Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Rides and Touring => Topic started by: токамак on 12 January, 2009, 01:30:40 pm
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The SEG's 75 Miles Reliability Ride (http://www.essexcycling.co.uk/events/seg75.php). Starts and finishes in Billericay, Essex.
The entry form is available to download (see link), £5 entry fee and a choice of three start times - 08:30, 09:00 and 09:30.
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I should be marshalin' at Pleshey again. (cash only, no cards or cheques)
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At the Leather Bottle pub?
So if I phone ahead can you have a pint waiting for me, yeah? :thumbsup:
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At the Leather Bottle pub?
So if I phone ahead can you have a pint waiting for me, yeah? :thumbsup:
I believe the route is reversed so you'll pass the pub around 0900 - 1030 ish. :(
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Yes the route is the opposite way round to last year (the same way round as the year before).
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Will there be anything other than mars bars and bananas at the half way point this year?!
I think I'll take me own lunch.
I intend to take the early start. There are a lot of pubs on the route and I intend to patronise as many as possible :P
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I'm intending to do this. The plan is to ride the Mercian.
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I found this on bikely:
Bicycle Path - SEG's 75 at Bikely.com (http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/SEG-s-75)
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I found this on bikely:
Bicycle Path - SEG's 75 at Bikely.com (http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/SEG-s-75)
I think this is last years so you'll need to reverse it.
I still haven't ridden this event and I always thought it was a loop not an elongated figure 8 ish.
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Did this last year - lots of fun. The midnight before - in a club in the West End; 08:30 - starting a 75 miles ride in sub-zero temperatures. ;D
Yes, it was a cold ride, but it did turn nice. Quite enjoyed the last two pub stops controls. ;)
Must check my social calendar and see if I'm free for it this year.
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One of the SEG members, ChrisW, has kindly generated the route in various GPS formats. They can be found here, Clicky (http://www.ktphotonics.co.uk/ctc/segindex.html), along with links to an entry form and route sheet in PDF format.
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I've totally failed to enter this already. ::-) My Chelmer CC chums are riding it though and I'll be there for the start anyway. I don't know what the exact plans are, but I suspect we'll take the 09/09:30 start (leaving from Chelmsford at 8:00) - which might give me time to enter on the morning!
I bonked bad last year about 3/4's of the way round (rescued by Annie with an emergency spare banana) - must stuff pockets with sweets this time...
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I bonked bad last year about 3/4's of the way round (rescued by Annie with an emergency spare banana numerous pub stops) - must stuff pockets with sweets this time...
FTFY ;)
I won't be riding this year.
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There was only the one pub stop - in Pleshey (scene of the incident with the zip). I was constantly looking at the time and thinking - must get on to the next control, otherwise there might well have been more pub stops. This time I'm going to blast it and have one large pub stop at the end of the ride!
I won't be riding this year.
This is a shame...
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I'll see how I get on. Last year's was an ordeal, on my Trek single speed. This year I'll be on the Mercian which I reckon should reduce my time a bit, but 75 miles in 7 hours is faster than audax speed. I had very little to spare last year and I hardly stopped.
I'll be travelling by train. I don't mind a swift ale before travelling back to Southend. Which pub, Tokamak?
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I don't know Billers that well - could you recommend a good après-ride establishment?
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Well, there's the Chequers in the High Street, very convenient if you want to go to church. The Crown and the Railway are very close to the station.
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Am wondering about doing this. I am planning to ride Saturday and not sure how I will feel on Sunday.
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I think I had a drunken evening in the Chequers with a bunch of lovely Essex girls once. :thumbsup: Somewhere with space for bike storage would be good.
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Well, it would be lovely to see you. I'm getting the train from Saarfend. Dead easy: there weren't any trains last year so I had to use the car.
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I think bobb was set on doing this one too - and he's not a man to refuse a beer afterwards either. ;)
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There was only the one pub stop - in Pleshey (scene of the incident with the zip). I was constantly looking at the time and thinking - must get on to the next control, otherwise there might well have been more pub stops. This time I'm going to blast it and have one large pub stop at the end of the ride!
I won't be riding this year.
This is a shame...
You seem to be forgetting the pub stop (the name of which escapes me) just on the south side of the A414 :P
I've entered and hope to make it, but I do have a few family comitments at the moment. I will be doing the early start if I do make it. 75 miles in 5.5 hours (or whatever the fast one is) is way beyond my current level of fitness!!!
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OK, 2 pub stops. :P
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This time I'm going to blast it and have one large pub stop at the end of the ride!
I agree! If I do it there will definitely be a pub stop at the end of the ride! And one in the middle.
But it's a Sunday, so I'll be working. :(
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This time I'm going to blast it and have one large pub stop at the end of the ride!
I agree! If I do it there will definitely be a pub stop at the end of the ride! And one in the middle.
But it's a Sunday, so I'll be working. :(
I'll have the route and have no problem with doing things twice. If you fancy another go at it when the weather improves, with pubbes... (Easter hols?)
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This time I'm going to blast it and have one large pub stop at the end of the ride!
I agree! If I do it there will definitely be a pub stop at the end of the ride! And one in the middle.
But it's a Sunday, so I'll be working. :(
I'll have the route and have no problem with doing things twice. If you fancy another go at it when the weather improves, with pubbes... (Easter hols?)
:thumbsup: :D
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Weather looks promising but queues expected at Pleshey as I'm on my own, unless another marshal can be drafted in at short notice.
(if you turn up and think the queue is too long to wait just sign your sheet del ;))</cough> ::-)
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Weather looks promising but queues expected at Pleshey as I'm on my own, unless another marshal can be drafted in at short notice.
(if you turn up and think the queue is too long to wait just sign your sheet del ;))</cough> ::-)
Will you have any beer?
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When the pub opens at noon I'll have beer. Which is handy as Pleshey control closes at noon. ;D
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Right-O, I'm all set. I'll be riding this with the Chelmer CC, but I certainly hope to see some YACFers out and about. Wow - you still on for a beer after the ride?
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Right-O, I'm all set. I'll be riding this with the Chelmer CC, but I certainly hope to see some YACFers out and about. Wow - you still on for a beer after the ride?
Indeed!
It was pretty icy out today, especially this morning, and Annie and I rode some of the roads we'll use tomorrow. I think I'll take the Thorn as its 1.5" tyres should provide better traction than the sylphs which grace the wheels of the Mercian. That might make me a bit slower, though. I'm up for the 8.30 start.
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I went out for just an hour this afternoon and the roads were fairly dry. The biggest problem seems to be that the recent freeze has turned the road surface to shit - loads of holes about and gravel strewn corners.
We'll be leaving from Chelmsford at 8:00, if I don't see you guys on the road, I'll hopefully find you in the cafe at Lake Meadows after the ride. :thumbsup:
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That was hard work. I struggled on the uphill sections where normaly that's one of my strong points. I fell back from the main group after the halfway point but managed to keep a pretty good pace on the flatter bits. I got round in 5 hours including stops. Average speed for the day: 17mph, total mileage: 96.
Was good to meet up with Wowbagger at the end of the day and quaff a couple of IPA at a nearby pub. :thumbsup:
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That was a pleasant day.
I don't do enough riding on my own. I love riding with other people and it's the social aspect of cycling I like the best, but the past two Sundays have involved, between them, about 100 miles of solo riding and I thoroughly enjoyed every one of them.
CTC organised rides seem to attract an awful lot of cyclists who don't fit the traditional CTC mould. I know nothing about racing, but I wonder whether people of a racing persuasion use the South-East Essex Group's 75 mile ride as a training run. Good luck to them if they do, no problem at all, and it it does mean that the different disciplines get to rub shoulders with one another whereas most of the time they wouldn't. I've not noticed clubs treating audax rides in the same way, which is perhaps surprising.
Of course I was one of the slowest today, but without me putting in any extra effort my traditional position as the lanterne rouge of any ride is coming increasingly under threat. Today, my target was to complete the 75-mile ride in under 7 hours, which makes it a bit tougher than a typical 100k. I'm pretty sure I was at the back for most of the first half, although of course riders who had opted for a 6- or 5-hour ride started later than I did and, if they were part of a club, came thundering through leaving me in their wake. Tokamak was one such, with the Chelmer Cycling Club whose peloton must have been the biggest of the day. We greeted one another briefly just before Pleshey and then they were gone.
Del was on checkpoint duty outside the Leather Bottle, but sadly it wasn't open because it was only five past ten. Not long after I was on roads around Felsted, where Annie and I rode yesterday, and it was a completely different proposition. All the ice had gone, there was little sign of the sun and if there were any anti-social gits out driving their cars thankfully they avoided me.
I had taken a couple of marmite sandwiches with me which I consumed in the Great Bardfield Town Hall, along with a Snickers bar and an unripe banana (ugh!) and then off I went again. Along this stretch I started to overtake riders, mostly victims of faerie bites, although there a couple of young lads from our local group had overtaken me several times, on at least one occasion because they had misread the route sheet. Later, one of them was suffering a bit of knee trouble. There was a headwind now, as this stretch of the ride took us south-west, and it was quite hard work.
The great thing from my point of view was that I was familiar with every road. I had the Garmin set up but hardly had to look at the route sheet all day. This is a very cleverly designed ride because the whole lot fits onto just one OS map - Landranger 167. I spent a few minutes looking at the map on the train this morning, but had no need for it for the rest of the ride.
The ride was generally uneventful. Early on, I saw a kestrel with a victim in its talons, a mouse, I think, and the poor creature was still alive. I could see it moving its head from side to side, its body caught in a vice-like grip. Much later on, as I stopped to relieve myself in some woodland on the outskirts of Margaretting, I disturbed a hare, which presumably was in the final two weeks of madness rehearsals.
I arrived back at Lake Meadows after about 6 hours and 55 minutes riding, and there were at least eight people who finished after I did. Tokamak, who had finished some 80 minutes ahead of me, was still drinking coffee. He and I adjourned to the Railway Hotel where the IPA wasn't up to much (IPA rarely is in my experience).
Quote of the day: "Cor, we can tell you're on the CTC ride, riding a bike like that!" It was the Mercian.
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TOKaMaK was in a group of about 28 when he passed by the Leather Bottle. Easily the largest group of the day. As far as punctures go one guy had a visit between the gate and sign on. Two others, about two miles before the LB, must have shared a nail. I don't know of any others.
My checkpoint was supposedly open 10 - 12 and I was to be alone. I turned up 0940ish and two others were already there. Dennis, who only decided he was fit for duty this morning, and Chris, who did the route sheet, gps files, and maps for the ride. They'd been signing cards since 0930. We'd been told that 95 was the number of riders and Wow came in at about 85 and TOKaMaK 30ish. The checkpoint closed an hour early as there were no more riders after the shared nail victims had gone through.
My return was notable for the copious and sticky mud, that still adorns my galaxy, picked up from this piece of track, Clicky (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=&daddr=51.726571,0.517509&sll=51.726418,0.517495&sspn=0.000859,0.002242&ie=UTF8&ll=51.726703,0.517484&spn=0.003436,0.008969&t=h&z=17). And a kestrel perched on overhead cables, Lower Road, Hockley.
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I wonder whether people of a racing persuasion use the South-East Essex Group's 75 mile ride as a training run.
Chelmer would be out on a Sunday morning for their weekly training ride of a similar distance, so the SEG 75 fits the bill. I think also the fact there are other local clubs on the road at the same time, following the same route adds to the sense of competition! On a normal training ride people don't get left behind (unless they're really taking the piss :demon:) but yesterday, if you couldn't stay on the front with the rest of the team (i.e. me) you were on your own!
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You? Getting dropped? What's the matter with you boy?!!
I couldn't make it unfortunately and seeing as the weather hasn't been great, I wasn't that arsed :P
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It's that time of year again! For those who are not familiar with this outing - it's a CTC organised 'reliability ride', starting and finishing in Billericay, Essex. It usually attracts a large number of cyclists, and is a very pleasant tour of the Essex countryside. You can enter on the day, although obviously it saves time to post your entry in advance.
Details here: South East Group (SEG) 75 reliability ride 2010 (http://www.velocipede.org.uk/velocipede/SEG75_2010.html)
And here: South East Group of Cyclists Touring Club - Essex District Association (http://www.essexcycling.co.uk/events/seg75.php)
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I'm considering this.
My problem with rides like this is that there's no respite. If I want to finish in the time, I have to ride pretty much non-stop - and with my current fatness levels, even that may not be enough to get me round in time.
It is indeed a lovely route - but is probably a lot more enjoyable with a decent pub stop somewhere.
The past two years I've got back with about 5 minutes to spare.
The start and finish are very adjacent to Billericay Station.
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I've answered Stefan's call to arms and will be marshalling at the Fox & Goose.
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I'll be out with the Chelmer again, and if last year is anything to go by it will be a balls-out team effort, only stopping at Bardfield for refuelling. Hope to see you out and about, Wow...
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I've just had a call from the organiser - the ride's off. Minor roads in central Essex are skating rinks, apparently. Dez tells me it was like that in Saarfend at about midnight last night when he took the dog out, but I think it's much
warmer less cold now.
So here I am all dressed up and with nowhere to go. And I cleaned my bike. I reckon in an hour the roads will be clear. The sun's shining now as well.
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I've just had a call from the organiser - the ride's off. Minor roads in central Essex are skating rinks, apparently. Dez tells me it was like that in Saarfend at about midnight last night when he took the dog out, but I think it's much warmer less cold now.
So here I am all dressed up and with nowhere to go. And I cleaned my bike. I reckon in an hour the roads will be clear. The sun's shining now as well.
I had cause to cross from the North side of Tickfield Avenue to the South side at about 00:30 this morning. The wife and I had to hold on to each other for fear of slipping over.
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Six of us rode to Billericay from Chelmsford this morning on the main road - which was OK. But at the Lake Meadows cafe everyone had stories of ice, slush and coming off their bike before even starting in earnest. Some of the Chelmer group decided to try main roads towards Brentwood and Ongar with the intention of picking up the planned route later in the day, but even these main roads were slippery, and with traffic about, we decided it was safer to abandon the ride. Riding back to Chelmsford it started to rain pretty heavily, which might have actually improved conditions slightly, but by this point we were all resigned to just getting home, and dry! Still, I got 28 miles in, and might use the turbo trainer this afternoon... possibly... ;)
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Chatting to Stefan just before heading home - he reckoned one guy on a trike was still attempting to get round the course. ::-)
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75 mile reliability ride, start and finish at Billericay, Lake Meadows.
South East Group of Cyclists Touring Club - Essex District Association (http://www.essexcycling.co.uk/events/seg75.php)
Anyone up for it? I'll be riding out with the Chelmer, as before.
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This is an excellent ride. I'm not sure I'll do it this year because I'd not make the time. However, it's a very good route entirely covered by the OS Landranger 167 (Chelmsford). Some months ago Auntie Helen, Sergeant Pluck and I did it as a day ride and had a pub lunch in Great Bardfield.
bikehike.co.uk - Course Creator (http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?lnk=http://peter.chesspod.com/routes/SEG75.gpx) shows.
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I'll be riding, unless its icy like last year! Though I've got marathon winters on the mtb now, I'd not be fast enough! I did once get round in under 5 hours :thumbsup:, not that long ago, but February is too early [and I'm too old] for heroics!
The Co-op in Bardfield is a good alternative to the long queues for tea and bananas at the town hall, btw. Or bulging back pockets.
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I have a plan. Thanks for the tip off Mak.
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I have done my usual thing of deciding to do something then looking at the detail. Question:
I have never done a reliability ride. I see there are a variety of start times, do you have to finish by a particular time?
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There is a time frame to complete the ride in, and if you complete it within that time Stefan the organiser sends you a card to prove you did it. It's not quite like an Audax event though - there aren't any intermediate points where you have to check in, just the start and finish. Umm, some of the local cycle clubs use it as an excuse for a bit of a tear-up after a few months of winter training rides. ;)
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That sounds excellent.
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I might be up for this (assuming no ice - Don't think I'll be fast enough on the Marathon winters either :) ).
I had half a plan to do Dick Turpin's Revenge on Sat 19th, but could probably exchange my pass and do this on the Sunday instead. I see the SEG 75 doesn't take in North Hill, but I could go up that on my way to the start ;).
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There is a time frame to complete the ride in, and if you complete it within that time Stefan the organiser sends you a card to prove you did it. It's not quite like an Audax event though - there aren't any intermediate points where you have to check in, just the start and finish. Umm, some of the local cycle clubs use it as an excuse for a bit of a tear-up after a few months of winter training rides. ;)
There are controls on the way - whether they are merely to check that no-one has got lost en route I don't know, but IIRC the Chelmer and other cycling clubs aren't interested in a certificate from the CTC to say they've done the ride. They merely bash round the route in about three hours.
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some of the local cycle clubs use it as an excuse for a bit of a tear-up after a few months of winter training rides.
When I did the Baddow & Burnham last week, there was a Pro and Cat1 riders, and by my very humble standard it was a total tear up. :o
Yes, I am up for this one! :thumbsup:
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There is a time frame to complete the ride in, and if you complete it within that time Stefan the organiser sends you a card to prove you did it. It's not quite like an Audax event though - there aren't any intermediate points where you have to check in, just the start and finish. Umm, some of the local cycle clubs use it as an excuse for a bit of a tear-up after a few months of winter training rides. ;)
There are controls on the way - whether they are merely to check that no-one has got lost en route I don't know, but IIRC the Chelmer and other cycling clubs aren't interested in a certificate from the CTC to say they've done the ride. They merely bash round the route in about three hours.
Oh that's right, I remember delthebike marshalling at the Leather Bottle in Pleshey.
I don't know about 3 hours, under 4 hours certainly. ;)
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There is a time frame to complete the ride in, and if you complete it within that time Stefan the organiser sends you a card to prove you did it. It's not quite like an Audax event though - there aren't any intermediate points where you have to check in, just the start and finish. Umm, some of the local cycle clubs use it as an excuse for a bit of a tear-up after a few months of winter training rides. ;)
There are controls on the way - whether they are merely to check that no-one has got lost en route I don't know, but IIRC the Chelmer and other cycling clubs aren't interested in a certificate from the CTC to say they've done the ride. They merely bash round the route in about three hours.
Oh that's right, I remember delthebike marshalling at the Leather Bottle in Pleshey.
I don't know about 3 hours, under 4 hours certainly. ;)
That would be one of the places we stopped to 'replenish liquids' when I did this ride a few years ago.
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Oh that's right, I remember delthebike marshalling at the Leather Bottle in Pleshey.
That would be one of the places we stopped to 'replenish liquids' when I did this ride a few years ago.
I think the cheques have got lost in the post!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_45o2t790K90/TVVJPkqTt1I/AAAAAAAAGIc/UBlutg9-TWE/s640/andrijj.jpg)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_45o2t790K90/TVVJPtxRFVI/AAAAAAAAGIg/bzBWI2_ikaw/s640/tokamak.jpg)
P.S. pics are from 2008
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And another thing...
ChrisW, SEG member, has done the deed and GPXed the route for you. :thumbsup:
SEG 75 CTC event 20th Feb - (http://www.velocipede.org.uk/velocipede/SEG_75.html)
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My pass has been successfully renegotiated, so I'm in! :)
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thank
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Hello all
Tynan and Mrs Tynan are doing this one, I'm finding the crimbo weight and lack of lungs very slow to shift this year but fortunately this should get covered by riding at the lady wife's pace, that said sh;es joined the local club a while back and been going to training, a Sunday run and midweek turbo training so I might be in for a fright
much cheered by talk of pubs and general beauty, 8.30 start to give us time
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Oh buggrit I might as well have a crack at this. 8.30 start.
I'm perfectly happy to ride in company in our own time rather than trudge round on my tod against the clock.
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Seeing as this is only a few days away I certainly won't be able to do the whole ride, but if my doc gives me the all clear to start riding again (I see him tomorrow) I may be able to hang out at some of the controls/pub stops etc...
Edit: Or just get the train to Shenfield then ride over to Billericay for the inevitable tea and cake in the cafe at the finish....
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Yes, the official page for this doesn't point out that Billericay station is about a 2 minute ride from the start / finish. There are no service interruptions this Sunday either - so this is a good opportunity for Lahndahners to join in the fun.
If there's an interest in forming a Team Slow I'm quite happy for a later start and let the organiser know that we are not intending to beat the clock back. Otherwise I'll go for an 8.30 start.
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I have no idea how fast I will be. I am just going to chug round and hopefully finish within 7 hours. I am using the ride to gauge how I am going to fair during my 2011 audax campaign which I think is the whole point of reliability rides.
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the lady wife reckons she's good for 15mph on the flat so that's what we're hoping for so we aspire to team pedestrian rather than slow
hopefully
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the lady wife reckons she's good for 15mph on the flat so that's what we're hoping for so we aspire to team pedestrian rather than slow
hopefully
As we know, there are no hills in Essex. ;)
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I have just seen a weather forecast for Sunday. If it comes true I'll be somewhere else.
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I've got overcast with light showers and 'breezy', not that cold
Do tell about hills on this route, anything significant?
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There are no hills on the route. It is all just mildly undulating. There's the odd short kick (out of Pleshey for example) and the occasional tedious drag, but really nothing that could be considered a "hill"
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Thank-you
I may have promised he wife that Essex was flat to coax into what for her is a new record distance
'tedious drag', I did an Oxford night ride last year with some off here and Chinoor Hill was described something like that, I barely got up it, only the knowledge that pushing would be horrid too got me up, the dark didn't help at all obviously
I have a new sram chain box route sheet holder to finesse between now and then ...
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No, there's nothing of any great significance. Stock is about 300' above sea level and there's a climb to get there, but quite gentle, whichever way we go round, but probably the toughest of the lot is between Highwood and Ingatestone, approaching the Viper pub, especially if we go round anticlockwise.
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....but probably the toughest of the lot is between Highwood and Ingatestone, approaching the Viper pub, especially if we go round anticlockwise.
I'd forgotten that was on the route. I've been up that so many times that I just do it on autopilot. In fact I reckon I could ride to the Viper with my eyes shut!
It would still fall into the "Short sharp kick" category though. It gets quite steep on the final bend. In fact it's so short that if anyone had a serious aversion to inclines it would take no time to hop off and push.
If the route is in the other direction it's a blast to go down. Especially if you stop for a couple of cheeky ones at the viper, get back on and suddenly find yourself accelerating wildly with a sharp right hander approaching fast!
Incidentally, the best downhill around there is from Galleywood down to Margaretting. I've had getting on for 50 mph out of that bad boy - but you better make sure your bike handling skills are up to scratch and are prepared to lean hard into the final left 'cos otherwise you'll find yourself on the wrong side of the road and a potential head on at a combined speed of over 80 mph. That would mean death. Unless you were wearing a h*lm*t of course ;)
Oh! Here's a clip of me on said hill (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC4YTjYq64Q) where it flattens out at the bottom. You can tell I'm shifting it by the wind and tyre noise as I pass. Happy days....
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hmmm, as long as it's short
and a pub on top certainly helps
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I've never cycled along that road. Perhaps Mrs. Wow and I should give the tandem its head as we go down there.
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I have noticed the route goes very close to the
Mid-Essex Mid Week Nocturnal Series clubhouse the Compasses at Littley green, a feed station with there 7% cider would get me round in the 5 hours !!! :thumbsup:
Did a recon ride on sunday of the top half of the ride going anti-clockwise, found it very open and exposed to the wind, bloody hard work............. :P and i wasn't the only one, lots of Chelmer cycle club tops where seen.
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I'm really looking forward to Sunday even though I suspect I will end up hurting quite badly! I shall have my yacf top on (the funny creamy colour) so if you see me on my blue Ribble please say hello.
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OD, the thought of you on your blue Ribble is so alluring that I might brave the downpours just to see.
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:-*
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It's going to be mega. Last year it was abandoned because of treacherous slushy roads, the current forecast is improving daily.
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Did a recon ride on sunday of the top half of the ride going anti-clockwise, found it very open and exposed to the wind, bloody hard work............. :P and i wasn't the only one, lots of Chelmer cycle club tops where seen.
We'd been to Hertfordshire and back - 95 hard miles. :thumbsup:
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I'll definitely be there. I'm still deciding which start time/target time to go for, but I'll probably be arriving along with OD.
I was trying to decide between hooning round and trying to make the 5 hour time limit and taking it really easy and doing the 7 hour.
Of course hooning around while doing the 7 hour nominal time leaves more time for sitting in pubs (once they've opened).
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::-) I shall not be hooning anywhere.
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By the way Oaky, have you decided whether you will require the services on the Team Oscar's dad Team Car?
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By the way Oaky, have you decided whether you will require the services on the Team Oscar's dad Team Car?
Count me in please. In the unlikely event that I decide on a different start time to you, I can always hang around at the start eating pies.
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What time would sir like picking up?
NB: our roof rack bike carrier has been know to scratch frames, if this is a problem you might want to provide some sort of lagging.
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What time would sir like picking up?
NB: our roof rack bike carrier has been know to scratch frames, if this is a problem you might want to provide some sort of lagging.
Just let me know what time you think you need to set off to get there. I'll be entering on the line so will need a little additional faff time to hand over my dosh etc.
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How about I pick you up at 7am we should have enough time for faffing and perhaps a spot of brekkie at the start. What do you think?
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How about I pick you up at 7am we should have enough time for faffing and perhaps a spot of brekkie at the start. What do you think?
:thumbsup:
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Hi, can anyone tell me what direction the route is going round this yr pls? I'm gonna bung it on the garmin unless a tcx file is out there already??
Looking forward to the ride as i haven't done this one before... weather forecast has been fluctating all week, currently showing somewher between 9-5 degrees highest, 4 at lowest (without factoring in the wind!). Still its looking like a dry one :)
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Hi, can anyone tell me what direction the route is going round this yr pls? I'm gonna bung it on the garmin unless a tcx file is out there already??
Looking forward to the ride as i haven't done this one before... weather forecast has been fluctating all week, currently showing somewher between 9-5 degrees highest, 4 at lowest (without factoring in the wind!). Still its looking like a dry one :)
The website (http://www.essexcycling.co.uk/events/seg75.php) in the 'mak's post upthread (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=13625.msg850765#msg850765) has a link to the routesheet and a there's a .gpx linked in del's post (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=13625.msg855390#msg855390).
Disclaimer: I haven't checked if the two correspond, but have no reason to think otherwise.
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Thanks Oaky, i;ll check them both to be on the safe side... once the beers go down the hatch this will be invaluable! 8)
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http://www.essexcycling.co.uk/events/2011_SEGs_75_route-sheet.pdf
The route sheet says clockwise.
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Surely the bottom bit is clockwise and the top bit is anti-clockwise or am I staring down the barrel of another characteristic navigational howler?
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I think you are right. Maybe my brain cell is malfunctioning, but I don't remember this being tackled as a figure-of-eight route before.
Edit: seems to be my brain. Last year the ride was called off because of icy roads. Checking back up the thread, two years ago it seemed that we did the reverse of what's planned for Sunday.
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Lookin' at this... just nosin' like...
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I did this ride a couple of years ago - excellent ride, recommended.
Sadly I cannot do it this year.
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I am currently wondering if I should use the foldy-fixed for this. It appears that the furthest I've been on it so far is about 41 miles...
sqlite> select max(distance) from times where bike='dahon';
max(distance)
--------------------------------
41.48
but there was a rather lengthy pub stop in the middle of that.
I'll probably be on gears, but am wavering.
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I shall venturing out into the rain shortly for a gentle warm up. I can't see this making much difference to the pain I will undoubtedly suffer tomorrow but it's the thought that counts.
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It's going to be a miserable, raw day. Looking forward to it immensely! :D
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Oaky, do it on your fixer. I'll be on the Dave Yates with something like a 69" gear - been on 65 up 'til now, but going to get some power down tomorrow! If you want to chuck in some extra miles, be at the Chelmer club hut at 8am for the ride over to Billericay. ;)
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Oaky, do it on your fixer. I'll be on the Dave Yates with something like a 69" gear - been on 65 up 'til now, but going to get some power down tomorrow! If you want to chuck in some extra miles, be at the Chelmer club hut at 8am for the ride over to Billericay. ;)
Go on Oaky, you know you want to. Those Chelmer boys are a bunch of fairies, you can 'ave 'em ;D
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Hmm... I might do it ... I'd have to swap the saddle from the Felt (or the Globe) over to it today though - I'm not convinced that my ar5e can take 75 miles on the stock saddle. Major downside is that it only takes one bottle cage :-\
I will not be attempting to ride at Chelmer pace at any point whichever bike I'm on.
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^^^ Whatever you do I take it you'll still need a lift home?
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Hmm... I might do it ... I'd have to swap the saddle from the Felt (or the Globe) over to it today though - I'm not convinced that my ar5e can take 75 miles on the stock saddle. Major downside is that it only takes one bottle cage :-\
I will not be attempting to ride at Chelmer pace at any point whichever bike I'm on.
Whenever I've seen the Chelmer it's been pretty slow and sluggish. :P
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^^^ Whatever you do I take it you'll still need a lift home?
The trains are running well tomorrow, I believe.
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Somewhere in the last four or so pages there was a link to a PDF of an OS map of the route - I can't seem to find it now :-[
It's not on SEGs website.
Anyone any ideas?
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Somewhere in the last four or so pages there was a link to a PDF of an OS map of the route - I can't seem to find it now :-[
It's not on SEGs website.
Anyone any ideas?
Post #58 by Del, page 4
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I`m sure you guys & lovely ladies will all be fine on this ride tomorrow, I`m not doing it myself and haven`t done the SEG 75 but have ridden and suffered on the Brentwood 75 many times through snow rain and floods. Years later I took to helping out and was the first check at High Ongar and later when it change to Cookmill Green on the A414.Frozen my nuts off many times waiting for riders to come past.
Good luck to you all and enjoy your ride tomorrow.
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Post #58 by Del, page 4
Star! :)
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That really is a lovely map. What's the software required to produce something like that? Much, much nicer than printing off bikehike.
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That really is a lovely map. What's the software required to produce something like that? Much, much nicer than printing off bikehike.
According to the small print on the footer of the map it was generated by Tracklogs Digital Mapping software. Doesn't appear to be Mac friendly :(
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No. it isn't but if I were silly enough I could run it under parallels.
I have produced comparable pdfs in the past by stitching together bits of streetmap.co.uk, but that's a right html-faff.
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A little further investigation shows Acrobat Distiller to have had a hand - more likely in the production of the PDF, than of the mapping.
FWIW, I use bikehike to produce my routes, and then use Grab - (which you'll have) for the relevant sections of the OS map which are then dropped in to any software capable of printing it - Word, Freehand, Preview - whatever
The results are comparable to SEGs map.
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I just stick them on the garmin and carry the relevant OS sheet around.
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^^^ Whatever you do I take it you'll still need a lift home?
Almost certainly. Possibly from whatever pubpoint halfway round the course that I decide that doing it on the Dahon was a silly idea.
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If I do show my face it will be at the end at the cafe. Or knowing you lot - the pub of your choice! I haven't decided yet, but I might see you tomorrow....
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... I haven't decided yet, but I might see you tomorrow....
I should make it known that I'm in a similar boat - albeit for different reasons - for me the difficulty lies in getting myself out from under the duvet at silly o'clock in order to get myself to Billericay in time for the 08:30 off.
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I've just had an email from the organiser: he still hasn't got a firm marshall at the South Hanningfield Windmill (final checkpoint before the end).
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... I haven't decided yet, but I might see you tomorrow....
I should make it known that I'm in a similar boat - albeit for different reasons - for me the difficulty lies in getting myself out from under the duvet at silly o'clock in order to get myself to Billericay in time for the 08:30 off.
You could get there at 9.30 and then rush round - if a certificate telling you that you know how to ride 75 miles is that important to you.
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would anyone like to team up with me
and be my lead out man for a Mark Cav style sprint finish to help each other do the ride in 5 hours, with no pub stops...well no stops at all really, that is till the end where it won't touch the sides (the beer/cider/spirits)
:thumbsup:
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Heading out to do this with a 09:00Hrs start and also see if i can get my Garmin to work since the Software upgrade, it's been a pain reckon it's a ploy to make me buy the New Edge 800.....!!!!!!!!!!!
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I may actually come to this if I can get the petrol money together! :thumbsup:
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So I shall be overtaken by a lot of YACFers I have never met before! Marvellous!
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I shall be trundling round on Poppy the Fixie, first time the old girl [1955 Parkes Lightweight] has been out for a couple of months. [Finally got round to sorting new pedals - and lesser maintainance jobs.] My legs may not thank me for my brief lapse into the new-fangled world of gears.....
09:00 start, aiming at a 5 hour-ish ride [but not brave enough to start at 09:30!]
Not sure I should have BEER afterwards, due to a 25 mile ride home......
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I have baked a load of flapjack, some of which will come with me.
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I think I've been successfully goaded into using the Dahon fixed (67.5" gear) tomorrow. I'll almost certainly be starting at 0830, aiming for 7 hours, but hoping to spend some portion of that time in the at least one of the pubs in the latter half of the course.
My legs are going to hate me by tomorrow night. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't try to pre-emptively strangle me tonight.
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I think I've been successfully goaded into using the Dahon fixed (67.5" gear) tomorrow. I'll almost certainly be starting at 0830, aiming for 7 hours, but hoping to spend some portion of that time in the at least one of the pubs in the latter half of the course.
My legs are going to hate me by tomorrow night. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't try to pre-emptively strangle me tonight.
If I can keep up with you I shall join you for a pint. I think that is a remarkably big if though.
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I think I've been successfully goaded into using the Dahon fixed (67.5" gear) tomorrow. I'll almost certainly be starting at 0830, aiming for 7 hours, but hoping to spend some portion of that time in the at least one of the pubs in the latter half of the course.
My legs are going to hate me by tomorrow night. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't try to pre-emptively strangle me tonight.
But fixed is easier.... I keep telling myself :)
See you all somewhere is Essex, if not at the start.
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I imagine that токамак has already retired to bed, having freshly waxed his legs and had a massage.
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I've waxed everything - including lyrical, but I'm about to call it on this one.
A certificate telling me I can cycle 75 miles is not alluring, no more so than having to hare around a circuit of similar length - I had something more sedantry in mind - perhaps this was never to be ??? but I'm really struggling with the prospect of an 05.00 alarm in order to be part of this.
Have a fine ride. The forecast is up for it.
Another time, Gents.
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I've waxed everything - including lyrical, but I'm about to call it on this one.
A certificate telling me I can cycle 75 miles is not alluring, no more so than having to hare around a circuit of similar length - I had something more sedantry in mind - perhaps this was never to be ??? but I'm really struggling with the prospect of an 05.00 alarm in order to be part of this.
Have a fine ride. The forecast is up for it.
Another time, Gents.
I have a free week. If you would like to do it at a more reasonable starting time, or for that matter meet for a different ride altogether if you have a day to spare, let me know. I am aware that trains are more expensive on weekdays.
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Thank you, that's a very kind offer, Wow. There's a very good chance I'll take you up on it. Let me look into the Great Train Service Robbery, and I'll get back to you.
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Thank you, that's a very kind offer, Wow. There's a very good chance I'll take you up on it. Let me look into the Great Train Service Robbery, and I'll get back to you.
Auntie Helen and I have been known to venture forth on a Thursday, although we tend to do fewer miles than that. Make me an offer and I'll see what we can do.
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Fewer miles is most likely fine.
Some pencilling-in for Thursday has taken place...
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FWIW, I can be identified by this between my legs:-
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v471/victorkish3/Hybrid20112.jpg)
I'll gladly be part of any group that wants me. Riding around Essex will hopefully bring back memories of faster days on various versions of the E72 and similar courses.
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I imagine that токамак has already retired to bed, having freshly waxed his legs and had a massage.
I've just geared up the bike and am having a beer waiting for the track cycling on the BBC red button. Hope to see you all out and about tomorrow!
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FWIW, I can be identified by this between my legs:-
I shall be swearing a lot, sitting atop this:-
(http://www.oakden.eclipse.co.uk/mark/bike/yacf/pics/dahon2.jpg)
Although I will unfold it (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=22914.msg632528#msg632528) first. ;D
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I got up before the alarm clock, tasting of cheese fondue and German salami.
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I am now on a train which contains at least two other cyclists.
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I doubt I'll make it over to be honest. I guess everyone will be arriving in dribs and drabs and I can't be arsed to spend all afternoon in the cafe waiting for people whilst overdosing on caffeine!
I've also got a few things to do....
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Fewer miles is most likely fine.
Some pencilling-in for Thursday has taken place...
I won't be around this Thu as I'm singing at a funeral. Have a good ride, maybe see you on another midweek ride sometime!
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I'm home. 100 miles for the day, saw Tomsk at the cafe (start and finish), Wowbagger on the road, and Oscar's dad and Oaky on the road and at Bardfield town hall (oh, and Andy). Mucky roads and a damp chill in the air, but a good ride.
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Very good ride. Saw od, oaky, tokamak, tomsk and Steve Kish as well as a load of hitherto unknown cyclists. Also bumped figuratively into my nephew on the long climb into Stock. I'm now at Billericay waiting for a train the late arrival of which has already been announced. Gordon Bennett.
Edit: there were plenty of people out on the ride, many of whom had considerable difficulty with the route. There was a pair of young lasses who kept overtaking me, only to be flummoxed at the next junction, whereupon I put them right again. Eventually they tagged along with a faster group.
However, shortly after the last time they overtook me, I witnessed their entire group being directed down the wrong road by a couple of blokes in hi-viz. Although they arrived back at the start before I did, the whole group had missed a checkpoint.
The day's total was just over 78 miles at 7h 1m - 11.1 mph.
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Very enjoyable ride :thumbsup:. My reservations about trying this distance on fixed were unfounded - in fact, if anything it seemed easier. Probably because, at least some of the time, the bike pedals itself.
75.1 miles at an average of 14.5 mph: 5 hours 11 minutes rolling time, 6 hours 57 minutes elapsed (apart from the checkpoint time, the rest was spent in the Three Elms at Chignal Smeally, the Wheatsheaf at Writtle and the Old Windmill at West Hanningfield.)
Met Steve Kish for the first time at the start, finish and the Windmill. Saw a few other familiar yacfers (OD, Tomsk, the 'мак, wowbagger and Andyf).
;D
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A top day out, thanks all :thumbsup:
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I am buggered :P everything was fine till i had the first cider when i got home :P
Thank you to the female cyclist with the good sense of direction who waited for me at stock(I hit a nutritional brick wall and had to stop to eat before i bonked) we cycled together to the finish and she did all the navigating (which makes a change :thumbsup:)
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Sounds like a top day out was had by all!
Confess to a slight miffedness to have missed it all...
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It was a very pleasant ride out, on a day which on the face of it wasn't too promising ... ~5C, misty/drizzly at the start and grey all day long.
I'm really happy that this was in the calendar - it got me out on the bike on a day when, had I been intending to go out my own, I'd have almost certainly succumbed to the CBA factor.
Something I forgot in my earlier post: there was one overly-close (i.e. fag-paper type close) overtake which threatened to spoil my mood, performed by three guys from the Shaftesbury club who I think were chasing to try to get back to their pack. I was mentally cursing away about this (on a corner, on a clear road with good sight lines), when my mood was somewhat lightened by the sight that greeted me a few minutes later: there they were all pulled up to fix a puncture.
I'm sorry to say that I took pleasure in seeing it. :-[
That's absolutely the only time I've taken pleasure in seeing a puncture. Puncture-fairy justice: who'd have thought it?
One gets used to club chaingangs passing close by, but this was off that particular scale.
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Hear hear, they were chumps. >:(
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I'm sure Erron will be along in a minute to tell you what wankers the Shaftesbury are! :P
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Let's just say that for some reason or other that I have long since forgotten about now, Shaftesbury have never been top of my personal Like List.
The Essex Roads lot on the other hand are all top bananas.
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The main shaftsbury pack went through fine (as did essex roads and Chelmer). It was just those three guys that rattled me. :-/
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I got caught by a Shaftsburry bunch and was alerted to their forthcoming arrival by the lead rider yelling "Keep left!" at me. As they passed he did say thanks but I thought it was all a bit unnecessary.
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I got caught by a Shaftsburry bunch and was alerted to their forthcoming arrival by the lead rider yelling "Keep left!" at me. As they passed he did say thanks but I thought it was all a bit unnecessary.
That would piss me off and cause me to utter something under my breath - but very much audible. First word starts with F, second word ends in F. It's up to them to tell you that they are coming through on your right, not to tell you what to do. Cnuts.
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I got caught by a Shaftsburry bunch and was alerted to their forthcoming arrival by the lead rider yelling "Keep left!" at me. As they passed he did say thanks but I thought it was all a bit unnecessary.
Ah, I heard that as well. I didn't realise it was directed at me and didn't react, and if I had done so I wouldn't have obliged.
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When I spied Oaky up the road I pushed ahead, said hello, and let him know the Chelmer were coming!
As a group I'm pretty sure we let people know if we're about to pass. Any shouting is usually directed at our own number so that those behind are aware of what's happening at the front.
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At the end of yesterday's ride, Jon Steer, the driving force behind the SEG CTC for many years, came to show me his Merit Award badge, which comes with the Certificate of Merit he was awarded late last year. Apparently he's the first Essex CTC member ever to receive one. I was a bit knackered and occupied with the Best Chocolate Cake in the World so perhaps wasn't sufficiently congratulatory.
Jon certainly is a Top Man.
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I got caught by a Shaftsburry bunch and was alerted to their forthcoming arrival by the lead rider yelling "Keep left!" at me. As they passed he did say thanks but I thought it was all a bit unnecessary.
Ah, I heard that as well. I didn't realise it was directed at me and didn't react, and if I had done so I wouldn't have obliged.
Well, it is good that you aren't fazed by close overtaking by cyclists then. The back of a big bunch is always (effectively) wider than the front. There usually isn't time or breath for, "Excuse me old chap, I hope don't mind that a group of us chaps are about to overtake."
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At the end of yesterday's ride, John Steer, the driving force behind the SEG CTC for many years, came to show me his Merit Award badge, which comes with the Certificate of Merit he was awarded late last year. Apparently he's the first Essex CTC member ever to receive one. I was a bit knackered and occupied with the Best Chocolate Cake in the World so perhaps wasn't sufficiently congratulatory.
John certainly is a Top Man.
And I forgot to thank Stefan for organising another excellent ride. :-[
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There usually isn't time or breath for, "Excuse me old chap, I hope don't mind that a group of us chaps are about to overtake."
Errrrm... According to the highway code, you should slow down and wait until it's safe to overtake. How would you like it if a moton didn't slow down and just leant on his horn shouting at you to get out of the way? It's no different in my opinion. Racing snakes have no more right to be on the road than us slow coaches, so if they have to slow down and wait - tough titty! And if they lose contact with their group. Tough. Either get faster or stop playing with the big boys....
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Thanks, bobb. I was wondering whether I was alone in thinking this, or if I was just being a wimp who didn't understand The Way Things Were Done. Sure, no one should be obstructing a faster group deliberately, but everyone - Everyone - should be proceeding according to the conditions on the road, including who or what is in front, and, if they have to pass, should do it when it is safe and appropriate to do so. If they have to slow for a bit, then ahhh diddums, just have to get back up to speed when they get a chance.
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Either get faster or stop playing with the big boys....
I agree with that bit.
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Most enjoyable ride for me, despite the 4-hour car time.
I initially went off with a couple of fast blokes and managed to hang on until the first checkpoint. Being aware that I'd never complete 75 miles at that pace, I teamed up with another pair of chaps that we had passed. Unfortunately, we got lost about 3 times in the next 5 miles but luckily, another group of about 12 came along .... with a GPS rider! :thumbsup:
We had our fair share of about four punctures. One of the fair damsels had had her bike set up by Frank Spencer and was having a wee bit of diffo with the rear brake that was rubbing. This was eventually sorted and we arrived back in one piece after passing and being passed by Wowbagger at least three times.
I probably did quite close to 90 miles, most of which were on roads that I didn't know. Got to use both my CO2 pump and my new Lezyne Road Drive pump and rode along at all speeds between 'sensible', 'moderate','quite brisk' and 'FFS, I'm in a 3-up TTT'!
All in all, a very good and enjoyable day!
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...All in all, a very good and enjoyable day!
Excellent. You should come to Essex more often! Shame we didn't get to meet on this occasion.
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Being an ex-time triallist from a London East club (Unity CC), I do know some of the Essex roads, but mostly based on main road stuff (E72, E31, Circuit of the Rodings etc.).
I'm currently based near Maidenhead / Marlow / the Chilterns and knowing most of the CTC roads around here, I was keen to get some new scenery into my memory palace. Certainly some pleasant roads in Essex.
I will try and come again. :thumbsup:
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We had our fair share of about four punctures. One of the fair damsels had had her bike set up by Frank Spencer and was having a wee bit of diffo with the rear brake that was rubbing. This was eventually sorted and we arrived back in one piece after passing and being passed by Wowbagger at least three times.
Of the fair damsels, this was the pair who kept leap-frogging with me (ooerrr!) in the early stages. They also missed the Water Tower checkpoint because they were in the group directed the wrong way here (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=564555&Y=216385&A=Y&Z=120). They should have taken the westerly road towards Barnfield whereas they all went towards Pleshey.
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There were four fair damsels in our group,as follows:-
Damsel One - All in black
Damsel Two - Red bike with a pink/red hooded top
Damsel Three - In a bright pink Giro d'Italia leaders jersey
Damsel Four - Fluo yellow top
At one point there was an impromtu 'damsel conference' about 10 yards behind our main group and I was pleased to find myself as the only non-damsel within this select sub-group.
Fortunately the conference finished and the group merged before I had a chance to revive memories of a boyhood fetish! ;) ;D
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There were four fair damsels in our group,as follows:-
Damsel One - All in black
Damsel Two - Red bike with a pink/red hooded top
Damsel Three - In a bright pink Giro d'Italia leaders jersey
Damsel Four - Fluo yellow top
At one point there was an impromtu 'damsel conference' about 10 yards behind our main group and I was pleased to find myself as the only non-damsel within this select sub-group.
Fortunately the conference finished and the group merged before I had a chance to revive memories of a boyhood fetish! :P
Don't you mean unfortunately?!!! :P
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Fortunately for the damsels :thumbsup:; unfortunately for me! :-\
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Something I forgot in my earlier post: there was one overly-close (i.e. fag-paper type close) overtake which threatened to spoil my mood, performed by three guys from the Shaftesbury club who I think were chasing to try to get back to their pack. I was mentally cursing away about this (on a corner, on a clear road with good sight lines), when my mood was somewhat lightened by the sight that greeted me a few minutes later: there they were all pulled up to fix a puncture.
I'm sorry to say that I took pleasure in seeing it. :-[
That's absolutely the only time I've taken pleasure in seeing a puncture. Puncture-fairy justice: who'd have thought it?
One gets used to club chaingangs passing close by, but this was off that particular scale.
Hi, I guess 'shaftesburyrider' gives the game away a bit....
First of all let me apologise if you felt we came by a little close. I was one of the three you mentioned, we were putting in an effort to get back to the bigger bunch who had declined to wait for us while we resolved a mechanical despite having been lead out by us for the preceeding 45 miles! Whilst I don't think we took any risks or endangered anyone else I do understand that one rider's idea of a close shave differs from another's - again I apologise if you felt uncomfortable.
As for the shouts, my recollection was that we were calling out to each other identifying hazards up the road, you probably heard an "on your left" intended to alert our little group to your presence on our left, I can honestly assure you that at no point were we instructing other riders to move over.
PS - I hope your schadenfreude at our misfortune doesn't prompt a visit from the puncture fairy to you in the near future! (even if it does, I reckon any passing Shaftesbury rider would check that you had everything you needed, we're not all bad..)
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I was looking for a piece I wrote about this ride some years ago when I distinctly recall a shout of "On your left!" as a group, possibly the Shaftesbury, came thundering through. I recall contrasting the use of this phrase on the CTC's Sunday runs, when it normally warns colleagues of a pile of horse manure. ;)
Sadly, I suspect it was on the predecessor of this forum an is therefore lost (although I may well have a copy somewhere).
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It's me!I'm the damsel in the pink,hello everyone.I only started riding last year and this was our first 75mile ride,and yes we was a nightmare with the maps punctures etc,god knows how many times the lovely father Xmas(sorry that's what we named u)had to keep redirecting us!but what a nice bunch of people you are,stopped and changed tinas tyre by Adams dad(sorry don't know name again)and looked after us for the rest of the ride.I loved it and can't wait to do the 100mile ride,thanks again for looking after us,we learn fast,us Essex girls(just can't read maps).and my pink top,italia?wondered what all those letters were.....
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Good of shaftesburyrider to come on here and offer some comment. It's constructive to have these conversations, and I'll certainly let my club mates know about the considerations of other cyclists we encounter on the road.
Amber, welcome to YACF!
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It's me!I'm the damsel in the pink,hello everyone.I only started riding last year and this was our first 75mile ride,and yes we was a nightmare with the maps punctures etc,god knows how many times the lovely father Xmas(sorry that's what we named u)had to keep redirecting us!but what a nice bunch of people you are,stopped and changed tinas tyre by Adams dad(sorry don't know name again)and looked after us for the rest of the ride.I loved it and can't wait to do the 100mile ride,thanks again for looking after us,we learn fast,us Essex girls(just can't read maps).and my pink top,italia?wondered what all those letters were.....
Welcome indeed! Everyone calls me Father Christmas. Even Father Christmas. ;)
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Welcome indeed! Everyone calls me Father Christmas. Even Father Christmas. ;)
Wow lines up another stoker victim? ::-)
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Shaftesburyrider, if you were one of the riders who shouted at us that we were too far out into the road when we were fixing a puncture and have apologised for this, please accept my apologies for loudly calling you a wunch of bankers! :)
Hi Pink Lady. Glad you enjoyed it and TBH, it wasn't a very easy day, what with the bitter NE wind. Hopefully next ride will be easier and in all fairness, if you can do 75 miles, 100 miles will be easy.
You've obviously heard of the Tour de France yellow leaders jersey; your pink one is the equivalent leaders jersey of the second biggest tour out there, the Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy). It's pink because that's the colour of the pages of La Gazzetta dello Sport , the Italian sports paper that's one of the races main sponsors.
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Hello all, it's good to read about other on the route because we started at about 9 and I manahed to puncture while foolish hopping from pavement to road after the early ford and landed the back wheel plus pannier squarely onto something very hard under the edge of the water, putting a horrid ding in the rim, the first tube was clearly not repaired properly and by the time I'd changed it again most of the ride had gone past, travelling at the lady wife's average speed of 11mph, dropping to 10.1mph by the end we certainly didn't pass anyone
The clubs tore past us a litle later and it was a lng day out on our own thereafter, we made check1 just, check 3 where three very nice old buffers did us coffee and banannas and after that not a soul, a new gpd did us proud as regards route although I might have struggled wihtout the route sheet too
the pubs looked awfully good but we dare not stop, the wife came near to bonking at 50 miles and just about kept going thereafter, things of course got grim as it got dark and we got ont the busier roads outside Billericay, the last proper direction to count roads and take the seventh right was not nice to slowly decipher under passing street lights, thank heaven for the gps on that one
company would have been nice, we saw some faces passing us heading home as we crawled to the centre of the figure of eight going north
oh well, I certainly enjoyed the Essex back roads, not sure I've ever seen so many grass triangles and barns in my life, the wife is till undecided and is presently saying 60 miles is her limit, that or summer rides only
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That's a pretty good speed for a tandem in my book - our tandem speed is rarely in double figures.
Are you Essex-based? If you fancy a few pub-laden tandem - or solo - rides, just let us know!
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Thank-you although we were both on road bikes ...
I am of course very fast indeed but the wife is a recent convert and has only been off the MTB for a few months, thiswas a monster ride for her and she was rather nervous, wit casue sadly by the end
We're in London E4 although Billericay wasn;t much over 30 minutes drive on a Sunday morning, those pubs looked so good
We have spoken briefly on the odd Fnrttc
My limted knowledge of tandems is mostly based on drafting Charlotte and partner once and it seemed to be going rather well
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There were four fair damsels in our group,as follows:-
Damsel One - All in black
Damsel Two - Red bike with a pink/red hooded top
Damsel Three - In a bright pink Giro d'Italia leaders jersey
Damsel Four - Fluo yellow top
Any Damsels who need help on future rides, you know where to find me :thumbsup:
(I ride a white steed and can change inner tubes fairly quickly)