The Great Escape 2017 - 200km - LMNH! Old Str to Essex

ok, no worries, thanks anyhow

Another hard ride in the Essex lanes. Excuse me while I go and sleep it off!

Headwind much on the way home? I revisted Jammy's Bognor route, but as a round trip to the Surrey Hills trails. Top tailwind home, which was good, because I was toast.

I felt like I was cycling into a headwind all day, but yes, it was particularly noticeable on the way home...

This ride hurt so much!! It was good fun, but definitely not flat!!!

Glad it wasn't only me who thought that!

@HoKe @h2o

What are you guys talking about, it was a great ride, headwind, rain and all! Definitely suffered much more for much shorter rides. I considered it rather flat, Essex is flat/fast rolling.

Well done ICC, great day out

Was fantastically well organised by Islington. I lost count of the number of different varieties of flapjack available at the post blue egg stop.

Enjoyable even after hitting a pothole at speed which has done for my front rim.

Oh, it was a great ride, just not as flat as I'd expect in Essex...

I have a route that can pack more climbing in 60k just within the hills of north London, Essex is as flat as it gets. For flatter orography see Belgium or Nederland.

Sorry mate, didn't realise we were in a 'how many hills can I climb' competition. The Shark seems to have that particular itch scratched, for me at least. Just found it a bit harder than I expected! Although the chronic hay fever didn't help - maybe it was as much that as anything.

Definitely not a competition, sorry for coming across like that. Just wanted to make a point that any ride of this length into any direction out of London other than Essex would have been hillier for sure, at least any ride I did.

rain

when?

Headwind fucked me up too.

Belgium

Never been to Wallonia I guess?

We did long food breaks, so we got some rain when back in London

Should have said Flanders

I think the fact it was rolling hills throughout the ride was annoying, especially the last 70km to the end of the ride, where pretty much all of us was sick of them and just wanted to get back to lmnh as quickly as possible.

On reflection I think after a couple of days I would say it was a decent long ride, and it gave me a new fond of respect to people who rides audaxs. But in the meantime I am going to stuff my face in with food and sleep a lot over the week.

Sounds like someone's fixeh ride to Cam and back ;)

Instead it was much faster =(

With the 6AM guys constantly pushing the pace in the second half, I ended up with a much quicker average than intended (20mph moving).

#sportivedax

It was also described as a 'reliability ride' during the briefing. As soon as I heard that, I had flashbacks to the Butlins ride and nearly turned around and headed home!

Anyone riding it again this year?