Author Topic: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019  (Read 11571 times)

Graeme

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Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« on: 01 November, 2018, 03:10:47 pm »
For those of you looking for a well catered 400 in 2019, you might want to consider Dean's "Great North Road 400". I'm running the Welton control: providing hot food and drinks (I'll to be doing my best to cater for vegan and gluten free needs too). Flapjack will be present.

I enjoyed Dean's ride description:

Quote from: AUK Calendar
  • This ride will be for you if you like: bridges, canals, cooling towers, mostly flat roads and lots of pretty churches.
  • This ride may not be for you if you don't like: village hall controls, the occasional A-road stretch but mostly quiet lanes, Yorkshire, and bridges. There are a lot of bridges.

For added humour, roll your mouse over the cooling tower logo: http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/19-540/

mattc

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Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #1 on: 01 November, 2018, 03:23:23 pm »
Any beds/mats en route?
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Graeme

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Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #2 on: 01 November, 2018, 03:57:30 pm »
Good question. The Welton control runs from about 2pm to about 11:30pm. I think my control is about 255km into the route, after you leave me there are going to 150km of very flat roads back through the countryside to York and Boroughbridge, then and lump or two near Ripon before more easy roads to Darlington. It won't be a difficult ride back (wind permitting) but I am guessing there isn't anywhere planned as a sleep stop - Deano may be along to tell the true story rather than relying on my guesses.

Given mine is the last full service control before the night section, and if you were riding Matt, would you like to grab some sleep after 255km? I could provide sleep mats away from the food area for those who wanted some shuteye. This is a genuine offer as I'm beginning to plan the control now.

I usually get the dozies about 4 or 5am, but with this ride I would expect to be back in Darlo by then. I think - weather permitting - this route would help every rider to finish earlier than they'd expect. I did a 200 on bits of the southern half of it this week, with a brisk of a northerly breeze: it took me 2 hours less than I'd normally take for a 200, including spending 40 minutes dealing with a stubborn puncture.


Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #3 on: 01 November, 2018, 03:58:32 pm »
Entered.

Graeme

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Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #4 on: 01 November, 2018, 04:14:06 pm »
Entered.


Looking forward to seeing you!

Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #5 on: 01 November, 2018, 04:23:27 pm »
Also entered and looking forward to it.

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #6 on: 01 November, 2018, 04:42:42 pm »
I enjoyed Dean's ride description:

Quote from: AUK Calendar
  • This ride will be for you if you like: bridges, canals, cooling towers, mostly flat roads and lots of pretty churches.
  • This ride may not be for you if you don't like: village hall controls, the occasional A-road stretch but mostly quiet lanes, Yorkshire, and bridges. There are a lot of bridges.

Definitely what sold it to me, and also because local to me there's nothing that flat without going in circles for hours.

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
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Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #7 on: 01 November, 2018, 04:45:36 pm »
Given mine is the last full service control before the night section, and if you were riding Matt, would you like to grab some sleep after 255km? I could provide sleep mats away from the food area for those who wanted some shuteye. This is a genuine offer as I'm beginning to plan the control now.
With an 0600 start, nope, no chance! But thanks for asking, and for the informative response  :thumbsup:

(adds to list of 2019 possibles ... )
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #8 on: 01 November, 2018, 04:59:02 pm »
Any beds/mats en route?

Short answer: no. The last control at Ripon is your 24-hour garage, or 24-hour McDonald's (rider's choice).

Long answer: unlikely. If I get a fuckload of entries and have a cash surplus, I would like to look into a village hill in Ripon, but that probably wouldn't have sleeping facilities. I'm expecting riders not to want to fuck about (and Dr M will probably be finished before 10 pm).

Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #9 on: 01 November, 2018, 05:50:36 pm »
... (and Dr M will probably be finished before 10 pm).


More like 8 I reckon, just based on the last time I watched him disappear into the void

vorsprung

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Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #10 on: 01 November, 2018, 08:54:50 pm »
sorry Deano too far north and clashes with BCM

Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #11 on: 03 November, 2018, 12:07:41 am »
Added to my calendar, entry depends on my 14yo's race calendar.

Karla

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Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #12 on: 03 November, 2018, 12:28:26 am »
Yay, A roads!

Graeme

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Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #13 on: 29 January, 2019, 07:59:24 pm »
I've booked the village hall in Welton for the 255km control point. Thinking about food. Mmm. Food.

Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #14 on: 29 January, 2019, 08:23:00 pm »
Any beds/mats en route?

Miiiiight be possible if you really want a kip. It is being discussed but the village hall in question is just one big room , so you may be able to lie down but not get a lot of sleep.
What is not in question is that Dean is putting a lot of effort into making this an attractive event rather than the X rated events that most of us oop north are used to.

Graeme

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Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #15 on: 29 January, 2019, 08:28:39 pm »
I'm starting to look for volunteers - please PM me if interested in volunteering in Welton.
Cheers,
Graeme.

jiberjaber

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Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #16 on: 29 January, 2019, 08:54:20 pm »
Monitoring for potential...  :thumbsup:
Regards,

Joergen

Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #17 on: 29 January, 2019, 09:48:11 pm »
What is not in question is that Dean is putting a lot of effort into making this an attractive event rather than the X rated events that most of us oop north are used to.

Yeah, I was planning it as half-board, but it's developed a bit, I'm pleased to say. Just a couple of self-service controls along the route - you won't need to stop at Romaldkirk, and there are enough choices at Askern to make a manned control superfluous. There is a garage if anyone wants the traditional forecourt experience, of course.

Monitoring for potential...  :thumbsup:

Looks like the Flatlands is the same weekend. There's an actual hill in this, you know.

jiberjaber

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  • ACME S&M^2
Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #18 on: 29 January, 2019, 10:04:20 pm »
I've never done the flatlands yet for that reason :)
Regards,

Joergen

Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #19 on: 31 January, 2019, 11:28:06 pm »
PSA: for cheap train travel from London, the Grand Central service from King's Cross to Eaglescliffe is generally a fair bit cheaper (and always more bike-friendly) than the direct services to Darlington. Then you can hop the Northern service into Darlo.

I'm planning to check the routesheet for the southern bits this weekend, so expect some gratuitous cooling tower photos :)

Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #20 on: 01 February, 2019, 12:09:36 pm »
Quote
I'm planning to check the routesheet for the southern bits this weekend, so expect some gratuitous cooling tower photos :)

Give us a shout if you need a brew and I recommend walking over Horkstow Bridge at the moment. There were some road closed signs on the track last weekend but was quite easy to get past the roadworks.

Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #21 on: 01 February, 2019, 01:37:27 pm »
Looking at the weather, I might give it a miss this weekend - there's no rush, and hacking along icy lanes doesn't really appeal :)

Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #22 on: 17 February, 2019, 09:04:38 pm »
I made it this weekend, and got some good cooling tower shots. Proper Yorkshire scenery. And checked out the lovely bridge over the Ancholme at Horkstow.

(there should be some photos below - let me know if not, I'm trying to use Google instead of Fl*ckr):








bairn again

Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #23 on: 17 February, 2019, 10:02:02 pm »
Looks great Dean. 

Its the sort of ride Id lap up but I am scheduled to be down in the cabbage patch doing the Flatlands that weekend. 

Re: Great North Road 400: 18 May 2019
« Reply #24 on: 17 February, 2019, 10:37:43 pm »
Yeah, I've some tough competition that weekend! It's close to the end of the 400 cycle for PBP, and I might pick up a few who cock up their earlier qualifier... if there's space for them, of course.