Audax rides

Excellent ride report. My memory of audaxes the following day consist of only pain and suffering. I'm amazed at the detail of where and whens you recall.
I'm hoping to have this year of getting back to fitness on the road after 6 months + off bike and then looking to kickstart my audax comeback in 2025. Hopefully I'll join you for a ride or two and looking forward to reconnecting with YAL as always.

My memory of audaxes the following day consist of only pain and suffering.

This is absolutely bob on, but particularly so today. Went a bit too deep yesterday so legs are absolute mush, some serious jeopardy going down the steps at Cannon Street this morning, the all-consuming aches in my quads and lower back meant my hand was ready to grasp the handrail the whole way down!

I'm amazed at the detail of where and whens you recall.

I find it oddly cathartic to look at the route again on RWGPS, any photos taken and then piece it together into a vaguely coherent narrative. Probably helps cement memories longer term as well which I value; I try not to take for granted how fortunate I am, in every respect, to be able to do these rides with great company. Life and circumstance can change at any point so you never know...

Look forward to your comeback, gently does it and I'm sure you'll be back on top form before you know it :)

Nice write up. Similarly one of the main memories of yesterday was getting caught up in a huge London Velo group in narrow lanes and enduring about 10km of grit in the face.

Considering adding Raceblades might keep your arse dry but they're not proper mudguards to the rider notes for my event

Looking unlikely the gravel bike is going to be ready for Easter and I'm not inclined to pay for the £300 train tickets to Aviemore for MTB stuff so any good 400-1000k routes I could do on the road over Easter weekend that are short train or rideable from London?

Kernow & SW has been on my todo list for a while, Pure Peak Grit 600k looks lumpy as and I'm not sure my hippyisevenfatter frame would survive.

Mr Hyde's 600k could be tweaked to leave from home but we've done quite a lot of these roads already
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37203176

BBC 600k is one I never got done
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31215183

Frank's flat Lincoln 600k
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34325713

Borders & Flandlands 1000k, with a southerly start?
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41059239

Could still train to Edinburgh (with bikes might be tricky) and do Mille Alba
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/737730

London Lands End London route?

I was thinking of London Lands End London
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42783220

They also did one to Anglesey and back which I can't immediately find.
It probably crosses the 24 hour course, which you might suddenly recognise when you stumble across it!

Trains to Bristol are quite easy - but may be not at Easter.
Anyway Will Pomeroy has some good routes from there. His main one - which I want to do one year - is 1600 km to Glasgow and back so too long. But he had a good 600 which I did last year - into wales then the south coast.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43347111

I expect he has others on his website

Trains to Bristol are quite easy

Urgh, I took one on a Fri night for the Moonrakers Sunseekers and it was one of the most stressful, shite train journeys. Stupid little booths with 2 tiny bike spaces, running up and down the platform looking for them and when you find one you have to move 30 people out of the standing area to get the bike in. You have to hate yourself and your bike to take them on most trains.

Good shout re: Will. I've done a few of his rides. I think I may have convinced the other half to do the K&SW (which I know you dislike), although she's not as keen on riding from Reading to/from the start to make it a 1000k. Pissweak. No wonder I'm getting fat.

That 600 you linked isn't public though

Here's a bit of a different one:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39420247

You do it via the overnight Newhaven-Dieppe ferrys. A bit roughing it but its much nicer riding that side of the channel, better food, etc. And the ferry is usually fun, Dieppe is nice.

I did it two years ago. The ride down to Newhaven takes it to 1,000km, and you can get an early train back from Brighton.

You can obivously tweak the length - I did this as a 3-day ride, leave home on day 0 at tea time and get home for breakfast on day 4

I enjoyed BBC London but I reckon I'd ride it in reverse. The day in the fens is terrible, and I'd prefer to get it out of the way to ride the fun stuff on the second day tbh.

London Anglesey London (1000) is another thought? The KWCC route is probably on RidewithGPS somewhere or I can DM you the 12 sections they broke it down into if it came to it.

Very enjoyable, however I would go as far as the Menai Bridge and no further as there's little of interest on Anglesey itself, except a Spar in some miserable village they used as a control.

That's a neat idea. ~6hrs night ride to Newhaven for 11pm sailing? Not sure I'm fast enough to make that these days - might have to leave a bit earlier.

Newhaven - Dieppe
Friday March 29, 2024 at 23:00
2 Adults
1 x Bicycle < 2m x < 1m
Transportation 1-5 days £80.50
Dieppe - Newhaven
Monday April 1, 2024 at 06:30
2 Adults
1 x Bicycle < 2m x < 1m
Transportation 1-5 days £80.50

Not sure why it assumes we're riding a tandem - 1 bike per two people - but the costs don't seem extortionate.

I'll try and remember that if I end up doing the BBC as a DIY (and it's not running as a calendar so that's more likely). Couldn't find it on RWGPS but I did find this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muCUAtBKuc4

I would go as far as the Menai Bridge and no further as there's little of interest on Anglesey itself, except a Spar in some miserable village they used as a control.

I was looking for a town called Anglesey. I didn't even realise it was a whole island until now.

Found it! Yes just stick those km in Anglesey somewhere else on the route. A few laps of Heathrow, whatever. You're missing very little

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/40130573

This 600 was fun, main objective was to climb The Burway and see Ironbridge. I think it might include some of the Art and Science route.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35842104

It's only 100km, I think I did it in under 5 hours last time I went, including picking up a kebab in the town.

I think you can only have one bike per booking so prob do separately. It's normally £28 each way.

Whenever I have 3-5 days to ride I usually head to dieppe. This was last years one, a bit longer. I did it as a 1600 Diy including home to Newhaven.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43438647

They're all fresh tiles though :)

Looks like I've actually done quite a lot of that route - no fresh tiles until Hereford / Worcester.

Yep, up til then it's all familiar stuff from routes like Faffers 400 and the other KWCC 400 that goes out that way. Pretty but samey.

however I would go as far as the Menai Bridge and no further as there's little of interest on Anglesey itself, except a Spar in some miserable village they used as a control.

I would echo that. It's surprisingly dull, after great riding in north Wales. Flat and windy.

Flat and windy.

Home Sweet Home :)

Kernow&SW there's a ferry crossing at Polruan/Fowey. I guess it's pretty regular and if not we can always head up to the Bodinnick ferry or there's a bridge in Lostwithiel (adding ~22k)

https://www.ctomsandson.co.uk/polruan-ferry/ferry-fares-and-timetables/
https://www.ctomsandson.co.uk/bodinnick-ferry/ferry-and-timetable/

Anyone recall any details about using these? Looks like £5 with a bike.

Polruan is a carry on from slipway, and more likely of the two to be cancelled in bad weather, and can be surprisingly busy. At least with the car one you can queue jump.
Just remember it's "Foy" 🤣

That Roberts was my favourite bike of the day.

Anyone recall any details about using these?

Main thing I remember is that there was a chippy just before the ferry where we ate.

The ferry went smoothly or I would remember more about it. Only a couple of minutes across and didn't have a long wait.

I've potentially got a free few days in May and am thinking about doing this. Need to make my mind up as the train ticket prices are drifting up every day.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45916397

It's part of the 45 SW route through southern France that I had to DNS from last year. I could do it as an 800km DIY over 3 days / 2 nights (need to pad it out by a dozen or so more km to get 800, or maybe just do it as a 700)

Logistics are not bad. Monday morning Eurostar and TGV to Nice, and night in a hotel there
Day 1: Tuesday - early start, up into the hills, Gorges du Verdon
Day 2: Ventoux and Cirque de Navacelles
Day 3: a bit easier and roll into Toulouse then sleeper + Eurostar back from Toulouse. Home for lunch on Friday.

It's a bit more travelling than I would usually do just to ride myself, but it would be a spectacular ride and a bit more of an adventure. Downside is that I need to rinko the bike (wheels and fork out) for the trains.

The other option would be another loop from Dieppe, or Calais + Dieppe. The riding can't match the south but finishing at Dieppe is brilliant, a real motivator on the final stages: moules frites and beer at one of the cafes overlooking the old harbour while waiting for the midnight ferry.