Essex early season audaxes from the 'Uts

[red marley]

As it's that time of year again, anyone doing any of the 'Uts audaxes (Brazier's Run 27th Feb, Shaftesbury Spring 6th March, Up the 'Uts 13th March)? I'll be there for all three as the Essex rides mark the start of the season proper for me.

I rode round most of the Brazier's route today in pretty fair conditions. Lots of cyclists out, but plenty of post frost potholes everywhere.

[Bendy Bianchi]

Yes, I'll be there for all of them, hopefully.

Mid season you mean, surely.

[dasmoth]

Up The Uts 100 is on the Tandem hit list this year.

I might also give the Shaftesbury 200 a shot.  We'll see...

[Greenbank]

Hopefully, I'll make one or two of them. No idea which yet.

[Chris S]

Plan currently is to ECE 300 the Shaftsbury 200.

[L CC]

I'll be Up the Uts but probably not t'others.

You can overdose on Essex, IMHO.

[dasmoth]

Plan currently is to ECE 300 the Shaftsbury 200.

Hmmm, interesting thought.

The 'uts are about 25k from my front door, but a control in Cambridge gets that to ~54¹, for an ECE300.  Now, how enthusiastic am I going to be that day...?

¹ according to Google.  Can't get ViaMichelin to help (if anyone has a postcode for one of the 'uts, could you drop me a PM?)

[Weirdy Biker]

Entered Up the Uts.  Will be my March fixed 200.  Will be my second time doing this event.

The most strugglesome thing with this ride is the repeated temptation to stay in the hut on returning to HQ for a cup of tea and a sit down.  Ah, the double edged sword of figure of 8 (or clover leaf) routes.

I was surprised that two very similar sounding events were scheduled one week after t'other.  Presumably the Shaftsbury takes different roads to the uts?

[Greenbank]

(if anyone has a postcode for one of the 'uts, could you drop me a PM?)

Google: huts "north hall road"

Gives Shaftesbury CC's address as CM22 6JD which google maps confirms.

[Greenbank]

I was surprised that two very similar sounding events were scheduled one week after t'other.  Presumably the Shaftsbury takes different roads to the uts?

3 very similar events although the weekend before (Brazier's Run) only offers a 50 and a 100. All 3 use similar roads but not the same. There's enough difference to make them interesting in their own ways.

[Chris S]

Although they all seem to visit Rickling Green. Sometimes twice.

[Bendy Bianchi]

I did all of them last year, they were all nicely different.

[PloddinPedro]

I've sent in an entry for the Brazier's Run, intending to ECE it up to a 200k, which if succesful will be my first use of the new system. Now all I have to figure out is how to pace myself to get to the huts at the start time without either knackering myself or arriving too early and wasting time I'll need for the homeward ECE leg!

[drossall]

I like all these events, but this year Brazier's Run collides with a trip to Revolution so I'm missing it. I'm hoping to do the Shaftesbury and the Up the Uts, and then of course the Stevenage, which passes the Uts on the way home.

[simonp]

I will probably do Up The Uts as my first 200k of 2010.  Got to get the points ticking over again or I'll run out of time for my Brevet 5000 and 25000.

[border-rider]

it's been suggested that the debate that was a part of this thread, on ECE times/rules, was worthy of its own place in the pantheon of fame.  I must admit it'd passed me by until it was pointed out because I wasn't interested in the 'Uts rides (for geographical reasons)

Anyway, it's a separate thread now.

[Chris S]

...I wasn't interested in the 'Uts rides (for geographical reasons)

Hehe. You probably mean "geological" reasons - as in, "not enough mountains".  

[PloddinPedro]

it's been suggested that the debate that was a part of this thread, on ECE times/rules, was worthy of its own place in the pantheon of fame.  I must admit it'd passed me until it was pointed out because I wasn't interested in the 'Uts rides (for geographical reasons)

Anyway, it's a separate thread now.

You beat me to it - I was getting embarrassed about having inadvertantly highjacked the thread and was about to suggest moving the debate elsewhere!

On topic, now I've received the routesheet, I'm looking forward to it even more. Although fairly local to me, the meandering route, tweaked every which way by info controls, looks like taking me to at least a few places I've not been to before. I didn't think that was possible after so many years tramping about locally!

[Wowbagger]

I'll be Up the Uts but probably not t'others.

You can overdose on Essex, IMHO.

*speechless with apoplexy*

[arabella]

For something quite close (80km approx) Ugley is not very easy to get to.
The idea of a 16km round trip with 50km event just doesn't appeal somehow.
This year I cba to cycle over, stay, do the ride, stay and cycle back.
Trains are useless (via London or Cambridge so not early enow)

I can confirm that the routes manage to find yet another set of lanes etc. though.

[drossall]

Are there any routes up as GPXs yet anywhere? I need to get around to entering in the next couple of days, but a preview would be nice.

[red marley]

Did Brazier's run today. Nice route as usual, if perhaps a little too wet today (several sections of flooded road). The wind seemed more of a help than a hinderance, so quite a fast time. It doesn't quite seem the same though without meeting Wowbagger on the section between Takeley and Elsenham. I'm sure you were there in spirit though.

And for the benefit of anyone approaching the huts by bike under the narrow railway bridge in the next couple of weeks, not content with a blind narrow corner, a drain cover with large gaps parallel to the road, there is now a profusion of potholes that are multiplying rapidly just to add to the challenge.

[simonp]

I will be doing the Up The Uts 200 on the 13th. Will be riding the helpers' ride for the EOH 200 next weekend. My 119km today wasn't quite as wet by the sound of it.

[Uncle Eric]

Very nice route! Didn't suffer too much from the rain. But getting feet completely wet from
that severely flooded section halfway the 2nd half was unpleasant.  And the mudfest walking
to and from the hut clogging up the cleats making it hard to click in to the pedals one could
live without. But the nicely priced coffee, muffin and sandwich in the end quickly makes one
forget those minor obstacles!

[drossall]

I've belatedly entered the Shaftesbury Spring 6th March, and I'm planning to do the Up the 'Uts 13th March. I'll try the 200 and we'll see whether I am really fit enough...

Does anyone have a GPX route or track for the Shaftesbury event? Or even a route sheet, because I haven't given the organiser much time to send me one?