I was doing some forward planning for 2019 and have noticed that there is a new Travelodge in Gainsborough
Its less than 1 mile off route at 377km, just about perfect distance for a posh kip [imho]
;)I was doing some forward planning for 2019 and have noticed that there is a new Travelodge in Gainsborough
Its less than 1 mile off route at 377km, just about perfect distance for a posh kip [imho]
Have you been to Gainsborough ?
I do recall someone curled up on a pallet of Fosters in the Jet 24hr a couple of years ago. Lavish.;)I was doing some forward planning for 2019 and have noticed that there is a new Travelodge in Gainsborough
Its less than 1 mile off route at 377km, just about perfect distance for a posh kip [imho]
Have you been to Gainsborough ?
yep. (I meant relative to sleeping in a bus stop)
If I recall, in 2014 it got very chilly overnight and several people attempted to sleep on the floor in the Gainsborough service station shop, much to the tolerant bemusement of the staff.
I do recall someone curled up on a pallet of Fosters in the Jet 24hr a couple of years ago. Lavish.;)I was doing some forward planning for 2019 and have noticed that there is a new Travelodge in Gainsborough
Its less than 1 mile off route at 377km, just about perfect distance for a posh kip [imho]
Have you been to Gainsborough ?
yep. (I meant relative to sleeping in a bus stop)
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Sleaford Travelodge booked, aiming to get there before 1am and leave at 6.
Sleaford Travelodge booked, aiming to get there before 1am and leave at 6.
That was what I did in 2016 and it was fine, although as I recall it wasn't a particularly windy edition. It makes for a nice short second day.
I downloaded the gpx yesterday, it says a minor change for a beep location. If I’m just following the lines, nothing changes does it??
I rode along very briefly with Tom just outside Saffron Walden today as he was finishing his routecheck. Even with 580k in his legs compared to about 40k in mine, he was still able to leave me for dust :-[
Also, at Goole [stage 5] the new roads and RBTs confused me at late o'clock: so long as you go over the M62 and SO $ Rawcliffe you'll be ok. The gps tracks are spot on, just don't go onto the motorway! The old route [Anderson Rd, Rawcliffe Rd] would be better at an earlier hour, but later on Saturday the new bypass will be quiet - it's a bit shorter and a better surface too. Just watch for the odd lorry from the Eddie Stobart and Tesco distribution centres heading onto the M62.
Planning to meet up for a quick hello with my son as the route helpfully goes right past his bedroom window at 567.5 km.
Hoping that he will be awake by then....mid afternoon Sunday....so 50/50.
Planning to meet up for a quick hello with my son as the route helpfully goes right past his bedroom window at 567.5 km.
Hoping that he will be awake by then....mid afternoon Sunday....so 50/50.
He's a student, isn't he ::-) (I recognise the distance — I passed the end of our lane at about 562km)
Yup.
I'll need to remember that as I'm using a GPS file constructed from my last ride in Sep-17 (I do remember the new fast roads from last year). It handles my off-course excursion to my overnight stop at 400k without fiddling. To be honest I think I can do most of this from memory now.
I'll need to remember that as I'm using a GPS file constructed from my last ride in Sep-17 (I do remember the new fast roads from last year). It handles my off-course excursion to my overnight stop at 400k without fiddling. To be honest I think I can do most of this from memory now.
You could use the 300km northbound GPS file and then switch back to your's for off-coursiness on the return leg?
Just remembered to check the route to see if the steep cobbled descent in Lincoln is still on the route, and yes it is. Looks to me like the best way to avoid it is turning right at the roundabout by the 24 hour Shell garage and rejoining the route at the bottom of the hill.
(The routesheet does cover both routes - But who reads those? 😁)
97 started, 73 on the 06:00, 10 at 06:30 and 14 at 07:00. One DNF [unwell, p+nct#r@$] - train back from Peterborough. Apparently wetter and windier in the Fens than here this morning ...
And me...
And me... Feeling fast and strong (for me) but three hours of soaking rain left me very unenthused at Boston. I thought not having done the proper Flatlands since 2016 I could handle the drudgery and traffic but it turns out I was wrong. Will be some good fast time though as wind was low to zero. This has various knock-on effects for the season, now have to do Windsor-Chester-Windsor IF I can still be arsed with PBP. At least WCW is all new roads ;-) Will give myself a few days to think about it all and see how much my hissy fit is momentary or systematic. Is this the year I fall out of love with rides that normal people think is long - 60 miles with a cake stop?
and recent head cold settling nicely onto my chest, so feeling generally a bit run down.
I was DNF number 1. My first pack in five years of audaxing and I am still trying to figure out exactly what happened.I heard there's a Kendall 600 (?) last night which might be closer?
Probably combination of factors, came in underprepared after night shifts earlier this week. Weather worse than forecasts I had seen, and recent head cold settling nicely onto my chest, so feeling generally a bit run down.
Got wet early with the rain and probably worked too hard too early, and so got sweaty, and perhaps my waterproof kept that moisture in? Despite wearing a merino baselayer, rapha wool jersey and waterproof top layer, I just felt crap. Perhaps more the illness than anything else, you don't always know how the body will respond when you push a little even through a relatively minor illness.
Got second p#$%&%$e of two (both rear) a few miles short of whittlesey control. Took my time fixing it as my head was gone and I had mentally given up, did at least find the 2mm shard of glass that was twice my undoing during a thorough inspection of the tyre. I then put every piece of clothing I had with me on and soft pedalled to Peterborough station.
Then got quite hot and sweaty cycling from bishops stortford to gt dunmow to collect my rucksack, as it was 15oC, barely a breath of wind and the sun was out!!!
PBP qualification now near impossible (I would have to enter Tom's A&S 400k, travel down again from Scotland and miss my Dad's 70th...no.). Not my year this year.
97 started, 73 on the 06:00, 10 at 06:30 and 14 at 07:00. One DNF [unwell, p+nct#r@$] - train back from Peterborough. Apparently wetter and windier in the Fens than here this morning ...
Wind was very light Nthly all day. Drizzled quite a lot and I had a good hour of rain around Boston. Setting off from Lincoln 6am for the last 200k. Quite foggy here.
I was DNF number 1. My first pack in five years of audaxing and I am still trying to figure out exactly what happened.sorry to hear that Oli.
Probably combination of factors, came in underprepared after night shifts earlier this week. Weather worse than forecasts I had seen, and recent head cold settling nicely onto my chest, so feeling generally a bit run down.
Got wet early with the rain and probably worked too hard too early, and so got sweaty, and perhaps my waterproof kept that moisture in? Despite wearing a merino baselayer, rapha wool jersey and waterproof top layer, I just felt crap. Perhaps more the illness than anything else, you don't always know how the body will respond when you push a little even through a relatively minor illness.
Got second p#$%&%$e of two (both rear) a few miles short of whittlesey control. Took my time fixing it as my head was gone and I had mentally given up, did at least find the 2mm shard of glass that was twice my undoing during a thorough inspection of the tyre. I then put every piece of clothing I had with me on and soft pedalled to Peterborough station.
Then got quite hot and sweaty cycling from bishops stortford to gt dunmow to collect my rucksack, as it was 15oC, barely a breath of wind and the sun was out!!!
PBP qualification now near impossible (I would have to enter Tom's A&S 400k, travel down again from Scotland and miss my Dad's 70th...no.). Not my year this year.
As promised, some of my photos here:Great pics, Nick, but where am I? I rode from Goole with Nick J, thinking I’d not seen him for a while. Then he told me about his disagreement with a car, every limb broken, and more. Great that it hasn’t put him off.
https://www.tomsk.co.uk/the-flatlands-600/2019/photos/ (https://www.tomsk.co.uk/the-flatlands-600/2019/photos/)
jobsworth at Gainsborough Travelodge who told me that technically id given up my right to a room that had been booked and paid for (edit - as a result of arriving at 2am)
jobsworth at Gainsborough Travelodge who told me that technically id given up my right to a room that had been booked and paid for (edit - as a result of arriving at 2am)
jobsworth at Gainsborough Travelodge who told me that technically id given up my right to a room that had been booked and paid for (edit - as a result of arriving at 2am)
Aye he was OK in the end but we did have a Pythonesque exchange initially.jobsworth at Gainsborough Travelodge who told me that technically id given up my right to a room that had been booked and paid for (edit - as a result of arriving at 2am)
I had much the same conversation (at 1:30). The gist I got was that the computer system wants no shows to be purged from the system by 2 am for whatever reason. I told him there were likely people on the road behind me, and he said they'd all get rooms, he would just need to rebook them somehow.
So I *think* that - as an overnight hotel clerk - purging the no shows is the most exciting part of the shift, and he was just oversharing by telling us all about it rather than STFU and giving us our keys.
I think it's wise to phone these hotels if you are likely to arrive late, especially if you'd arrive in 'normal sleeping hours'. It might even merit two calls to allow for staff shift changes.
Shame about the hold muzak and sometimes pricy premium phone numbers...
Highlights:Was it you who left the chips next to me on the seat outside the co-op? Many thanks. I ended up eating so many that I felt stuffed all the way to Goole McD and didn’t eat chips again until Gainsborough McD.
1. Well matched two/threesome with Bob (Oxford) and Owen (Wongers Wheelers). A highly competent team for sniffing out Co-ops and Weatherspoons.
2. Steak and Onion Pie from Kirton Lindsay chippy. A delight of the senses. Small portion of chips there fed about half a dozen.
Stephen
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Highlights:
1. Well matched two/threesome with Bob (Oxford) and Owen (Wongers Wheelers). A highly competent team for sniffing out Co-ops and Weatherspoons.
2. Steak and Onion Pie from Kirton Lindsay chippy. A delight of the senses. Small portion of chips there fed about half a dozen.
3. Shortcut after dusk via short section of dirt road from Swinefleet to Crowle - goes past the spooky peat works.
And lowlights:
1. Torrential rain, and then more some, from Spalding to Boston. Just when I thought it couldn't rain any harder it did.
2. Not being able to see Lincoln cathedral from top of Steep Hill because of scaffolding. Surprisingly busy B road from Lincoln to Sleaford (and uncomfortable in mist).
3. Deferred breakfast in Sleaford as arrived in town too early so had to pedal on to Spalding.
So on the scheme of these things a pretty feeble list of negatives.
Thanks for all the organisation. Check in table at the pub was a welcome sight too. Sorry I couldn't stay for pizza. As someone else observed the bike route ("route 16") west of Dunmow towards Stortford was a bit of a joke so I gave up on it after 3km. Slept well Sunday night.
Stephen
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Great report, Deano. The broccoli and Stilton soup (along with a pint and crisps) at Boston ‘spoons might have lifted your mood. Worked for me!