Author Topic: Poor Student, 07/01/2017  (Read 35109 times)

EMnut

  • 30 inches and lower
Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #150 on: 09 January, 2017, 09:48:04 am »
Thanks for organizing such a great ride Pat.

Gosh that was a toughie! My fears about not having many miles in the legs beforehand turned out to be well founded. But my fellow riders from Abingdon Freewheeling waited at the top of every climb where I was always the last up, and drafted me along in the flatter places (redeyedjedi being one of them), as well as sorting the navigation, so all I needed to do was keep peddling.

It certainly made the rider far easier for me , as I think I might have got home in the early hours without them, and possibly headed back to Abingdon to cut a few miles off at the end, but it felt great to roll back into Peartree at 8.00ish. I've done longer rides than this, but none where I have had to dig so deep to finish

Weather in early Jan is rarely nice, but although murky I think we were quite blessed, barely any headwinds (maybe I was riding too slowly to notice them), and the fog made some sections look quite spooky (the long road in the woods after Chipping Camden being one of them).

My moment when I wobbled came on the last of the really tough climbs before Cirencester, I though a 30 inch lowest gear would make climbs relatively easy, but I'd have used lower gears still had I had them. I was zig zagging up just trying to concentrate on making it to the next zig/zag, behind me was citoyen walking up (I was with redeye when the WVM charged), and ahead of me was another rider in a blue jersey who was also inching up, and I did then wonder then if I would finish. But then Shaun and Andy were waiting at the top, and having taken 40 minutes to cover 2 miles, we covered the next 8 miles into Cirencester quite swiftly.

From that moment, whenever the road pointed up, my legs were like jelly and I had to use my lowest gear to ride up any climbs (even the final small bit in Cumnor which I normally power up out of the saddle).

RedEyes mechanical was very swiftly resolved, and having got through the toughest part there was no way we were not going to finish, even if we missed the last control time. A roadside repair just adds to the story of the ride.

At Purton the climb was rewarded by the amazing fish and chip shop, never have I been so grateful for battered cod and a can on coke. Eating some hot food, and then finding ourselves on known roads was the final spur to making it home.

The last 48 hours I’ve barely been able to walk up the stairs, and cannot feel the fingers in my left hand, the price I’ve paid for no training beforehand. But my goodness do I feel good about finishing this! My only regret was that I carried too much stuff and made my bike miles heaver than it should have been, should know better at my age.

I hope my fellow rides where I struggled up the climb made it back to Peartree, real respect to citoyen for doing this on a fixie!!. But really must thank my riding companions for their support, it made all the difference.

Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #151 on: 09 January, 2017, 11:07:04 am »
just to add my thanks to Iddu and Ms/Mrs Iddu for organising a great day out. The lanes to Cirencester in particular were v enjoyable. And I heard possibly for the first time , Parky utter the words , " Let's not stop " in Chipping Camden. I was in shock all the way to Cirencester where we did have a proper sit down lunch with some of the Cotswolds finest as we dripped and clip clopped across the polished boards.
 I appreciate I am about to sound like a sad old  git now for mentioning the M word. However, there were too many bikes without ( functioning )mudguards IMHO.

Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #152 on: 09 January, 2017, 11:09:04 am »
Not ridden this 'calender' event for some years now and after going down on an icy stretch but did do the 'perm' version (same route) a couple of years ago starting and finishing in Chipping Campden and doing the course in reverse on a nice Summer day which was so very enjoyable.  Must do it again this year I think.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #153 on: 09 January, 2017, 11:57:07 am »
real respect to citoyen for doing this on a fixie!!

Thanks, but far more respect is due to the AC Hackney rider who rode to the start from North London and home again afterwards for a total of 417km!

(Don't know what name he goes by here but he's in the yacf group on Strava.)

Quote
My moment when I wobbled came on the last of the really tough climbs before Cirencester, I though a 30 inch lowest gear would make climbs relatively easy, but I'd have used lower gears still had I had them.

Was slightly concerned you were going to topple over when I heard the crunch of gears and saw you wobble, but well done for saving it.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #154 on: 09 January, 2017, 12:01:06 pm »
HK tells me that somebody did hit the deck on a later climb as she (on trike) was catching him.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

EMnut

  • 30 inches and lower
Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #155 on: 09 January, 2017, 12:04:47 pm »
Might have been me, I'd hoped no one had noticed! I fell off on the hill up to Purton, a fall onto a nice boggy verge at about 1mph
It lapsed from my memory on account of a most excellent battered cod and coke in Purton, thah chippy was a lifesaver

Redlight

  • Enjoying life in the slow lane
Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #156 on: 09 January, 2017, 12:39:18 pm »
I appreciate I am about to sound like a sad old  git now for mentioning the M word. However, there were too many bikes without ( functioning )mudguards IMHO.

I'm happy to be considered a sad old git and agree with you. I backed off and let riders get ahead several times to avoid being sprayed with that wonderful Cotswold Combination of mud, water and horse manure.  There were several guys at the cafe in Chipping who looked as though they had been in a cyclocross.  I'm not sure what the poor lass behind the counter knew what to make of them.

I wouldn't want a return to the obsessive M rule of the old days, but at this time of year it can't be too hard to attach a pair of clip-on mudguards to most frames, surely?
Why should anybody steal a watch when they can steal a bicycle?

JJ

Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #157 on: 09 January, 2017, 02:11:54 pm »
Well, that ride doesn't get much more benign than this year's.  For the benefit of this weekend's Audax first timers, that doesn't mean it was an easy one.  Chapeau Mesdames et Messieurs, to everyone who popped their cherry with the Poor Student.

I had a lovely time riding with some old friends and some new ones.  Reading this, I realise there were more old friends present whom I never saw.  Hope to see you sometime soon.

I proved to my satisfaction that riding up some of those hills is barely quicker than walking.

The highlight of my day was undoubtedly the beef stew in a bowl made of yorkshire pud at the Malmesbury garden centre.  I've now tried the pub, the chippie, the coop, the petrol station and the garden centre and that'll my top option for a winter ride now, although LiamFitz did mutter about a Waitrose cafe too.

Thanks for the ride Iddu!

Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #158 on: 09 January, 2017, 03:22:16 pm »
I wouldn't want a return to the obsessive M rule of the old days, but at this time of year it can't be too hard to attach a pair of clip-on mudguards to most frames, surely?

As one of the rather filthy people my experience was that clip on mudguards did very little for stopping mud hitting people behind them. I noticed a huge difference in following people with additional rear flaps and will have to invest in some for my mudguards


Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #159 on: 09 January, 2017, 03:41:39 pm »
I saw the ElliptiGo bikes parked under the market cross in Malmesbury at about 4.30pm, as I was driving my son back home after he'd raced in Bath. Assuming they were on the Poor Student, I hope their riders made it back in time.

Indeed the Elliptigos were on the brevet.  With my unintentional late start I passed them early on in the ride. Great care was taken as I passed as I didn't want a repeat of the PBP incident.


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Brakeless

  • Brakeless
Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #160 on: 09 January, 2017, 03:57:28 pm »
My fourth time round the Poor Student and the driest by far, previous rides have involved wringing out socks at the finish! The garden centre at Malmesbury was great for a quick lunch, a cheeky entrance down thier exit road means it is literally a minute off route and far less hassle than the cramped town centre options.
I've been riding a lot for the past couple of months including doing the Rapha 500 over christmas and it seems to be paying off as I got back to Oxford just after 4pm.

Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #161 on: 09 January, 2017, 03:58:40 pm »
Might have been me, I'd hoped no one had noticed! I fell off on the hill up to Purton, a fall onto a nice boggy verge at about 1mph
It lapsed from my memory on account of a most excellent battered cod and coke in Purton, thah chippy was a lifesaver

If a small woman on a shiny trike muttered 'those will never catch on' as she asked nicely to come by before the two wheeled person remounted (due to the lane being a tad trike unfriendly) that would be you. Alternatively more of those funny two wheeled contraptions were loosing balance up those climbs


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Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #162 on: 09 January, 2017, 04:21:43 pm »
Great ride, thanks for organising. No mishaps, and just one close call, for Derek who rode into a front wheel sized hole in Purton   :facepalm:, but managed to stay upright!   :thumbsup: #skills


hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #163 on: 09 January, 2017, 04:31:01 pm »
Has that drain cover been reported to fillthathole? Other riders might not have the skillz!

Brakeless

  • Brakeless
Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #164 on: 09 January, 2017, 04:35:25 pm »
I don't want to derail the thread but why would you be riding so close to the kerb ? If the drain didn't get you the kerb probably would.

Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #165 on: 09 January, 2017, 04:40:05 pm »
just done it...thanks for the suggestion  :thumbsup:

Has that drain cover been reported to fillthathole? Other riders might not have the skillz!


hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #166 on: 09 January, 2017, 04:49:30 pm »
just done it...thanks for the suggestion  :thumbsup:

Has that drain cover been reported to fillthathole? Other riders might not have the skillz!

Excellent!

EMnut

  • 30 inches and lower
Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #167 on: 09 January, 2017, 05:11:58 pm »
The one trike I saw was in Yarnton, and it whizzed ahead of me, definitely raises the spirits to see one
So it must have been someone else who fell off

With the mud-guards issue, my rear one is long and has not flap, but it kept the cow poo of my water bottle (liquid cow poo is now less tasty

EMnut

  • 30 inches and lower
Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #168 on: 09 January, 2017, 05:22:48 pm »
sorry I meant cow poo is less tasty than the water :facepalm:

Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #169 on: 09 January, 2017, 06:58:27 pm »
I wouldn't want a return to the obsessive M rule of the old days, but at this time of year it can't be too hard to attach a pair of clip-on mudguards to most frames, surely?

As one of the rather filthy people my experience was that clip on mudguards did very little for stopping mud hitting people behind them. I noticed a huge difference in following people with additional rear flaps and will have to invest in some for my mudguards



Long flaps are the only way to avoid splash back... http://rawmudflap.uk/

Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #170 on: 09 January, 2017, 07:50:08 pm »
My new bike came with an inadequate (as a few clubmates have noted) rear flap. I haven't yet had the heart to take it off, or add a home made or bought one to it, as that looks naff, but I know I need to act. Team MK's new kit supplier are doing matching bidons and flaps, but the raw ones are cheaper, and I like the East Yorkshire (my home county) CTC one!
Bikes are for riding, not cleaning!

Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #171 on: 09 January, 2017, 08:36:39 pm »

Long flaps are the only way to avoid splash back... http://rawmudflap.uk/

I have one of those flaps, not fitted on Saturday due to breaking my rear mudguard in two places and fitted the replacement the night before, so didnt have time. However they are excellent quality.
Eddington Number 75

Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #172 on: 09 January, 2017, 11:10:19 pm »
For some reason that turned out to be tougher than expected - despite making good progress to the first control. I started a little late so missed the guys I'd planned to cycle with but met some new people along the way which is always a bonus at the start of a new year. So chatted with D on a fixie and C (a sort of member of RCC) for much of that first leg. Passing those taking only the briefest of stops down the street I headed straight for the Bantam Tea Rooms who provided a good portion of beans a a thick door-stopper of a slice of toast at a table right next to the fire - handy for getting things a little dried and warmed up ready for the ascent up and over Snowshill in the swirling mists and fog. On the next table A of those wonderful Gregorio boys recognised me. I also spotted some LEL17 tops being sported in the cafe too - they look very fetching.

D and I seemed to be setting a nice steady pace together so stuck with it all the way down to Malmsbury where I could have sworn I saw T heading in the opposite direction around the Compton Abdale alps where quite a number of us (including Kiwi couple N and his girlfriend tackling her first Audax ride and the man who hates Jams) had sort of ground to a snails-pace on the ascents and carried on together to the outskirts of Malmsbury where I was hell-bent on revisiting the Summer Cafe which D hadn't visited before (maybe next time I'll try out the Garden Centre given the favourable reviews of their generous portions found above and which the rest of the group D and I had rideen with from CA Alps went to try out). Outside the cafe I met B who was on his trusty handmade fixie and looking good considering all of those hills.

I managed to secure the last sausage roll and washed down with coffee and some walnut cake was ready to tackle the final leg. It was also at Malmsbury where I also remet those wonderful Gregorio boys who seem to stick together through thick and thin and always seem to start and finish together. J was there with an even different machine (this one had 3-wheels) from the special Moulton which was being much admired by a chap on another tricycle who I noticed, on the stretch between Purton and the north of Swindon had found our rear wheels and was milking them for all they were worth. 

Shortly after this point (I'd jumped onto the dual-use pavement/cycleway by the roadworks) I lost D and when I hung back to check if he was still around, discovered that he must have gone off with the group which included the Kiwis and the tricyclist. I began to weary on the way to Highworth and was passed by those truly amazing Gregorio boys only to pass them in the town. The road from Shrivenham to Oxford is a fine quiet road and I pedalled along in a revelrie passing a few pairs of riders taking breathers the side of the road until my right-hand down shifter collapsed near Pusey and I had to make a quick repair with cable ties and make do to the long-awaited arrivee. I was completely spent and downed 2 pints of milk in the forecourt garage with a couple of fine fellows from Essex who were taking on board some caffeine ready for the long drive back. The man who loves Jams appeared and asked us why we did such a daft thing instead of staying at home in the warm and watching the telly. We were lost for an answer just then. I'd been unusually thirsty on this winter ride and I think that was a sign that the cold I'd been fighting for the past 2 weeks was still lingering and draining me. I was unusually wiped out when I got home and went straight to bed after a shower and some painkillers.

Hats off once again to iddu for getting us all off our collective arses to have such fun on a mid-winters day. It really is a beautiful route and must try it one day in the summer to see if it feels any easier. Great also to meet so many new people too. Now I'm really looking forward to LEL.

Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #173 on: 10 January, 2017, 07:51:55 am »
I was one of the unguarded - in my rush to pack on Friday night it was the thing i missed.  I regretted it all day as it made me antisocial and gave me splattered legs.  Even the clip-ons would have been an improvement.

I suspect WVM had more than one encounter with the ride on narrow roads.  However, having known Manotea for some years I sympathise with the passenger in the VW who asked him "Do you mind?..."

L

Phil W

Re: Poor Student, 07/01/2017
« Reply #174 on: 10 January, 2017, 05:59:57 pm »
I also spotted some LEL17 tops being sported in the cafe too - they look very fetching.

Now I'm really looking forward to LEL.

That would have been me. I have the sample jersey and gilet in the volunteer colour scheme (reversed on rider ones). I was offering the gilet for audaxers to try on for size in the cafe. That may have given the impression that more than one set of LEL2017 tops were out there. If you'd asked you could have tried it on as well.

The jersey and gilet are standing up well in use having had them since May '16. They've been worn on over 2100km of audaxing, in all weathers, and are good as new so far.

The jersey and gilet will next be in evidence on the Pork Pie 200 in March. February will be more of a DIY by GPS month.