Author Topic: Hereward the Wake 300, 9pm on Friday 15 July 2016 — "unto the Pag, my friends!"  (Read 6278 times)

Bernster

  • ACME (Herts Branch)
Unfortunately I'm a DNS due to my calf still being knackered from the Mille Pennines, however Tomsk has kindly given me the opportunity to make my debut as a helper, so I'll be there stamping cards (or doing something that doesn't involve too much running around).

I'm still in for the curry too, so will see the other 9 'carb loaders' some time between 6 and 7pm  :thumbsup:

I'll be riding this one fixed. Need to get my SFW done.
I build bike wheels. I build websites. I teach yoga. I ride my bike. @wheelbuilding (twitter)

Just set to the task of organising myself and the bastard printer is out of ink...if someone fancies bringing along a spare route sheet - I'll be very grateful.

Tired already.

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Just set to the task of organising myself and the bastard printer is out of ink...if someone fancies bringing along a spare route sheet - I'll be very grateful.

Tom usually has a few on the starters' desk for such situations  :thumbsup:
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

Temp and precipitation look good, though a touch windy... http://www.weatherbagel.com/f/6a7f5110-9e85-4ed7-8cd0-9d2719f85fe6

Made up my mind to go fixed... and start on 72.6... I am cyclist, hear me roar!

Unfortunately I'm a DNS due to my calf still being knackered from the Mille Pennines, however Tomsk has kindly given me the opportunity to make my debut as a helper, so I'll be there stamping cards (or doing something that doesn't involve too much running around).

I'm still in for the curry too, so will see the other 9 'carb loaders' some time between 6 and 7pm  :thumbsup:

I think you've earned your 'bye' Alan!


jiberjaber

  • ... Fancy Pants \o/ ...
  • ACME S&M^2
I've decided to ECE this so will be with you shortly after 18:20  :facepalm:
Regards,

Joergen

bhoot

  • MemSec (ex-Mrs RRtY)
Sadly the orange tandem will be a no show as I've got some lurgi. Really disappointed as we enjoyed this last year and we haven't done many calendar events this year. However I don't think setting out for an overnighter is a great idea when I've only just managed to haul myself out of bed.

Hope you all have a great ride....

Tomsk

  • Fueled by cake since 1957
    • tomsk.co.uk
Re: Hereward the Wake 300, 9pm on Friday 15 July 2016
« Reply #34 on: 16 July, 2016, 07:07:02 am »
12 at the Jalsa for the curry.  :thumbsup:

36 starters out of 56 entries: unfortunately one turned into a DNS in the car park, after GPS issues. We did try to persuade him to rely on the route sheet or just tag onto a good wheel, but to no avail.  :(

Look like still very mild conditions and winds generally favourable.  :thumbsup:

Shopping and cooking for the arrivee to do now...

Tomsk - my apologies for being a DNS.  Tried to squeeze in a 40 minute power nap after work & before the train to Bishops Stortford...I woke up at 10pm.


Perhaps for the best.


Dunwich Dynamo tonight.

I hope all had a good ride.[/size][size=78%] [/size]

Redlight

  • Enjoying life in the slow lane
Fab day for the home leg and falling asleep in Tomsk's garden  :)  Sorry I couldn't make it this year.
Why should anybody steal a watch when they can steal a bicycle?

bikey-mikey

  • AUK 6372
  • Yes, I am completely mad ! a.k.a. 333
A very enjoyable day, ridden at a good rate of knots !!

Everyone was in good spirits, and friendly, and it was a superb event, complete with bacon roll afterwards !!

Here is the ride on Strava

https://www.strava.com/activities/642501762/

Thanks to the team, who got everything spot on !!

Tom's once again surpassed himself  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I’ve decided I’m not old. I’m 25 .....plus shipping and handling.

Cycling heatmap
https://www.strava.com/athletes/4628735/heatmaps/6ed5ab12#10/51.12782/-3.16388

jiberjaber

  • ... Fancy Pants \o/ ...
  • ACME S&M^2
A great ride but slightly marred for me due to some eating issues... great to catch up with friends and there was the usual good craic.... here's a few words from me on the report, some pictures are on Facebook also.  :thumbsup:

https://www.strava.com/activities/643615691

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154332598669938.1073741883.814969937&type=1&l=328ac62617


A plan was hatched and an ECE rapidly set up to extend the 300km ride to a 400km ride and I set off to arrive in Dunmow for around 18:00 and get some of the 100km out of the way in doing so (35km).  There I joined about 10 of us for a discussion of Audax hallucinations and eating of curry, after which we decamped down to the start venue for a 21:00 kick off.

We rolled out of St Marys church on the dot and I soon found myself pretty much lantern rouge, over the rolling road through Thaxted to Saffron and on to Cambridge I rode, Cambridge was full of unlit cyclists mostly chasing Pokémon or on the way back from the pub. I caught up with the rest of the ACME peloton at the Esso garage just outside the city centre and departed with them but soon dropped off the back again. Entering the dark fenland, I can only describe as like riding a real life turbo trainer, there is no scope to freewheel…. we were with a benefit of a tailwind, which put me comfortably ahead of schedule…. Plenty of wild life, I counted 2 barn owls and a hedgehog but the scenery was missing as it was a dark night, which some described as a blessing as the frustration of the never reaching destinations remained unseen… I marvelled at the mountain rescue team signs and we actually went down a 10% “hill” at one point!. It never dropped below about 13 degrees..

Reaching the 100km point just East of Peterborough marked where we turned on the Fens and headed in to the block headwind towards Pagnell Services. This was quite a drag and made a dent in to the buffer I had accumulated but made better by the fact it had some ups and downs, so not pan flat, relieving some of the monotony of the flatlands, we also got a great sun rise as well, which lifted my mood immensely, coupled with loads of Muntjac deer around. I passed through some familiar villages, including Sharnbrook.

We entered the back of the n/b services and went for Starbucks…. I think this plus the pork pie I had on the way contributed to the indigestion which prevented me eating properly for the remainder of the ride… I was starting to feel pretty broken and worried I was going to run out of steam…

From ‘Pag’ we controlled at Millbrook, but not a lot was visible from the roadside but it did bring some ‘meaty’ hills (by flatlanders standard) to follow which were enjoyable. I’d highlighted Biggleswade for a proper feed, but due to the eating issues, I just had a mug of sweet tea and pressed on.

This next 118km section I was hoping to be tailwind, the forecast was for the SW to move to more NW… of course, this didn’t happen, so there was an alternating slog and fast progression to the Silver Ball café where I forced down 2 slices of bread and a few beans to try and get some energy in to me. This helped somewhat, but I still lagged and whilst we set of as an ACME peleton from here, I was soon at the back and then off the pace.

I made it in to the Arrivee but still had no appetite and managed to get a cuppa and a couple of Bakewell tart cakes in me.

I still had circa 65km to do, which saw me retrace some of the incoming route back to Brick End and then head out to Great Canfield/Hatfield Broad Oak. The once wonderful section of NCR1 has been made a surfaced dressed nightmare and I had to endure quite a few km of trying to not fall victim to the drifts of chippings from dodging oncoming cars. I was lucky to get behind the roller vehicle for some of the last section of it which helped a lot… Norton Heath/Blackmore couldn’t come soon enough and a quick caffine gell helped to get me back to Chelmo.

A shower and hour kip and a couple of beers plus a steak and I am fed & ready for bed… this certainly felt harder than the 600km ride which with temperatures hitting a balmy 25 degrees average meant I was possible a bit heat exhausted too!
Regards,

Joergen

jiberjaber

  • ... Fancy Pants \o/ ...
  • ACME S&M^2
Curry group picture....




Regards,

Joergen

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
I do enjoy this event — it's always a mad group ride to at least Cambridge (28.6kph this year, arrived just six minutes after the control opened), and then it splinters into several fast-moving groups to the turn at Whittlesey.  Then a calm overnight ride to The Pag for breakfast.  And whoever's left rides in a group back to the finish as best they can, which is usually quite quick.  A cracking route and great Tomsk hospitality at the finish   :thumbsup:

We started a bit quick — I might've had something to do with that, but I paid for it later when Tippers beasted our groupetto after Cambridge and I was spat out the back with Bikey Mikey.  Headwind and on my own for most of the middle, night leg to The Pag, picking up Mike on his own towards the end (he'd bounced the control at the turn).  Then rode with Mike the entire third leg — good company, but I don't think he pedalled at all, as his freewheel was buzzing all the way back to arrivée (I was on 72-inch fixed, so I pedalled all the way, occasionally gurning with the effort on the ups  :facepalm:).

The bacon&egg sausage bap from Tomsk at the end was very welcome — as was the offer of a second, which I declined due to a bit of tummy discomfort I had carried all morning.

14h20m is a quick 300 for me, although 40 minutes slower than last year, mostly due to the block headwind on the second leg;  some riders apparently got around in just over 12h.  Unfortunately the final 56km ECE back to Cambridge in the hot weather proved problematic and I had to stop and put a cold, wet towel over my head to stave off another bout of heat exhaustion.  By the time I got back within 20km of Cambridge my pace was back up to mid-20s and I was back up to ~30 for the final few km, so whatever I did seemed to have been the right thing to do  :thumbsup:

420km, 262miles.  I was stopped for about 5.5 hours, but half that was chatting at arrivée  ;D  And another 45 minutes trying to cool down on the final 50  :facepalm:  23h10m for the full 420km.
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

Nice reading - I will follow with something longer as always, but a the short version;

Fast to cambridge (wilkyboy, you did have a lot to do with that) but I could tell who was serious by who took a receipt (nic and nic) and who stopped at the services (me). Joined up with old buddies Ian and Jonathan and with two more (Ben and Timber) we stayed almost together the whole way around. We were quickish for old guys, but hours behind the front guys and Mr Brunner who had the bit between his teeth. I was on fixed and should have geared down after whittlesey to my 69 but stayed on my 72 and wore myself out and ended up dangerously close to bonking after dawn. A decent sit down breakfast at Biggleswade made life a little less bleak. Finally changed my gear just over the A505 as I knew there was a climb coming - immediately felt better, like I was back in my power zone. Jonathan kindly stayed back with me and we rode steadily to the silverball coming in just a couple of minutes after the others. It was a nice charge from there to Dunmow over familiar roads, really hot. We lost Ben - this was his first 300 and he blew up a bit I think and when he arrived at the end was dubious about his ability to do 400. Ben, if you're reading you can totally do a 400! Another well run event from Tomsk - really nice to just sit around at the end and chat to people as they came in. So that was my '200' on Essex SR, just the flatland to come.... on 69... lesson learned!

Pedal Castro

  • so talented I can run with scissors - ouch!
    • Two beers or not two beers...
As a bit of trivia for you, Sir Hereward Wake celebrates his centenary this year, assuming he makes it through the next couple of months!


Fidgetbuzz

  • L sp MOON. 1st R sp MARS . At X SO sp STARS
I see that the last words of Alotronics blog .. puts some obligations on me .
I had been thinking about this already .. I reckon it has to be bubbly .. after all there will not be many ( if any) who will have done 10 different years of SRs starting at 65 .. so finishing when 74.

Total SRs are more than 10 -- I did 4 one year by mistake !!

So stick around until the old man rolls in .. and it will be cheap fizz for all !!
I was an accountant until I discovered Audax !!

I see that the last words of Alotronics blog .. puts some obligations on me .
I had been thinking about this already .. I reckon it has to be bubbly .. after all there will not be many ( if any) who will have done 10 different years of SRs starting at 65 .. so finishing when 74.

Total SRs are more than 10 -- I did 4 one year by mistake !!

So stick around until the old man rolls in .. and it will be cheap fizz for all !!

Tom, take note of that promise!