Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Audax => Topic started by: psyclist on 19 December, 2017, 06:15:20 pm
-
Opening a thread for ACME Easter Arrow planning.
Why so early? Well, Travelodge have a room sale starting on 26th December, so if we have some folk planning on the Thursday night start and getting some kip in York on the Friday night, we could secure some rooms at a bargain price.
For now, it would be useful to know how much interest there is in a Thursday night start. This will determine the likely number of teams, and hence rough number of rooms required. I don't mind booking some rooms speculatively if they are cheap enough.
So for now, if you are thinking about joining one of the ACME teams, could you please indicate your interest, and whether you'd be looking for a Thursday evening or Friday morning start. This will not be a binding commitment. Just an indication. Planning proper will start in January.
-
Having enjoyed my first encounter last year, I fancy another go with Team Acme Anvils of course. Sadly, I think our team leader last year Captain 'I Don't believe in buffs' Carlosfandango is unavailable this time.
Not fussed with either Thursday evening or Friday morning start.
-
I think I'm leaning towards a Friday morning Witham start, a westerley route, maybe into Rutland [scenic :demon:] or the pre-2013 LEL route. Missing out the Humber Bridge too? :o Possibly some zigzags up north for a change...
-
I may be tempted out of >300k ride retirement. A Thursday night start might appeal.
-
I am up for a this too
-
With Huggy as captain, I am tempted by another ACME Anvils ride. This year's captain was a bit of a slave driver and his catering arrangements weren't a patch on Huggy's.
I would prefer a Friday start but Thursday is a possibility if it means I don't have to do any maths during the ride :facepalm:
-
With Huggy as captain....
....pack your swimming trunks & goggles
-
I would love to join a team, but with Easter being 1st April, I anticipate 18 hour days in the preceding week, inc the Saturday. Bugger
-
Yes please :). :thumbsup: (happy with a Thursday start)
-
I've roped in a team from ColVelo this year so I suspect I will be seeing some of you along the way and some of you in York for Breakfast!
-
Hi all
Never arrowed so why not? I would be up for a ride this year, pref in a team of fixed if my knees prove willing - easy on start times as family will be away...
-
I think we need captains to step forward, then sort out from there - start times, preferred routes etc. Four is a the best number for a team: one spare in case of illness/mechanicals; five is somehow unwieldy, one often riding alone billy-no-mates with the two pairs; three is a bit risky if things go wrong.
A pubinar - a Wednesday evening soon, somewhere accessible, open to all...
BTW, it's considered bad form to advertise your route and distance, at least in detail - it's a competition, in this supposedly non-competitive branch if the sport.
I'd be more than happy to captain a fixed team again, or whatever...
-
So we have Tomsk, Huggy and Psyclist as the captains of Dynamite, Anvil and Catapult respectively.
Huggy your mission is to ensure that the Anvils' route is almost but not quite 400km. The Straggler and Fandango were a picture when we got to the pub and they realised we had done 398km so no 4 points ;D
-
So we have Tomsk, Huggy and Psyclist as the captains of Dynamite, Anvil and Catapult respectively.
Huggy your mission is to ensure that the Anvils' route is almost but not quite 400km. The Straggler and Fandango were a picture when we got to the pub and they realised we had done 398km so no 4 points ;D
I've rechecked the thread and I don't see any posting by myself that says I will be a captain, or indeed commitment to actually ride ::-)
If I were to have anything to do with planning a route it would be as close to 360km as possible to allow maximum relaxation time. 3 points is plenty for me.
ETA: just dialling Battesford Court, Witham, to Postern Gate, York, in to RideWithGPS offers a route of 360.7km ;D
-
Well volunteered that man and working on a route already :thumbsup:
Last year's route worked well after Spalding. Up to that point it was a bit less efficient in terms of minimum distance compared to actual.
-
I'm happy to captain a team again, and have a few lessons learnt from this year to hopefully ensure a thoroughly smooth ride into York with loads of time to spare! Also happy to not captain if anybody else has a burning desire.
I would also be considering a more westerly route to provide variety and new sights to see. Also to avoid that dastardly Humber bridge.
In respect to accommodation in York on the Friday night, I think there are currently only 2 potentials who would favour this and might be part of Team Catapult; myself and jiberjaber. Some candidates for the cataclysmic Team Anvil have also considered this as an option; the straggler and huggy, with tedshred on the Friday side of the fence.
Doubles in the York Central Travelodge are currently circa £120 for the night, and the Boxing Day sale will reduce that by 30%. I'm thinking that unless we get more people expressing the Thursday night start as their preference soon, or Team Anvil state that they will be going with that option, I'll not book any rooms for now. Thinking cynically, prices might naturally reduce anyway in the new year, after the sale has finished.
-
As much as I like the idea of starting late and riding in to the night on the Thursday to get the night section done first, I'm also inclined to follow my previous formula of a Friday 9am start to arrive in York in time for some refreshment and a return on the midday train. That appeals to the Audax minimalist in me that doesn't use commercial hotels on these types of audaciousnesses (hair shirt to be packed in the Carradice) :P
-
I am too mean to pay for a hotel.
-
Well volunteered that man and working on a route already :thumbsup:
Last year's route worked well after Spalding. Up to that point it was a bit less efficient in terms of minimum distance compared to actual.
My route from Sleaford to York is on ride with GPS if you still want it. :)
-
I can't afford hotels.
-
I've booked rooms. From memory last year the sale didn't really apply to the Easter weekend. A fiver difference between Flexi and Non I went Flexi so can always cancel and rebook if needed.
I'm working on a route....also toying with the idea of only 3 points to make things a little more relaxed! I'll be sticking mainly to known entities and have employed some local help which has been well received.
-
I have a traditional brevidence control list that comes out at 361km on Mrs Google by walking. So far RwGPS preferred routing to avoid 'walking' down A roads or potentially swimming through Welney (again) it's close to 390km :facepalm:
-
Wow things are surely moving fast.... Plenty of progress must be a slow week in the office ;) (he says sat in a café in North Yorkshire) :D
-
If this helps I have a route from St Neots to York with the 22 hour stop all sorted, that avoids the humber bridge (250k in distance)
8am or 9am start is best imho
I am will to help with planning a route, and checking closer to the event.
If required I can captain a team but only if needed.
Oggy
-
09:00 Witham/Dunmow start for 'Dynamite' I think. I have a few loose ends to tie up with new events and to get the provisional route sheets and info done for 2018 too, then I'll see if Mrs Google has got new boots for Christmas...
-
With Huggy as captain....
....pack your swimming trunks & goggles
+1 :thumbsup: Huggy as Team Captain of Acme Anvils that is. More W'spoons controls please, if that means 361km and only potential 3 points, that's fine with moi.
-
Pubinar on a Wednesday evening this month or early next?
Battesford Court was ok for the LEL one last year.
-
Pubinar sounds good. I can't make 10th Jan, but otherwise any Wednesday.
The sooner the beater, so cheap train tickets / accomm can be arranged.
-
:thumbsup: Sounds good. i could probably do with a refresher before taking a team of new arrow riders on my first ride as captain!
-
cheap train tickets come out later this month (can't remember the exact date) so a pubinar would be good. 17th or 31st are favourite for me; can't do 10th or 24th.
I wish we'd had a pubinar last year. The ACME Anvils were a bit out of their depth at times organisationally :facepalm: (well, I certainly was in the early hours of Saturday morning).
-
I'm potentially up for it this year. Happy to do ~360, prefer Friday start, but Thu night also possible, I think.
-
Fixed ?
-
Probably.
-
17th January for an Arrow Pubinar then?
-
17th January for an Arrow Pubinar then?
:thumbsup:
-
Probably.
Good to hear you're volunteering for Team Acme Anvils reserve/vice captain. :thumbsup:
Arrow pubinar meeting fine with me on any near future Wednesday evening. Any chance for 8.00 - 8.30 pm start?
-
^ 20:00 start is a good call :thumbsup: [2017 LEL Pubinar was an hour earlier than normal MEMWNS meet-up time too]
-
That's why we made the Straggler captain last year :thumbsup:
-
I'm definitely feeling a firm shove between the shoulder blades as everyone else is taking a long step backwards as Team ACME Anvils captaincy nomination is opened. Don't say I didn't warn you about bringing swimming goggles and arm bands!!
My plan will be based on minimum distance, Friday morning start, as many Wetherspoons stops as possible, Saturday midday-ish return on the train (either to Kings Cross or change at Peterborough to do an East Anglia tour to Colchester).
-
Last year the Anvils rode: Clare, Mildenhall, Whittlesey, Spalding, Sleaford, Lincoln, Brigg, Beverley, Howden.
We only managed two 'Spoons visits :(
The East Anglian bit of the route was the least efficient in terms of actual vs official distance. I would be happy riding the bit from Spalding on again.
-
We only managed two 'Spoons visits :(
We managed zero 'Spoons visits last year, apart from arrivée, of course. Not an ACME team, but still a local team — The Cambridge Express.
We did manage to ride 120km and still be less than 20km from home, just trying to kill some distance before the ride started proper towards York. By that point we'd had breakfast at Red Lodge, lunch at The Tally Ho in Barkway, and afternoon tea in The Bridge Café in St Ives, which is about 20km from the start in Cambridge, so about 16km from home for me! ... Pichy did comment on the fact it appeared to be a food tour, as we stopped for a proper sit-down Indian in Spalding, our fourth sit-down eat on the event in just 12 hours — well, it was pissing it down outside ...
We rode just over 400km (min dist) in about 23 hours elapsed, which I call "good timing", team ;)
I'm not sure if Mrs WB will let me out for a third-Arrow-inna-row ...
-
ACME ARROWS PUBINAR: Wednesday 17th January, Battesford Court, Witham, 20:00.
Prospective captains, bring route & schedule ideas.
Input from all welcome.
Any who can't make it on 17th please make your intentions/preferences for distance, start time etc known here.
-
Hmmm.
A butchers at my work calendar indicates that I am scheduled to be in That London on Wednesday 28th & part of Thursday 29th March.
If there was a team leaving Friday morning (Id say 0900 is perfect but beggars cant be choosers) from somewhere that I can reach from London by train, is aiming for somewhere just over 400km and had a space for a reliable domestique (*) I'd be interested. I'm looking to keep the points tally ticking over in 2018 and to do some different rides from my normal base in Edinburgh so this would tick those boxes.
I've ridden a couple of York Arrows from Scotland, first in 2008? when only a handful of teams finished and again in 2014 - around 405km each time (about 18hrs riding at 22kpm with 6 hrs off). Would leave captaincy to those who know the terrain.
(*) CV = Ultra randonneur (13 consecutive). Done that French ride a few times.
-
Virgin have released the tickets folks!
My York > Colchester Plan is out the window. 5 hours and 3 changes.....I'll risk having to ride home from Kings X. I've booked the 12:03 and reserved my bike space by phone.
-
Well that was painful!!
Don't hang around to book Virgin Train tickets back to Essex, at least if you want a bike reservation. I initially booked the 12:03 from York to KingsX online and called to book my bike - no bike spaces available. Tried to change the booking but had to buy a new ticket while on the phone with someone able to look at bike spaces available, so booked the 12:31 online with phone booking for the bike. So, I'm sorted for getting back to London at least.
I now have a 12:03 reservation that I can't use or refund because Virgin Trains [West Coast] and Virgin Trains East Coast (respective to tickets booked above) are different companies although they run the exact same route and both have Virgin in their name but are different and cannot transfer/refund tickets between them >:(
So, I recommend you go to the correct company (phone 03445 565650) and maybe check bike space before buying your seat reservation - https://www.virgintrainseastcoast.com/
I recall booking seat and bike all online in one go in previous years, it's been made so much more difficult now.
How do I reserve a place for my bicycle?
Virgin Trains have special bike storage areas onboard our trains with space for up to 4 bikes or 2 tandems.
Due to limited space you will need to book a reservation for your bike before you travel. The service is free and can be made at any booking office or by calling 0344 556 5650. It is not currently possible to make bicycle reservations online.
-
Yes, a so called upgrade to virgin trains east coast website led to the removal of online booking of bike spaces. If you use another providers website to book eg one i know for sure that works is www.scotrail.co.uk then bike spaces can be booked online.
-
booked the 12:31 online with phone booking for the bike.
See you on the train :thumbsup: (and on the ride and in the pub ;D)
I have opted for the x-country route. It was quite fun with the Hustler last year and I can't be bothered with that London on a Saturday afternoon.
-
Yes, a so called upgrade to virgin trains east coast website led to the removal of online booking of bike spaces. If you use another providers website to book eg one i know for sure that works is www.scotrail.co.uk then bike spaces can be booked online.
Worked perfectly, thanks :thumbsup:
12:57 from York + bike reservation.
-
You snooze you lose! First train after 12 with bike spaces is now the 13:31. Oh well, guess I'll be enjoying a nice lunch before I depart :)
-
Managed to book 14.05 +bike on Scotrail website. 3 hr journey York to Bury st Edmund with 1 change at P'borough, and bonus 20km ride home.
-
I think those of us traveling to Kings X will be riding home from there :facepalm:
-
I think those of us traveling to Kings X will be riding home from there :facepalm:
Services on the Cambridge line seem to still be running ok on 31st. :thumbsup: [Sawbridgeworth to Witham is about 25 miles...]
-
I think those of us traveling to Kings X will be riding home from there :facepalm:
Go x-country then, ticket is valid.
Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
-
I'm going to go with the Kings X and Ride home. I guess that fact that I'll have had a nights sleep makes that a bit more appealing. If I have a route to follow (unlike last year) it shouldn't me much more than 30 minutes over to the Canal and from there it is mostly reasonably pleasant riding (maybe with he exception of Chingford and a short piece of the A414)
-
The Virgin East Coast service only stops at Peterborough before KingsX, there are options from there for changes to Cambridge and Sawbridgeworth, or go round the East Anglia route, either seem no less painful than staying on to KingsX. I think I'll simply go to KingsX with the prospect of unbroken sleeping/resting, then either tube it to Newbury Park and ride from there or just from KingsX about half an hour after tippers.
Whatever I end up doing it will be easier or at least no worse than a 600 with an hour in an audax hotel ::-)
First stab at a route (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26700001)
-
I phoned Virgin up yesterday afternoon and got a place with a bike booking on the 12:31 (no bike places on the 12:03 when I called, but there was one left on the 11:58).
It looks (at least from the national rail site (http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/details?outboundJourneyId=1&outboundFareId=2&outboundResponseId=4&isOutboundJourneySelected=true)) like there may be trains from Ingatestone outward, but the GA site has no info for the 31st March (apparently because alterations for April haven't been published yet (https://twitter.com/yacfOaky/status/951047281813393408) ???).
-
I'd be happy to wait in Kings X for any people on a slightly later train to make it a group ride back to Essex. My route from 2016 which was Jolly nice was THIS (https://www.strava.com/activities/527525391)
-
Buses replace trains between London Liverpool Street and Ingatestone / Billericay from Friday 30 March until Monday 2 April (http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/currentAndFuture.aspx?TravelDate=31%2F03%2F2018&TOC=le)
I'd be happy to wait in Kings X for any people on a slightly later train to make it a group ride back to Essex. My route from 2016 which was Jolly nice was THIS (https://www.strava.com/activities/527525391)
:thumbsup:
-
Yes, a so called upgrade to virgin trains east coast website led to the removal of online booking of bike spaces. If you use another providers website to book eg one i know for sure that works is www.scotrail.co.uk then bike spaces can be booked online.
Thanks for the Scotrail info, it was really useful to know that you can book bicycles online with them.
As for which ACME peleton I shall be joining,........panic not, it's not a ride I'm contemplating this year. Well actually never really!!
-
Yes, a so called upgrade to virgin trains east coast website led to the removal of online booking of bike spaces. If you use another providers website to book eg one i know for sure that works is www.scotrail.co.uk then bike spaces can be booked online.
Thanks for the Scotrail info, it was really useful to know that you can book bicycles online with them.
As for which ACME peleton I shall be joining,........panic not, it's not a ride I'm contemplating this year. Well actually never really!!
Easter trail? 200km Dart? Short DIY permanent? Or a short tour ending up in York? If I wasn't Arrow-fit, I'd be tempted to turn up at the arrivee anyway...
-
Whilst food for thought, I plan to be cycling in mid-Wales over Easter.
-
I'm seeking just one hardy soul up for cycling from Oxford via Cambridge then the usual places - Weatherspoons, McDs and, as last resort, Tescos and on to York. We'll be setting off from outside Oxford (city) station @ 7am on Good Friday. Absolutely no hotel bookings required.
-
I'm seeking 4 hardy souls up for cycling from Oxford via Cambridge then the usual places - Weatherspoons, McDs and, as last resort, Tescos and on to York. Plan is to set off from outside Oxford (city) station as early as possible on Good Friday. Absolutely no hotel bookings required.
Ive pm'd you.
-
Looks like team ColACME will be rolling on Friday morning after all!
-
I've had confirmation that Team Catapult can start on the Thursday evening. Once the route is prepared, we can decide whether 6pm or 7pm would work best, much depending on closing times for the first stop and opening times for a breakfast venue ... it's probably taken as read that the middle of the night stop will be something like a McD, but I will be trying to find an alternative!
I believe the team will be: myself, jiberjaber, Grey Sheep, Carlosfandango, bhoot + 1
-
All, Malcolm Borg is looking for an Arrow team so if anyone has space feel free to get in touch (or pm me and I will put you in touch)