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you're on!
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Mere 200 for me as well. A good start, I was out of the gates like a greyhound and stuck at the front most of the way to Ashley when the Sensibility Governor kicked in and I backed off the pace a fraction. I was predicting high filth levels on the lanes so headed down the A50 to Green Lane to avoid Clamhunger and Moss Lanes. A few riders followed. Decided to try out the Budworth Road instead. Yes, it means missing out a mere but it quite nice and I got a very close view of a buzzards undercarriage. Punctured in Comberbatch which was a pain as the entire ride passed me and asked if I was OK. It's hard to be polite if people keep interrupting your fod-finding efforts. I was also having a few Novice Garmin issues as the device was sure I hadn't been to the start yet and wanted to send me back.
Again, keen to avoid too much filth, I TT'd my way down the A49 to Whitchurch services. It was pretty quiet and nice to just sit on the drops for some long stretches. The weather was getting warm there to I eschewed a stop in favour of a bidon of coffee from the petrol station and making progress to Ellesmere. There was some rain forecast and a few shower clouds moving around. I didn't want to break the spell with a faceful of headwindy cold water. Quick turn around there and off to the Raven. I was slowing up getting there but 120k is also fairly close to the distance from St Quentin to Mortagne so a bit of good practice to keep moving. I'm generally going to try and keep up around 100k between proper breaks this year. Beans on toast and mug of tea and away again.
Picked my way slowly across the heath towards Burleydam but already I could feel my chain getting dry from the muck. Enjoyed the tailwind to Audlem and up to Hatherton where a large group from Liverpool caught up with me. They seemed to be having difficulty with navigation as they came passed me quite a few times between there and Redesmere. Alas their group riding skills were a little uncoordinated so they probably spurred me to drop them when they were slowed up by hills and frequent turns. Alas my navigational pride came before a fall. My Garmin decided to route me over to Alderley Edge and stick me on the A34 southbound. Having done this ride before, I really should have spotted that before it happened. After much sense of humour failing I persuaded it to take me north through Wilmslow towards the A560 and find my own way back from there. I am henceforth returning to routesheets never to return to this digital nonsense.
If you saw a tubby git in orange on a blue Planet X, that was me.
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My Garmin is analog and I always
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#Cheshire reprazent. That is all. There's so many audaxes up there, I really should sign up for one and stay at my dad's or sister's.
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Anyone on the Windrush ride tomorrow? I'm getting the train to Kemble in a bit and staying over with friends who live about a mile from the start! Looking grim out there though. Chance to try out my new Sugoi waterproof gloves. Another one fixed. Have a bit of a lurgy but have paid 40 quid for train tickets so no chickening out.
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Why has nobody heard of audax? Was riding with my club today and keep having the same conversation where I have to explain what it is. These are experienced, clued-up riders.
Not that I care. I'd prefer to keep it a beardy, canvassy secret.
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I confess...it's a running and triathlon club. Let the internet cycling gods rain the fire on down and nod with great satisfaction and say: "Lo, this man did not obey The Rules."
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Hang on, let me write that down.
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Did the Windrush Winter Warmup today from Ashton Keynes near Cirencester. Stayed with friends last night who live about 10 minutes ride away from the start. Absolutely heaving with people (and bikes). After yesterday thought it might be a bit cold and icy but this morning the sun came out and there was no ice. But the wind, well that was quite another thing. No info controls and in fact only two proper controls with tea and cake and rubber stamp.
First leg (Ashton Keynes to Stanton Harcourt) was 47km which most people did non-stop especially with a tail wind. Lots of really nice cake in a big hall. Dead easy. Second leg was 32km was a lot harder with strong headwinds and a few climbs. Probably out of the saddle for most of it. Bacon roll at the end of this along with a home made peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Final leg was 28km which had a lot of long easy descents so I got into a TT ish tuck position and spun as fast as I could. Great fun. Suddenly it was all over and I thought, "Oh, is that it?". More cake and headed back to my friends place by the lake. (For more tea and cake.)
Some gorgeous views of the Windrush lakes as well as pretty villages such as Burford. Forgot my FWC card but got my route sheet stamped and signed by the organiser saying that I had ridden it fixed. One more point.
After hanging out for a couple of hours, cycled to Kemble to get the train to Paddington then another hour's ride to get home.
Counting the days to Wye Wednesday now. Will more than likely ride it fixed.
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I'm thinking of riding Wed on the TT bike, you know for teh trainingz, then laughing at @rive_gauche as he coughs up a crisp twenty. :)
The wind was pretty shit today - it made me feel very, very unfit.. and then I turned around. Weeeeeeeee!
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Good work. 100s seeming short is a good sign.
Forgot my FWC card but got my route sheet stamped and signed by the organiser saying that I had ridden it fixed. One more point.
That won't be a problem. The FWC is done on honesty anyway. I've never had an organiser check my bike to see if it is fixed, and when you do any DIY rides or perms there is no organiser there to sign the card (sending it off is a risk). My old FWC cards are mostly my own signatures. Even when I've forgotten the FWC card on calendar event I've just signed it myself later on.
At the end of the year all you do is let RP know which rides from your results were done on fixed (or which weren't, whichever is easier) and he does the rest. I've never had to send my FWC booklet in.
For the SFW (SR series on fixed) card I'll try to remember it for the various events as it is nicer to have that all signed up like that (still managed to forget to do that on lots of events including both LEL and PBP).
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Thanks @Greenbank that's very encouraging. And thanks for encouraging me to do more on fixed.
Just booked Wye Wednesday. Now I can start planning. Train times, maps, training rides etc. Also booked no the Wormingford Dragon at the end of March. Need to book LOL too.
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I'm thinking of riding Wed on the TT bike, you know for teh trainingz, then laughing at @rive_gauche as he coughs up a crisp twenty. :)
The wind was pretty shit today - it made me feel very, very unfit.. and then I turned around. Weeeeeeeee!
never gonna happen, that note is safe in my pocket!
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I've requested that LFGSS CC be listed as being available as a rider's club with AUK. This has been approved so you can now select this as your club on the website.
It's up to you but hopefully this will mean it will also be available as a club with ACP for those planning on PBP. Also, it could mean that LFGSS CC can now be used as a recognised clubs for organising audaxes in the future.
If lots of people sign up for this and we somehow manage to win the club points trophy, I promise to collect it and do a tour of all the riders who contributed and buy at least some of them a pint.
hippy
rive_gauche
The_Seldom_Killer
fussballclub
fizzy.bleach
Vesalius
KT_Bee
arup
graunch
Greenbank
edscoble-
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Audax rides
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@Fixedwheelnut
Twenty quid says you'll dip out