Bryan Chapman 2012

[simonp]

Personally in 2007 PBP was tough because of the weather. I've not yet had bad weather on the BCM and have avoided overnight rain in 2010 and 2011 by being quick enough to be in bed before it arrived, which was lucky.

The two riders can give very different accounts of the same event on the basis of weather but slower riders spend more time outside and hence stand more chance of bad conditions affecting them.

[Redlight]

To anyone doing it for the first time - As you are approaching Pen-Y-Pass in the dark then yes, those are bicycle rear-lights in the sky, it's not an aircraft, and yes, someone about an hour behind you will be wondering the same thing about your rear lights.

Not in my case!

[Feline]

Personally in 2007 PBP was tough because of the weather. I've not yet had bad weather on the BCM and have avoided overnight rain in 2010 and 2011 by being quick enough to be in bed before it arrived, which was lucky.

The two riders can give very different accounts of the same event on the basis of weather but slower riders spend more time outside and hence stand more chance of bad conditions affecting them.

I wonder if the two of us will give very different accounts of the same ride this year? 

[STMS]

To anyone doing it for the first time - As you are approaching Pen-Y-Pass in the dark then yes, those are bicycle rear-lights in the sky, it's not an aircraft, and yes, someone about an hour behind you will be wondering the same thing about your rear lights.

As i was climbing to the right i saw the lights way up to the left and convinced myself it wasn't part of the climb untill i turned left.

[simonp]

The demoralising thing is seeing lights coming the other way while you're heading north. Only happened to me in 2007.

[red marley]

Almost all of us experience that approaching Menai Bridge. It's when it happens on the track of the Youth Hostel that it becomes demoralising.

Unfortunately, I can't make Black Sheep's final Bryan Chapman this year, but I hear the weather is going to be perfect. So make the most of it.

[simonp]

Yes, I was mentally excluding the overlap at Menai Bridge, more the common section north of Penrhyndreudreth.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

All this talk of sunsets over Pen-y-Pass has brought back memories of my first Bryan Chapman and a few demons faced.

http://wp.me/p1NGJL-M

The weather was interesting in 2006 

[Yossarian]

My entry is also in the post...

This is a complete step into the unknown for me, to date my longest rides have been on or around the 200km mark, so I'm hoping that two 300km's (The Dean and 3Down), two 400km's (Buckingham Blinder and Brevet Cymru) and whatever I can fit in between will prepare me for whatever this ride will throw at me... which may well be a nervous breakdown in the middle of Wales during the night...

I have met a few people over the last months or so on the Hills and Mills and Mad Jacks Audax's whom were also planning a similar trajectory towards an SR, and whom also appeared to be approaching it from a similar starting point as myself in terms of Audax experience/ fitness and also London based.. let me know if anyone is up for some long miles as preparation.

Joel   

[Hot Flatus]

You'll be fine. I'd only done a 200,300, and 400. What works for me is taking food with me on the first day, noshing half a peanut-butter and banana laced hot-cross bun every half hour and getting in and out of food stops as quick as possible. The aim being to be in bed by midnight.

The second day is sort of irrelevant, unless you've dragged your feet on the first day and ended up having to ride through the night.

[Priddy]

You shouldn't have a problem Yossarian. I did the BCM with one fewer 400 than you. I also did the Brevet Cymru and the Dean before attempting the BCM and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I would agree with Hot Flatus, the second day was met with renewed vigor and was just like any other 200, although through some stunning countryside. 

I shan't be there this year, but am really looking forward to coming back and doing it again.

[L CC]

Ride plan ^{TM Tuggo}: Ride as hard as you can to the midnight control, sleep till 4, finish by teatime.

We'll see. Chris S (kg)+ fboab (kg) currently equals 3 x Tuggo (kg).

I didn't really want to do it this year. I wanted to save it to have something else to look forward to, but I don't want to miss the blacksheep edition. O well... mtfu, as they say...

[tom_e]

Another one taking a bit of a leap into the dark here.  I haven't cycled further than about 235km before, but felt good at the end.  Planning most of the rides on my own, but vaguely an SR series type progression with an extra ride thrown in.  Objective is to be prepared and fit enough to enjoy the BCM.

So far this year I've done one 188km in temperatures down to -13.  I'm hoping they'll get longer, but no harder than that.  Next step is Up the Uts with cycling to and from to bring it up near 300.

[thesloth]

I'm in.

Enjoyed this last year & hopefully I will enjoy it even more this year as I will be better prepared and will not get lost...alone...in the dark...cold...& rain.

[simonp]

I've completed 9x 600k and the 3 fastest times were all on the BCM 2004 route. 'nuff said.

[Jasmine]

Personally in 2007 PBP was tough because of the weather. I've not yet had bad weather on the BCM and have avoided overnight rain in 2010 and 2011 by being quick enough to be in bed before it arrived, which was lucky.

How quick were you?!  It started raining mid afternoon on the Saturday in Dolgellau.  We had rain the whole way after King's until halfway up the Gwynant when it started to hail.  It started raining on Anglesey in the morning.  I changed my clothes/shoes in Menai Bridge and was soaked through before reaching Rhyd Ddu.

[simonp]

Personally in 2007 PBP was tough because of the weather. I've not yet had bad weather on the BCM and have avoided overnight rain in 2010 and 2011 by being quick enough to be in bed before it arrived, which was lucky.

How quick were you?!  It started raining mid afternoon on the Saturday in Dolgellau.  We had rain the whole way after King's until halfway up the Gwynant when it started to hail.  It started raining on Anglesey in the morning.  I changed my clothes/shoes in Menai Bridge and was soaked through before reaching Rhyd Ddu.

I got slightly wet on the way up Pen-y-Pass, but avoided the heavy downpour at Dolgellau on the way north by being indoors when it hit. I thought it rained overnight too. Maybe I misremembered, or it was 2008. I've always got back to Kings between 1am and 2am.

I think you guys were ahead of me at that stage, you overtook when I was stopped at the 150k control and I don't think I saw you again.

[zigzag]

<...>
lost...alone...in the dark...cold...& rain.

no wind?.. pah

[thesloth]

<...>
lost...alone...in the dark...cold...& rain.

no wind?.. pah

I skipped the beans at Menai Bridge and just had rice pudding

[simonp]

Quick turn-around from Mr Blacksheep, I have my routesheets for the Brevet Cymru and the Bryan Chapman, returned in the same envelope with one of my SAEs returned.

Now to ignore the routesheets as usual and use my gpx files. 

[Manotea]

Ride plan ^{TM Tuggo}: Ride as hard as you can to the midnight control...

You'll be sleeping at menaii then?

[BlackSheep]

Quick turn-around from Mr Blacksheep, I have my routesheets for the Brevet Cymru and the Bryan Chapman, returned in the same envelope with one of my SAEs returned.

Now to ignore the routesheets as usual and use my gpx files. 

A shed load of info will be going out to all entrants in the next few days, this will include ride description, a few tips on what does and does not work. GPX files (that work). Places to stay etc, etc.

Please sit tight, there are a lot of names to get into the Bcc box. And I don't want to get bogged-down with individual issues at the moment it will take more than one e-mail to get all the info out to you.

[L CC]

Ride plan ^{TM Tuggo}: Ride as hard as you can to the midnight control...

You'll be sleeping at menaii then?

Not at all. We'll be tucked up at Kings by 1am.


*laughs hysterically

(What have we let ourselves in for???)

[BlackSheep]

Not at all. We'll be tucked up at Kings by 1am.


*laughs hysterically

(What have we let ourselves in for???)

The best cycling weekend of your life 

[simonp]

Someone said to me at Bronllys in 2008, "If we keep this up we'll be in Menai Bridge by sunset".

I thought that'd be nice but also improbable. I was wrong. I was at 200km at 14:00 ish and I was at the Menai control at 20:30. About 45 minutes before sunset. It wasn't only me that was surprised by this.

In subsequent years I've paced myself better over the first 200k (averaging 29kph to Bronllys is a bit fast) and taken about 9h for the first 200k but been about 1h faster from there to Menai. That 8h 200k remains a PB.