Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Audax => Topic started by: NeilP on 09 April, 2018, 04:54:11 pm
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Well, after searching for and reading the thread on last year's event it seems Peter had a change of heart ( ;)) and is the man in charge yet again.
This will be my 2nd 300 and will attempt to ride it at a pace at which I think I need to ride the LWL 400 in May, i.e. a bit slower than I'd usually ride.
Looking forward to it.....sort of
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See you there (and at LWL too)... aiming to average around 25-26 km/h moving speed... would be good to have some company along the way
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Try to get round without using your lights :thumbsup: The only year I had to use them was the year of the snow storm in 2016. Coldest I have been for years.
BB
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That was the idea for me... to finish before 8 PM... then on the day who knows...
the first half, up to Atherstone are all roads I know very well, the second half less so
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See you there (and at LWL too)... aiming to average around 25-26 km/h moving speed... would be good to have some company along the way
I finished Rough Diamond 2 years ago at 15.7mph average but I doubt I'd be that fast in this. My 200s always seem to be 14 to 14.5mph as I'm a terrible climber (aka overweight).
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Try to get round without using your lights :thumbsup: The only year I had to use them was the year of the snow storm in 2016. Coldest I have been for years.
BB
Sunrise in 0559 on the day so I guess that's possible and a 2014 sunset - I'd better take mine if I'm going to be plodding it out. LWL will be my first 400 so I need to try to ride at the pace i think I can sustain for that amount of time.
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Sunrise in 0559 on the day so I guess that's possible and a 2014 sunset - I'd better take mine if I'm going to be plodding it out. LWL will be my first 400 so I need to try to ride at the pace i think I can sustain for that amount of time.
Why do you need to do a shorter ride at the speed you will do a longer ride? You will gain more fitness by riding faster and will feel a greater sense of achievement at the end. So ride each ride at a pace that suites the ride.
BB
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Try to get round without using your lights :thumbsup: The only year I had to use them was the year of the snow storm in 2016. Coldest I have been for years.
BB
Sunrise in 0559 on the day so I guess that's possible and a 2014 sunset - I'd better take mine if I'm going to be plodding it out. LWL will be my first 400 so I need to try to ride at the pace i think I can sustain for that amount of time.
The only 400 I did I finished stronger than I started... 400 is a long day and you go through periods when you feel tired and periods when you feel great in no particular order. As long as your pace is fully aerobic, there is no reason why your moving 200 pace should be quicker than a 300 or 400. It is of course different to a 25 or 50 km pace, where you can invest non aerobic energy in spades and pay very little if any price for that.
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I have this one penciled in, Paolo. I have to factor in the early start for me so figure taking a light will be useful at either end of the ride. Happy to aim for something sensible like a 7pm finish at Cirencester before the ride home, with the odd cafe stop thrown in to help keep onboard fueling down. I will have one eye on the weather though as spending 9 hours in the wet the other day dampened my spirits (and boots) a little. Might have an added complication of exchange/completion dates but should know that closer to date.
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If anyone is getting worried about all this talk of 24kph average and getting round in daylight, I had a very enjoyable ride last year averaging 20kph with a couple of hours stopping to eat/rest and still finished well within the time limit. One of my favourite rides from last year.
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I'm hopefully riding it.
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I have this one penciled in, Paolo. I have to factor in the early start for me so figure taking a light will be useful at either end of the ride. Happy to aim for something sensible like a 7pm finish at Cirencester before the ride home, with the odd cafe stop thrown in to help keep onboard fueling down. I will have one eye on the weather though as spending 9 hours in the wet the other day dampened my spirits (and boots) a little. Might have an added complication of exchange/completion dates but should know that closer to date.
Oh perfect...
So the usual... we average 28 km/h for the first hour, before you say that you would like to "press on" and disappear in the distance on your own at 30 km/h for the rest of the ride. :thumbsup: ;D
So in all it looks like a 400 for you? :P
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BTW, the organiser provides 6 GPX files, but I prefer to have my GPX as a single file so I can save the ride in its integrity for Strava Vanity and stuff.
If anyone wants a copy of the entire 306 km route as a single GPX track file, drop me a message with your email and I'll send you one
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Sunrise in 0559 on the day so I guess that's possible and a 2014 sunset - I'd better take mine if I'm going to be plodding it out. LWL will be my first 400 so I need to try to ride at the pace i think I can sustain for that amount of time.
Why do you need to do a shorter ride at the speed you will do a longer ride? You will gain more fitness by riding faster and will feel a greater sense of achievement at the end. So ride each ride at a pace that suites the ride.
BB
Because I know that trying to do one 300km ride at a "high" speed is not going to improve my fitness at all for a 400km ride which is just 2 weeks after it.
I'd much rather ride it at a pace I think I'm going to do the 400 at and then see how I feel at the end of the 300.
The last 300 I did my average speed was at its highest during the final 2 hours so that pacing seemed to be OK.
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Don't shortcut in Meriden (104k) or you'll miss the National Cyclists' Memorial
https://www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk/content/article/meridens-cycling-memorial
"Meriden - at the very heart of England"
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If the weather is fine I may well spend a little longer basking at the controls and making the most of the sun. With a 2am cut-off there's plenty of time to do that and still complete at a nice leisurely pace. Once again looking forward to this hearty ride.
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I'm in. It will be my first 300 since July last year and like many others I am on LWL 2 weeks after. With a good forecast, a 2am finish and one eye on 400Km pace, it will be a more leisurely ride for me.
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Last 300 was in early September and done a 200 every month (2 in Feb) since apart from October. My main goal is to finish and have a fun day out! :)
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I have ridden the Heart of England several times and my highest average speed back in 2008 was a feeble 21 km/hr. The others were around 20 km/hr. I dodged a bullet in 2016 because my bike was off the road and I only have one. Midnight is the latest time I have finished so there definitely is plenty of time to go round at a relaxed pace, I am incapable of doing any better. I can't ride on Saturday because I will be heading up to London with my better half to cheer our daughter on in the marathon on Sunday. So I decided to set off from home in Stroud last Saturday at 5.15 am to do the trip as a training ride for the Brevet Cymru. All went well, the weather was benign, I can report that the road to the ford had a no entry sign but that was just for vehicles, the river had flooded but cyclists could cross using the footbridge. By Saturday I imagine that it will be back to normal. I managed to get off route after Sturdy's Castle but got into Woodstock by the main road, with 285 km under my belt. However I felt very weary and decided to stay overnight and complete the ride next day. Now I know that I should have found a bus stop, phone box or church porch but I ended up in a rather nice hotelhttps://yacf.co.uk/forum/Smileys/classic/facepalm.gif and must have presented an interesting if smelly spectacle at breakfast on Sunday morning, hair dishevelled, teeth unbrushed, unshaven and kitted out in less than fragrant Lycra. But the Full English was excellent and I imitated a gannet with several other items on offer in the breakfast buffet. It took me three and a quarter hours to get home and my average speed was yet again just over 20 km/hr. What I did confirm is that the final section in daylight looks completely different than it is in the dark, however the Coneygar Road remains almost endless, both in the light and the dark! Good luck to you all on Saturday.https://yacf.co.uk/forum/Smileys/classic/thumbsup.gif
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I’m in. Not so worried about a high average speed, I’ll definitely be needing my lights. I’m more concerned about how much climbing there is for me and the Pompino! Could be long day :)
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I’m in. Not so worried about a high average speed, I’ll definitely be needing my lights. I’m more concerned about how much climbing there is for me and the Pompino! Could be long day :)
Couple of sharp climbs early on... then you should be fine
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I’m in. Not so worried about a high average speed, I’ll definitely be needing my lights. I’m more concerned about how much climbing there is for me and the Pompino! Could be long day :)
Couple of sharp climbs early on... then you should be fine
The middle section Alcester to Daventry is pretty much home turf for me. It’s the first and final sections that I’m not too familiar with. Should be a good day out.
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I'm in. Am going like a train at the moment. But all my rides this year bar a couple have been based from The Hague where the biggest hill rises a hefty 10m. So have no idea how I will go on Saturday. However, if there is a headwind, then I've had plenty of practice climbing Dutch Mountains so mine will be the wheel to follow. :smug:
Have no idea whether I will need lights or not, should be able to get back about sunset, but will take my commuter lights just in case. They only take 30 seconds to clip on and weigh next to nothing.
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On the climbing the first leg has typical Cotswold hills, sharp up and down, there is the Compton Abdale 'Alp' to climb after you leave the village but once you get to the Broadway Monument you're on to flatter stuff. I've always found the second leg to Daventry rather undulating, no big hills but up and down. Leaving Daventry there is a steep climb to do but there is little of note after that, just the usual terrain.
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there is the Compton Abdale 'Alp' to climb after you leave the village
One before and one after the village... in fact I seem to recall the one before is longer... but maybe memory is tricking me
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there is the Compton Abdale 'Alp' to climb after you leave the village
One before and one after the village... in fact I seem to recall the one before is longer... but maybe memory is tricking me
I think you're right but the final bit 'after' as you approach the A40 is the steepest, there is also a bit of a respite as it goes down before the final pull up to the A40 (I've resorted to the 24" on fixed at this particular point but managed it last time I went up there on a DIY that takes the same route off the Whiteway)
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The climb before the village is actually quite tough since it does go on a bit, although we will all have fresh legs. It rises out of the Coln Valley and rises up and over before quite a sharp technical descent into Compton Abdale, be very careful as there is a junction at the bottom which is prone to gravel and poor visibility of side traffic. Whosatthewheel will remember we went the opposite way last year, which was a bit more fun as Sean overcooked it on the way up the sharp side and then we all had a long steady descent to the Coln :)
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The climb before the village is actually quite tough since it does go on a bit, although we will all have fresh legs. It rises out of the Coln Valley and rises up and over before quite a sharp technical descent into Compton Abdale, be very careful as there is a junction at the bottom which is prone to gravel and poor visibility of side traffic. Whosatthewheel will remember we went the opposite way last year, which was a bit more fun as Sean overcooked it on the way up the sharp side and then we all had a long steady descent to the Coln :)
I do remember... I also remember that later on in spring I used the same road both ways for my famous "ride to the chippy" in Tetbury
https://www.strava.com/activities/963064227
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there is the Compton Abdale 'Alp' to climb after you leave the village
One before and one after the village... in fact I seem to recall the one before is longer... but maybe memory is tricking me
When I ride to work I go through Compton Abdale and there's only 1 way out which doesn't involve a steep climb. They're all equally grovel territory.
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If tomorrow is anything like right now in the area between Cirencester and the A40 and beyond visibility is down to 20 metres in places. Real pity if people from out of the area miss out on the views from Chedworth and beyond as it's beautiful.
A real thick fog this morning and highly likely to be tomorrow too.
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there is the Compton Abdale 'Alp' to climb after you leave the village
One before and one after the village... in fact I seem to recall the one before is longer... but maybe memory is tricking me
When I ride to work I go through Compton Abdale and there's only 1 way out which doesn't involve a steep climb. They're all equally grovel territory.
So which climb out of Compton Abdale to you classify as 'not steep'? I've certainly never found one.
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If tomorrow is anything like right now in the area between Cirencester and the A40 and beyond visibility is down to 20 metres in places. Real pity if people from out of the area miss out on the views from Chedworth and beyond as it's beautiful.
A real thick fog this morning and highly likely to be tomorrow too.
Lights
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The metoffice keeps changing its mind about these afternoon thunderstorms... one moment they're there, one moment they're gone... I suppose it's down to some algorythm which is evolving its results constantly, but I like to think of a man in a dark office, struggling to take a decision and changing his mind every five minutes... ;D
Anyway, waterproofs packed
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He knows know they'll be there somewhere, he just doesn't know where exactly they'll be at any given time. :)
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there is the Compton Abdale 'Alp' to climb after you leave the village
One before and one after the village... in fact I seem to recall the one before is longer... but maybe memory is tricking me
When I ride to work I go through Compton Abdale and there's only 1 way out which doesn't involve a steep climb. They're all equally grovel territory.
So which climb out of Compton Abdale to you classify as 'not steep'? I've certainly never found one.
The road towards Withington. OK there is a climb a mile or so down the road but that's not technically taking you out of Abdale.
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Nice day out. Took it fairly easy and got back at 6pm, with about an hour of stops.
I met Bobbinogs although I didn't realise it was him at the time.
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Nice day out. Took it fairly easy and got back at 6pm, with about an hour of stops.
I met Bobbinogs although I didn't realise it was him at the time.
Took it easy and got round in 12 ☺
We landed about 5.30 and it nearly bloody killed me! Plenty of comedy riding back home to Chelters. Sorry I didnt recognise you Flatus, next time 👍
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HK had a lumbar puncture at short notice on Friday and so we didn't start. Bit of a bugger to miss short sleeve weather but sounds like you all had fun.
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Started off in the spring sunshine with the front group with Flatus and Bobinogs, but they had younger legs through the climbs around Compton Abdale. However, a winter spent riding Dutch Mountains and the inspiration of the Cotswold scenery on a sunny morning helped me to catch up and tow them into the first control. I let them continue while I enjoyed a bacon butty and formed a group of four on the road, with occasional guests, that stuck together most of the way to the finish.
Beautiful weather, great scenery, cafes that understood Audax, really nice route with not too many busy roads. I kept crossing routes and places I had been tooo from different directions in other events, bringing back good memories. Company was great, chatting along as we went. There were a few spots of rain south of Daventry but otherwise perfect weather. The only problem I had was the amount of tree pollen in the air, which caused my nose to run constantly (and related stomach complications), so I let the group go after Tackley and plodded at my own pace along the last stage, arriving about 7.10pm
Can't work out why I've never ridden this before, but will return to it again.
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Started off in the spring sunshine with the front group with Flatus and Bobinogs, but they had younger legs through the climbs around Compton Abdale. However, a winter spent riding Dutch Mountains and the inspiration of the Cotswold scenery on a sunny morning helped me to catch up and tow them into the first control. I let them continue while I enjoyed a bacon butty and formed a group of four on the road, with occasional guests, that stuck together most of the way to the finish.
Beautiful weather, great scenery, cafes that understood Audax, really nice route with not too many busy roads. I kept crossing routes and places I had been tooo from different directions in other events, bringing back good memories. Company was great, chatting along as we went. There were a few spots of rain south of Daventry but otherwise perfect weather. The only problem I had was the amount of tree pollen in the air, which caused my nose to run constantly (and related stomach complications), so I let the group go after Tackley and plodded at my own pace along the last stage, arriving about 7.10pm
Can't work out why I've never ridden this before, but will return to it again.
Yellow Roberts and pannier?
I pestered you about taking a shortcut in Blasall Common... I truned out to be right... ;D
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We're you the guy in the maroon jersey with the wheels with bright orange hubs? If you were I passed you on the stage to Tackley
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We're you the guy in the maroon jersey with the wheels with bright orange hubs? If you were I passed you on the stage to Tackley
Yes, that was me... you started late?
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I fear the brief accounts above lost out by finishing so early. We finished at sunset, after a pint at Sturdy's Castle and a two hour ride to the end, and had just sat down to a cup of tea and cake when successive claps of thunder disturbed the sky followed by heavy rain. The thunderstorm passed right overhead so what it was like on the road from the last control (Sturdy's Castle, nr Tackley) through Witney to the arrivee at Cirencester I can only imagine. Drowned rats struggled in, lights blazing (the light had changed from a pleasant post dusk with red right across the horizon to dark dark in ten minutes). Others thought about the chances of being struck by lightening on steel frames, but consoled themselves that the rubber was hitting the road. A lot of flooding on the road - well there was on the roads I drove home on. Lady luck to finish with minutes to spare (before the storm).
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A fantastic ride in gorgeous weather, until the sun set. That’s when the headwind picked up, the rain came hammering down, the lightening started streaking across the sky and the fun became type 2...
Our little group got a little soggy, it was nerve racking climbing gradually into the more exposed area before the final descent to Cirencester, but the lightening got no closer than 3 seconds away (not sure what that is in actual distance).
Rolled into arrivee just gone 2200. You fast riders miss out on so much!
Apologies to all I rode with and ruined the peace of the countryside with my noisy bottom bracket.. gonna get that sorted this week!
John
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We're you the guy in the maroon jersey with the wheels with bright orange hubs? If you were I passed you on the stage to Tackley
Yes, that was me... you started late?
No, you were alongside me briefly up the Whiteway until 6 of us sped off. I stopped for a while at Daventry so I suspect you got ahead there.
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lightening got no closer than 3 seconds away (not sure what that is in actual distance).
About 1 km
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We're you the guy in the maroon jersey with the wheels with bright orange hubs? If you were I passed you on the stage to Tackley
Yes, that was me... you started late?
No, you were alongside me briefly up the Whiteway until 6 of us sped off. I stopped for a while at Daventry so I suspect you got ahead there.
Couldn't keep up with you mountain goats...
On the flip side of the coin, Strava says I am now the fastest down Saintbury descent this year... :thumbsup:
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A little bit later than others going through Witney, so managed to miss most of the dampness, but the light show put the Upper Thames to shame !
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lightening got no closer than 3 seconds away (not sure what that is in actual distance).
About 1 km
Eek, closer than I thought!
John
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I was weary of thunderstorms and packed all sorts of waterproof... it turned out I didn't need any of them and had to carry around a lot of weight... overall I would do the same and struggle to understand those who start a 300 with a forecast of thunderstorms with only a short sleeve jersey...
I guess they are younger... ::-)
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With lightning every couple of seconds it was certainly a spectacular storm. I was riding along enjoying the light show to my left, watching it come closer and closer. Unfortunately 3km from the arrivee it came rather too close, and the only sensible option was to dash into the nearby pub and sit it out. So I managed to miss the worst before riding the last bit in comparative dryness. I can only sympathise with those it hit without any shelter in sight.
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Good ride. :)
Controls were good. Well spaced, and quick, they had obviously been well primed and used to catering for the event. Ordered a cottage pie at daventry and it was the most lasagne-y cottage pie I've ever seen but wasn't complaining.
Pie and pint in the sunshine at sturdy's castle inn was enjoyable and came with a huge amount of two different types of mash to fuel the last leg.
Got caught in a torrential downpour just after RAF brize norton but the spectacle of the lightning was worth it.
Back at cirencester for just after 10. Nice to have a ride that's only 2 minutes from the premier inn as well.
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My only doubt about the route is whether the A road from Woodstock to Witney is really necessary... it is probably OK for the full valuers, but I was on it around 5 PM and the traffic was pretty bad, with cars passing at 60 mph +... the cycle path is patchy, which means it's pointless to use it
From the last control, it would make sense to head to Wootton, Charlbury, Burford, Alsworth, Bibury via B and unclassified roads
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It's a big wide main road and it's fast to ride on. I don't normally like A roads so I know what you mean....but I had no trouble yesterday.
Nearly got taken out on a narrow rural road by an absolute maniac in a green farm ATV
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Spoke to a young lady working at the Winnies cafe, who turned out to have seen 12 runnings of this event! Knew exactly what we needed and produced beans on toast in what seemed like 2 mins ! All they need is a real coffee machine and somewhere to park bikes now 😁
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It wasn't long after leaving Sturdey's Castle - the cloying yumminess of an late-evening treacle pudding and custard still playing with my palette, that I commented upon the fine evening light and scoffed at a passing suggestion that rain might be on the way - than a theatrical light display played out across a pitch black horizon in what appeared to be the location of Brize Norton and the route back to Cirencester. Maybe this is just a bombing raid on the airbase, I mused to myself, and not the early flurries of a violent thunderstorm. But as we progressed through Bladon and the road to Witney talking about DIY wheelbuilding, it became clear that it was indeed the latter. The two chaps I was cycling with pulled over (perhaps to discuss strategy for the remainder of the ride), but I pressed on determined to get, for once, a sub-midnight finish for a 300. But then I saw further flashes lighting up an ink black wall of cloud followed by a disturbing boom which caught me srurrying for a conveniently sheltering doorway. I had, after all, cycled through a storm before - https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=100317.msg2173197#msg2173197 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=100317.msg2173197#msg2173197).
The light show was impressive, but never getting too close. Every ten minutes or so a brave soul went by furtively on a bike. After about 45 mins I was about to head out of my cover when the rain began. Nothing too heavy, but with the rain came the wind and it was noticeably cooler. Further cyclists, now armed stoically with waterproofs and steely determination passed by. I stayed put. Finally the rain abated and a security person appeared sounding a little too chummy for my liking. He gave me that, go-on-and-pull-the-other-one look as I explained where I'd cycled during the course of the day, and where I was now bound (it had been a delicious ride, I hasten to add - delirious Merry England views, weather that wouldn't be out of place in Tuscany, and food stops that never knowingly go underserved. From watching the husky red sphere peep over the Eastern vales as we ascended Whiteway, to the same orb disappearing behind a granite rockface of cloud, it had been so glorious.
And now with new tree buds dripping and the roads noticeably quieter I paced on dodging puddles, around the still extant airfield (which was a relief) and out into the lanes. I passed the first chap shortly after this point, then two more (the one in front without an active rear light), then at least three chaps mettling a broken chain. I was flying along the lanes now. Couldn't really see the road very well but staying somewhere around the middle to avoid the large puddles. O, and then the flooded road around a sudden bend. And then two more, steadily going towards our destination. And then the main road, and then the lights of Cirencester, and then the very welcome, welcome.
To sum up, a wonderful day in the saddle and met a great cross-section of the AUK community, including many on fixies and Van Morrison titaniums. Even some steel. Even a Flying Gate. Was that really a Brompton? It must have rained heavily again overnight as the roads were seriously bepuddled in the early hours as I drove back east. I wonder if that chap made it back to Coventry to make it up to a 400? I hope so. I hope all made it safely home.
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I took shelter from the storm, for about 30 minutes, in the 'Swan' at Southrop - the only pub for miles around, so I timed it right - the lightning was very lively and extremely close! As I sat by the window with my pint I saw a lot of riders go by - rather them than me, I'm not that brave!
Great route. Some familiar roads, but a lot new to me. Creaking bottom bracket mysteriously stopped this morning, shades of the last LEL - time for a new one, again?
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... then two more (the one in front without an active rear light), ...
apart from the 'chap' bit could've been me (I am NOT a chap, guy, etc). My rear light had acquired the interesting feature of turning off or on with each successive pothole/change of tarmac/whatever. In spite of stuffing in a wodge of padding to keep the batteries in place. Why DO lights get designed where the batteries can be jolted out of their housing? I have another one with exactly the same feature.
That aside, a nice gambol through middle england once I'd winched myself out of Compton Abdale (and later on, Daventry). Fantastic views at times eg from round Broadway Tower, much improved on my visit the previous week when I got nothing but low cloud and mist for my efforts (work/leisure outing).
I didn't find the rain particularly bad, tbh.
Having none whatsoever, am I allowed to comment that I found there to be too much about 'speed' upthread? What was it someone once said: sportives = people pretending to race. audax = pepople pretending not to race. I fear that particular hat may be shrinking to fit?
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Are you allowed to make that comment? Well, yes, as long as you can also accept that other people can ride in whatever manner they want. In which case, no. ;)
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... then two more (the one in front without an active rear light), ...
apart from the 'chap' bit could've been me (I am NOT a chap, guy, etc). My rear light had acquired the interesting feature of turning off or on with each successive pothole/change of tarmac/whatever.
I was the other half of that Jack Spratt double act, having no working front light after my dynamo decided to pack up shortly after leaving Sturdy's Castle. Beginning to think I'm jinxed as both my primary & spare lights failed on Sam Weller's in Feb. Thanks for the illumination (&company) on last leg into Cirencester. BTW - here's that photo I took of you descending into the Cherwell Valley. (https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPoU-DuuDmSwjutoR3ia6m4QzLZIdP1KjGzi9OC)
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Likewise
:( photo not visible my end (possibly firewall related).
I'll pm you an email address.
Couldn't compute this last bit:
In which case, no. ;)
You can indeed ride in whatever manner you want (even dressed as a banana etc). My point was that we are straying from
- 'I finished by x o'clock' or even 'I finished in y hours' to
- 'I cycled this audax at z kmph/mph'
I may of course merely be in tetchy mode due to non-cycling-related events, or this may have crept in aeons ago on rides I didn't do so didn't read about. Or possibly it's now de rigeur to include a mention of how fast we cycled, I missed that memo. ::-)
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You can indeed ride in whatever manner you want (even dressed as a banana etc). My point was that we are straying from
- 'I finished by x o'clock' or even 'I finished in y hours' to
- 'I cycled this audax at z kmph/mph'
Two reasons:
1) I think it was merely a case of working out who is who... if I say I finished just before 7PM, maybe someone makes a connection between my jersey and my ID on here...
2) I don't think anyone is here to boast about how fast they go around a course, but it's useful to know if there are like minded people who might be willing to share some of the road and tend to go around in similar times...
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My point was that we are straying from
- 'I finished by x o'clock' or even 'I finished in y hours' to
- 'I cycled this audax at z kmph/mph'
I may of course merely be in tetchy mode due to non-cycling-related events, or this may have crept in aeons ago on rides I didn't do so didn't read about. Or possibly it's now de rigeur to include a mention of how fast we cycled, I missed that memo. ::-)
Glad you enjoyed your ride too, Arabella. Having had a look, I can't see the (any) mentions of speed to which you refer upthread so your implicit concern about hat shrinking may be unfounded, at least for Peter's wonderful Heart of England audax, for which VMT.
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Nice to meet you at the start and Daventry Arabella.
Sorry I did not "see you down" the road after Roso's....the climb out of Daventry did for my rear mech and ended my ride after 200K
As for the fast/slow debate, I think I enjoy watching the world go by to be too concerned about speed.
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You can indeed ride in whatever manner you want (even dressed as a banana etc). My point was that we are straying from
- 'I finished by x o'clock' or even 'I finished in y hours' to
- 'I cycled this audax at z kmph/mph'
You may have something. I don't normally indicate how fast or slow I ride an event, or at least I don't think I do, but I did mention the finishing time up thread.
I've certainly never ridden an event dressed as a banana, although some people have suggested my riding position might have a similar aerodynamic. :facepalm:
However, as I was woken up in the small hours (comfortably tucked up in bed) by a relatively intense thunderstorm, I was quite happy to have got around before the rain started. :smug: I've had enough wet Audaxes to appreciate ones I can finish in the dry.
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Likewise
:( photo not visible my end (possibly firewall related).
I'll pm you an email address.
Couldn't compute this last bit:
In which case, no. ;)
You can indeed ride in whatever manner you want (even dressed as a banana etc). My point was that we are straying from
- 'I finished by x o'clock' or even 'I finished in y hours' to
- 'I cycled this audax at z kmph/mph'
I may of course merely be in tetchy mode due to non-cycling-related events, or this may have crept in aeons ago on rides I didn't do so didn't read about. Or possibly it's now de rigeur to include a mention of how fast we cycled, I missed that memo. ::-)
It's all in your head Arabella.
Nobody has mentioned how fast they went. But in case you were wondering my moving average was a fraction under 18mph.
Sadly it wasn't quite fast enough to win :(
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My point was that we are straying from
- 'I finished by x o'clock' or even 'I finished in y hours' to
- 'I cycled this audax at z kmph/mph'
I may of course merely be in tetchy mode due to non-cycling-related events, or this may have crept in aeons ago on rides I didn't do so didn't read about. Or possibly it's now de rigeur to include a mention of how fast we cycled, I missed that memo. ::-)
Glad you enjoyed your ride too, Arabella. Having had a look, I can't see the (any) mentions of speed to which you refer upthread so your implicit concern about hat shrinking may be unfounded, at least for Peter's wonderful Heart of England audax, for which VMT.
I think she may have been referring to a different thread.
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My point was that we are straying from
- 'I finished by x o'clock' or even 'I finished in y hours' to
- 'I cycled this audax at z kmph/mph'
I may of course merely be in tetchy mode due to non-cycling-related events, or this may have crept in aeons ago on rides I didn't do so didn't read about. Or possibly it's now de rigeur to include a mention of how fast we cycled, I missed that memo. ::-)
Glad you enjoyed your ride too, Arabella. Having had a look, I can't see the (any) mentions of speed to which you refer upthread so your implicit concern about hat shrinking may be unfounded, at least for Peter's wonderful Heart of England audax, for which VMT.
I think she may have been referring to a different thread.
This one... https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=107613.0 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=107613.0)
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I was referring to replies # 1, 4, 9, 11 and 18. (ie more than 1 or 2, else I wouldn't have noticed)
It seems to have been confused, I don't see a problem mentioning times (which can be indicative of speed and/or riding style), only speeds.
Anyway, it looks like I am the only person that is actually bothered. Having read that other thread it's where my comment belonged anyway ??? though out of context.
I shall go and find something else to do.
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I was referring to replies # 1, 4, 9, 11 and 18. (ie more than 1 or 2, else I wouldn't have noticed)
It seems to have been confused, I don't see a problem mentioning times (which can be indicative of speed and/or riding style), only speeds.
Anyway, it looks like I am the only person that is actually bothered. Having read that other thread it's where my comment belonged anyway ??? though out of context.
I shall go and find something else to do.
and as you can see, reply no. 1 was a request to find some riding buddies for the day... not a crime I hope... I don't have the luxury and freedom of coming back home at 2 AM in the morning, like others seem to have, hence the brisker pace. I really don't understand what you are on about... ::-)
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Part of the joy of audaxing (for me) is finding and chatting to different companions along the way.
Was quite put off posting speeds/times or similar a while back when one then prolific member always seemed to be back home and posting on here their finish time whilst I was still riding the event. Strangely that member has since faded completely from the scene, from which I conclude the satisfaction was only short term.
As it happens I finished this event before some riders who I know are faster/stronger, because they were sheltering from the weather which, by going a little slower, I seemed to avoid. I also finished after at least one rider who, from what i saw, was generally slower, - but spent less time in the later controls. Do I care ?
The scenery, the weather, the potholes, the food, the conversations I had along the way, the personal satisfaction of completing the event within the time limit, are all more important.
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My first 300 of the year, and given that I lost the coveted lanterne rouge by mere seconds on my last calendar event, this was always going to be a bit epic...
It occurred to ask some peoples yacf moniker when I met them, so spent some time chatting to such luminaries as... Somnolent, Tomsk and (I think) Captain Slow. Arabella I think you asked if I was OK when I stopped to photograph a particularly fine brown VandenPlas 1500... In retrospect, a sensible question :facepalm:
I was the last Audax Club Bristol rider on the road.
At about 150km my knee was giving me grief, but I remembered that I'd raised my saddle a few mm when I switched to winter boots. Suitably adjusted, it improved.
I left the final control (8:50 ish) buoyed by chips and full fat coke, but the lightshow started and the rain began. I don't think we had it that bad at the back of the field given the amount of surface water I saw later - but it can be pretty localised. Nearly came off on a submerged pothole near Witney.
I certainly questioned my sanity / leisure choices on the last stretch, but today I was idly planning a DIY 400. My knee might take a while to recover.
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Arabella I think you asked if I was OK when I stopped to photograph a particularly fine brown VandenPlas 1500... In retrospect, a sensible question :facepalm:
Yes well, why am I not surprised by this? :thumbsup:
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Try to get round without using your lights :thumbsup: The only year I had to use them was the year of the snow storm in 2016. Coldest I have been for years.
BB
Sounds like a good challenge. I was 20km short of the finish on the oadts and coasts when lights became necessary. Maybe with less time in controls I could have made it, or maybe not.
Anyway the sort of form and weather that woukd have made our arrow easily achievable. Such a difference 3 weeks makes.
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Try to get round without using your lights :thumbsup: The only year I had to use them was the year of the snow storm in 2016. Coldest I have been for years.
BB
Sounds like a good challenge. I was 20km short of the finish on the oadts and coasts when lights became necessary. Maybe with less time in controls I could have made it, or maybe not.
Anyway the sort of form and weather that woukd have made our arrow easily achievable. Such a difference 3 weeks makes.
IMO time spent at the controls is largely responsible of finishing early or late. Typically I clear controls quicker than the average and as a result I usually finish at the same time as folks much quicker than me on the road... you can easily waste an extra 15 minutes at a control... making up 15 minutes on the road is tough!
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Part of the joy of audaxing (for me) is finding and chatting to different companions along the way.
The scenery, the weather, the potholes, the food, the conversations I had along the way, the personal satisfaction of completing the event within the time limit, are all more important.
+1 on the chatting bit. Or even just listening in to chats when you don't have much to say.
As for the potholes, my new bike spec will cater for gravel roads - as this is where we seem to be heading. Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire have never featured highly in my mental list of places to go to for smooth roads but they did seem to be in a particularly bad way this year - not just on the section that Whosatthewheel suggested we avoid. And they weren't little ones either, but bike busting craters.
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Part of the joy of audaxing (for me) is finding and chatting to different companions along the way.
The scenery, the weather, the potholes, the food, the conversations I had along the way, the personal satisfaction of completing the event within the time limit, are all more important.
+1 on the chatting bit. Or even just listening in to chats when you don't have much to say.
As for the potholes, my new bike spec will cater for gravel roads - as this is where we seem to be heading. Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire have never featured highly in my mental list of places to go to for smooth roads but they did seem to be in a particularly bad way this year - not just on the section that Whosatthewheel suggested we avoid. And they weren't little ones either, but bike busting craters.
+1 for the potholes.
I do most of my riding in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and can vouch for the size and number of potholes. Both are bad, but on the whole Oxfordshire is worse. Having said that, in this event it was one in Buckinghamshire which ambushed me, it must have jumped out at me when I wasn't looking (admittedly I was checking the route sheet at the time). I didn't realise what a bike buster it was until I got home and found my rim to be cracked. Perhaps I should have taken the gravel bike instead.
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My first 300 of the year, and given that I lost the coveted lanterne rouge by mere seconds on my last calendar event, this was always going to be a bit epic...
It occurred to ask some peoples yacf moniker when I met them, so spent some time chatting to such luminaries as... Somnolent, Tomsk and (I think) Captain Slow. Arabella I think you asked if I was OK when I stopped to photograph a particularly fine brown VandenPlas 1500... In retrospect, a sensible question :facepalm:
I was the last Audax Club Bristol rider on the road.
At about 150km my knee was giving me grief, but I remembered that I'd raised my saddle a few mm when I switched to winter boots. Suitably adjusted, it improved.
I left the final control (8:50 ish) buoyed by chips and full fat coke, but the lightshow started and the rain began. I don't think we had it that bad at the back of the field given the amount of surface water I saw later - but it can be pretty localised. Nearly came off on a submerged pothole near Witney.
I certainly questioned my sanity / leisure choices on the last stretch, but today I was idly planning a DIY 400. My knee might take a while to recover.
Hi Ian,
Nice to ride with you, on and off, prior to control 1 and near Crick.
very socialbe at our end of the pelaton! :)
Rob
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Wot? No Heart of England 2019 thread?
Who's in?
Who's checking the weather forecast?
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Wot? No Heart of England 2019 thread?
Who's in?
Not this year... long drive for a ride that passes 3 miles from my front door... easier to do something similar as a DIY without the drive-to-ride-tragedy complication
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In case anyone finds it useful I have done a gpx file with a cuesheet for this event. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29716938
Martyn (driving from Leicester to Cirencester to cycle past home!)
Sent from my LLD-L31 using Tapatalk
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I've entered HoE this year but now can't do the ride. If anyone wants a room at the Travelodge Cirencester for the Friday and/ or Saturday nights, let me know. I paid £75 for the 2 nights.
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Strong Wind Alert.
Will be staying in the hall Friday night and probably go for a curry and a few beers beforehand.
Just sayin'...
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I'll remember my ear plugs
Sent from my LLD-L31 using Tapatalk
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Best bring extra 2....for nostrils
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I'm in and looking forward to riding in a new area.
Best bring extra 2....for nostrils
Oh dear, going to be 'Farts of England' is it... ;D ;D
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Strong Wind Alert.
Will be staying in the hall Friday night and probably go for a curry and a few beers beforehand.
Just sayin'...
We tried the "best Indian in Cirencester" recently and there was not much to talk about, to be honest... chicken was dry and lamb was tough.
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Oh dear, going to be 'Farts of England' is it... ;D ;D
[/quote]
ffs no one light a match...
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I too will be sleeping over in the village hall this Friday night. Not sure about evening meal yet - do not have know the area at all. Hmmm wondering what time I should aim to arrive.
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Had an email from Peter recently asking riders to arrive at hall not later than 10.30pm Friday night.
I usually get there around 9pm and its already open.
Ping him an email maybe just to confirm.
Also, about 200 yards from hall in Watermoor road are a selection of takeaways https://goo.gl/maps/33sqaKxYXZ9kwHZE7
More choice in town centre nearby.
See you there :-)
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I emailed him a couple of days ago but as yet no response. Is that normal or I do I need to contact him again. No desire to nag but don't want to find myself with nowhere to rest my head.....
Julia
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And wasn't it lovely weather too :thumbsup:
Was *gagging* for a pint by the time I got to Sturdy's Castle
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D4nh4ItWAAIR33N.jpg)
(can highly recommend Weston's Rosies's Pig as a recovery drink)
Thanks, as always, to Peter Holden and the crew :)
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Tough day out for me.
I probably set off a bit too briskly across the cotswolds and then went backwards as soon as we hit the flatlands.
Something at lunch disagreed with me and I started feeling pretty rotten on the run into Daventry. I managed to eat a jacket spud, but thereafter i couldn't even get water down me without gagging. I couldn't use the drops/aero bars either as my guts were rock solid.
A proper ordeal, but worth it for the dawn scenes over the Cotswolds. :-*
Thanks to Peter & Co for organising.
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Thanks to Peter and company for organising a great ride; loved just about every moment. However, it all started out wrong for me this weekend when outrageously I forgot to bring my Wahoo; leaving it on charge at home over 3 hours drive away!
Luckily I found a solution that made me happy again - find out what it was by watching my video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpzhjkVILeA
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Thanks Again Peter and Team for organizing, I also had a recovery cider at sturdy castle, of all the times i have ridden this event by far the best weather.
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Thanks Again Peter and Team for organizing, I also had a recovery cider at sturdy castle, of all the times i have ridden this event by far the best weather.
Last year was the same identical weather, except the late finishers got a bit of a thunderstorm scare... ;D
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More thanks to Peter & team for a great event. Wonderful route on a beautiful day. Thanks for company on the road, especially Roger from Bath (LawnmowerMan?) + Gordon & Stuart from Weymouth. My pint of cider at Saturday's Castle went down a treat as well ;D
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Many thanks to Peter and his team for another excellent Heart of England ride. The weather was just perfect, the first couple of hours were chilly as the sun warmed us up, then the final leg saw a strange combination of micro-climates as the valleys in the woods were cold but on the level it was quite warm. On the first leg I saw the chap in the blue streamlined recumbent struggle a bit up the hills but once we reached a decent stretch of main road going down a bit he raced past me like a car at around 30 mph and I never saw him again. Apologies to the rider I met early on when I assured him that after the Cotswolds there were no hills of note to worry about, I kept seeing him resting at the top of yet another beast and I kept apologising for misleading him! At the end I achieved a moment of media fame when I was interviewed by djrikki with a GoPro camera, you can see that epic performance up thread.
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The "streamlined recumbent" (AKA "velomobile") was a glorious beast, wasn't it.
I chatted to the rider (his name is.... er, memory, why have you deserted me?) at the start and when I caught him on the early climbs. His bike is *huge* and, being fully enclosed, must have been like a portable oven going up the climbs.
I saw him briefly again at Atherstone. After that I expect he quite rightly made *very* rapid progress.
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The "streamlined recumbent" (AKA "velomobile") was a glorious beast, wasn't it.
I chatted to the rider (his name is.... er, memory, why have you deserted me?) at the start and when I caught him on the early climbs. His bike is *huge* and, being fully enclosed, must have been like a portable oven going up the climbs.
I saw him briefly again at Atherstone. After that I expect he quite rightly made *very* rapid progress.
Neil Flemming is the name your memory needs rebooting with, and as a fellow velo' rider I wouldn't like to ride with "alien hood" on in warm weather and especially up hills!
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Neil Flemming is the name your memory needs rebooting with
Ta :thumbsup:
as a fellow velo' rider I wouldn't like to ride with "alien hood" on in warm weather and especially up hills!
As I chatted to him on the second of the Compton Abdale climbs he did mention something along the lines of it being ever so slightly warm inside...
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Simon-A hope your ride home was with out incident Rob from Bath
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Enjoyable ride - the cold when descending into valley at the start was chilling but after that I was too warm if anything.
Some fantastic, quintessentially English scenery.
Nice controls who served quickly - especially enjoyed the treacle tart and custard at Sturdy Castle.
Finished with over 90 minutes to spare which was quite good (for me).
Thanks to organiser and assistants :)
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Thank you to Peter and team for an excellent event. I finished this year after spectacularly wrecking my rear mech on the climb out of Daventry last year.
Highlights and excitement:
- Puncture at 30K
- Trying to explain to the chap with many bottles of Heineken lined up on the handrail of the bridge by the ford what the many cyclist who had passed where doing...I don’t think he got it.
- Being chased by dogs after the bit of rough stuff through the farm (two Jack Russell and a German Sheppard) They meant business I thought I was going to get teeth marks in my ankle. After sprinting hard while uttering "why don’t you go home" (or words to that effect) they eventually desisted. I could of done without a Hoy type sprint effort at 230ish KM into my ride!!!
- A pint of Bombadier to wash down crisps and a Marsbar at Sturdy's Castle.
- The welcome, rice pud, flapjack and two cups of tea at the arrive that helped me on my way for the final 32 K home
A full value ride for me after a bout of the flu three weeks ago... finished with 45 minutes to spare. Thanks to Steve from ACB for his company, on and off, for the second half of the ride.
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Simon-A hope your ride home was with out incident Rob from Bath
Yes thanks Rob, home all OK by 0230 :thumbsup:
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Giving this a bump as I'm riding on Saturday - who's in?
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I'm entered, but given I'm currently in Africa, and will only get home at about midnight on Friday, I'm unlikely to make it.
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Blimey that headwind was hard work! Cracking route though.