Audax rides

Thanks @amey for another excuse to post #hippyisfat while at the top of the AAA list... :)

1 Attachment

11 March was the last AAA ride I had added, so yeah, I'd just wait. I assume our friendly AAA guy actually has a life away from ride validation and does this stuff in batches when they have some free time. Bloody Insta-gratification generation.

I defer to the prospective National Champion Climber regarding AAA points, but you'll have a very long wait to get audax points for a 100 as they only start at 200km.

Ha! If I get around the routes I've got planned in the next couple of months then I will have an ok little pile of AAA points so will be happy about that. Thanks for the info @frank9755

How much has that cost you in virtual Brevet cards? Or got a bulk deal?

Yeah can be a month or two sometimes, I wouldn't fret.

I usually set myself a calendar reminder about 2 months after the DIY just to check everything's updated by then, and maybe a friendly follow up email if it hasn't by that point.

Cheers - it's been about a month and half so that makes sense. I'll chill for a little while longer, I was just curious!!

Patience is an Audax virtue…

Still waiting for the 2019 Easter Arrow Brevet cards and certificates back!

Oasts and Coasts yesterday. 300 is too far and I'm not getting out of bed for a headwind next time.

5 Attachments

I saw some participants of this, climbing the north side of Toys Hill around 7 am when out on my ride yesterday. Didn't see you or @youramericanlover sadly, but did see someone in NLTCBMBC kit.

@andyp believe that would have been Rob M in NLTC kit, think he was the only team member riding it, I wanted to but couldn't get myself there for the early start time

I did it too for the first time. Great route. that headwind was brutal! Felt like it was ongoing for a 100km...

@PhilDAS Romney Marshes was fairly grim going already (and we'd managed to get a group of 7 working together across it) and then they threw in about 5km of loose gravel 😂

Everything from Deal onwards was joyous, however

I've done it twice, once with a west wind and once with an east wind. If it doesn't get you in the marshes, it gets you on that later stretch to Reculver!

Great route, amazing seeing so much sea, but it is bound to be windy being so close to the coast for so long.

@honk were you the brixton cc crew? I was the guy on the green bike who joined the group for a while on the marshes. Thanks for the tow!

Ah yes that was us! I can't imagine what it was like riding across there solo
(Lovely bike btw!)

@frank9755 Yep I think it was 2019 where it was the opposite situation. Nothing so demoralising as being faced with an exposed headwind for the last 100km ...

Also 2015 - first time I did it!
Almost had to walk the bit to Reculver castle...

I rode it as a DIY in one of the lockdown years.

Completely windless, but got mild heatstroke as it was pushing 33C. Can't win! :)

Well I had a great time on Oasts and Coasts! Really nicely organised, and who kept the Scout Hut open until 6:30 so me and @PhilDAS could start a tiny bit later without future brevet card / receipt shenanigans. Loved heading south over Toys and rolling through the Ashdown, beautiful sunlight. Fucked up the timing a bit collecting @cagimaha on the way and he amazingly chased back on twice after a mechanical on the way to [f]Uckfield. Also teamed up with the incredible @Klar until just after Hythe. The 70 miles of wind on the southern leg got pretty tiresome but even when the wind was miserable I was still enjoying myself. Climb out of Folkstone was annoying. We found a couple of broleurs afterwards and tagged onto them for a bit on the way to Minnis Bay. I was joshing around with them but they didn't like any of my jokes :( I also found it emotionally difficult to cycle directly past my house at 150 miles.
After 170 miles I did officially stop having fun though and wanted desperately to be done. A good day out fixed @BareNecessities

1 Attachment

Your tag is non-operational, but I still knew you were talking about me

Now fixed

No wonder poor Phil suffered, lugging those gears and disc brakes around

It was the weight penalty of the fork safety sticker wot dunnit

This makes me nervous! Two of us are doing a similar ride this weekend coming but riding out as a lap of Kent.
Any bits that weren’t great on the route that could do with changing?

Here’s the route if anyone is kind enough to give it a glance over;
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38935607?privacy_code=t3lxoBAsoXu70fvG
?privacy_code=t3lxoBAsoXu70fvG