'The Flatlands' 600km 13/14th September 2014

[Bugloss]

Going North - Checked with current route sheet with approximate control flags http://ridewithgps.com/routes/5803970

Going South - Same as above missing Lincoln TS and visiting Wetherspoons in Spalding-No Busway diversion in Cambridge, use route sheet http://ridewithgps.com/routes/5800245


Disclaimer: Use at your own risk etc., etc. blah, blah!

[Christophe]

Good luck to all you Flatlanders. Looks like it's at least going to stay dry and not to cold during the night. Watch out for that wind! It's not as predictable as the forecast suggests!

Cheers.

Chris

[dawsy]

Just checking out our accommodation for 2 at Scunthorpe and find I have booked for October Doh........... Wondered why it was so cheap. Now too late to book anything else. Anyone got any cancellations they want to be relieved of at short notice or other constructive ideas. Can pay you by paypal? Anyway if you send me a message I can pick it up on my phone and call you. It's a long shot so might be in a bus shelter somewhere!! I will be checking my booking dates more carefully from now on!!
Dawsy
PS we are a tandem couple!

[Tomsk]

Last-minute flurry of DNSs - commiserations to all concerned.

Safe journey to Dunmow, folks and see you tonight, or tomorrow at Audax o'clock......

[Veloman]

Just checking out our accommodation for 2 at Scunthorpe and find I have booked for October Doh........... !

Places available at Premier Inn, Lincoln (Canwick), but cost is £125.

Plenty of opportunities for sleep in Sleaford at McDs or Spoons followed by a luxurious sleep on the grass along the route.

I wish you luck!

[Oscar's dad]

I'm all packed and ready for the tippers_kiwi team car to scoop me and Huggy up at 0515hrs tomorrow morning.  Tonight I shall be eating mostly pasta!

I am looking forward to meeting some new yacf faces over the course of the weekend plus old friends.  I'm a tall bloke riding a blue Ribble with a hi-vis yellow Bridge Street saddle bag.  Tomorrow I will be wearing a Cycles Huez jersey possibly under a red Team Sky gillet.  No I'm not a dentist, the gillet was on special offer    I may or may not be wearing a Magic Hat ^TM.  My plan is to ride at a steady pace so you are unlikely to find me at the head of the field.  Please come and introduce yourself and say "hello!".

[Redlight]

Just checking out our accommodation for 2 at Scunthorpe and find I have booked for October Doh........... 

I believe Tom also offers this route as a perm.... 

[Redlight]

Please come and introduce yourself and say "hello!".

I'll be lurking at the back too, I expect. Orange bike with black Carradice bag.  Probably in the Audax England top, as I feel semi-obliged to wear it myself.  No hat.

And looking very sleepy from leaving home at 04.30.

[Oscar's dad]

Just checking out our accommodation for 2 at Scunthorpe and find I have booked for October Doh........... 

I believe Tom also offers this route as a perm.... 

No, no, no!  The stage is set for a romantic weekend in Scunthorpe in October    Hang on let me just check something ...

<toddles off to Goggle "Romantic weekend in Scunthorpe">...

Ah, there is a problem 

Please come and introduce yourself and say "hello!".

I'll be lurking at the back too, I expect. Orange bike with black Carradice bag.  Probably in the Audax England top, as I feel semi-obliged to wear it myself.  No hat.

   Look forward to meeting you!

[tippers_kiwi]

Hey tippers_kiwi thanks so much for the above files which I've downloaded and put onto my etrex30. I notice however that the total mileage for the 9 stages is 338 miles, whereas the route notes indicate 375 miles (606km) Any ideas why the difference?

Hmmm, interesting. I just down loaded and I defo come to 617km, it just about looks like a whole leg is missing in your number. Leg 1 (61km) or Leg 7 (62km) seem likely.

[Bairn Again]

Good luck to everybody taking part in this one, Im a bit miffed that I cant make it this time. 

Weather looks reasonable too! 

 

[Ultradiscostu]

Hmmm, interesting. I just down loaded and I defo come to 617km, it just about looks like a whole leg is missing in your number. Leg 1 (61km) or Leg 7 (62km) seem likely.
[/quote]

That's what I thought but checked and they are all there. I thinks its my etrex which seems to do strange things. I'm still getting use to it as it played up at a recent Ride It event where I'd downloaded the GPX files but the distance displayed in the actual device were way off what the original file stated. I will just have to see when I'm at the start and locked onto a signal.

Thanks for replying tipper_kiwi and good to know that for you they do add up to the correct distance. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking on my part that you had managed to 'shave off' 37 miles from the route!

[Ultradiscostu]

BTW I will be easy to spot - just look for the tall guy 8' high on a Black ElliptiGO   We are coming in force this time - 3 other ElliptiGO riders - Idai, Alan and Carl. Strength in numbers to battle the winds on the Fens! See you tonight if you are sleeping in the Church hall. 

[huggy]

Just a possible reason for the difference in calculated distance to actual to be travelled could be some eTrex giggery-pokery going on - a couple of sections of the whole route use the same roads and the eTrex could be helpfully calculating a shortcut between parallel paths where a common road joins them.  You, on the other hand can't take the shortcut 

[Bikeabilityman]

BTW I will be easy to spot - just look for the tall guy 8' high on a Black ElliptiGO   We are coming in force this time - 3 other ElliptiGO riders - Idai, Alan and Carl. Strength in numbers to battle the winds on the Fens! See you tonight if you are sleeping in the Church hall. 

But will you all finish this one?

[BikinOn]

Tom - You did say there would be people around with Brevet cards until about 6:30am at the hall, right? It's just I refuse to get up earlier than 3am and while it shouldn't take a lot more than 2 hours to do the 40 miles to the start and I should be able to get out the door by 3:45am, a visit from the puncture fairy or a mechanical can never be ruled out

If you want to say hi, I'll be the one on the Lynskey with the obligatory Carradice and lots of lights.

Not certain what some people downloaded for the route, the one I got hits the mileage pretty much on the nose. If it helps, I have the controls marked at:
Start   N51.88108 E0.36574
Cntl1   N52.30209 E0.48382
Cntl2   N52.55704 W0.13053
Cntl3   N52.97733 W0.02409
Cntl4   N53.47655 W0.58865
Cntl5   N53.70582 W0.91431
Cntl6   N53.38720 W0.76977
Cntl7   N52.99709 W0.40688
Cntl8   N52.46557 E0.04255
Arrivee / Food N51.87109 E0.36392

[Slimline Saxon]

Good luck everyone, the injury jinx has struck again and wiped out my right hand this time.

Always next season for Essex SR and PBP.

[Ultradiscostu]

BTW I will be easy to spot - just look for the tall guy 8' high on a Black ElliptiGO   We are coming in force this time - 3 other ElliptiGO riders - Idai, Alan and Carl. Strength in numbers to battle the winds on the Fens! See you tonight if you are sleeping in the Church hall. 

But will you all finish this one?

cheeky! But YES!!!   

[tippers_kiwi]

Excellent, look forward to seeing the EliptiGO'so on the ride. I meant to say on my routes as well that I have put the non tourist route through Lincoln and the non busway through Cambridge.  I have some maps and route sheets for the finer points of the cities.

See you all in the morning. I'll be arriving with the Essex Alpes d'Huez team (or two of them anyway)

[Tomsk]

Tom - You did say there would be people around with Brevet cards until about 6:30am at the hall, right? It's just I refuse to get up earlier than 3am and while it shouldn't take a lot more than 2 hours to do the 40 miles to the start and I should be able to get out the door by 3:45am, a visit from the puncture fairy or a mechanical can never be ruled out

If you want to say hi, I'll be the one on the Lynskey with the obligatory Carradice and lots of lights.

We reckon about 30 minutes or so to clear up and get on the road - there is one other I know of who can't make the 06:00 start, so I'm leaving a stash of brevet cards at Red Lodge - I'll trust you to mark your start time when you pick up your card. At least you won't have to queue for breakfast at the café 

You may pass us in a blur if you're still doing evens.....as already mentioned, I'll be in the 'Alpe d'Huez' group [if its warm enough to get down to short-sleeved layers] and on the big red 'Parkes Lightweight' fixie [on the fixed SR/RRtY/FWC treadmill this year]

Looking forward to seeing the reaction on the road to team ElliptiGO - especially if passing through Lincoln at club chucking out time 

[Bikeabilityman]

BTW I will be easy to spot - just look for the tall guy 8' high on a Black ElliptiGO   We are coming in force this time - 3 other ElliptiGO riders - Idai, Alan and Carl. Strength in numbers to battle the winds on the Fens! See you tonight if you are sleeping in the Church hall. 

But will you all finish this one?

cheeky! But YES!!!   

I saw an ElliptiGo group near Homebase in MK this evening. You do know how to move!

[Bikeabilityman]

Good luck everyone, the injury jinx has struck again and wiped out my right hand this time.

Always next season for Essex SR and PBP.

Nooo BS. I've got my Team MK top out ready for when I wake up at 3. My wrist is giving me cause for concern now, but I couldn't get to see a doctor, only the nurse, who prescribed Ibuprofen without even looking at it, even after I said I had broken the other one in the past. At least you've gone over the 50 mark this year (again). I have to finish this one!

[Slimline Saxon]

Keeping swollen fingers crossed for you Ritchie, no problem compared to your Mille Cymru exertions.

[Old Git]

Good luck and have a safe ride to all, 

[PAC]

Have a great ride ..shame I couldn't make it this year!