Tell us about your weekend ride

Nice one. Sa Calobra, ah such memories.

Mile End to Brighton on Saturday via Bromley, Biggin Hill, Westerham, Edenbridge, Lingfield, Ardingly, Haywards Heath, Ditchling and the beacon and finally Brighton. Imagine, a ride like this with my daughter. Who would have thought it! I can tell you that's a very special ride - an amazing feeling - seems like only yesterday she was pushing a toy scooter for the first time!

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275 shithouse miles up and down the A31. #fml

I think I put myself in a box a bit with suddenly going out and doing 100km a day with loads of climbing for 6 days; spent last week feeling terrible on the bike but rested totally this weekend and felt super good on the bike again today.

Fair play. Nailed Coll del Reis twice when I was in Mallorca in 6 days. Only "big" climb I did though. #rep

great photo-story, :-)

There's a whole series of Audaxes in that area which cost a couple of quid. And fewer choppers.

https://sites.google.com/site/grimpeursdusud/

Did the Gospel Pass 200 this weekend. Was a bit wet, and quite grueling, but a few tasty descents too.

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The weather has been absolutly grusome recently. So I had planned a 20min test on the turbo last night. But came home from work to dry roads, and a little blue sky. I could see the bleak darkness in towards the mountains. But figured 80% of my ride could be dry, and nothing is as bleak as a 20min test on the turbo anyway.

So I decided to ride the 32km to the closest long Climb, and do my test outdoors.

I love to ride to sjøholt. It undulates. But not so much that Your always shifting gear. I always ride it too hard, and ruin my climbing form (current PB for the 8km of easy 6% gradient is 23:37. Terrible). I meant to avoid this. But didnt.

Set off on the test at my target wattage and felt OK. Kinda enjoying the effort, and the warmth. Then at the 4 min mark it started getting tough. Which it always does for me to be honest. But this time the toughness was largely due to the bonkers storm which I seemed to have ridden into. Suddenly my breath was as thick as cigar smoke as temps dropped horribly, and kaotic Winds threw partially frozen rain at me. I figured I should quit. But then suspected I was just backing out of the test. Feck that.

This road joins my city With the next, and is alway full of lorrys, pissed at having to pass a cyclist, while on a long Climb. So while I was trying to compensate for the constant change in Wind direction, I had to deal With Close passes by articulated lorrys. Then With only a few mins left I saw the 1km to rest stop (at the top) sign. If I bury myself now I can hit the top for a PB and finish this hellish test at the same time. At 19:30 I crested the top, I was running out of mountain! and desparately smashed up the gears to squeeze out the last few watts.

My HR hit some horrible number, and I had to steer into a ditch to throw up. Being violently sick while Your heart is already at its max is fecking horrible. I could feel myself wanting to pass out. Which seemed like a lovely idea. Then I realised lying Down in a ditch for a snooze on a storm covered mountain is probably not the wisest thing in the world.

The descent was sketchy. But I made to the petrol station With any scares. Had a massive hot chocolate and a big current bun. Felt much better, and the weather was calmer Down here. So I set off on the long Scenic route home. 20mins into which, the storm decided to come Down from the Mountains. To make it a wet and slow slog home. Still, theres something about the Norwegian landscape in shit weather. I cant really describe it. But if you'd offered the chance to teleport to my couch, in my warm dry flat. I have refused. I had decent clothes on, and full bidons. I was kinda enjoying it.

...........Beats a fecking 20min test on the Turbo any day of the week.

Great Post Smallfurry - really atmospheric - especially the bit about throwing up in a ditch - I was almost with you. More please.

My HR hit some horrible number, and I had to steer into a ditch to throw up.

But you got the PB, right? RIGHT?

Did the Velothon Wales on Sunday, pretty boring to be honest. A very fast course, Tumble and Caerphilly were fun, the long strecthes of Dual Carriageway not so much nor was the groups of riders passing and then pulling over in front of me, virtually pushing me further to the left as each one passed. Very confusing given it was clear for long stretches on the right.

did the vatternrundan (300k) at the weekend.

Was really good - very well organised and lots of food all the way round and some great views. Although some very long boring roads as well..

Didnt get a great nights sleep the night before and a couple of beers on the plane over, so we weren't best prepared. Were fixing our bikes up until 2mins before our start time and I hadnt had anything to eat for dinner apart from a few buns and a banana. Regretted that as I then ate about 10 buns & 6 bananas on the route.

It was only dark for maybe 2 or 3 hours before the sun started to rise again, we had looked at the weather and it was meant to be quite warm, however after stopping I was pretty glad I brought a longsleeve jersey to wear over the top as it was freezing for a few hours until you got going again.

Was feeling pretty knackered by about 7am (we started at 10pm). Im sure I was half dozing off while riding. Took us 12 hours, we stopped for a couple of hours in total plus a snapped chain so think we could do it quicker if we were to do it again.

A couple of days after the ride and we were already thinking of next years, would reccommend.

Perfect conditions with no wind and the record was broken I think (6hrs 30)

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Cheers.

Smashed the Climb PB.

Took 4 minutes off it. Which is why I ran out of mountain unexpectedly.

Was a soft PB though.

Cheers for the heads up, noticed the Devils Punch Bowl 200k I'm thinking of riding. Never ridden an Audax event, but been considering it for awhile.

Road out late afternoon to Brighton to have chips and beer on the beach and enjoy the long evening. Last weekend was a ride out to Whitstable ... for chips and beer on the beach. I see pattern forming.

Did the Mountain Mayhem 24 hour MTB race with a team of four.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/810873838

I liken it to doing eight cyclocross races back to back in 24 hours.

I am now done.

Scenic, tho

Brutal

Yikes. Makes my morning spin around the Hertfordshire lanes look pretty tame.

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/5206365

I was aiming to reach the Cole Green Way - a disused railway which runs from Welwyn to Hertford. I've done the western half on the way out to meet a bunch of WNKRs so thought I'd give the eastern stretch a try. Turns out it's not covered in tarmac:

Up past the Tun Abdul Razak rubber research centre at Brickendonbury, where there's a Malaysian festival every autumn (lots and lots of food and questionable compère skills)

A couple of minutes up the road, there's a place for your inner druid

Plenty of little groups out, although I think by the time I left at half 9 all the serious riders were pretty much on their way back. Plenty of cheery hellos to be had from fellow riders and impeccable behaviour from every driver.

After planning this route in great detail, it essentially ended up being the WNKR Potters Bar route backwards. The WNKR route definitely chooses the correct direction to do White Stubbs Lane in - it's a bit of a slog heading westbound.

Still, lovely day for it and a nice variety of country lanes, woodland, lumpy bits and sketchy dirt tracks. All it lacked was some decent views.

8/10 would overtake all the Sunday riders again.

Was the course rideable this year?

I did the first year at the new venue (and one at the old venue) and found it mostly impossible - lots of long fireroad descents into 90 degree corners straight into 15-20% uphills. Lots of walking for everyone, especially when it got wet.

(Although there was a fantastic drop on the first descent that was catching people out left right and centre.)

Was the course rideable this year?

Yes - they'd listened to the feedback from previous years and had put together a challenging but complelely ridable course. There was punchy climbs of 15pc plus but because the weather held and the course held they remained ridable for those stubborn enough to winch themselves up them, like me :)

Epic stuff Howard.

I rode a local mountain from both sides as a kinda rutal 2 x 20 on Saturday.

Today we hit 3 tough climbs, in glorious sunshine. Which I have no physical way of coping with it seems. So fecking hot. Legs like burning sacks of shit. Head pounding. Gut on strike. Trashed right now.

Might write it up tomorrow.

Hmmmm.

It appears I set many PRs going uphill on Saturday, and many going downhill on Sunday. Cant say Im surprised.

We rode through the night to hang with the druids for sunrise at Avebury stone circle. 180kms very slowly.

#plasticpagans
#keepcyclingwierd

Mountain Mayhem for me this weekend as well, where I unexpectedly bumped into @Howard. Always a pleasure.

A less pleasurable part of the ride was when another rider ran out of talent on the most technical section of the course, losing control and hitting me, sending me over the bars. Net result is a fair number of bruises and a bent brake lever. It was my final lap too!

Regardless of that, I really enjoyed it. Course was good, held up well over the 24hrs, weather better than expected and it was very well organised. Riding through part of the campsite on the last bit of the lap is good fun.