2011-08-20 - M25 Orbital Ride

Waiting for my carbon fork to arrived for the Brooklyn Gangsta, can't wait for this ride!

Shame the Mrs couldn't come with!

I'm working on it 'Henge, believe me. At the mo she insists on riding only in short dresses and heels. We go about 5 miles an hour when we ride but it's so beautiful to watch I don't dare say anything

Phew. While everyone else is out on proper rides, I have been on my own EPIC internet cycling adventure and stitched together the pieces of the route into one megaroute, of EPIC complexity. It is now in the op. I still need to add some details to the crib notes but otherwise this is route we will be looking to stick to.

Did I mention it was EPIC?

well done to all involved with this.

spybot - the route looks ace, super good work plotting all of that.

i would love to do this but am busy that saturday.

good luck with it.

Thanks :D

Before it looks like I am attempting to steal all the credit, I should add that Schixie1 aka Oliver Schick and dropout have also helped enormously with the route. Oh, and Fox on the recces.

Now all that remains is to ride around the pesky thing.

+1 all round. Great effort. You guys must all be excited.

w00t

I too would have loved to have given this a crack but alas I am a family wedding next Saturday. Have fun guys!

Did I mention it was EPIC?

well done! to think some shirkers are bimbling around in Devon while you are taking cycling to a new level. on your PC.

i'm out by the way. never signed up for it online but was chewing it over in some real life conversations with a fewof you. anyway i have a football tournament that day.

Having some real doubts about my fitness. Have only riden one 100miler since 8th July. That didn't feel great but it *was *29 degrees and humid all the way.

Maybe I'm feeling morose because of a shit few days riding as a result of a batch of perished inner tubes and from a few recent niggling injuries.

Fuck it, I'll probably be ok and if not, there are plenty of places to bail. God I'm looking forward to giving it a stab though.

You're definitely not the only one Dan, there's not really anyone who's used to riding this distance in one go who's doing the ride, so we're all in the same boat really.

I think I'm going to be doing it on gears, I did 5 miles short of a century on Sunday. Still not really done enough miles, but with my leg/knee issue I'd rather make sure that's as healed as possible by not doing too much then I know I can push myself as long as my leg/knee doesn't blow up badly again.

My fitness is atrocious--I've only done two rides this year over 50 miles, and the DD was more like two widely-spaced 60-milers. I'm looking forward to riding slowly. You'll probably be much fitter than me, Dan!

Thanks :D

Before it looks like I am attempting to steal all the credit, I should add that Schixie1 aka Oliver Schick and dropout have also helped enormously with the route. Oh, and Fox on the recces.

Now all that remains is to ride around the pesky thing.

You give me too much credit, Oli. I only did one Google Maps-based route plotting exercise and have since left all the work to others. :)

I'm looking forward to an armchair ride on which I won't have to do any navigation, he, he.

I did a 161mi and a few ~140mi in June and July...surely I haven't managed to drink myself unfit since taking the rest of July off to let my ankles heal. I'm sure we'll all be fine. All we need to do is keep the pedals turning and keep ourselves fueled.

I will definitely be riding geared as I have only riden about 30mi on my new fixed. It would be madness to throw myself into a 150mi ride on it especially as I have never riden further than 80mi fixed before.

I like the fact this ride will be a challenge and an achievement for everybody...its going to be great! Fingers crossed for the weather.

My fitness is atrocious--I've only done two rides this year over 50 miles, and the DD was more like ***to ***widely-spaced 60-milers. I'm looking forward to riding slowly. You'll probably be much fitter than me, Dan!

Herr Schick, I am most disappointed.

this is going to be such an amazing and epic ride...

Herr Schick, I am most disappointed.

Ha, see--I've even lost my spelling fitness. Corrected.

Cannot wait.

I will definitely be riding geared as I have only riden about 30mi on my new fixed. It would be madness to throw myself into a 150mi ride on it especially as I have never riden further than 80mi fixed before.

Put brake hood + rear brake on the fixie skidder and you'll find a century a doodle on it, even though John made it look so easy (apart from spinning like a washing machine on the descent).

I disagree Ed. I haven't fitted it to me properly yet and it would be madness to ride 150mi on bike that I have never ridden further than 6 miles in one go. I haven't even dialled in saddle height. I have put it together and ridden it to LMNH a few times and that's it.

Ok.

Who can garminate the route? I need a volunteer, just in case. I'm fairly sure that between dropout and I the route is covered, but I'd like a garmin as backup. Especially since I'm not really all that confident that I'll be able to finish the whole thing, since my legs have been rather rubbish since the Dunwich Dynamo. But I'm sure dropout will have it covered. He's hard as nails.

Stonehedge is on board, other volunteers, please pm...

Just to re-iterate: John and I know the route. Garmin useful as backup.

Anyway, here's a picture of a heifer that managed to hold up the M25 for 3 hours a couple of years ago, just to whet your appetite.

Done

I'm in. Need something to stretch me after DD and various FNRttC rides.

1. Spybot
   
2. Dropout
   
3. Fox
   
4. Stonehedge
   
5. edscoble
   
6. PP
   
7. Nigel182
   
8. youramericanpotenial (maybe)
   
9. Branwen
   
10. itsbruce
    

I disagree Ed. I haven't fitted it to me properly yet and it would be madness to ride 150mi on bike that I have never ridden further than 6 miles in one go. I haven't even dialled in saddle height. I have put it together and ridden it to LMNH a few times and that's it.

Heh, I never ridden the moulton further than 25 miles and decided to take it to Cumbria.

Fucking lucky truth to be told.