Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Audax => Topic started by: Peat on 30 August, 2023, 03:06:22 pm
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With PBP (and summer?) in the mirrors, it's time to look forward a new season of gritty winter 200's. Why not join us for the seasonal mix of weather and fireworks!
**New HQ for 2023** The event departe/arivee has moved ~3 miles north to Crowmarsh Gifford (Wallingford). Village Hall facilities with plentiful hard-standing parking in the adjacent business park.
ENTER HERE: https://www.audax.uk/event-details/10368-upper_thames (https://www.audax.uk/event-details/10368-upper_thames)
Discussion from the previous runnings here: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=33455.550 (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=33455.550)
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I'm in. Always a pleasant event with good controls. Will probably ride to the start and try to live up to my promise of riding over Streatley Hill on the way home.
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riding over Streatley Hill on the way home.
:o
I regretted riding to the start when I had to go up Britwell hill on the way home, but Streatley...?
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riding over Streatley Hill on the way home.
:o
I regretted riding to the start when I had to go up Britwell hill on the way home, but Streatley...?
Having been sampling most of the hills on the Chilterns and eastern Berkshire downs to vary my once-a-week commute back from Oxford, Britwell is a beast, probably because it is dead straight and so the steep section punches above its weight.
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Booked :thumbsup:
Second time lucky for me - I had last minute logistics issues last year, and couldn't start.
Not sure which bike to bring - quite fancy gears for a change!
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Booked :thumbsup:
Not sure which bike to bring - quite fancy gears for a change!
There's a noticeable climb early on. Yet again I don't ride fixed so not sure if this would be an issue.
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Booked :thumbsup:
Not sure which bike to bring - quite fancy gears for a change!
There's a noticeable climb early on. Yet again I don't ride fixed so not sure if this would be an issue.
In truth, it's more about salt on the road: If it's salty, I'll bring the cheap-and-cheerful alloy bike with cheap groupset. If not, I'll take steel fixed and walk up the steep stuff!
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Assuming there aren't too many changes with the new start, there is a sharp climb 10%+ out of Well Place which is <10k from the start. There are no nasty climbs in the rest of the route - I've found the wind to have a bigger impact.
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Assuming there aren't too many changes with the new start, there is a sharp climb 10%+ out of Well Place which is <10k from the start. There are no nasty climbs in the rest of the route - I've found the wind to have a bigger impact.
From my previous experiences, I'd agree.
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Short climb close to the start (Cox's Lane) to get the blood flowing then a gently rolling and scenic 3 km to rejoin the previous route just in time for the more significant climb out of Well Place (Berins Hill).
We're getting close to our max entries threshold now, so will likely be closing entries in the next week.
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**ENTRIES CLOSED**
We're full!
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Brilliant event, way beyond me now, but glad I got round two or three times. Autumn and Audaxing at their very best! Have good rides and good days everyone.
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Bugger! A lot of rain is forecast to fall on Saturday. It'll be a wet day's riding.
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The joys of autumn weather - who knows what we will come across this Saturday!
I'll pack the rain cape...
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It seems to be like every ride I've planned over the last week or so. The closer I get to the date the more rain is predicted to fall. I do remember an edition of the Poor Student where there was a substantial 'canal' section including a R at Triangle no useful road markings which, as all three roads at the triangle were underwater.
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I know it's going to be very wet in the morning - but I'm really looking forward to this.
Often the rides in sporting weather have the best camaraderie - and spawn stories that get taller and more dramatic at each telling.
Plus I get to test some waterproof socks - I give them 10km until they are full of water from the top ;D
See you all tomorrow :thumbsup:
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I've decided to DNS. I don't really want my feet to get wet again after I scraped the skin off the backs of my ankles when walking the 6 miles into Reading on a sodden track yesterday.
I'd like to draw starters' attention to a potential hazard in the early tree-covered section of Cox's lane (about 1.2 km into the ride, just after you turn left off the A4074). That section is narrow and can be quite skanky after it has rained and I expect riders to be bunched so early into the route. I was planning on letting everybody get away before me rather than be compromised in my road positioning and unable to avoid fairy-beckoning gravel and fallen bits of tree.
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Also be aware that rain-swept lanes will likely harbour flint. 2 years ago I racked up a record (for me) 4 punctures in the first 30 miles on this event.
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48 brave souls departed HQ this morning. First few through the 1st control already.
Massive drop out rate this year, understandably.
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Also be aware that rain-swept lanes will likely harbour flint. 2 years ago I racked up a record (for me) 4 punctures in the first 30 miles on this event.
↑This↑, and the probability of driving to the event on roads & lanes knee-deep in rainwater made me decide to be a DNS.
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Puncture 4km into the event. Two more immediately afterwards, so there was obviously a flint or a thorn somewhere in the tyre that my cold hands couldnt find, so walked to Goring to be rescued bythe big white taxi of shame. These things happen.
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Puncture 4km into the event. Two more immediately afterwards, so there was obviously a flint or a thorn somewhere in the tyre that my cold hands couldnt find, so walked to Goring to be rescued bythe big white taxi of shame. These things happen.
Found the blighter. Little flint embedded in the tyre just to the point where it would puncture an inflated tube but stayed in the tyre carcass when the tube was deflated. Took several minutes of searching in the garage to find it.
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A DNF for me today too. Completely my own fault for being improperly dressed for the conditions.
Once I'd got wet, I got cold pretty quickly. I tried stopping in Henley and getting a pair of washing up gloves to try and dry out and warm up my fingers, which worked for a while and improved things a bit. But boots full of dirty flood water weren't helping matters either. So when I spotted the sign on the way out of Watlington saying it was only 4 miles back to the start, that was game over, and there was no way I was convincing myself to carry on.
A massive chapeau to all those that carried on and made it round, your certainly made of stronger stuff than me.
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Pushed on, persevered and completed the ride yesterday even though the conditions were atrocious for most of the day. Met a few familiar faces and enjoyed the route. Many thanks to the organisers.
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My 7th time at this and as good as always, (but a bit wetter than ususal). A plus point of the weather seemed to be generally quieter roads than usual? The usual mix of one third up and down the Chilterns, one third the slog to Chippy and one third nice roads back to the finish. Came out of Waterperry cafe to find tyre had gone flat while inside - no idea what caused it but that meant a delay which I think meant that we missed some biblical downpours later on that others talked about. Lots of fireworks on the way back and people leaving one show meant we hit 'rush hour' in Watlington at the end. Many thanks to Vicky and all the team involved.
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The (rain) caped crusader (me) returned, laughing in the face of wet weather.
As I walked into each control, I wanted to break into song about the wonders of a cape. I looked around. Tortured faces stared into their tea, water dripping from their noses onto their cake. This was not an audience to declare how dry you are. It could turn nasty.
I kept shtum.
Today lived up to the forecast with constant morning rain, and heavy showers in the afternoon. Checking my wahoo, it was also colder than expected - four degrees through the Chilterns. We did have the wind in our favour - with a lovely tailwind to Chipping Norton. Which then died as we turned south into what would have been a tough head wind.
I love the hiss tyres make when we ride on damp roads. I'm not such a fan of the slosh and gurgle they make when we hit a deep puddle. That's usually the starting gun for damp, cold, numb feet. Which is very unpleasant.
An impulse purchase of waterproof socks, following a post by Tomsk OTP - kept my toes dry and warm. I could FEEL my shoes sloshing with water, but that never turned into feet like ice blocks.
Sealskinz, warm, mid-calf socks bought in Decathlon - come and collect your "Comfortable Rider" medal. You can stand on the podium with the rain cape. Well done.
I was on gears today. The Triban felt like an e-bike after 9 months on fixed. I traced the route for chevrons, found them and girded my loins for Berins hill. Tap-tap-tap-tap go the gears. Deploy fixed climbing torque. Panic as the handlebars rise to the sky. Land the wheelie and pick a couple of gears harder. Writing a note to the legs, "Very funny - yes I can see how strong you've become. You've had your fun - now a bit less drama on the next chevrons please".
Did I mention the route? How silly.
It was so pretty.
The Chilterns mixed intimate sinuous valleys with ancient woodland. The woodland passages gave us respite from driving rain in exchange for the odd deluge when a wind gust shook waterlogged boughs.
We zoomed down the hill into Watlington and joined the rolling hills of the Aylesbury vale.
I love the views from Winchendon ridge and attempted the first blurry picture of the day, taken from inside a waterproof case.
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I already knew the climb to Chipping was gradual and relentless, so I just dropped a gear and took in the views. What's the rush - enjoy the rainbows!
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Today was a day to linger in controls. Warm up, eat nice food, and drink hot drinks.
Vicki and team run a great event. They had been out after Storm Ciaran to check for flooded roads, and updated the route. We had plenty of kerb to kerb puddles - but nothing that required scuba gear. The soup and cake at arrivee was delicious.
I can see why this ride has so many fans. It's smashing.
https://www.strava.com/activities/10160509822 (https://www.strava.com/activities/10160509822)
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Mixed feelings on this one. Loved it and hated it. The hate though was all down to things outside the organisers' control, like the weather, and the state of my fitness.
Rode solo as my planned companion had suffered an outbreak of mental, moral, emotional and constitutional weakness.
The drive down boded ill - I had the wipers on full for much of it. The depart was great, with tea and toast. Spoke to one guy on his first audax, and explained that it was an excellent choice as future rides were unlikely to be any worse. Also spoke to CrazyEnglishTriathlete about commuting (I'm the life and soul of parties), although I didn't put two and two together at the time.
All the keen beans whizzed off up the early hills. I struggled to keep pace with the guy in front of me. Finally caught him to discover he only took up audaxing on his 70th birthday. Rode with him for a bit, then decided I needed to work harder to keep warm. Left him behind only to go straight into the axle deep flood. To be fair, we had been warned, and diverted, but the diversion email had arrived after the bike with garmin attached was already in the car, and I was comfortable on the sofa. How bad could it be? Not bad enough, I thought, to move the waterproof socks from my desk to my getting dressed pile... Loads of standing water, running water, gravel and leaves. I love riding in autumn usually, but I didn't enjoy the descents. No confident sweeping turns, no gripping the tops of the brake levers to satisfy the urge to brake without scrubbing off any speed. Instead, it was brakes on hard on most of them, and rightly so.
Took a diversion after Watlington to bag some veloviewer tiles on the way up to Wheatley. Bumped into a friend from LEL and another couple of audaxes outside the control. "See you at Chipping Norton" he said. "Unlikely," I responded...
Cafe controls are delightful - having started serious audaxing during lockdowns, I've only really experienced bare bones events. Chatted to the pair who were out on their second best tandem. Had to force myself up and out to get on with it, but it was familiar roads from Wheatley to Bicester. Missed the turn at Ashendon cos my route planner decided a footpath was a better option than the road. Came back, chatted to another pair at the junction, who, in the theme of the day, whizzed off ahead of me. Let down by my route planner at Bicester, which had diverted me along cycle paths, (which I ignored and stayed on the road), until it wanted me to use an underpass. Now I couldn't get onto the cycle path, so had to pull a U turn in the middle of the A41 and retrace. Overtook my earlier companion, and dragged up to Chipping Norton, with a couple of diversions to bag tiles. A nasty shower came, and I gambled too late on finding a bus shelter to re-don waterproofs. Finally put them on under a tree as it was abating. The main road into town was not a treat at all, but was at least downhill. The cafe was a delightfully welcoming warm fug. I lingered for half an hour over hot chocolate and a panino.
Then back on the road, darkness fell, lights came on. In fact, one had come on earlier, the rain having upset the electronics, and wouldn't turn off, but flashed gently all the way home and deep into the night. More familiar roads west of Witney, which is my father in law's stamping ground. One last (failed! ha!) tile diversion in Wychwood, then I caught my companion from earlier. Chatted for a while then left him behind. The clock turned 6 and the sky lit up all around as the fireworks went off. I could see 6 or 7 displays all around the horizon.
Caught up with another rider whose GPS had failed him, and stuck with him to the end to finish in just under 12 hours.
Not my finest performance, but a good day out. Weather wasn't great, but as I'd said at the start, it can't be much worse than the poor student in January. Apart from feet, head and hands, I stayed largely dry. The skies were moody. Great views of clouds and rain soaked landscapes, misty valleys. Red kites are two a penny round here, but one perched in a tree on the left of the road, while a kestrel hovered on the right was a treat, and a cloud of about twenty all circling was another.
If better weather and better legs can be promised, I might even do it again
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The (rain) caped crusader (me) returned, laughing in the face of wet weather.
As I walked into each control, I wanted to break into song about the wonders of a cape. I looked around. Tortured faces stared into their tea, water dripping from their noses onto their cake. This was not an audience to declare how dry you are. It could turn nasty.
I'm intrigued - which cape do you have?
Well done on the ride and thanks for the write up.
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Nice write up smileydave! I spoke to you briefly in Waterperry gardens.
JonB - I've got this one from Carradice:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/jackets/carradice-pro-route-cycle-cape/
SJS seem to be cheapest online for Carradice stuff these days.
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"missed out" on this one, weather forecast was not having me feeling it on Friday night, which probably subconsciously caused my failure to set an early alarm. regular alarm went off at 7, and I decided there was no way I was going to dress eat, load the car and get to the start in 30 minutes.
when I was up and about later it seemed the weather was not as bad as forecast so I felt like I had made an error. But from the reports it seems I dodged a bullet.
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One bonus of my DNF and hike to Goring was seeing a mixed flock of geese including a couple of Egyptian Geese and Pink Footed Geese pottering about rather morosely in a waterlogged field.