Audax rides

Derrington's Protofacist Marmalade

adds to Ocado order

So I'm gonna do amesbury amble tomorrow as my first audax. The rider info pack says you can start between 0530 and 0615. It's quite a big window but reasonably early. I guess this means they want people out the door by 0615? I don't live far away but need to walk the dog beforehand and not sure he'd appreciate a morning walk before 5.

We're in Poole for the Hard Boiled 300k / Dorset Coast 200k double. It's wet. It's cold. I think I'd rather just do a pub crawl to be honest. :S

Weather's going to be lovely tomorrow - you'll be glad to be out in beautiful Dorset

Just need to get through that first 6hrs of darkness and cold.

Ooh goody, it gets to double digits by 11am.

Beer is just carb

I would say so yeah - it’s a relaxed vibe but I don’t think anyone wants to keep the volunteers hanging around any longer than necessary.

Also riding tomorrow, shout at the rider on a copper croix de fer

I thought as much, just didn't think it'd be so early. Will do, I'll be on a blue Glider. I'll be stopping at the bridge Inn in Upper Woodford as well, as it's a good pub in a nice setting, amesbury is grim.

Almost all 300's start at 6am, probably why they're my least favourite, I'd rather a 400 with a 9am start.

Hereward the Wake is an excellent 300, starts at 9pm.

Good to meet you (albeit briefly) at the first check - hope there was beer left when you got back to the scout hut

@Chellis88 you looked to be going at a good pace when I saw you early on, chapeau

Was nice to meet you both. Was lovely weather in the afternoon. Definitely not used to the 300 distance. My knees gave up at about 200km, probably a mix of increase in distance and finding out my saddle had slipped back 2cm. So, from the salisbury plains back was a slow experience. Also lost my brevet card. Classic.

@jackbepablo good luck building up to l-le-l. Sounds like you'll have a full calendar.

@Chellis88 @Rik_Van_Looy great to meet you guys!

Sadly it didn’t go to plan for me yesterday and I bailed at Amesbury. Seems I’ve lost more than just my aerobic capacity over the winter, lots of work to do. Hope you both had a good ride!

I've done that a couple of times and enjoyed it. Am doing Rutland midnight express this year, 10pm curry for midnight start.

Early morning starts only work for most people if they drive.

This year I'm riding a tandem which adds an extra hour or more of time before the start so the early ones are that bit harder. We're doing an evening start 400 as well.

It's a dirty job but someone's got to do it.

We got around the Hard Boiled 300 / Dorset Coast 200 double.

Lots of logistical dramas (thanks to the new organiser, Peter for helping out with storage) and lots of hills. Did I mention hills? There were lots of hills. We both had smaller cassettes on than usual (no MTB cassettes for this one #sadface) so I can't speak for the missus but my back and triceps got more of a workout than I'm used to for a long time. Undercarriage got a beating too. Maybe angles are wrong or maybe just less time on aerobars or rougher roads or something.

Both very well run with good controls. HB300 is kinda cool with the 2am start so you finish at beer o'clock. Dorset Coast 200k is probably a 'prettier' route.

HB300 is kinda cool with the 2am start so you finish at beer o'clock

I thought every ride you did finished at beer o'clock?

Well done!

Good point, well made.

We ended up driving rather than doing the late train thing and we drove between hotels and home so I never had post-ride beers. I may have "carb loaded" in the leadup though.

Some pics
https://www.strava.com/activities/8905962524
https://www.strava.com/activities/8905961330

Going by train for the Hardboiled worked out pretty well for me - Friday night dinner at home, more eating on the last train to Poole, then hang around the station carpark for an hour (full down jacket came in useful there). Ride (and walk) around Wessex, quick pint and then back in London by midnight so could be reasonably presentable for Sunday lunch with the in-laws.

Yeah, I did the train thing last time I rode Hard Boiled (which I just checked and was way back in 2016 on a TT bike!). My plan back then was to ride back afterwards but my rear light didn't like the new batteries I'd bought for it and so I rode back to Poole and trained home. I didn't know about the 'double' back then.

https://www.lfgss.com/comments/12887066/

The 'longer' batteries that Nick (SWRC) wouldn't believe scuppered my ride home after HB300 last time. :D

2016 pics from The Sloth: https://www.flickr.com/photos/thesloth94/albums/72157664478653034/with/25635819974/ how did I not freeze to death?

Anyone else riding Oasts and Coasts? First in a few years where the weather's not looking great.

I'm signed up but my knee is not 100% and as you say the forecast is a bit shite. Erring on the side of skipping it...

Looks like we got lucky with Wessex and I picked a good weekend to recover sit in a pub.

Same.

Person I was going to ride with has bailed as well, but I'd booked the Gravesend Travellodge Friday night to be near the start so I feel slightly invested in it.

Certainly doesn't feel like a 'proper' Oasts and Coasts if it's not ice cream weather !