2010-06-19 Sat 9.30am Start - Oxford Graduation Ride (Because Long Rides are Fun)

Arducius/Pifko - great effort - gutted I had to drop out.

Fancy doing the same thing next year?

It's me third from the left studying the route notes in one hand and phone in the other trying to work out there the hell we were!

@clubman the problem for me is that I struggle not to go hard when on the front + I had read your and other posts about knowing the way so I didn't even look at the route + I was riding back to wargrave so I had looked at that route and was hopping someone else would worry about the way there.

The end result was that I was leading the way, we probably went too hard for the first section along the a4 and the rest took too long because I was having to check that we were on course.

it is mo_mo second from left
dicki ( julian ) in the faded orange top on the verge( not pink, please !! )
gus(tav) on the far right blue cannondale
middle of nowhere ( matt ? ) far left

Conker - Yellow cap and "Rubber Duckie" song in head most of the ride

Clubman - re. navigation, also we young'uns (and I count myself here as I'm under 50) have started to rely on sat.nav. and I fear the next generation won't know how to read a map! (or is that just because I'm nearly 50 years old)

I must admit I was relying on someone knowing the route out of London, not being a local I didn't have a clue where I was until we were just before Marlow when I realised I've camped at Longridge and kind of knew where I was. I knew I could make it to Oxford from there onwards fairly easily. But bringing a map would have certainly helped. Don't worry Conker, I do know how to read one. No fancy sat nav phone here!

Braker, yes I'd be up for the DD next year!

[QUOTE=Sainsburys Ed.

@clubman the problem for me is that I struggle not to go hard when on the front + I had read your and other posts about knowing the way so I didn't even look at the route + I was riding back to wargrave so I had looked at that route and was hopping someone else would worry about the way there.

The end result was that I was leading the way, we probably went too hard for the first section along the a4 and the rest took too long because I was having to check that we were on course.[/QUOTE]

Well at least you managed to get there, so it wasn't all bad.
It's always going to be difficult with a group where there's an unknown mix of abilities, and where there will probably be some weak riders who don't have sufficient skill to follow a wheel.
Even though I usually know where I'm going I always prefer to have an OS map with me when out on a bike. The problem with following a route like the one at the top of this thread is that, however detailed the description, once you make a mistake and leave the prescribed road, you really are lost. The weakness of a satnav is that it can only tell you how to get to the place you asked it to get you to, whereas a map will show you places you might* like* to go to.

Nothing really beats having the route in your head, because it allows you to ride with a steady rhythm. I'd say the best way to achieve this is to study the map, then ride over the roads, then repeat until you achieve perfection (I haven't got there yet).

Once again I apologise for not turning up, but I can only repeat that the circumstances were completely beyond my control

Nothing really beats having the route in your head, because it allows you to ride with a steady rhythm. I'd say the best way to achieve this is to study the map, then ride over the roads, then repeat until you achieve perfection (I haven't got there yet).
This is what I tend to do, study the map, jot down some directions if it's getting complicated, and then head out. I normally learn new routes by heading out on a road I know and then taking different turnings before joining back up with the original route. then over time you can deviate more and more until you have a good knowledge of where roads lead etc.

Getting lost intentionally can also be useful, so long as you are careful not to get too lost! For example just heading off down a random road, and trying to find your way back on track without doubling back. Most of the time there are enough road signs to mean you're never really lost.

as long as we kept the sun behind us and the sea on our left, we would have got there eventually

It's when you realise the sun is now in front of you and the sea is on your right that you need to start worrying!

that was the journey home !

If the sun's gone down and you're up to your neck in water you may have over-shot.

^^ ha

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51426538@N07/sets/72157624347644978

A few pics from the ride. As my first forum ride in fact my first distance ride of any sort it was really tough going a bit more pacey than I had expected.

It seems that the pace was more purposeful than other rides and the headwind didn't help. I was never up to that pace all of the way so it was a good thing that I broke from the pack, hence the highlights and lowlights.

Highlights: greatscenery, Katies great navigation skills and good scence of humour, good crowd, poppies, leaving the pack

Lowlights: Headwind, leaving the pack.

^^ Yep, I had mixed feelings about that. At one stage I think the guys up front decided to step things down a gear to keep everyone together, but then it seemed to split up again. Unfortunately I think this was just another effect of not having a clear ride leader. Props for being "big enough" to sit back though - I can guarantee you had a better ride going at your own pace than giving yourself a hernia trying to keep up. And rest assured all forum rides are not that fast, so don't be shy about giving another one a bash. Nice to meet you BTW...

I am planning on doing this route on Sunday, how long did it take you guys? And how does the route compare to Lnd-brighton (the ditchling way)?

there were afew hills nothing compared to ditchling though, unless you go up pishill the wrong way in which case it is a long 1 mile steep climb
journey time for 60 miles and a nice averge of 15 would be 4hours
i'd leave 5 - 6 hrs for it at a more leisurely pub hopping pace

nice thanks dicki, I was thinking about following the route posted on here which would take use north of pishill through north end. It will only be two of us so we should be able to keep a nice pace and wont bother stopping in a pub.

Did you follow the B480 out of Watlington, dicki? It's not the nicest of hills to climb as you can't take much momentum into the base of the climb. Once you leave Watlington you are slowly increasing the gradient before it ramps up properly. Sort of in a limbo of not quite a hill but steep enough to make you work hard.

I actually quite enjoy it...

Neilp, be a little wary of the directions. They don't quite match the route map. After you go through Watlington (after a very big downhill) you have to fork right. If you miss the turning you will end up on the A4074, so you can just follow that towards Oxford and turn right at the next roundabout (signposted towards Stadhampton). Or follow it all the way into Oxford, but it's not such a nice ride.

I've done that little detour myself and it's not a bad route, you get to see a pig farm just outside Watlington. Last time I passed I saw pig sex!

yeah b480 all the way to watlington then i must have gone the wrong way

took me 10 minutes to push my bike up that mofo hill
couldn't have climbed it fixed

Thanks Arducius, I will make a note of that, I'm presuming you mean as you come out of Watlington you head up the b480 towards Chalgrove?. I have printed of the route from bikely, in individual steps. Gives me a map to follow then.

Yeah that's right. It's easy to miss but you'll know if you're on the right route when you get to the roundabout a few hundred metres down the road. Worst road surface in the world!

Sweet thanks for the heads-up

^ also, a few of the early annotations on ther route seemed to be wrong, ie. saying left instead or right! So take a map with you (or GPS if you're not as aged as some of us)

... journey time for 60 miles and a nice averge of 15 would be 4hours
i'd leave 5 - 6 hrs for it at a more leisurely pub hopping pace

He's so sensible you know