Audax rides

The controls on the Porkers are like worth the £10 entry each, so can you use some interval racing between them and spending ample time there in your training plan? And you can sleep nicely in Corscombe control.

Green & Yellow Fields any good? Have never really done a proper night ride before so sounds interesting.

I will be doing it for the third time this year I always enjoy it, it's a handy one being in early BST to get back into the swing of night riding, the route is pleasant if unspectacular still plenty of nice bits though.

3 weeks to go until the Dauntsey Dawdle 400 and I feel very, very slow :-/

Don't think I've actually ridden a 200k yet this year. Longest ride was probably 90 flat miles back from Peterborough. Not good training for Audax.

Sounds like perfect prep!

James' tip of the day - bring gears with you, or at the very least a freewheel (which I did neither of), if you ever ride Valley of The Rocks 200. Stunning route, absolutely beautiful, but a bit cheeky in places, both up and down.

2 very hard earnt AUK points today, and an equally hard 4AAA. Which, if I've got my calculations correct, brings me to 103.5 FWC points for the season.

Huzzar!

Great, have just entered

So despite @hippy riding Brevet Cymru the day before, he still smashed me around Porkers.

#beast

PS - I really thought that was the last climb.

Edit
Having had time to sit down and start to ache (a lot), I can thoroughly recommend this ride to anyone who asks.
Fantastic scenery, even in the dead of night, a wonderful route that is well worth the effort put in to get round. I rode 63" (42/18) and would definitely take a flip flop next time, perhaps 42/17 or 42/16 for the first 60k and last 40. My arse really needed a rest by 400k as, although I did walk some, I stayed in my saddle again for far too long I guess)

There was a total dude riding flat pedals on Cymru who looked like he was popping to the shops. He suggested the finish park but it was full so I did end up using the parking near the Port which, thanks to me smashing the finish, only cost me the £14ish for the 28hrs I'd plugged in when I got there around 10am. Was worried it would need topping up or I'd get fined.

Porkers was stunning. Feckin' hard work but really lovely scenery.

I kind of left you guys behind at the last big climb, but I was rushing in to get the car and get out before I got fined. I rode a bit of the final 35 chatting to one of your other ACH fellas, on the Burls? He had to stop to change Garmin batteries, caught me back up but then I got into TT mode to finish and left him. It's been ages since I've ridden a long calendar event and it's so nice to have controls at night! All my DIYs are really miserable affairs in the early hours, scrounging around trying to find 24hr service stations with those window slots. So much better doing cals :)

Had we met before this ride? I can't actually remember. You two fixed nutters can have it. Even on the 36T I was looking for lower gears at some points. :)

It was Gadget was on the Burls. Me and Justin saw the 20% sign and agreed to take it easy. (At that point, I'm not too proud to say, I was never making it!)

I think Gadge ended up waiting for Justin, who had whipped ahead of me after grabbing an ice cream, and I came in with Simon (the one riding TCR) a few minutes later, who I think saw I was suffering and held back with me (that or he was drafting me and using me as a windshield as he was lighting up his possibly 30th fag of the ride?)

There was a third guy on fixed too - he's the nutter. I'm led to believe he was on Brevet Cymru too! I'm glad he finished. Came in about 10mins after me. Warrior. He's the chap with already over 100AAA.

I think literally a handful of words were exchanged on AAAnfractuous in October.

Brimstone at the end of the month - rumour has it its a breeze compared to Porkers, so if you do decide to, I'm sure you'll scrape round 😜 🐷🐷🐷✈️

AAAnfractuous

Oh yeah, you mentioned that but I have no recollection. I think I rode the short version with the missus or was that another event? I have such shit memory.

Brimstone was in the calendar but it's only a week before TABR so unlikely I'll actually do it.

I still need to work out kit choice. I think I'll go back to the bigger saddle pack for wider temp variation options and leave the jacket out of my framebag so it doesn't mess with my knees.

Thats it. Nyctophobic. I'm pretty good with faces.
I like to blend in to stay unnoticed anyway (hence rocking up to a 6AAA fixed!)

Either me or the bike or both normally look weird and I have a big mouth so tend to stand out.

Same thing happened chatting with Smeth. Apparently we'd met before but of course 'all you English look the same' :)

Keep riding fixed and I'll probably recognise you. I know Justin's face from Straight Outta Hackney (and lying on the ground during a HB300). Maybe I need to be at a pub or with beer for that part of my brain to work :)

Got myself a proper back wheel now.

And I did have a proper mudguard, which happened to shear clean in half sometime yesterday morning, between Winterbourne and Nunney Catch, so currently running a shorty (at least it snapped in a fairly good place!)

Those correx mudguards - an engineering marvel and wonder - may very well be making a reappearance soon.

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My mum said that if I work hard and get a good job, then I'll be able to save my pennys and buy a big boys bike with as many gears as I want.

Alas, I feel that ship has sailed, so I'll probably stay fixed for a while yet 🙄

Did you drillium the chainring? #filth

A pimp's life isn't for everyone but 11spd is one of the perks.

Its a velosolo chainring for 3/32 chain. Some come with holes, some come with slots, depends on the size. Some come in funky colours but I'm too tired to link to them.

One of the few benefits of not being a pimp does include having both today and tomorrow off work though.

#grimpingainteasy

Looks like the Garmin chewed my Porkers ride.

Anyone got a nice route from SE / Centralish to Chalfont St Peter? Avoiding anything too busy but definitely on road.

In time to get to an Audax or some other time?

From SW15 I've always gone over Kew Bridge, Brentford High Street, Half Acre, Boston Road and then Uxbridge Road, A40, A413. That's to get there for 6am or 8am. Can imagine it might not be as nice later on in the day.

I normally use Uxbridge Road, A40, A413 for Chilterns stuff.

There's probably nicer routes slightly more north towards the canals and Harefield though you have to go through Ruislip which has its share of dickheads, but I'm normally running late so fUxbridge works. Or just bust straiht out the A40 to really save time (knocks years off your life though :)

Thanks looks like a solid route. I want to DIY the London Wales London route so really is to pick up the start of the route. Would be leaving home c 5am on a Weekend so hopefully roads all clear

I'm in Lewisham, personally I would take the Grand Union from Paddington as far as Greenford and pick up the road from there. I've used it loads of times to get to and from ride. At the times you will be riding there is literally no-one about so you can fly along it.