This event was only my 4th audax, and my first 600 (this is my first ever YACF post too!) so I can't speak with any real authority. (Last weekend I did the Straight Outta Hackney audax which I thought was superbly organised.) This event exceeded my every expectation. I've had worse service at restaurants than I experienced at the controls this weekend. The organisers and volunteers should feel very proud about the event that they clearly worked hard to arrange and then deliver.
I don't recall enough to write a full ride report, I've noted some of the things I do remember below.
Windsor->Eynsham: Settled in to a nice group and made good progress. The climb up a long shallow hill with roadworks was excellent. No cars could pass us and so we effectively had closed roads. Arrived at the control and was delighted to find cake and water to replenish.
Eynsham->Honeybourne: Enjoyed chats with a number of people, one of whom was the organiser of the Faffers 400. He was out on a DIY. Shared the work on the hills towards the end with a chap wearing a Audax Cymru top (whose name I neglected to get as well). He and I did a particularly quick 4 or 5 km into the control. I was feeling great at this stage, the weather was fine and we'd passed through some beautiful countryside. I think, but can't be sure that it was on this section of the ride that we went through a village with a Doctor Who'esque telephone box - strange seeing one of those situated behind a hedge as you rode through, but very cool too.
Honeybourne->Belbroughton: My friend and I looked at the queue at the cafe at the control and decided to push on and find some food elsewhere. We stopped at The Frog in Bidington right alongside the river and enjoyed a pub lunch and a cheeky pint. We were joined by 3 others, 2 of whom were wearing Dulwich Paragon tops. Onwards, through more beautiful country lanes and a few more hills but we were still making good progress and enjoying the pleasant weather. A little lost just prior to the Belbroughton control, but that was soon resolved and we were given a warm welcome at the control. Bacon sandwich a cup of tea and a slice of very fine cake. I could have stayed here and eaten more! It was good to see so many others at this control as by now the field had certainly separated and it was difficult to judge how well we were doing timings wise. Conversations about when we might have a sleep, begun on this section. It was a theme of conversation that was to be returned to many times over.
Belbroughton->Muxton: This is the section of the ride that I have the least recollection of. My friend and I had been playing leap frog with a few other small groups up until now, but this section seemed to be a lonely affair. Until we arrived at the control that was - I've never seen a McDonalds mobbed by cyclists before. I thought it an interesting juxtapose, fit and healthy cyclists swarming over a food outlet that has, a reputation for selling shall we say, less than healthy food. I chose to control through the garage. The chap behind the counter tried to wrap his head round the fact that we'd ridden from Windsor, that we were on our way to Chester, and that all we were going to do when we got there was turn around and come back. I bought my 2 pints of full fat milk and left him to his considerations. It was on with the arm warmers and gilet, and fixing lights in place before leaving. By this time my friend and I were very definitely divided on sleep strategy; he prefered the idea of a sleep at Chester while the rain passed, I thought that we should at least push on to Upton Magna, ideally to Belbroughton so as to benefit from the shower available there (my friend could see the merit in this aspect).
Muxton->Chester: Back with various groups on this section. In particular we tagged onto a group for about the last 25 km. It was dark by then and I was experiencing issues with my front lights. The holder that sits under a Carradice handlebar bag does shake a fair amount and consequently I had to keep readjusting where the light was pointing. This was a minor annoyance, but something that was playing on my mind a lot. That problem was cured when I rode through a large pothole and the front light clip gave up and fell apart. I managed to lodge the lamp in the side pocket of the Carradice and carry on the last 10 km or so to the Chester control where I used generous quantities of electrician's tape to carry out repairs. The service and food at the Chester control was excellent again. One of the stand out aspects of the food available at the control was not only had it clearly been hand made, there were a lot of savoury options. Sweet sugary things are great but it was the savoury stuff that was helping me out the most in terms of continued eating. A conversation with my friend at this control about sleeping. There were beds available when the conversation began, but they'd been taken by the point that we realised we couldn't make a decision. I'm glad the decision was made for us, and we pushed on. The rain had just started as we left. It was to remain a feature of the ride until well into the afternoon on Sunday.
Chester->Upton Magna: Dark now, and I'd decided in my head that I was going to sleep at the next control. I was still feeling fine and didn't want to compromise that. It was on this section of the ride that I started seeing small frogs in the road. After my hallucinogenic experiences while riding the Hereward The Wake 300 weeks earlier, I didn't mention the frogs to my friend at first for fear that I would confirm to myself that I was in a worse state than I thought I was. Eventually I decided to mention it, and he confirmed that there were indeed frogs in the road. Hurrah! That was quite a morale boost. The rain really settled in now and with about 15 km to go I really pushed on, splitting from my friend a little. Not a great thing to do, but I knew the prize on offer. I was not to be disappointed; again a fantastically warm welcome with lovely food on offer. The shepherds pie here was fantastic, crumble and custard too! My friend and I slept at this control, 2:45 through until 4:45 so that we could be back on the road by 5.
Upton Magna->Belbroughton: My legs were a little tired by now, which was starting to affect my mood a little. The rain really came out to play too, in some senses that actually helped the situation though. It really became a case of go a little faster, get to the next control sooner and be dry and warm again for a little while. As it was, the rain eased a little before Ironbridge, the climb out of which soon awoke the body from its post sleep state. After this the rain became increasingly persistent. My Garmin decided to pack up somewhere around here and so I was now without any means by which to measure distances between directions on the route sheet. My route sheet had become wet to boot and I was worried that I was going to have to wait for somebody else to come along and stick with them so that I could navigate. These fears were a little extreme and the problem never really materialised. The route sheet did me proud all the way back to Windsor in the end. It is a testament to the clarity of its directions too, that I managed all the way home with just that. Back to Belbroughton control and the lovely people there who were on hand to make tea, porridge and bacon sandwiches. Excellent stuff. Again, fantastic service. I changed my jersey here which made the world feel all right again. Surprising how little things like that can have such a profound impact on your mood. I gathered my stuff and got ready to leave. The rain outside was biblical at this stage. There's only so wet you can get though, isn't there. My friend and I were working at different paces by now, and so as I left he was pulling in. This would be the last I saw of him during the ride.
Belbroughton->Honeybourne: Quite a quick section for me, I covered it in 2 hours. The hills, rain and scrawling winds all played a part in making this feel a little more arduous than it probably was. Very few people at the control, there were two ladies there, presumably (and I hope this won't end up causing offence) mother and daughter, one of whom was wearing goggles! A brilliant idea and when she suggested that I should consider some, I commented that yes I should and that perhaps a wetsuit wouldn't be such a bad idea either. As I departed, the controller shoved a piece of bread pudding in my hand which I later enjoyed in a bus shelter.
Honeybourne->Chalgrove: I think this was the hardest section of the ride for me. Even though the rain had started to ease, tiredness, a willing to finish in a relatively decent overall time, the lack of something to help me navigate and some of the hills encountered all combined to bring me to my lowest point. There were points on some of the hills where I would unclip one of my feet from the pedal - my brain screaming at me to get off and push, another part willing me onwards. I didn't end up walking, but my comparative pace was probably indistinguishable. Happily, I did encounter another rider (again whose name I didn't get, but somebody that I would go on to essentially finish with - a big thank you to him) with about 15 km to go and we pushed on to Chalgrove.
Chalgrove->Windsor: My new companion and I departed Chalgrove at about 15:30 now in glorious sunshine. The wind was out and in the most part providing a welcome accompanying tailwind. Between us we made light work of the flat sections and battled through the remaining hills. I arrived in Windsor at 17:15 to yet another fantastic welcome. Once again the food on offer was very welcome. A short break here to calm down a little, a phone call to my wife to tell her that I done it (which left me feeling strangely emotional), and then it was back on the bike and off to the station for the journey home.
A final thank you to all the riders that I passed some of the ride with, and of course another to all the volunteers. You all made it a really special event. I'm glad that I was able to be part of it.
