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  • Bryan Chapman 600km Audax: 16 May, 2009

Author Topic: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)  (Read 136814 times)

Chris N

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #325 on: 07 May, 2009, 02:00:05 pm »
You could try here http://www.smoothhound.co.uk/hotels/uppersed.html > We have booked up for the BC. Its around £6 per night to camp.  Will let you know if it its any good next week sometime.

Just booked Friday, Saturday and Sunday night here for the BCM rather than stay at the Travelodge in Monmouth.  You going to be there again u_b?

urban_biker

  • " . . .we all ended up here and like lads in the back of a Nova we sort of egged each other on...."
  • Known in the real world as Dave
Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #326 on: 07 May, 2009, 02:13:57 pm »
You could try here http://www.smoothhound.co.uk/hotels/uppersed.html > We have booked up for the BC. Its around £6 per night to camp.  Will let you know if it its any good next week sometime.

Just booked Friday, Saturday and Sunday night here for the BCM rather than stay at the Travelodge in Monmouth.  You going to be there again u_b?

Nope - In about January we booked in at the Severn Bridge view Travel lodge for £10 a night. For some reason we never got around to booking for the BC - hence the camping.

The site is fine though fairly basic, a field attached to the side of a guest house with toilet and shower at the back of the house, near the small outdoor pool.

The pub is about 5 minutes walk away and I guess is best described as an estate pub. There are lots of locals but they filled the public bar and seemed mostly friendly. The food was cheap and plentiful, but fairly basic pub grub. Only one draft beer ( John Smiths). I think there was also a fish and chip shop near the pub as another option.

Would have no hesitation about using the pub and campsite again.
Owner of a languishing Langster

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #327 on: 07 May, 2009, 02:43:36 pm »
I have a spare bed in the Severn View Travelodge for Friday night if anyone is still in need of accommodation.

LEE

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #328 on: 07 May, 2009, 02:46:58 pm »
Would have no hesitation about using the pub and campsite again.

I'm sure we said "never again" as we woke up to sopping wet tents and a freezing cold misty morning at 04:45.

vistaed

  • Real name: James
    • Everyday stories
Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #329 on: 07 May, 2009, 03:02:41 pm »
Excellent, I'll start with 71" with 67" on the other side.

I'm starting with a 70" but I'm going well at the moment (100 miles in 5 hours the other day) and have thought about going up to a 74" with a 66" free-wheel get out. But that requires spending even more money on bikes, which I'm getting kind of tired with!

Oh! You are going well. I saw lots of your rear wheel on the Dean. I can fell more of the same coming on.

Are you doing the 2004 or the Scenic? I am doing the 2004. BC tomorrow - lets see if I can get round by mid-night. Winds should be light and temperatrure cool - so just about perfect. Ok maybe some drizzle near the end but you cannot have everything.

And this other point you mention. How can you ever get sick of spending money on bikes? This does not compute!

Really looking forward to doing the BCM, not done an Audax since the dean and for that reason and that this is my first ride over 300 I intend to see other people's rear wheels on the Scenic route. Always prefer to go the scenic route  8)

And I really have spent a lot of money on bikes, bike clothes, bike events, bike food, bike camping, bike books, bikes tyres (the list goes on) over the last 12 months. It really has been the year of the bike for me. I'd (and my wife) would like to spend money on other things... like buying a house for example! Problem being we can't ride a house round the country.

On a slightly different note, does anyone have the postcode of where the BCM starts, I don't seem to have it with my route sheet... that's unless I'm being blind.
after hardship comes ease -
 www.strava.com/athletes/188220

Chris N

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #330 on: 07 May, 2009, 03:08:06 pm »
On a slightly different note, does anyone have the postcode of where the BCM starts, I don't seem to have it with my route sheet... that's unless I'm being blind.

Dunno the post code, but the start is here: Laburnum Way, Bulwark, Chepstow

vistaed

  • Real name: James
    • Everyday stories
Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #331 on: 07 May, 2009, 03:12:55 pm »
On a slightly different note, does anyone have the postcode of where the BCM starts, I don't seem to have it with my route sheet... that's unless I'm being blind.

Dunno the post code, but the start is here: Laburnum Way, Bulwark, Chepstow

Perfect! Thanks  :thumbsup:
after hardship comes ease -
 www.strava.com/athletes/188220

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #332 on: 07 May, 2009, 03:22:57 pm »
Just click the googlemap link on the event page on the auk site and you can get directions from your house too.

The scenic is lovely.  I would do it this year but I want to be in Menai long before dark falls.

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #333 on: 07 May, 2009, 03:29:18 pm »


On a slightly different note, does anyone have the postcode of where the BCM starts, I don't seem to have it with my route sheet... that's unless I'm being blind.

The event page on the AUK has all the ride . It's all about trying to save trees.
where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.

urban_biker

  • " . . .we all ended up here and like lads in the back of a Nova we sort of egged each other on...."
  • Known in the real world as Dave
Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #334 on: 07 May, 2009, 03:34:10 pm »
Would have no hesitation about using the pub and campsite again.

I'm sure we said "never again" as we woke up to sopping wet tents and a freezing cold misty morning at 04:45.

Can't blame the campsite for that though. Its ideal as a BCM and BC stopping off point really. If it was too nice you may not want to leave
Owner of a languishing Langster

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #335 on: 07 May, 2009, 04:22:07 pm »
eek, no route sheet yet - I hope I'm in, I sent off my entry in January. At least I know where the start is after my successful Brevet Cymru (thanks to the support of mattc).

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #336 on: 08 May, 2009, 06:45:04 am »
Same here, no routesheet yet. Applied in January. Have PMd Blacksheep2.

Manotea

  • Where there is doubt...
Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #337 on: 08 May, 2009, 07:25:30 am »
Just click the googlemap link on the event page on the auk site and you can get directions from your house too.

The scenic is lovely.  I would do it this year but I want to be in Menai long before dark falls.

Don't we all!!!

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #338 on: 08 May, 2009, 11:03:36 am »
Anyone got a sparse (i.e. one routepoint per routesheet instruction) GPX route? If not I'll sit down and plot it tomorrow.

I know there are various GPX files on bikely, got them already.

Even better if it's got summit points of the major climbs...

<----- emails address is valid...
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Chris N

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #339 on: 08 May, 2009, 11:18:08 am »
Yes, but it's not the actual 2004 route (which I assume you're doing).  I've added a couple of detours from the Scenic: from Boughrood to Builth on the east side of the Wye (Sat AM), and left at Mallwyd then first R to Llanbrynmair (Sun AM).

Summits include:
2 between Llangurig and Tre r ddol
above Corris
above Tal y llyn
Pen y Pass
climb out of Dolgellau, Sun AM
between Newtown and Knighton

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #340 on: 08 May, 2009, 11:22:52 am »
I'll have it anyway if that's ok. Ta.

For summit points I plot the route on bikehike.co.uk, save it (including elevations) and run it through some badly written scripts to output its guess at the tops of the major climbs. Not worried about the names (despite being half-Welsh I've got no chance at pronouncing them.)

I then, manually, merge these into the route (always a possibility of screwing it up).

Worked well on the Elenith, only one was a bit off (Leysters I think).
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Chris N

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #341 on: 08 May, 2009, 11:36:20 am »
Sent.  Don't blame me if you get lost.

vorsprung

  • Opposites Attract
    • Audaxing
Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #342 on: 08 May, 2009, 11:42:29 am »


On a slightly different note, does anyone have the postcode of where the BCM starts, I don't seem to have it with my route sheet... that's unless I'm being blind.

The event page on the AUK has all the ride . It's all about trying to save trees.

I thought you'd just sent a route sheet only and no blurb because I have done the ride several times and i was a bit late applying ...

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #343 on: 08 May, 2009, 01:15:22 pm »
Sent.  Don't blame me if you get lost.

Yup, thanks for that. Only a few tweaks required to keep me on the less insane route.

Really looking forward to this ride.

It'll also connect all of the rides I've done together. At the moment if I plot everywhere I've cycled on a map then everything is connected except for the Elenith (even if I include to/from Kiddy and Hartlebury). So as long as I get to Builth Wells I'll be happy. :)
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Panoramix

  • .--. .- -. --- .-. .- -- .. -..-
  • Suus cuique crepitus bene olet
    • Some routes
Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #344 on: 08 May, 2009, 01:24:09 pm »
Sent.  Don't blame me if you get lost.

Can I have it also?  Please.
Chief cat entertainer.

Chris N

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #345 on: 08 May, 2009, 03:15:09 pm »
Sent.  Don't blame me if you get lost.

Can I have it also?  Please.

Sure.  Let me know your email address and I'll send it on.

Chris N

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #346 on: 08 May, 2009, 03:21:31 pm »
Yup, thanks for that. Only a few tweaks required to keep me on the less insane route.

I hated the A470 from Cemmaes Road to Aberhafesp.  The little detour through Pandy does go through 5 chevrons, but only two of those are uphill.  It's also about 4km shorter, with only a hundred metres or so extra climbing.

I would really recommend the back roads from Boughrood to Builth too - it's much more pleasant than the main road and the two steep climbs to the north of Aberedw aren't that long or hard, honest.

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #347 on: 08 May, 2009, 03:22:50 pm »
I'll still be around on Friday afternoon if yacfers fancy some sort of food-related activity.

A brief look at BITE seems to recommend this pub:

Coach and Horses Inn, Chepstow, Gwent, NP16 5LN -  pub details # beerintheevening.com

I'll be in there on Friday from about 1700 (given that presumably we'll want early bedtimes). If other yacf types fancy food and BEER I'll see them there and, er, if they don't then I won't.

vorsprung

  • Opposites Attract
    • Audaxing
Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #348 on: 08 May, 2009, 03:33:05 pm »

I hated the A470 from Cemmaes Road to Aberhafesp.  The little detour through Pandy does go through 5 chevrons, but only two of those are uphill.  It's also about 4km shorter, with only a hundred metres or so extra climbing.

It's a nice back road if the weather is fine but it's would be shocking in the wet.  That is the proper scenic route isn't it?

Quote
I would really recommend the back roads from Boughrood to Builth too - it's much more pleasant than the main road and the two steep climbs to the north of Aberedw aren't that long or hard, honest.

Yeah that bit is loverly, much better than the main road.  It's so nice you don't notice the odd climb or two.  The main road rolls a bit.

Chris N

Re: Bryan Chapman Memorial 600 (16-MAY-2009)
« Reply #349 on: 08 May, 2009, 03:39:24 pm »
It's a nice back road if the weather is fine but it's would be shocking in the wet.  That is the proper scenic route isn't it?

Yes, it's taken from the official Scenic route.  It'll be easy enough to navigate the main road route if I don't fancy the lanes - though if it's really miserable I'm more likely to want to get off the main road and hide under my own thunder cloud somewhere.