Yes, the process of getting a card and entering the ride are two different things, I think (proviso: I've never done a Mesh ride)
As suggested above, the process is a little different for DIY/mesh permanent rides than when entering other permanents. You can order DIY/mesh cards online in advance (as I guess you already have) and then nearer the ride date you enter the ride by filling out the '
Permanent Entry' form and either posting or scanning/emailing this to (in this case) Danial. You also need to attach a list of your chosen controls with the distances between them. These will be checked by the organiser and you will be informed if there is anything amiss. Make sure that you specify the date of your ride as Danial is quite reasonably especially strict on this.
It is OK to add on one or more non-Mesh legs to the first (or after the last) Mesh control. You would treat these legs as if they were DIY rides. The distance for each DIY leg is the minimum road distance between the control points using a tool such as Microsoft AutoRoute or '
www.viamichelin.com' (by bike). You then add on the Mesh distance for each of the Mesh legs to make up your chosen ride distance.
Speeds are straightforward. You must average a minimum of 14.3kmh (including your stops) from the time on your first control receipt/stamp to the one on your last. Similarly you must not average more than 30kmh. In other words, if your ride is agreed as 200km, you must complete it in less than 14 hours but more than 6 hours 40 minutes.
