Midhurst 600

[Hummers]

An El Supremo ride par excellence I'm sure with a ride over to Hay on Wye to boot.

No ascent shown, I guess it'll be fairly flat then.   

Anyone else entered this one?

H

[Cyklisten]

I'm in! The route looks interesting. Goes through Talgarth ... which, I remember from my gliding days, is in the Black Mountains ... 

You coming out to play, then?

[dkahn400]

I'm in! The route looks interesting. Goes through Talgarth ... which, I remember from my gliding days, is in the Black Mountains ... 

You coming out to play, then?

So definitely flat then.   

[Cyklisten]

It say "El Supremo" on the tin - I'd want my money back if there were no hills!

[frere yacker]

I have entered and suspect this could be an epic ride.  I've got a preference for rides with a sense of journey and the route for the Midhurst 600 promises that in spades.

[LEE]

I'm entering it (based on just having a good Denmead 300) but still reserve the right to DNS if weather looks bad.  I don't need twice the distance + hills + no sleep + bad weather.  I could probably just about cope with the other things.

If anyone has the route can they let me have it please?

[Hummers]

You coming out to play, then?

Certainly am.

As FY says, the 'there and back' nature of the ride has something of an appeal to it.

Shall we start a sweepstake on the ascent as this seems to be missing on the event entry form.

I think the Hailsham 600 last year was only 3000m of ^{climbing on the entry form}.

I hope it won't be as much as that. 

H

[frere yacker]

Repeat after me: there are no hills on el Supremo rides, just panoramic views and fast descents.  And tea.

[Martin]

No beer at the end either this year 

[scampi]

I might have a ride out from home and intercept you lot as you ride to wales or on your ride back...

That way I can have a sensible ride and sleep in my own bed!

None of these crazy 600km antics for me 

[LEE]

Does anyone know the route or approximate route (ie.  some of the towns it passes thu and the sequence).

I need to get my head around making preparations for sleeping and this requires knowing where I'll be at around 300-400km.

I see it starts at 6am Saturday and closes at 10pm Sunday

My pace on Denmead 300 was 5hrs 11mins per 100km (including stops).  I'd like to target 5hrs 30mins per 100 but realise that may be too 'hot' over hilly terrain.

6hrs per 100km means the following:

100km 12:00 sat
200km 18:00 sat
300km 00:00 sun
400km 06:00 sun
500km 12:00 sun
600km 18:00 sun

That leaves 4 hours spare.  I can't see me sleeping as such, rather cat-napping.  I could see that having a couple of hours 3am-5am may be nice, in order to wake up at a 'normal' time but I don't know if it's possible to time it nicely like that.

5.5hrs/100km buys me 7 hours kip but like I said, I doubt if I can maintain that sort of pace over anything but flattish terrain.

Maybe I need to refine my 'quick-stop' strategy even further to buy more time on the road.

[Greenbank]

Maybe I need to refine my 'quick-stop' strategy even further to buy more time on the road.

That's the key for me. If you're not moving or eating then you're wasting time (within reason). And get used to eating on the move and you'll not need to stop for anywhere near as long.

I'd rather have time in hand and be able to have a morale boosting nap or extra length stop, rather than be bouncing on the edge of control closing times the entire time.

[Hummers]

Maybe I need to refine my 'quick-stop' strategy even further to buy more time holed up at a B&B in a double duvan with Hummers, using his buttocks as two creamy pillows.

That's the spirt!

Talking to Postie,  we go out towards Malborough/Cirencester way and over to Hay on Wye.

I think the 380k mark is a service station somewhere Welsh-ish.

On the way back we drop down and cross the Severn over the old Severn Bridge and run parallel to the M4 for a bit.

Somewhere after that we lock into the Sutton Scotney services trail that we did on the Hailsham 600 last year - complete with fast descents.

H

[LEE]

Maybe I need to refine my 'quick-stop' strategy even further to buy more time holed up at a B&B in a double duvan with Hummers, using his buttocks as two creamy pillows.

Steady, that's the Russian Beer talking

[Cyklisten]

It goes:

Midhurst - Ropley - Nr Marleborough - Cirencester - Newent - (near) Hay on Wye - Magor - Leigh Delamere - Sutton Scotney - Midhurst


but first - The 400   

[Martin]

but first - The 400   

where's that go? (apart from along the A272) as you can tell I'm having a bit of a rest from Dave's long rides this year having bought the season ticket in 2007, aiming to fit all the hills into one of his 100k rides in August.

[LEE]

It goes:

Midhurst - Ropley - Nr Marleborough - Cirencester - Newent - (near) Hay on Wye - Magor - Leigh Delamere - Sutton Scotney - Midhurst


but first - The 400   

Hmm, all the town names between Hay on Wye and Magor sound like towns on the route to Mordor and I'm assuming that "Brecon Beacons" and "Black Mountains" is Welshish for "Lovely flat Plain with a surfeit of welcoming B&Bs on each side of the smooth tarmac roads"

[Cyklisten]

but first - The 400   

where's that go?

Hailsham - Lavington - Alresford - Burbage - Petersfield - Pease Pottage - Hailsham and, yes, there is a sizeable chunk of the ol' 272 !

aiming to fit all the hills into one of his 100k rides in August.

Yes, the 'how many times can you get over High and Over in a day!' 

I'll watch out for you 

[mattc]

It goes:

Midhurst - Ropley - Nr Marleborough - Cirencester - Newent - (near) Hay on Wye - Magor - Leigh Delamere - Sutton Scotney - Midhurst

Hmm, all the town names between Hay on Wye and Magor sound like towns on the route to Mordor and I'm assuming that "Brecon Beacons" and "Black Mountains" is Welshish for "Lovely flat Plain with a surfeit of welcoming B&Bs on each side of the smooth tarmac roads"

I haven't actually looked at this route in detail (sounds nice, mind), but I would be happy to wager that that hardest sections of this route will NOT be the bits in/nearest Wales.

[frere yacker]

Midhurst - Ropley - Nr Marleborough - Cirencester - Newent - (near) Hay on Wye - Magor - Leigh Delamere - Sutton Scotney - Midhurst
 

Based on other rides, there is a potential for some seriously fast downhill stretches amongst those legs.  I hope the Tea Mobile is fully operational.

[border-rider]

It goes:

Midhurst - Ropley - Nr Marleborough - Cirencester - Newent - (near) Hay on Wye - Magor - Leigh Delamere - Sutton Scotney - Midhurst


but first - The 400   

Hmm, all the town names between Hay on Wye and Magor sound like towns on the route to Mordor and I'm assuming that "Brecon Beacons" and "Black Mountains" is Welshish for "Lovely flat Plain with a surfeit of welcoming B&Bs on each side of the smooth tarmac roads"

Actually, if it doesn't come back over the Gospel Pass (it did one year) then Newent-Hay-Magor has some rolling bits but isn't that lumpy (except the Grosmont-Monmouth bit, if it goes that way)

It doesn't look overly hilly to me.  I did the 1000 in 2004 which is kind of based on that 600, and it was fine.

[frere yacker]

It doesn't do Gospel Pass.

My take on the route is that it will feel worse than it actually is.  A 6-8% climb suddenly seems like the toughest thing you've done once you've got 400km in your legs.  But we manage it, often cursing the organiser for putting a lump on the route when you were hoping for a pan flat 200 with a tailwind.  Or is that just me?

[LEE]

It doesn't look overly hilly to me

If that quote was by Bernhard Manning or Cyril Smith then it would fill me with confidence.

[Cyklisten]

...often cursing the organiser for putting a lump on the route when you were hoping for a pan flat 200 with a tailwind.  Or is that just me?

No, it's not just you. I was cursing the organiser of my Sunday ride (DIY 200- the clues are there) I asked my Edge 705 to take me to Crowborough from Hailsham. I know there isn't a remotely flat way but it included Heathfield, Mayfield and the longest bl@@dy climb into Crowborough. It came to mind on said hill that a certain D Hudson might have been involved in the programming at Garmin! Every time I ride a new hill I have up a vision of El Supremo grinning over a map!

[Martin]

as reported by Richard Thomas; serviceable kip on this ride may be hard to come bu due to the location of controls.

But as this board is rapidly becoming an Audax version of the Monty Python 4 Yorkshiremen sketch that probably won't worry too many.

Martin
(cured)