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  • Kernow & SW 600: 28 May, 2011 - 29 May, 2011

Author Topic: Kernow & SW 2011  (Read 53301 times)

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #275 on: 31 May, 2011, 10:07:57 pm »
:thumbsup: I like the idea of the last stop being a 'beer control'. This should be written into the rules at the next AGM.

+1
You're only as successful as your last 1200...

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #276 on: 31 May, 2011, 10:11:05 pm »
There'll be a demand for a nympho control next...

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #277 on: 31 May, 2011, 10:12:17 pm »
There'll be a demand for a nympho control next...

Are you volunteering?
You're only as successful as your last 1200...

AndyH

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #278 on: 31 May, 2011, 10:13:20 pm »
I'll vote if you two will propose and second. (But only on long rides with AAA and OSA TM points.)

simonp

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #279 on: 31 May, 2011, 10:14:52 pm »
And another thread about an IanH event careers off the rails.  :facepalm:

Where’s the kittens when you need them?

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #280 on: 31 May, 2011, 10:15:09 pm »
There'll be a demand for a nympho control next...

Are you volunteering?


Frayed knot...

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #281 on: 31 May, 2011, 10:17:45 pm »
And another thread about an IanH event careers off the rails.  :facepalm:


And not a Hummers in sight.

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #282 on: 31 May, 2011, 10:23:15 pm »
Thanks are due to:-

Sarah
Simon
Pippa
Lara
Liz
Don
Peter
John
Gill
Rob
Plus Don's other helpers, whom he'll have to identify
The staff at Crooklets Cafe who opened early just for us
Anyone else I've inadvertently left off

It was a great team effort.

simonp

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #283 on: 31 May, 2011, 10:25:49 pm »
Nicely rescued.

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #284 on: 01 June, 2011, 12:17:51 am »
Notes on Kernow & South West 600km audax, 28-9 May 2011

And an attempt to answer the question: why do we do these rides?

[Warning – quite long – like the ride]

Train to Exeter Friday afternoon, bought a pastie in city centre and ate it on the green by the cathedral in late afternoon sun, glorious start.  Then rode out past the start of the ride in Whipton to familiarise myself with its whereabouts.  Then failed to find Travelodge… had looked up the postcode on google maps which sent me down a small country lane where I began to think it was an odd place for a Travelodge, usually they put them a bit nearer the motorway.  So rode back to the M5 junction and there it was, exactly where I had ridden past it 30 mins earlier.  D'oh!  Was this an early warning?

Travelodge room was smelly… musty… not been aired perhaps for a year or so?  Dead body in the wardrobe perhaps?  Opened window… about an inch… that's as far as it goes – is that because the inmates in these places get suicidal? I wonder why?

Marvellous fish and chips at Harry Ramsdens, met up briefly with Greenbank.  Feeling better now.

Watched HIGNFY on the telly.  Even better.  Then a loud knock – it's my room mate, Bianchi Boy!  Talked about spokes etc. way too late then decided it would be sensible to get a spot of shut-eye.

3.30am.  BB's alarm goes off.  An hour too early.  He's keen.

4.30am we get up.  Coffee, banana, cereal bar.  In a smelly Travelodge.  The glamour of audax!

5am we're sat on the wall outside what looks remarkably like a church but the noticeboard reassuringly says Whipton Community Centre.  BB phones Ian H at 5.15 to check we are in the right place – yes don't panic.  5.30am others begin to arrive including our host Ian, all very laid-back, no sense of urgency.  Marvellous!  Teas and coffees, more bananas and cereal bars, and then 6am! We're off… into the wind… for 250km.

Easy 3h15 to the first control at Bude (80km), just like it said on the routesheet, mainly because our little grupetto of six is tightly tucked in behind Toby who will go on to complete the distance in 28 hours, smashing the KSW record by some 5 hours… Toby looked completely at ease, going off the front without trying – when he realised he would ease off a bit for us to get back on.  A gent on a bike.  Effortless mastery.

A full English at Bude was the order of the day.  When I set off at around 10am by myself Toby had long gone, having consumed just a coke and a flapjack.  How do these whippets do it?  I was caught by Mike Plumstead shortly into the lumpy section to Looe and we were to remain joined practically at the hip for the rest of the ride.

At Liskeard we were peckish, I couldn't wait till Looe, so we found a marvellous sandwich shop.  They had all manner of deliciously moist fillings, but Mike ordered a dry grated cheese sandwich and promptly emptied half its contents all over the pavement outside the shop.  So he went back inside to ask for more cheese and, in order to demonstrate there was not much cheese left in his sandwich, he opened it and emptied the rest of the contents all over their floor.  They looked somewhat askance but nonetheless obligingly re-filled his sandwich.  After he had finished he went back in to ask them to refill his water bottles.  Brazen.  I admired more effortless mastery.

We arrived in Looe (142km) at around 1pm I think, it was raining.  Had been on and off since Bude.  Cornish drizzle.  And a stiff headwind, did I mention that?  Got an ATM statement for control purposes, then ate fantastic home-made pasties from the local bakery while our bikes blocked the pavement and we blocked the bakery doorway as we tried to shelter from the rain… and the wind.

Mike, BB and I set off together to tackle the next bit.  Another hilly wet and windy bit.  The routesheet said follow signs to Polruan pedestrian & cycle ferry.  Mike and I don't have GPS, so we did just that.  BB has GPS (is GPS cheating?  Maybe a question for another thread).  A junction appears, no signpost.  So Mike and I stay on the main road (well, main little lane really) while BB strikes off down even littler lane, slavishly following his GPS.  Let's see who gets to the ferry first!

Mike and I arrive at Polruan 10 mins later just in time to wave goodbye to BB as he and bike steam out across the harbour.  Never mind, we can have an ice cream while we wait for the next ferry.  Standing in the rain.  And the wind.

The next bit was quite hilly.  And windy.  And wet.  But great views as we passed St Michael's Mount on the left, in a brief moment of clear skies.  Then, before we knew it, but in fact around 7pm, we were in Penzance (240km) at Don's delicious diner!  What a fantastic control.  This is why we do these rides!  Thanks Don and crew, you were brilliant.  I think I ate 4 bananas, cakes, two plates of pasta, rice pudding and peaches, and quite possibly 3 eggs and beans on toast as well.  Phoned dad to say happy birthday.  Phoned Mike Bridgeland who's doing the Didcot 400k this w/e and is in for a shock – he thought it was going to be flat :)  Phoned wife to check in, as you do.  She's been doing useful stuff in the garden.  While I am out doing useless stuff on my bike.  Top missus!

Set off at around 8pm with Mike P and Justin Chapman for the long night ride back to Bude. At last we have a tail-wind… and it's stopped raining!  This is why we do these rides!  We flew to Newquay by 10pm, just in time to get to the garage before it shut for the night and buy various comestibles and substantially delay the staff getting home who foolishly asked where we'd been and were going…

Mike and Justin were still strong but by around midnight I was flagging on the climbs.  And it was raining again.  Proper rain now, the wet stuff.  Why do we do these rides?  Dark thoughts.  Never again!  Clearly I need to refer to rule 5 http://www.velominati.com/blog/the-rules/#5 

I got back to Bude (370km) at bang on 1am, and by 1.02am my dinner was served and I remember exactly why I do these rides.  Thanks Feline, you beauty!  XXX

Slept like log despite the drunken attempted bike theft commotion, I did not hear a thing.  Gentle wake-up call from Ian at 5am, brekky and ablutions and back out on the road at 6.  A long section to Taunton, but no vicious hills and good tailwind, and no rain!  This is why we do these rides!  Quick garage stop at Tiverton (450km) for sandwiches, chocolate and a pint of milk, then pressed onto Taunton Deane M5 service station, oh the glamour! Arriving at around 11am (480km).  Ate burger and drank coke.  I NEVER normally let such rubbish pass my lips.  Needs must.

The next bit of the routesheet warned of tricky navigation on the lanes around Taunton.  Mike and I got lost twice.  Apparently people with GPS didn't get lost.  Mike and I talked quite a lot about buying GPS.  But that would be cheating.  Wouldn't it?  [start new thread]

We arrived at the most easterly point of the ride, a BP garage somewhere near Yeovil, at around 3pm (530km).  I bought and consumed a pint of milk, sandwiches, bananas, ginger beer and packet of mentos.  On the garage forecourt, oh the tradition! Oh the glamour! Oh the smell of petrol!  This is why we do these rides!

Back on the road for the penultimate section, across the Blackdown Hills to Seaton.  Quite a hilly bit this, and finished by the sea.  Now we're riding with Andy H who has to stop behind a hedge half-way to change his bib-shorts which are rather too new to be wearing on a 600.  He had nearly packed last night on account of the wind and the rain, then phoned the missus who referred him to rule 5.  Top missus!

Sun's out now, and the expected headwind since we changed course and struck off southwards has not materialised.  So all's good with the world, and we are but a few short kms from completing the legendary KSW and getting qualified for PBP... so we can ride twice as far!   Arrive Seaton at about 6pm (575km).  ATM receipt.

We had been warned about the last lumpy section, just 30km to finish, but what spectacular scenery awaited, a veritable eye candy feast of scenery, just the ticket to finish a 600.  No doubt others equipped with the latest wizardry and gadgetry can tell me to the nearest metre just how scenic this bit was, but it felt like roughly half the climbing of the entire event was squeezed into this 30kms.  After we popped out onto the main road (A3052) for a few kms I thought that would be an end to the hills… but it wasn't... the roller-coaster went on, top value!  This is why we do these rides!

Then suddenly we're off the main road and on the lanes back into Exeter, past the airport, on a Dr Beeching cycle route (I suspect?) and back at Whipton Community Centre for 8.15pm.  610km.  And the hero's welcome that the routesheet had promised.  Beans on Toast fit for heroes!  And eggs.  And pizza.  And pasta.  And rice pudding and peaches.  And coffee.  And 5 mugs of black tea for Mike P.  And then Greenbank arrives clutching cans of beer, it's his birthday!  This is why we do these rides!

I'm never doing it again though.  Probably.

Thanks Ian and all your helpers for brilliant ride.  I will be back.  Probably.

PS. Sunday night I did not have to go back to the Travelodge, oh no!  Andy H and I shared a room here: http://www.culmvaleaccommodation.co.uk/  Quite possibly the best B&B I have ever had the joy to use.  Shhh!  Don't tell everyone!

PPS. Gratuitous plug for marvellous twitter feed nothing whatever to do with audax or cycling, oh joy!  http://twitter.com/#!/Queen_UK

Justin(e)

  • On my way out of here
Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #285 on: 01 June, 2011, 12:53:23 am »
... This is why we do these rides!...

Great write-up.  Well written, examples like this are why I read these road reports (it is like vicarious participation).

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #286 on: 01 June, 2011, 01:16:02 am »
... This is why we do these rides!...

Great write-up.  Well written, examples like this are why I read these road reports (it is like vicarious participation).

+1, great report!
Makes me want to ride it too!

YahudaMoon

  • John Diffley
Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #287 on: 01 June, 2011, 01:50:12 am »
From Ians Kernow and Southwest 600

38 entered, 20 started, 13 finished. Of those who packed, two were injured, one was weather, and four inexperience (never having ridden any audax event before). Gusting southwesterlies and occasional rain didn't make life easy on the way to Penzance, but the riders were blown back to Bude Saturday evening. Sunday brought more of the same weather, though later finishers missed the headwind on the final stage. Well done, especially to two who completed their first 600s. Thanks to all those who gave up their time and energy to help.


Hats off to them that entered and WOW ! to those that finished.

Well done. Sounds excellant. 

Enjoyed the ride reports.

hedgehugger

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #288 on: 01 June, 2011, 05:08:28 pm »
Hi all. Long time freeloader, first time contributor so here goes… My mother knows me as Justin and I was one of the first timers mention above. It was really a very rewarding experience and I am still grinning from ear to ear, even if the rest of my body is somewhat tortured.

It's been a bit of a trial by ordeal with my first 300 a month ago, the Brevet Cymru my first 400 and this topping it all off. I had a few goals for this ride including finishing, not getting shoulder pain, avoiding saddle pressure sores and taking my eyes off my GPS long enough to enjoy the countryside! I mostly achieved all of them.

Usual daftness on my part as I decided to replace my chain, cassette and shifter the evening before the ride so i didn't get to bed till late and only had about 5.5 hrs sleep. I live 35mins from the start so I got up at 4:00AM and hit the road to Exeter, unpacked the car outside the control, didn't see it and promptly set off into town to look for the start. After some helpful advice from the locals I ended up back at the hall and caught Ian's rousing sermon and rallying cries.

Held off any over-exertion for the first stage to Bude as I have the tendency to overdo it earlier in the rides. Pretty roads tho and a bit of nattering with the others. Clothes on and off trying to get the balance between drizzle, wind and exertion. The stretch from Bude to Looe was hilly but OK, I tried getting out of the saddle more then I usually do to relieve saddle and shoulder pressure. Looe was heaving with miserable looking holidaymakers and I felt very lucky to be there with a "purpose". Pasty and back on the road where unfortunately I think my Jersey buddy packed on the first hill. Wound to Fowey ferry, on the v. steep hill in had terrifying front wheel lock up on the slippery metal manholes. Dragged my bike precariously on and off the ferry watched by unhelpful 12 year old ferryman.

And onwards to Marazion on some rather unpleasant busy roads and one very improbable bridleway Ian put on the GPS route for a chuckle. Control not in Marazion as I had convinced myself it was. The 2 mile ride to Long Rock felt like the longest section of the ride! Wonderful hospitality at Long Rock accompanied by the relief in the knowledge that I wouldn't be riding into that ghastly wind any more. Mike and Richard (I hope I got your names right) kindly let me hang onto their coat-tales for the section to Bude. Mike was very wise in counselling the benefits of night riding in a group and it was a very fast, pleasant ride despite the continual drizzle.

Bude was a welcome respite on arrival at about 1:00AM and the Rocky-Road cake superb. It was my first "night" Audax and I wasn't very prepared for it and found it really difficult to sleep. I was wired despite being physically tired and sensitive to noise etc. I think the helpers were having a party in the kitchen but it would have been churlish to remonstrate seeing as how they had given up their Saturday nights (literally!) to attend to the peculiar gastronomic demands of a bunch of sweaty Audaxers! Must remember ear-plugs next time. It was good to rest my body even if I only got about 1.5 hrs sleep. On waking super breakfast and more wise counsel from Ian before hitting the road about 5:15. I rode mostly on my own except for a short spell with a chap with stocking on his head who's name escaped me, I couldn't keep up with him for long but felt good going at my own pace. As I got nearer to Tiverton I entered more familiar roads which was comforting although I had to withstand the urge to divert to my house which was a couple of miles off the route! Taunton Deane Services felt a  bit like landing on a strange planet after miles of quiet country lane solitude. I bitterly resented the cost of a bottle of water so I bought a shot of espresso and tried to nonchalantly drink it at the petrol station counter, like they do in Italy, I don't think it quite evoked the desired exotic effect tho.

Then off to Yeovil with empty Bidons and more beautiful countryside and pretty villages. Still feeling good and thinking "I can do this!". From Yeovil with refilled bidons it got hilly climbing up above the Marshwood vale with that wind to contend with again. I arrived in Seaton at 3:30 and I was met by wife, daughter and parents in law for welcome fish and chips and a stretch out on the beach. I had a long half hour stop then, dare I say it, enjoyed the final stretch back to Exeter. It was a bit comedic the whole massive climb out of one seaside town, drop down into another, out, in etc. I think I smelt my brakes burning going into Branscombe.

Wonderful final backlane extravaganza into Exeter and finish at 6:13PM. Two more riders rolled in in quick succession. We had been probably riding just round the corner from each-other fro the last 40k! I enjoyed more fine hospitality whilst I stared into the middle distance in a state of semi stupor. Anyway thankyou everyone who I met who where all invariably friendly and supportive. Thankyou Ian and team for putting it all on.

What do people recommend I do next?

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #289 on: 01 June, 2011, 05:18:23 pm »

What do people recommend I do next?

There's a 1200 in August.

simonp

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #290 on: 01 June, 2011, 06:42:25 pm »
Just sent IanH a permanent entry for this for 2nd July.  Wrist should be up to it by then shouldn't it? Could be a bit warm.

JJ

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #291 on: 01 June, 2011, 07:52:56 pm »
Just sent IanH a permanent entry for this for 2nd July.  Wrist should be up to it by then shouldn't it? Could be a bit warm.


Great! You can Gps-mark suitable bus shelters for me then!

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #292 on: 01 June, 2011, 08:06:50 pm »
nice ride reports! i'd like to do this ride in mid-end july, only i'd like some sort of shelter for 2-3hrs sleep (no bus shelters pls!). could my dns card be reused for permanent ride?

JJ

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #293 on: 01 June, 2011, 10:55:37 pm »
Not sure I can recall any Travelodge-type spots on the night section.  I'd be glad to be corrected though.

I think a DNS is usually regarded as a card lost.  The org has had most of his expenses by that point.

simonp

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #294 on: 01 June, 2011, 11:35:01 pm »
I’m guessing Newquay Travelodge might be a bit too early.

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #295 on: 01 June, 2011, 11:44:02 pm »
I’m guessing Newquay Travelodge might be a bit too early.


Would the one at Taunton be too late?

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #296 on: 01 June, 2011, 11:49:02 pm »
I’m guessing Newquay Travelodge might be a bit too early.


Would the one at Taunton be too late?

Not at Toby speed.

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #297 on: 01 June, 2011, 11:50:54 pm »
I’m guessing Newquay Travelodge might be a bit too early.


Would the one at Taunton be too late?

Not at Toby speed.

At Toby speed you wouldn't need a sleep stop at all  ;D

simonp

Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #298 on: 02 June, 2011, 12:39:56 am »
I’m guessing Newquay Travelodge might be a bit too early.


Would the one at Taunton be too late?

Too late for me.  I’m not sure of the distance to Newquay, but if it’s similar to the 337km hotel on the Border Raid then it’d almost be possible to do the whole thing in daylight (it’s easier on the Border Raid because of the longer days in Scotland).



Re: Kernow & SW 2011
« Reply #299 on: 02 June, 2011, 07:32:47 am »
Two perm entries so far.