RR Fifth Audax of the year under my belt

The omens were good, I'd serviced my bike and discovered why I was pedalled
out at 25mph - my rear derailleur wasn't servicing the smallest sprocket.
My tyres were inflated to their proper pressure - they were 15 psi shy of
the recommended pressure. The route I'd chosen for the permanent was:
Sherburn-In-Elmet
York
Pocklington
Howden
Selby
Sherburn-in-Elmet.
The route was flat and I'd got half way round in two hours. I was convinced
that I'd get a sub-five hour ride under my belt. It was not to be - the
second half of the ride was exposed to a persistant wind which was not quite
as draining as the other week but nevertheless extended the ride to just
over five and a half hours for the 110km ridden. The ride was uneventful,
nutrition was sorted with bananas, flap jack and chocolate rolls and just as
I was fretting about the lack of dead badgers, I spotted one two miles
outside of Howden on the way to Selby.

That's my Brevet 500 earned now for the Brevet 1000.....

Vernon
back in Leeds

"vernon" wrote in message
...


That's my Brevet 500 earned now for the Brevet 1000.....

Vernon
back in Leeds



Well done Vernon - all that before even Spring has arrived! Thought it had
turned up today at last, so headed off in shorts and got a good hiding from
some nasty rain clouds followed by 30 mph winds on the Humber Bridge. Six
months of trudging to work and back in the cold wet gloom is too much, I
thought I might have emerged from my pupa, like a butterfly by now to dry
the wings in the Sun :-)


--
Simon Mason
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net

Well done Vernon - all that before even Spring has arrived! Thought it had
turned up today at last, so headed off in shorts and got a good hiding
from
some nasty rain clouds followed by 30 mph winds on the Humber Bridge. Six
months of trudging to work and back in the cold wet gloom is too much, I
thought I might have emerged from my pupa, like a butterfly by now to dry
the wings in the Sun :-)

The rain caught up with me just as I was putting the bike into the back of
my
car. I seem to have struck it lucky with the weather. Only the Birdwell
100
could be described as being held in quite bad conditions with snow and
drizzle
throughout the day.

I'm not in the same league as you though Simon. I don't ride my bike daily.
I have surprised myself by sticking at the Audax per weekend regime and
only had last weekend off over the past six weeks.

vernon wrote:

The route was flat and I'd got half way round in two hours. I was convinced
that I'd get a sub-five hour ride under my belt. It was not to be - the
second half of the ride was exposed to a persistant wind which was not quite

Brezzy today wasn't it I went to Tadcaster and back to stretch the legs
and there was a good 5mph difference in speed between going out and coming
back...

--
Arthur Clune

"Arthur Clune" wrote in message
...
vernon wrote:

The route was flat and I'd got half way round in two hours. I was
convinced
that I'd get a sub-five hour ride under my belt. It was not to be - the
second half of the ride was exposed to a persistant wind which was not
quite

Brezzy today wasn't it I went to Tadcaster and back to stretch the legs
and there was a good 5mph difference in speed between going out and coming
back...

Being broad of beam, my speed difference was tad bigger than yours :-) Just
last year I would have found the relentless grind into a headwind
dispiriting. Now I see it as a challenge. I'm going to do a couple of 150
Audaxes in the next month before having a bash at the Hartside 200 at the
back end of May. Now that's a ride where a headwind could destroy my morale.

vernon wrote:
That's my Brevet 500 earned now for the Brevet 1000.....

Good on yer!

I was supposed to be riding my sixth audax of the year today but didn't
even make it to the start line. My tally for 2006 is 4 rides completed,
1 part-ridden and now 1 DNS.

Today's ride would have been the Start of Summertime 200 from Stevenage.
Part of the reason I didn't do it was that I had already done the
Invicta 200 this weekend - my prior engagement was cancelled and I got
special dispensation from the management to spend all weekend riding my
bike.

The Invicta 200 was was nearer 220km by the time you factor in
unintentional diversions off the prescribed route. It was also somewhat
tougher than anticipated, so I would have struggled on today's 200
anyway. I bumped into Dave Larrington at the start of the Invicta and
rashly commented something to the effect of "nice gentle ride". The
words "no hills" might also have made an appearance. I should have known
better - just cos it didn't have AAA points, doesn't mean it's flat...

The thing is, the ride covered local territory, many roads that I know
well. So I thought I knew what I was in for. What I didn't factor in was
Rob the organiser's penchant for seeking out those roads that are marked
on the map with little black arrows - these are the roads we normally
avoid when I'm out with the club, especially the really evil ones around
Hythe... I should have known better as I have previously done other
rides of his devising.

Still, it was a very enjoyable outing. I actually rode the last stage
first, by virtue of the fact that the last stage started from Whitstable
where I live (the control point being about a mile from my doorstep). So
I rode to the start in Otford, setting off from home at about 3.30am. My
wife thinks I'm mad but she just doesn't understand the pure
unadulterated pleasure of cycling along pitch-black country lanes with
nothing but the hooting of owls for company. I arrived at Otford not
long after 7am, in plenty of time for the 8am start - despite having
missed a turn in the dark, adding 8km to the official distance for the
stage of 76km.

Of course, setting off in the dead of night, I had opted for heavy-duty
clothing to ensure warmth. This was all well and good, but by the time
the ride officially started, the signs were that a fine spring day was
in the offing. And less than 10km out of Otford I had to stop to remove
a few layers - I even swapped the woolly hat for a peaked cap and the
full winter gloves for fingerless mitts. Weather-wise, it went on to be
a beautiful day, in stark contrast to BBC forecaster predictions.

On the wildlife front, saw a few interesting birds, including a small
flock of guinea fowl roaming the lanes near Kemsing. Presumably
someone's pets/livestock.

There was just the one dead badger, and a few dead rats. Also several
dozen dead frogs on the last few km between Kemsing and Otford - weaving
around the many corpses littering the road, I began to suspect I had
happened upon the aftermath of some kind of frog suicide cult. I also
had a quiet chuckle to myself at the thought of Dave Larrington trying
to avoid them all on his three-wheeler.

Anyway, after all that effort I slept like a log last night and didn't
wake up this morning until the kind of time when the fastest riders on
the Stevenage 200 would already have been well beyond the first control.
No way I was going to make it in time. Ho hum!

Still, that's 2x200km, 1x100km, 1x120km and 1.5AAA points racked up so
far this year, which is already more than I managed in the whole of last
year. And the first 300 of the year to look forward to next week...

d.

I also rode the invicta 200 on saturday, only my second 200k ever, my first
being the chiltern-cotswold the week before. I had a great day and found it
pretty easy compared with the chiltern ride the week before, which also had
the last 90k ish into a painful headwind. Climbing out of Hythe was the fun
part! I was dissapointed with the amount of busy A roads used for the
invicta though, especially in the Whitstable to Otford last leg. A fun ride
overall though!

Planning on doing a few more 200's in the near future, then maybe tackling
the double century 322k out of Denmead on 10th June.

"davek" wrote in message
...
vernon wrote:
That's my Brevet 500 earned now for the Brevet 1000.....

Good on yer!

I was supposed to be riding my sixth audax of the year today but didn't
even make it to the start line. My tally for 2006 is 4 rides completed, 1
part-ridden and now 1 DNS.

Today's ride would have been the Start of Summertime 200 from Stevenage.
Part of the reason I didn't do it was that I had already done the Invicta
200 this weekend - my prior engagement was cancelled and I got special
dispensation from the management to spend all weekend riding my bike.

The Invicta 200 was was nearer 220km by the time you factor in
unintentional diversions off the prescribed route. It was also somewhat
tougher than anticipated, so I would have struggled on today's 200 anyway.
I bumped into Dave Larrington at the start of the Invicta and rashly
commented something to the effect of "nice gentle ride". The words "no
hills" might also have made an appearance. I should have known better -
just cos it didn't have AAA points, doesn't mean it's flat...

The thing is, the ride covered local territory, many roads that I know
well. So I thought I knew what I was in for. What I didn't factor in was
Rob the organiser's penchant for seeking out those roads that are marked
on the map with little black arrows - these are the roads we normally
avoid when I'm out with the club, especially the really evil ones around
Hythe... I should have known better as I have previously done other rides
of his devising.

Still, it was a very enjoyable outing. I actually rode the last stage
first, by virtue of the fact that the last stage started from Whitstable
where I live (the control point being about a mile from my doorstep). So I
rode to the start in Otford, setting off from home at about 3.30am. My
wife thinks I'm mad but she just doesn't understand the pure unadulterated
pleasure of cycling along pitch-black country lanes with nothing but the
hooting of owls for company. I arrived at Otford not long after 7am, in
plenty of time for the 8am start - despite having missed a turn in the
dark, adding 8km to the official distance for the stage of 76km.

Of course, setting off in the dead of night, I had opted for heavy-duty
clothing to ensure warmth. This was all well and good, but by the time the
ride officially started, the signs were that a fine spring day was in the
offing. And less than 10km out of Otford I had to stop to remove a few
layers - I even swapped the woolly hat for a peaked cap and the full
winter gloves for fingerless mitts. Weather-wise, it went on to be a
beautiful day, in stark contrast to BBC forecaster predictions.

On the wildlife front, saw a few interesting birds, including a small
flock of guinea fowl roaming the lanes near Kemsing. Presumably someone's
pets/livestock.

There was just the one dead badger, and a few dead rats. Also several
dozen dead frogs on the last few km between Kemsing and Otford - weaving
around the many corpses littering the road, I began to suspect I had
happened upon the aftermath of some kind of frog suicide cult. I also had
a quiet chuckle to myself at the thought of Dave Larrington trying to
avoid them all on his three-wheeler.

Anyway, after all that effort I slept like a log last night and didn't
wake up this morning until the kind of time when the fastest riders on the
Stevenage 200 would already have been well beyond the first control. No
way I was going to make it in time. Ho hum!

Still, that's 2x200km, 1x100km, 1x120km and 1.5AAA points racked up so far
this year, which is already more than I managed in the whole of last year.
And the first 300 of the year to look forward to next week...

d.

Paul D wrote:
I had a great day and found it
pretty easy compared with the chiltern ride the week before, which also had
the last 90k ish into a painful headwind.

Lots of people have said what a fantastic ride the Chiltern-Cotswold is
- I hope to do it next year.

Climbing out of Hythe was the fun part!

Er... yes. Kind of. Probably would have been more "fun" if I hadn't
already ridden 80km more than everyone else. But overall, it certainly
wasn't the toughest ride ever, just a little bit tougher than I had
anticipated.

I was dissapointed with the amount of busy A roads used for the
invicta though, especially in the Whitstable to Otford last leg. A fun ride
overall though!

There are some quieter possibilities on the section between Whitstable
and Faversham. I might mention them to the organiser. Not sure about how
you could avoid the bit along the A20/A25 between Maidstone and Borough
Green, though - not without adding a lot of extra distance, and probably
at least one extra info control.

Planning on doing a few more 200's in the near future, then maybe tackling
the double century 322k out of Denmead on 10th June.

Have you not entered the Invicta 300 then? I recommend it. It's probably
a bit easier than the 200 - or maybe I was just fitter when I did it
last year...

d.

Partly the scenery and partly the quality and quantity of free cakes made
the Chiltern-Cotswold 200 a pleasure. It's a shame I shall remember my first
200 for taking 1 1/2 hrs longer than planned due to the morale-destroying
headwind. Shall almost definately sign up for it next year.

Hadn't planned on the invicta 300 as I'm actually from Bournemouth, so it
was a bit of a distance to travel for this 200 and Portsmouth's a lot closer
for the 300. Nice to ride somewhere new though.

"davek" wrote in message
...
Paul D wrote:
I had a great day and found it pretty easy compared with the chiltern
ride the week before, which also had the last 90k ish into a painful
headwind.

Lots of people have said what a fantastic ride the Chiltern-Cotswold is -
I hope to do it next year.

Climbing out of Hythe was the fun part!

Er... yes. Kind of. Probably would have been more "fun" if I hadn't
already ridden 80km more than everyone else. But overall, it certainly
wasn't the toughest ride ever, just a little bit tougher than I had
anticipated.

I was dissapointed with the amount of busy A roads used for the invicta
though, especially in the Whitstable to Otford last leg. A fun ride
overall though!

There are some quieter possibilities on the section between Whitstable and
Faversham. I might mention them to the organiser. Not sure about how you
could avoid the bit along the A20/A25 between Maidstone and Borough Green,
though - not without adding a lot of extra distance, and probably at least
one extra info control.

Planning on doing a few more 200's in the near future, then maybe
tackling the double century 322k out of Denmead on 10th June.

Have you not entered the Invicta 300 then? I recommend it. It's probably a
bit easier than the 200 - or maybe I was just fitter when I did it last
year...

d.

In article , Paul D
) wrote:

I also rode the invicta 200 on saturday, only my second 200k ever, my first
being the chiltern-cotswold the week before. I had a great day and found it
pretty easy compared with the chiltern ride the week before, which also had
the last 90k ish into a painful headwind. Climbing out of Hythe was the fun
part! I was dissapointed with the amount of busy A roads used for the
invicta though, especially in the Whitstable to Otford last leg. A fun ride
overall though!

I too was entered for the Stevenage and got my act together in good
time. Felt OK physically after the Invicta except for one thing - the
rash on my feet, which I thought had pretty much gone by Friday, was
back to Itch Factor 9 on Saturday night. No way was I going out with
that. Bah!

In spite of davek throwing in a few extra hills when I wasn't looking,
most of the first 130 km were pretty good. Either across the brisk wind
or with it behind. This latter being especially welcome when I missed a
turning shortly before Hythe and found myself in the middle of Romney
Marsh. Getting through the middle of Canterbury at the height of
Saturday lunchtime was, ah, interesting, and the climb out of the city -
described by Dave as "a bit of a stinker" was, in fact a lot of a
stinker but the drop into the outskirts of Whitstable was nice, and a
convivial group milled around outside Tesco's petrol station for far
longer than was strictly necessary.

Much of the next 30 km was familiar from a 2000 trip to Belgium and
back. Now we were running almost into the wind, and I reckon I was
slower than I had been on the previous trip in spite of the former
being:

o conducted by a heavy smoker, and
o towing a BoB with 20 kg of camping gear in it

Bah encore! By this stage of the ride, I had almost totally lost the
ability to read a route sheet. "L Faversham Road SP Newnham" it said.
"Newnham" I thought, as I passed the sign and continued pounding along
the A2. "We're supposed to go through Newnham. Perhaps I was supposed
to turn there" And so on. Much grovelling up an interminable hill
towards Hollingbourne. By now the rain had started and the cloud
lowered, so much so that over the top of the Downs visibility was
slightly, but ONLY slightly, better than zero. Fortunately we weren't
in it for long, with a cracking descent into Hollingbourne.

Missed the left turn in Detling as I was busy concentrating on hanging
out of the trike at 45 km/h. Turn around, backtrack AGAIN. Echo what
Paul said about the main road sections - not at all pleasant in the rain
and gathering gloom - and it was a relief to get back onto the minor
roads at Wrotham. I was keeping my eyes skinned for the deceased
wildlife in this final stretch, as Dave had reported the presence of not
only a dead badger, but also a Several of dead frogs, but by now it was
dark enough that, even if they were still there, I'd probably have
missed them anyway. Finished in just under 11 hours to round off RRTY
for the first time :-)

Nothing broke or fell off for a change, though one of the front lights
is still a little inclined (if you'll forgive the pun) to tilt itself
towards the chainset. Since well-behaved lighting will be absolutely
necessary for The Dean, I shall HAVE to concoct the Cateye-handlebar-
clamp-based solution this week. And probably remove half a
hundredweight of Skog(tm) from all moving parts :-(

--
Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
Funny... You don't /look/ like Martha and the Vandellas!