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  • Loughborough to London: 03 July, 2010

Author Topic: Loughborough to London - Sat. 3rd July  (Read 6170 times)

Re: Loughborough to London - Sat. 3rd July
« Reply #25 on: 02 July, 2010, 07:53:54 pm »
Have a good day.
[Quote/]Adrian, you're living proof that bandwidth is far too cheap.[/Quote]

Adam

  • It'll soon be summer
    • Charity ride Durness to Dover 18-25th June 2011
Re: Loughborough to London - Sat. 3rd July
« Reply #26 on: 02 July, 2010, 09:15:19 pm »
Ta.


Stupid me had missed Jane's earlier comment confirming she was coming along.  Oops.  :-[  


Looks like it going to be warm tomorrow for the peloton:-

Me, Jurek, Pippa, Martin, Jane, Stu, Chris (to Northampton), Rabbit (to Market Harborough), Ian, John, Dave, Steve, simgsxr, Cayopro, Chris, Kevin, Matt, plus Kats joining us near Wellingborough.


Looks like we've got ourselves a convoy.............

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein

chris

  • (aka chris)
Re: Loughborough to London - Sat. 3rd July
« Reply #27 on: 02 July, 2010, 10:24:32 pm »
Sorry folks, I forgot about this one and agreed with a friend to do the 200km Audax from Oundle tomorrow. Hope that one of you reads this before the ride so you don't end up waiting for me. Have a good ride.

Adam

  • It'll soon be summer
    • Charity ride Durness to Dover 18-25th June 2011
Re: Loughborough to London - Sat. 3rd July
« Reply #28 on: 03 July, 2010, 12:34:12 am »
Aha - you're now crossed off my list.  ;D
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein

Pippa

  • Busy being fabulous
Re: Loughborough to London - Sat. 3rd July
« Reply #29 on: 03 July, 2010, 08:10:07 pm »
I'm home. I bailed at Wellingborough. The pace was far far too quick for me. I did around 14mph average for the first 35 or so miles to Lunch which was the hillier bit. I didn't think that was that bad going, but everyone else was far faster and I really struggled. I pushed myself to try not to hold them up too much but still couldn't keep up. So then of course I was knackered. I should have called it a day at lunch but heard that the ride might be a bit slower. It wasn't. I put my head down and kept pedalling, which was a shame as it was a really pretty route and I didn't get to appreciate any of it. Then I got "tired and emotional" so told Jurek I was leaving and turned around and left. Apologies for not saying goodbye but I really wasn't enjoying myself so wasn't in the best frame of mind.

Re: Loughborough to London - Sat. 3rd July
« Reply #30 on: 04 July, 2010, 12:51:14 am »
I'm home. I bailed at Wellingborough. The pace was far far too quick for me. I did around 14mph average for the first 35 or so miles to Lunch which was the hillier bit. I didn't think that was that bad going, but everyone else was far faster and I really struggled. I pushed myself to try not to hold them up too much but still couldn't keep up. So then of course I was knackered. I should have called it a day at lunch but heard that the ride might be a bit slower. It wasn't. I put my head down and kept pedalling, which was a shame as it was a really pretty route and I didn't get to appreciate any of it. Then I got "tired and emotional" so told Jurek I was leaving and turned around and left. Apologies for not saying goodbye but I really wasn't enjoying myself so wasn't in the best frame of mind.

We have all been in that position, and it is nothing to be ashamed of
[Quote/]Adrian, you're living proof that bandwidth is far too cheap.[/Quote]

Adam

  • It'll soon be summer
    • Charity ride Durness to Dover 18-25th June 2011
Re: Loughborough to London - Sat. 3rd July
« Reply #31 on: 04 July, 2010, 07:38:11 am »
I'm home. I bailed at Wellingborough. The pace was far far too quick for me. I did around 14mph average for the first 35 or so miles to Lunch which was the hillier bit. I didn't think that was that bad going, but everyone else was far faster and I really struggled. I pushed myself to try not to hold them up too much but still couldn't keep up. So then of course I was knackered. I should have called it a day at lunch but heard that the ride might be a bit slower. It wasn't. I put my head down and kept pedalling, which was a shame as it was a really pretty route and I didn't get to appreciate any of it. Then I got "tired and emotional" so told Jurek I was leaving and turned around and left. Apologies for not saying goodbye but I really wasn't enjoying myself so wasn't in the best frame of mind.

We have all been in that position, and it is nothing to be ashamed of

+1

You don't know how tempting it was to carry on down the A6 to home.

Steve and his speedy pals peeled off at Flitwick, and as you will have gauged from the gaps in my texts, we did take some time to get to St Pancras, getting there at 22.50 or so.  Why does London take so long to get across.  Most of it was downhill.  ???



Edit - when my brain's in gear, I'll do a write-up.  Right now, I need to get some food.
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein

Adam

  • It'll soon be summer
    • Charity ride Durness to Dover 18-25th June 2011
Re: Loughborough to London - Sat. 3rd July
« Reply #32 on: 04 July, 2010, 11:14:57 am »
Overall, it was a hot, tiring day, but good fun.

At St Pancras, the guard was being firm in sticking to the rules and only allowing me and Dave to be on the train as we had the only 2 bike reservations.  This meant Steve and his 4 companions had to transfer to a Leicester train and joined us en-route.

At Loughborough we met up with John who'd got an even earlier Leicester train and found a cafe for a second breakfast, before heading back to the station to await the others.  We rolled off at 10.10 and met up with the speed merchants, who'd raced up from Leicester, just after 11, making 15 of us.  The miles past by.  Hopefully someone else will post some photos, as it's lovely rolling countryside.

Things went a little wrong as somehow we managed to lose Stu (who'd dropped a chain), Martin & Dave just before the lunch stop, so I left everyone to order the food and drink, to round up the lost sheep.  The pub stop in Braybrooke was very good, and the landlord had reserved a block of tables for us all, mainly in the shade.  By the time we were ready to go, it was past 2.30 pm, so poor Kats, who was joining us at the 51 mile point, had a long wait.  We pushed on probably a bit too fast after lunch to try and catch up, so I'm sorry to Pippa and Jane, who, along with Jurek, decided to get the train back from Wellingborough.  It was now very hot, and I was guzzling down the drink (my own mixture of isotonic drink, with a bit of orange juice and water).  The wind was generally fairly light and was mainly from the side.  However, as soon as we stopped, the sweat just dripped off you, so that was another reason to keep going.

More miles and more hills passed by until we stopped to get more drinks in Olney just before 5 pm.  Just as we were setting off, Martin got a puncture, and so whilst he was fixing that, we got to admire the TdF promotions in an off licence (10% off Belgium beer on Saturday and Sunday, 10% off French wine from Monday).  Clive was waiting to join us in North Crawley (so much more genteel compared to Crawley in Sussex), and then just by the Millbrook testing ground (scene of the Top Gear lorry testing sequence), my rear tyre started getting soft, although this was due to an older patch failing in the heat.  Today's top tip is that CO2 inflators when just used are nice and cold and perfect for wiping across your brow.

Kats (having fresher legs) was racing up hills along with Steve's speed merchants, so I let them have their fun.  We stopped at 6.40 pm at the Tesco's in Flitwick to get more food and drink, which is where Steve and his companions left us meaning just 8 remained.  I was back on home turf now, and as the sun started to set, it finally got a bit cooler, although it took about 2 hours to do 20 miles due to the hills.  John peeled off on the back roads past Luton Airport, as we got to the final 25 miles.

Once inside the M25, we came across the gleaming lights of Barnet, and after another food and drink stop, then it was basically following the road south to St Pancras and avoiding the cars.  At some point, I can't remember where, we got a 2 buttock salute from the front passenger of a car, although generally outside of London, car drivers weren't a problem.  Martin had to remonstrate with one driver who just pulled in and stopped in front of him to let off his passenger, neither of whom could see they were in the wrong, with the passenger saying it's a road, not cycle race track.  ???

Anyway, eventually we got to St Pancras just before 9.50, where I left everyone.

Thanks to everyone for coming along and I hope you're not too sunburnt.



And I promise the 1st August ride WILL be a pootle.

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein

StuAff

  • Folding not boring
Re: Loughborough to London - Sat. 3rd July
« Reply #33 on: 04 July, 2010, 01:15:39 pm »
Pippa, +1 for Adrian's comment. We've all felt like that at some point. When I tried to ride home from Brighton after the Martlets FNRttC, it took me two hours to get to Littlehampton (average speed 11 mph in a stiff headwind). Getting tired, missing the Viner (if I had it then I'd have been four or five miles up the road, I thought..)....I gave up and got the train. If you didn't feel like carrying on, you were right to bail out. Steve and friends were a little bit quick for my liking, some of us (well, all of us who were intending to do the full ride!) were trying to pace ourselves!

Perhaps we should do a 'genteel' version another time (should I go too fast I'm sure the rest could get me to carry some of their heavier kit....!).

ianrauk

  • Tattooed Beat Messiah
Re: Loughborough to London - Sat. 3rd July
« Reply #34 on: 04 July, 2010, 01:57:47 pm »
Google Earth Snapshot of the route (& my route home)
Loughborough to Orpington 152 miles


Martini

Re: Loughborough to London - Sat. 3rd July
« Reply #35 on: 04 July, 2010, 07:38:00 pm »
This was another good Adam ride. A bit fast and furious from those who raced off, but when we got to St Pancras, I was alive and ready to ride the next 30km, have a cup of tea and start writing on yet another forum  ::-). Invigorating is a word that springs to mind...perhaps not the right one but -
Thank you Adam and the companion cyclists.
Next week: Tri bars.

I'm going to try the bar at the Lukin in Conway St, the Chandos, opposite the National Portrait Gallery, and possibly the Golden lion in dean St. That should bring me up to speed easily!  :P