2019 edition of Green & Yellow Fields 300

[αdαmsκι]

I rode this back in, erm, 2012 and remember it being a decent ride up to the coast and the a pleasant trip back to manningtree with no time pressure as I was booked on a late afternoon train.

Hopefully it'll be similar this year. Here's what weather bagel reckons:

http://www.weatherbagel.com/f/0e0c02a2-4910-41d2-b8a5-47b3025bd974

So damp to start and a headwind out, but a stonking tailwind back. I'm not sure if that's related to the Mogul curry or not. It's PBP year so DNF-ing isn't an option.

[Nik's Nick]

I think the organiser should get out in the rain all day tomorrow, just to ensure a dry start....

[Phil W]

He was out last Saturday in storm Hannah. Does that count?

[lmm]

This will be my first overnight-ish event. My Cunning Plan to sleep this afternoon has been rather destroyed by needing to pick up my bike from repairs. Nothing for it though.

[Dai P]

If the rain holds off it will be a good first overnight.  It is a lovely ride and controls well spaced, for me a great time to start and the wind gods are looking favourable!  Have ridden a few times before and always enjoyed it especially the return leg..... hopefully same later.

[Phil W]

Looking very favourable winds for you guys.

[Nik's Nick]

Huggy's sacrifice during Storm Hannah clearly appeased the wind gods.  Get the feeling the rain deities felt left out and are plotting revenge.

[bairn again]

I established during my ride over from Kings Cross to Bishopsgate that my front dynohub light wasnt working. 

Been down in the basement at work for the last hour fixing it.  I got it working though its perhaps not as high quality a job compared to doing it in my own garage.  Ive got a battery light and head torch as back up.   

I did manage to locate the buildings electrician who had a lovely pair of long nosed pliers, a sharp knife etc.  He was very keen to help. 

My new hero 

[Nik's Nick]

Slight headwind out (strong for the last 20k or so).  Tailwind rain and hail on the way back. So far...

[αdαmsκι]

That tailwind back to Manningtree was brilliant.

Thanks Huggy for organising the ride and the wind!

PBP 300 ✔

More in a bit......


So that went really well. But I am now standing on the train back to Stratford as it's rammo.

There was a group working together for the first 75km leg. As always happens this broke up at the first control as people spent differing amounts of time at the checkpoints. I left the MacDonalds solo and rode up the main road on my own, which I really enjoyed. The first hints of dawn appeared at about 5am. It's always amazing to see the world slowly waking up.

I past another rider who'd stopped on the roadside after about 120 km and we then yoyo-ed each other for the next 140 km. It was good to have the occasional company and the chance for a chat before we'd yo-yo apart. He was the only other rider I saw after 75 km.

The nighttime temperatures were low - down to 2°C. I set off wearing everything apart from my waterproof and was thankful it didn't get much colder. There were a few showers but nothing major. The roads in parts were really wet so I got lucky. And at least it didn't get warm in the morning so I could keep wearing the same clothes rather than having to find space for baselayers etc.

As dawn approached the wind speed picked up and the final 20 km to the coast were hard work. The trade off was that tailwind for the next 150 km.

As always happens I got sleepy when it started to get light. I had one moment of dropping off to sleep while riding, which is enough to fire a load of adrenaline through the body and suddenly you're awake! However a bus shelter I found was too good to avoid and I had a peaceful 20 minute snooze which sorted me out.

Then a great ride back to Manningtree.

[αdαmsκι]

Slight headwind out (strong for the last 20k or so).  Tailwind rain and hail on the way back. So far...

Good to ride with you for a bit.

[lmm]

Excellent route - thanks so much. Forest at dawn was magical, as was the final stretch through sun-dappled lanes.

I must've caught five or six rounds of hail which was Not Fun, but that one's not really on the organiser.

[bairn again]

+1 for a grand day out.  Made it to The Mogul at 2215 to join Wave 2 of the curry diners.  Perfect timing as we settled up and left for the station at 2330.  The was my “other” PBP qualifying 300 having ridden Alston & Back in mid April.  It also featured an out and back style route with a favourable wind in the second half (more hills though). 

Last time i rode this i got in a huge group to Barton Mills, this time not so and i was a bit slower as a result arriving at Barton Mills at 0330.  It was still dry at this point....just.  I got really tired on the leg to the turn and stopped a few times just to get off the bike and try and shake off the dozies. 

The Wind really picked up approaching the coast although it just made the prospect of getting its benefit for the 2nd half more tantalising.  Id now managed to convince my body that it was a new day and lo I wasnt sleepy!

I was playing leapfrog with Andy Uttley and Tomsk from here to the finish.  The 2 minute hailstone showers made for many jacket on/off stops - but from the look of the roads i reckon we missed a lot of very heavy rain showers.  The hail showers were also preceded by biblical downdrafts that suggested the apocalypse was approaching.  The hailstone were at least dry and made a pleasing pinging sound when they hit my bike frame. 

The traffic between Fakenham and Dereham was busier than i recalled but thats possibly as i was about an hour later on the road v.  Last time. 

The 3 of us had a very civilised a sit down snack stop the sun at Redgrave (twinned with Tinteniac). But boy the wind was cold.

I didnt stop long at Needham Market as it was raining horizontally at this point, picking up a receipt at the corner shop.  Id been expecting next bit to the A12 to be really busy but it was actually quiet and the “kms to go” was pleasingly ticking down. 

The debris on the lanes into the finish made for delicate descending and a few of us finished largely together around 1620.  Id pre booked on the train to London just before 6 so i enjoyed a few beers while finishing my brevet card admin. 

It was an early start this morning to collect my bike from works basement car park and a short ride up to Kings X with a squeaky chain and very cold hands.

Im now enjoying the delights of LNER while powering north. 

Its weekend off - Flatlands - weekend off - Asp & Strawbs for me next few weeks.  Get the Wily Coyote brevet card stamp looked out! 

Thanks to Grant and the other helpers, its a great event and the pre event meal is a very civilised way to kick things off.  One day I will visit the Mogul and have something other than chicken tikka biryani and diet coke.

Graeme