info control location as defined on the route sheet is generally more specific than what is written on the brevet card. Brevet card distances are also variable between organisers sometimes being on the road distances and sometimes being shortest route between controls. Also if you have deviated from the route at any point your distance will not be correct so "at the T junction ( 167km) ..." can be misinterpreted, while the end of a gpx track cannot be missed on the road.

so when I arrive my garmin will have 4 tracks
start - info 1
info 1 - info 2
info 2 - info 3
info 3 - finish  (don't even need this one really, can just load the organisers gpx to the finish.

I can't believe it was ever worth any AAA points! But I lost interest in AAA some time in the early 1990s when yet another method of calculating them was argued at the AGM, ad infinitum for years to come... I remember when The Elenith was worth 1.5, then something else the following year, then something different the next and so on...

But a 300 in March is good going and just finishing a relatively easy one is plenty good enough. 300s never got going until April 25 years ago and most people struggled round them then.

I've always considered it a hilly ride, cotswolds, forest of dean, double crossing of the ridgeway, somerset monument. But looking at the ride elevation profile it's striking how much flat or gentley undulating terrain there is in long sections between the hills. So maybe it's just the time of year makes it feel tough.

with Hackpen Hill being endless misery,

I remember one windy year when I found it slowly going riding up hackpen hill with the wind howling and horizontal rain, to find a camper van parked up at the top, it was dusk by then or maybe even full dark so it seemed they had settled in for the night, and I thought it was a pretty bleak place to spend the night given the conditions.

[teethgrinder]

I've always considered it a hilly ride, cotswolds, forest of dean, double crossing of the ridgeway, somerset monument. But looking at the ride elevation profile it's striking how much flat or gentley undulating terrain there is in long sections between the hills. So maybe it's just the time of year makes it feel tough.

I think so. I've done rides in winter that were easy in summer but were really tough in December. The Dean does have a good few climbs and I wouldn't cal it a flat ride either. Just not especially hilly.