The Cambridge Pork Pie 200 — 18 March 2017 (plus the Spring Dash 100)

[wilkyboy]

The Pork Pie route check ridden yesterday — it is a lovely route, especially once the climbing starts!    I'll send out final routesheet and GPX details in the next day or two to all entrants.

If anyone's thinking of entering, there is still room on both rides for a few more on both events.  But don't wait too long, because entries close next weekend so that we can start preparing in earnest.

PM or email me if you have any questions or special requests.

[wilkyboy]

Okay, all entrants for both events should now have received an email from me with finalised details of the upcoming events.  If you entered and did not receive an email from me this evening (7 March) then please get in touch!

All the details on the website are up-to-date with new routesheets and GPX files — http://www.camaudax.uk/rides/calendar-events.

[wilkyboy]

I just took a peak at the weather forecast — it's not too bad, a stiff westerly's better than an easterly, but it would be nice if it came around to the north a bit more for the Pork Pie.  It definitely looks like you'll want to ride to Oundle across the exposed plains in groups and let someone bigger than you do the towing.  The Spring Dashers will feel more of a crosswind to the first control and then pretty much a tailwind all the way to the second, before a bit of a downhill-struggle to get back to arrivée.  It could all change between now and Saturday — and probably will! 

Mrs WB and I have spent the past week working through the menu and we start cooking and baking tomorrow.  Let there be caik! (and something hot, too)    

We look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday! 

[inappropriate_bike]

Leaving London now to ride up to Cambridge. Looking forward to this one 

[wilkyboy]

Leaving London now to ride up to Cambridge. Looking forward to this one 

Crikey!  That's an early start!  Good luck and take care out there — it's a bit blowy!   

[inappropriate_bike]

Doing fine until Elsenham. Now have a lovely big cut in my tire, two punctured tubes, and there are no trains from here until 8:20 

Oh well I knew I was taking a risk with my puncture repair kit. At least my wake up call happened next to a station 

[wilkyboy]

Doing fine until Elsenham. Now have a lovely big cut in my tire, two punctured tubes, and there are no trains from here until 8:20 

Oh well I knew I was taking a risk with my puncture repair kit. At least my wake up call happened next to a station 

Aargh!  Nooooo!   

I hope you sort yourself out okay.

[Pedal Castro]

Well, after a hard week at work i was just too tired to get up in time. I will join the merry throng as they go through Oundle at 10am'ish and ride to Melton and back i think.

[freeflow]

I woke up lurgified.  Made a stab at getting ready but finally admitted that not being able to see things due to streaming eyes and a hacking cough wouldn't be the best way to ride my bike.

[JamieD]

Ride talk, blah blah etc.

I have a far more pressing question.

The Banana & Chocolate cake was possibly the best cake I've ever had and I've eaten a lot of cake.

Is there any chance of getting a copy of the recipe?

[Flatlander]

Brilliant day out. Ride lived up to the specification, lovely quiet roads if you exclude getting out of St Ives on the way out and going through Huntingdon on the way back, some meaningfiull hills on the Rutand/Leicestershire sections and seasonal road conditions. A bit grim up north, but only in the UK weather sense, a bit drizzily, a little windy when turning west but not too cold. Finish control was outstanding, both the soup and cakes where brilliant. Thanks team Wilkinson.

Good to see some familiar faces, especially those back in the saddle after comming back from injury.

[dod]

Bailed at MM after the office lurgy caught up with me today - I knew I should have switched to the 100km ride and given myself plenty time to try the cake at the finish!

Thanks Nick for another great ride.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

HK and I swapped to the 100 and needed to; we'd not have finished 200 yesterday. Lots of pleasant roads and lanes but no shitty little lanes.

[JamieD]

Well I foolishly thought I was harder & faster than I really am and tried to keep up with some rather quick people at the front. Ending up limping into Melton where Terry very kindly bought me a coffee while I ate a family sized pork pie.

A dismal 50K followed over the lumpy section where I rode with various people until I couldn't keep up but an excellent cake stop in Bucklow and a chance to chat to some now familiar faces (still no names).

Then the flat section where I was convinced I would have some sort of second wind. Yeah, that didn't happen. I did however, have some excellent company who was willing to ride at my pace and chat which made the last hour pass more quickly than if I'd been soloing.

I really should get around to learning names, but thanks to

* Blue ribble winter audax with shutter precision hub & catlike helmet who I vouched for at the arrivee

* Silver raleigh with interesting shaped seatstays (I saw them a lot)

* The H&S consultant I rode with in the last stages

* Terry on the orange mason

* The half dozen of you I shamelessly wheel sucked for the first 2h30m

[jiberjaber]

Strong 15MPH+ headwind but sunny start, (Met Office shows 18, gusting 29MPH) but overall a nice start in terms of weather... it felt warm!



I was towed along the guided bus bike path by Caroline & Dave on their Tandem which was good Arrow practise.







I left them at Oundle to do a straight 100km to MM and I crawled up the hills on to Melton Mowbray for Pork Pie, their pace even into the headwind with me sheltering behind them was still very fast.. Great scenery from Oundle onwards,  the Rutland section was very similar to riding in Yorkshire but without the dry stone walls.








Rain arrived an hour early (13:00) so it was a wet run in to Melton Mowbray.

This kind old lady photobombed my picture I had ridden all the way there to take 



Return leg was straight through from Melton to Girton and was in parts very fast due to some wind assistance.





Final 5km or so was wet but not as bad as earlier, it was nice to be on the bus bike path and I had a great conversation partner along there to pass the time.

One tumble today when I managed to have a combo clipless moment and toe overlap, managed to fall off and perform a full somersault but broke my bar mirror in the process somewhere along this bit of the route.


 
 
Amazing number of red kites on the route, with over 50 in the air at one village (Laxton) we came through.

 
 
Failed to beat Nik's record for hauling back pork pies and only brought back a medium and small one totaling around 750g of additional ballast...




Great route and very scenic



End of ride hospitality was excellent as always and very professional looking!  Many thanks Team Wilkyboy!

[PeterM]

That was a hard day. Think I may be allergic to Rutland.  Small but deadly...

Really enjoyed it, especially the finish.

[hellymedic]

Is it just me  that's unable to see jiberjaber's pictures?
 

[JenM]

No I can't see them either.

The Spring Dash was a splendid day out. Thank you Wilkyboy and Mrs Wilkyboy for all their hard work.

[Diesel]

Huge thanks to Wilkyboy and the team for running a great event.

Headwind section were tough (enough said), the highlights for me were the middle 100 which while hilly was scenic, fast run it, great pork pie and superb arrivee.

Agree about the chocolate banana cake - amazing and such good audaxing food.

Big thanks to everyone who made this happen.

[Phil W]

I was on my recumbent so different experience to the rest.  Loved the headwind section outbound and still averaged mid 20's km/h out to Oundle.  Missed a turn in St Ives that I seem to remember missing last year. Now the hills, Recumbent cycling truly does work different muscles and new recumbent legs suffered in those hills. Wary of my legs blowing up I ended up walking sections of few of the steeper hills. Nick seemed to plan it that any time I hit high speed downhill a turn came up to scrub the speed before an ascent.

 Went for one stop strategy with pork pie, a chocolate Kimble and hot chocolate enjoyed at Melton Mowbray. That summarises my food intake for the ride. Worked fine though running on fumes for last 10km along busway.

Knocked gps off bike when lifting through gates on the agricultural climb out of Melton Mowbray. Didn't notice till I reached top of hill. Luckily as I descended back down looking for GPS another rider asked me if everything was OK, mentioned GPS, and they'd seen and put it on the post by gate.

After Oundle it turned to shallow rollers and I was able to gain enough speed downhill to get all the way up the other side before the next descent. My overall average climbed nicely after that having dropped for the last 100km.

Counted 47 red kites in one section, one red kite flew very close as I passed a squashed rabbit in the road. Saw a couple of owls as well. You look at the sky a lot laid back.

This is my third 200 on the recumbent since I got it mid November.  It will be interesting to see in about a year how my legs compare.

As others have said mostly quiet roads were found and much fine scenery. Even Huntingdon traffic was fairly light at the time I passed through.

Think this one will become an annual ride for me.

[jiberjaber]

Is it just me  that's unable to see jiberjaber's pictures?
 

 ah bugger - where as I can see them fine, of course I can, its my account and I'm logged in...

I'll try and make them publicly viewable - or repost them from some other hosting place..

ETA: Hopefully fixed now...

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Yes

[inappropriate_bike]

I finally got to ride the first section of the pork pie this weekend (in reverse).

Wow!

I lived in this area for years growing up yet lots of the roads were new to me. Who knew you could spin out 50x11 so close to the fens? The views of the Viaduct were amazing. All the roads were great apart from the short section on the A6003 which was rubbish but probably unavoidable.

If anyone is riding in this general area then the nearby Folksworth-Morborne-Bullock Rd-Caldecote loop is top notch cycling, and the detour to Denton is worth it to see the abandoned church.