Author Topic: London-Wales-London  (Read 67551 times)

Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #100 on: 06 March, 2017, 09:59:42 am »
Thank you for the encouragement. I did struggle but I do have a few more rides planned, including a 200 mile (>300Km) in early April. I hope to be on the start line but I also have to be honest with myself.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #101 on: 06 March, 2017, 10:23:17 am »
I've done 2x 200 so far this year and struggled on both of them. But LWL is still nearly two months away...
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #102 on: 06 March, 2017, 10:49:19 am »
Thank you for the encouragement. I did struggle but I do have a few more rides planned, including a 200 mile (>300Km) in early April. I hope to be on the start line but I also have to be honest with myself.

Stick with doing it. You may have had a hard 200 just gone but the weather will/should be better by the time 400 comes round. Do some more 100/200km training rides in the meantime and you’ll be fitter in no time.

Graeme

  • @fatherhilarious.blog 🦋
    • Graeme's Blog
Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #103 on: 06 March, 2017, 10:59:00 am »
Thank you for the encouragement. I did struggle but I do have a few more rides planned, including a 200 mile (>300Km) in early April. I hope to be on the start line but I also have to be honest with myself.

You can wiggle... but we'll keep encouraging you.
 ;D

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #104 on: 06 March, 2017, 12:14:20 pm »
the weather will/should be better by the time 400 comes round

Worth remembering that even if it's nice during the day, in late April it will still get very cold after dark, so remember to pack extra layers for the latter stages of the ride.

This is a lesson I learned the hard way last time I did the Severn Across.

However, if you've done a few winter 200s, your body at least should be more than adequately prepared for riding in the cold.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Wycombewheeler

  • PBP-2019 LEL-2022
Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #105 on: 06 March, 2017, 04:53:06 pm »
the weather will/should be better by the time 400 comes round

Worth remembering that even if it's nice during the day, in late April it will still get very cold after dark, so remember to pack extra layers for the latter stages of the ride.

This is a lesson I learned the hard way last time I did the Severn Across.

However, if you've done a few winter 200s, your body at least should be more than adequately prepared for riding in the cold.
+1
I was surprised how much colder it was at 1am than at the 6am start. Main problem was not having a warmer pair of gloves for the finish.

Eddington  127miles, 170km

Vince

  • Can't climb; won't climb
Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #106 on: 06 March, 2017, 05:32:54 pm »
We need helpers:

- checking in riders at the Chepstow control from lunchtime to early evening

If you are interested in helping out dm me

Have dm'd you
Want some company?
I need some practice before LEL
216km from Marsh Gibbon

Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #107 on: 14 March, 2017, 01:53:10 pm »
I've ridden the Severn Across before but I'm not able to ride the LWL event.
Is there an official 2017 route that I could ride as a DIY and give orgs feedback on if they need it?

Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #108 on: 14 March, 2017, 07:51:56 pm »
PM you

Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #109 on: 14 March, 2017, 09:23:17 pm »

Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #110 on: 30 March, 2017, 01:09:23 pm »
Still nervous about this. Still planning on doing it though. Quick question. Does anybody miss out the climb to Yat Rock? There is a route, couple of Km longer and a steadier climb.

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
    • Didcot Audaxes
Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #111 on: 30 March, 2017, 01:40:48 pm »
Still nervous about this. Still planning on doing it though. Quick question. Does anybody miss out the climb to Yat Rock? There is a route, couple of Km longer and a steadier climb.
yes, in fact I think it used to be an option on the route-sheet!

(Yat Rock is worth seeing - and it's not bonker's hard.)
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: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #112 on: 30 March, 2017, 02:34:21 pm »
I did the alternative route last year - wider road but still a slog and longer.
Going for Yat route this year. I can then tick off another 100 best climbs

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #113 on: 30 March, 2017, 02:52:54 pm »
Symonds Yat is a lovely climb! Definitely one of the highlights of the route for me. Don't miss it out, even if you have to walk part of it. It's only the last part that's really steep.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Wycombewheeler

  • PBP-2019 LEL-2022
Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #114 on: 30 March, 2017, 03:24:28 pm »
I did yat rock last year. Don't think it was significantly worse than the Somerset monument climb.

hardest thing about the ride I found was not seeing another rider from Malmesbury to the finish. This year I'll try and find someone to ride with around chepstow.

Eddington  127miles, 170km

Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #115 on: 30 March, 2017, 04:31:33 pm »
The route on an audax is only advisory and as long as you control at Walford and Tutshill you're free to choose your own route.  Avoiding the rock is easy but you still have to make the same height and it's a bit of a slog.  I'm popping out on monday and will probably walk up the rock (unless, like the last time I did it, I can't unclip before it's too late).

Also, we have a nice stop at Lambourn this year staffed by Iddu and Assassin so there should be loads of opportunity to buddy up for the rest of the night unless you are pathologically dull (but that probably rules most of us out...)

Liam

Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #116 on: 08 April, 2017, 09:33:09 am »
After bonking on a DIY 300 on Thursday I have decided that my fitness is just not up to the job. I need to work out why I have struggled on the past few rides and what caused me to grind to a halt on the 300. I have made the very painful decision to pull out.

Liam, YHM.

Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #117 on: 08 April, 2017, 11:44:27 am »
Sorry to hear that - hopefully things will have improved for next year.

This week I pottered down to see my mum in Devon by way of Chepstow and discovered a few anomalies on the GPX which I'll have to fix before Marcus JB does his normally incredibly thorough route check.

I have to say that doing it as a 2 two hundreds on sunny Spring days with time to enjoy the scenery makes me feel incredibly lucky!  The section after Lambourn is stunning and the countryside around Tewkesbury made me stop and listen to the birds a couple of times

L

Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #118 on: 08 April, 2017, 12:05:57 pm »
I'm cycling to and from Kingston to Wooton this easter weekend and would be able to route check parts of the route.

This is the route I'm planning taking but I'd be happy to change it to help out

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20113620

Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #119 on: 08 April, 2017, 02:38:37 pm »
Have PM'd you

Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #120 on: 09 April, 2017, 12:00:57 pm »
Rode the route yesterday as a DIY (thanks Liam) and passed on a couple of issues with the GPS.
Have to say, it was a lovely ride. Weather was good (save for being underdressed at -3degC o'clock) and the roads were generally better than most of the AAA routes I've been doing.
Dappled light can hide some potholes in the Cotswolds but generally pretty good compared to normal.
So yeah, really good ride, even without having the 'controls'.

Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #121 on: 12 April, 2017, 04:23:57 pm »
So I have updated the event website with a full fat gps route -
https://londonwaleslondon.com/route/

I have included the kitchen sink in there so that anyone can download it and adapt it how they like to suit whatever type of device they have.

Entrants will get the written route sheet after Easter...

I hope this weather stays with us for a few more weeks!

Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #122 on: 12 April, 2017, 04:28:00 pm »
Liam, is it possible to leave a small bag at the depart to be picked up on return?  I am thinking a small rucksack with some day clothes for the previous night

Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #123 on: 12 April, 2017, 04:29:47 pm »
Of course - I normally have a few people leaving bags.  Had a full set of motorcycle leathers one year...

Re: London Wales London (Severn Across as was...)
« Reply #124 on: 12 April, 2017, 04:36:22 pm »
I couldn't see it on the site but was worried about a £100 fine :)