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Excellent, well done. The variety of riders constantly amazes and impresses me.
That downpour was no fun was it, it was near the start of my ride.
I am feeling more nervous about the 400 than the 600 but we will see. Riding the next couple with a pal will help a lot I think.
I am unsure about how best to train for these things.
It can't be long before we are on the same ride.
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Sounds like a good ride. I like the night ride idea.
graunch
hippy
@arup
OK, ride report. Green and Yellow Fields 300km from Manningtree in Essex. Rode fixed on 71". Pannier around 5kg (too much stuff) and riding through the night as it started at midnight.
Great ride. Really enjoyed it. Such a spectrum of bikes. Recumbents, tricycles, TT bars, tandems and about a dozen or so riding fixed. Think there was also an array of experience too. Good to start recognising faces. Met one guy who came for a wheel building lesson with me.
It was a clear night with little wind and good road surfaces. Just the whoosh of the tyres along the quiet country lanes and the glow of the red tail lights. With a 1.5 litre bottle of diet coke and a take way curry added to my already full pannier I could really feel the extra weight but was nice to stop and eat onion bhajis when I took a break.
Everyone I spoke to commented on how they had managed to massively improve on their 200km speeds. I was astounded to see that it was only 08:40 when I passed the 200km mark as my usual 200km time is around 11:45. Probably due to the route and only a few controls (only 4 for the whole route).
After that the headwinds started. I assumed a tuck position which I'm not really used to doing and even though it worked and pushed my speeds up by 2-3 km/h without extra effort it was very taxing on my lower back and I had to stop and take a break after an hour of it. I paid the price for it later. My strength and fitness were good up to this point but trying out that position really took it out of me. Then came the rain. A medium to heavy downpour which lasted for about 2 hours. After which the sun came out.
The gpx file that came in the email ended about 15km before the end so I had to resort to using the route sheet and following people. I normally edit the file beforehand but decided to trust it this time. Will continue with my usual procedure next time.
Was hoping to complete the ride in just under 18 hours as my 200km average is 12 ish. But finished at 15h 8 mins which left me a bit open mouthed. I usually ride 67" but have increased to 71" for commuting and decided to leave that on. Think that helped the speed. On the ride home from Liverpool Street I could hardly move the pedals and every other cyclist was passing me. Bit achy and sore today but on the whole not too bad. First 300 and first night ride all in one. Looking forward to the next one.