Asparagus & Strawberries - 3rd June

[BobScarle]

In a moment of weakness, I entered this event, as my first 400. I was due to ride London Wales London but due to a bonk on a training ride before I pulled out. I have spent a lot of time going over that and now I think I have a better understanding now of what I need to do, and more importantly, what I need to eat. I am nervous to say the least.

Can I ask about car parking? As it is a 400 and I am quite likely to be taking a large chunk of the time limit, I will need to park Saturday and Sunday. Quite obviously I cannot buy a ticket for Sunday, so what do people do?

Are there many people that aim to finish around 9 on Sunday? That's my target time. It would be good to find a like minded person to ride the night, or part thereof, with.

[tippers_kiwi]

Hi Bob, I am pretty sure you can pay at Manningtree for 2 days if not at the machine you can do so using your phone. There is also loads of parking on the street for free nearby, others will be along to advise the best places soon I expect.

This is a great ride, a lovely route and there are usually loads of groups riding at nice manageable speeds. My main tips for this route would be to ensure that you have something in your bag for the legs after Wells.

Wells to Barton Mills is a longish A-Road drag where nothing is open (other than the pub at Weasenham about 25k from Wells) and then you have the 24 hour services at Barton Mills but post that there is very little opportunity to get food and it does get a bit more rolling after Barton Mills.

[gibbo]

I parked at Manningtree for 2 days recently (sadly not for a bike event but for a work trip) and the easiest thing I found was to pre-pay using an app (or the website) named Ringgo. www.myringgo.co.uk

Worked fine for me.

Regards,
Gibbo.

[Redlight]

At the weekend you can buy a ticket from the machine that will cover you through to Sunday night. Just make sure it is clearly visible though - they do check and last time mine had slipped down the dashboard and was partially obscured so I got a penalty notice (successfully appealed).

[alotronic]

I park over in the town, a couple of times I've been lucky for a seaview park, another time I had to drive around the backstreets a bit, but it's not too difficult if you have your GPS/MAP on so you know how to get to the station!

[alotronic]

PS in terms of bonking and food...

Halesworth plenty of cafes
Acle has a good co-op (you can't miss it)
You also pass through Wroxham on the way to Wells, multiple food stops if you need them, though most will ride through it
Wells has chippies on frontage but a new Co-op on the run into town around dusk  is a good bet for a picnic dinner (most seem to do this now)
If you can get to Swaffam by 10 there is a chippie open, otherwise make sure you have enough food to get to Barton Mills where there are multiple service stations and a Maccie D
There is a 24 hour garage in Newmarket but after that pretty much nothing until the finish, so a good restock at Barton Mills is essential.
If you are slow(!) then at Safron Walden there is a shop that opens around 6am, but even at my relaxed pace this has never been an option.
There is a Service Station at Tesco on the way out of Saffron Walden on the Radwinter Road which is *meant* to be 24 hour, but I don't trust it!

As always in East Anglia respect the wind and the legs from Barton Mills > Swaffam and Swaffam > Manningtree are lovely riding, my favourite part of the ride, but hillier than the rest and hit you as you are felling tired - so keep something in the tank for them!

It's a good ride though, a perfect 400 terrain wise, but you do need to be self-sufficient as there are no TLC controls. Very nice countryside and plenty to look at and there will be plenty of riders around too for company.

See you there!

[psyclist]

For parking, there is a lot of on-street parking in Lawford. No need to pay for parking. Check out StreetView if you want to give yourself peace of mind beforehand.

[BobScarle]

Thanks for all the help with parking. Not sure how addled my brain will be after 400K so may not take the street option and go for the two day ticket instead. More thought required and streetview. Interesting that there are no shops / garages / anything open to buy food during the night stage. Good advice, I'll make sure I carry plenty.

Nervous as hell especially the night. Ridden a few 300K events but it seems so much more than just another 100K.

[jiberjaber]

I think there is an Esso garage in Sible Hedingham which was open (and has coffee & a loo).  We also had a great italian at about 100km as well (Halesworth).

This was my first 400km last year and was a great event for a first 400.  I was pretty knackered for the rolling hills on the last bot from Saffron back to Manningtree but just getting in to my lowest gear worked well and I was home sooner than expected. 

I'll probably not do the fish and chips this time at Wells and investigate the co-op instead. 

My other 3 things from the ride were... It was a hot sunny day on the way out, but quite misty and murky at dawn the following day and I struggled to keep warm, so having a dry base layer you can swap over to at say Barton Mills will be something I will do this year - I also suffered from my shorts towards the end and swapping to another pair mid ride would have eased this.  The BP @ Newmarket was service through the hole, so having an idea of what you want so you can ask for it is a good plan.

Here's last year's ride https://www.strava.com/activities/599134904/overview

[redfalo]

Back in 2015 in the run up to PBP, the A&S was my first 400 ever; and back then, I found it amazingly hard. That was probably down to a combination of a few mistakes, including going too fast in the first 100 to 150 km and riding on a different bike as I thought my Audax bike had an issue, and not having a proper dinner at Wells, where I had a supermarket snack instead.

My plan was to have hot food at the pub between Wells and Barton Mills, but when I rocked up there, the kitchen was already closed. I treated myself to a half pint and some crisps instead. 

I was still going strong until after Barton Mills , where I basically blew up and was hit by the dozies big time. The problem was that it was too cold to sleep (ride was a few weeks earlier in the year, and it was only 4 or 5 degrees at night). The last 70 or so km between Barton Mills to Saffron Walden and Manningtree took just forever. I was so tired that for the first and only time on a ride, I had hallucinations. One lesson learned is to carry some basic lightweight sleeping kit on those really long rides.

My advice would be: pace yourself properly at the beginning, don't waste too much time during the day off the bike, eat properly in Wells and stock some food for the night stage, and eat again at the 24 hours McD in Barton Mills (which did not exist 2 years ago).

I'll be riding again this year, and am curious how things will compare to my 2015 experience.

[Redlight]

I also rode in 2015 and had some low moments. I went off-route about 20km from Wells and got completely lost, with the result that I eventually found myself heading intoWells on the road that was being taken by the (often bemused) outbound riders. I then ate at the chip shop in Wells when I really should have found something more nourishing and had nothing to keep me going for the next leg. I bonked spectacularly between Brandon and Barton Mills, sometimes having to stop simply to rest for a few minutes.

And then there was the cold. The weather forecast had been completely wrong and the temperature plummeted overnight. The service station at Barton Mills was full of shivering cyclists who had come out with only light clothing for the night. No one seemed to want to leave! Unsurprisingly, the food selection was not that great either but it was enough to get me to Saffron Walden.  After that I picked up a little, but some of the undulations on the final leg were unwelcome and, again, I ended up stopping a few times.  However, I still picked up time a bit and rolled into Manningtree not long after the buffet opened for breakfast  . 

Verdict was that it's a good ride and in the right conditions the Wells-Barton stretch offers long straight and quiet roads if you want to roll along at a pace, but unless you're quick you need to take notice of Tomsk's warnings about carrying provisions. I'll be stocked with fig rolls, some sandwiches and several energy bars this time.

[rob]

Enjoyed it the last time I did it (2015), but I pressed on without many breaks to Wells and then had a pavement picnic outside the Co-op.   I got to Barton Mills at dusk where I met up with the Scottish tandem.   We formed a loose co-operative where I navigated and they provided some pace, getting back about 4am.   Even if you ride briskly and can get a proper feed at Barton Mills the last leg is still unending and you need to ensure that you have enough food and water to get home.

I rode from there to the Travelodge at Capel St Mary as the sun came up and it got really cold.

I found myself in Saffron Walden a couple of months ago and went to have a sit on the bench in the square that I have sat on many a time in the wee small hours eating my bonk rations.

[αdαmsκι]

My approach the three times I've ridden is a no faff ride to Wells, followed be some food & then down to Barton Mills as quickly as possible & a good few hours in a Travelodge / Premier Inn and a lovely ride Sunday morning back to Manningtree.

[L CC]

Interesting. My approach the 3 times I've ridden is to say 'fuck this for a game of soldiers' and go home.

Horses for courses

[Phil W]

I think you'll find a few on that kind of schedule. If you're much earlier than 23 hours you'll end up waiting for the station buffet to open for breakfast with a beer.  I've done the early hours finish twice now and not a lot to recommend it. Best to ride slower or have more stops to ensure you roll into Manningtree at a respectable hour.  Look for people to hook up with from Wells onwards.

[LMT]

IIRC I got to Barton Mills about 2215hrs, at this time I had no qualms about hightailing it down the A11 and then staying in the hotel at the Fourwentways service area. Had about seven hours kip there before making it into Saffron Walden with about 5 minutes to spare.

Overall a decent ride.

[Julian]

It's a LONG time since I did this but it is one of the most beautiful rides available. I loved it despite going seriously over distance - IIRC I did nearer 500 than 400.

Just make sure you check the route beforehand and if possible get it onto a GPS.

[Phil W]

IIRC I got to Barton Mills about 2215hrs, at this time I had no qualms about hightailing it down the A11 and then staying in the hotel at the Fourwentways service area. Had about seven hours kip there before making it into Saffron Walden with about 5 minutes to spare.

Overall a decent ride.

Surprised you didn't just stop at the travel lodge which is off the roundabout at Barton Mills

[LMT]

IIRC I got to Barton Mills about 2215hrs, at this time I had no qualms about hightailing it down the A11 and then staying in the hotel at the Fourwentways service area. Had about seven hours kip there before making it into Saffron Walden with about 5 minutes to spare.

Overall a decent ride.

Surprised you didn't just stop at the travel lodge which is off the roundabout at Barton Mills

Fully booked innit.

[mmmmartin]

Is this the ride where you pass a Co-op (in my case in the evening) somewhere near the north coast and the routesheet says something like "turn left" (but nothing more) and it's another 40 miles before you arrive at Barton Mills? When I arrived about 3am the garage had half a dozen riders asleep on the floor. So I joined them, and had another 15 minutes from 6.45am to 7am on a bench outside a church. I knew it was 7am because the bloody bells of the clock woke me up.
A Redfalo is right - it can get bloody cold out there.
But - a great ride, really enjoyed it. Super little adventure.

[Phil W]

Is this the ride where you pass a Co-op (in my case in the evening) somewhere near the north coast and the routesheet says something like "turn left" (but nothing more) and it's another 40 miles before you arrive at Barton Mills? When I arrived about 3am the garage had half a dozen riders asleep on the floor. So I joined them, and had another 15 minutes from 6.45am to 7am on a bench outside a church. I knew it was 7am because the bloody bells of the clock woke me up.
A Redfalo is right - it can get bloody cold out there.
But - a great ride, really enjoyed it. Super little adventure.

Barton now has a 24hr McDonalds you can sit inside. So no more cold garage forecourts.

[alotronic]

Is this the ride where you pass a Co-op (in my case in the evening) somewhere near the north coast and the routesheet says something like "turn left" (but nothing more) and it's another 40 miles before you arrive at Barton Mills? When I arrived about 3am the garage had half a dozen riders asleep on the floor. So I joined them, and had another 15 minutes from 6.45am to 7am on a bench outside a church. I knew it was 7am because the bloody bells of the clock woke me up.
A Redfalo is right - it can get bloody cold out there.
But - a great ride, really enjoyed it. Super little adventure.

Barton now has a 24hr McDonalds you can sit inside. So no more cold garage forecourts.

That's the problem with this Audax lark, it just keeps getting easier and easier....

[Phil W]

Is this the ride where you pass a Co-op (in my case in the evening) somewhere near the north coast and the routesheet says something like "turn left" (but nothing more) and it's another 40 miles before you arrive at Barton Mills? When I arrived about 3am the garage had half a dozen riders asleep on the floor. So I joined them, and had another 15 minutes from 6.45am to 7am on a bench outside a church. I knew it was 7am because the bloody bells of the clock woke me up.
A Redfalo is right - it can get bloody cold out there.
But - a great ride, really enjoyed it. Super little adventure.

Barton now has a 24hr McDonalds you can sit inside. So no more cold garage forecourts.

That's the problem with this Audax lark, it just keeps getting easier and easier....

Luckily we all have aging and real life getting in the way to prevent it getting too easy..

[Tomsk]

Manningtree Station Buffet say they don't normally open Sundays now  But might if they can get staff - they know there will be hungry customers knocking on the door at 08:00...I will have to chase them this week.

On my route check on Saturday, Ali's Pizza and Kebabs in Brandon [on L in High Street] was open at midnight and apparently open until 01:00. I stuffed my face as the chippy at Wells was too busy, due to Bank Hol.

Also we have a proper AUK controller at the Coffee House in Ixworth 

Got to get all the last minute entries and updates done and emailed out soon...

[Tomsk]

Got to get all the last minute entries and updates done and emailed out soon...

Job done last night. Also 120 brevets folded. Ixworth helper primed. Reedham Ferry chain tensioned. The A&S is good to go.