New Forest excursion 2017 and The strange loss of the full value rider

[hellymedic]

As a full-value rider, I can only apologise for my absence to to retirement on medical grounds.

Nobody could say I didn't try; I just couldn't go any faster!

[mcshroom]

this makes me less enthusiastic about entering Calendar events, because watching the entire field quickly disappear up the road, before doing the whole thing solo, isn't necessarily fun; and the fewer entries from slower riders, the more usual this gets. This in spite of the way Controllers give wonderful support to riders near the time-limit, and are glad to do so.

Being someone with diminished social (not to mention group riding) skills I generally don't mind most folk disappearing up the road ahead of me.  But I never feel like I'm riding 'by myself'.  If that was the case I'd probably just stay in bed.

I'd like to think that I'm doing my bit in continuing to represent slower riders ...I've always found controllers to be extra-wonderful when I'm among the final few finishers - particularly attentive with the force-feeding at the arrivee!  On a recent 200 km my parents showed up to meet me as I was lantern rougue-1 and they were also fed tea and cake.

As several orgs have said it's a lot more stressful than riding the bloody thing, they really are keeping track of us all as we go through the controls, so not notifying if you've decided to pack is very inconsiderate.

As  "lantern rougue"-0 on that ride I concur about the welcome

[BrawleyBurst]

Over the years since my first Audax in 2000 (The Windrush Winter Warm Up with Dave Culley as the organiser) my times have been reasonably consistent albeit consistently slow .

However I have noticed that I am dropping further and further back behind the field so the average speed seems to be increasing somewhat.

I cannot compete with the mighty Pashley piloted by Wobbly but my 1999 Thorn Audax weighs 18 kg fully loaded, including the brick in the saddle bag, which will prove useful one day.

I borrowed a carbon fibre cyclo cross bike in January for the Jack and Grace Cotton 100 km and there were around 250 starters, so a big field for an Audax.

We set off at 8.30 am, 9.00 am and 9.30 am to spread the field out a bit.

I ended up in the 9.00 am group and set off at a sensible pace but I quickly found that the carbon fibre beast was actually responsive and if I tried I could actually accelerate, which was a complete novelty to me.

After that I really enjoyed myself and worked my way through loads of cyclists ahead of me.

At the first control, after 46 km, the chap stamping my card remarked that I was the first of the 9.00 am starters to arrive.

I had to lie down to recover from the shock, that has never happened to me before and will probably never happen again.

The rest of the trip was taken at a more sensible pace but I did finish in a respectable time and there were plenty of cars in the car park at the end, usually there is just my solitary vehicle covered in dust and cobwebs.

So I am now investing in a carbon fibre cyclo cross bike!

[JBB]

We need more slow people like me!

I do think attitudes have changed though, and navigation is much easier. Both of these mean that the average speed will increase.

I think my first 200 was about '85 and generally my companion and I would blat the first 100, then stop for a pint and later on ice cream or tea and buns and still finish with 2 hours to spare.

This behaviour was not unusual. I do remember doing a 100k once when it was raining and we ended up being made to wait at the first control for it to open  .

Nowadays if I'm brisk at the controls I can still finish with 2 hours to spare but will usually be on my own and one of the last - despite a lighter bike! This does see me doing more club riding as I enjoy company from time to time.

Additionally I do think that there is a significant percentage of audaxers who see it as a long distance tt. I suspect this causes a lot of the feeding problems some people have.

[vorsprung]

Chums of mine managed it on a 400 in 2011. At about 40k from the end they had four hours in hand so they stopped for lunch (this is France, remember) and had a kip after. They made it just under the chopper.

Speaking as a sometime finish controller, I find such behaviour quite inconsiderate.

+1

at 1:30am with a drive home still to come "full value" is a pita

I have only been dead last once, on the Hard Boiled.  I'm sure I don't need to recount the kind of things that go wrong on a ride like that

[Banjo]

Pre gps my 200s usually included 10 or even 20 bonus kilometers.

Oddly now that I dont have to travel an extra centimeter to get round yet it takes me longer.Cant think why ☺