2013-04-01 - London Phoenix Easter Classic

There's one Phoenix rider who usually does it on a Create...

Yeah I'm keen to ride along with other people who are riding the short route fixed/SS.

I'll be there on my Cinelli Vigorelli, continuously pulling the lycra out of my bum crack.

Current plan is to do the long route fixed. Might change plan at last minute a becomes cogswapper though. If I am riding fixed it will be leisurely paced.

^ yeah, I'll deffo be fixed. Took a look at my road bike today and it needs new tyres, brake pads, chain. Will also be doing a "leisurely pace" for a technical reason*

Actually it had crosed my mind today to posibly swap over to the short coarse - depending on how shit I feel.

*too much cake, too few miles

I am now out. Hope all who ride has a good time despite the cold.

I'm back in for sure. Hope to get there about 8.45. Beard. 80s Pinarello. Slow. Tired.

It looks like it's going to be damned windy, it might even snow.... I'll be pedalling my white and black Ribble - hopefully in close proximity to Wrongcog - you'll be able to spot me by my limping pedalling style and the gritty noise coming from my bottom bracket . I'm in tip-top form after not really recovering from a knee injury. Rehab has mostly involved three intensive weeks of eating and sitting on my arse.

I'm on gears too and doing the short route. Black & pink Bianchi and wearing as many clothes as possible.

Will have my LFGSS Ladies jersey on but doubt anyone will get to see it under the many, many layers!

It looks like it's going to be damned windy, it might even snow....

Hurrah - that's exactly what I've been preparing for, sat on the sofa for the last two weeks. I'm down to do the long course - but given that the ride out to Ilford will be further than I've managed for weeks, I might take it as it comes. Will see who's around and shamelessly wheelsuck for as long as I can get away with it. On a very exciting specialized allez, probably weeping frosty tears into my merino buff. Woop! Bring it on! Stuff like that!

We should be starting around 9.30ish - I'll be cogswapping after all on a garish cannondale CAAD7 - look out for Dr Cake on the more refined Omega. If anyone wants to join us and wheelsuck then please do - pace shall be leisurely.

Did you go?

Man that was cold! And I was slow thanks to the ferocious wind, a cold and not eating enough but got round! Chapeau to all who did the long route. On a nice sunny day I may have managed it but not in today's cold & wind. Was good to get out and practise using my gears at least.

Had blue lips & was shivering even after a shower. Now in pub with Guiness. Win.

Good to see some friendly faces round the route too!

very cold, my fingers were so sore. flying out to bangkok in a few hours, so couldn't do the 114, so a quick 53 was all i was allowed. 1:49, not bad but could do better.

On a sunny day the long route is a nice ride indeed - but not today. Let ourselves off the hook and on to the short route on the proviso that we would cycle to and from the ride from Paddington giving us a 70 mile ride all in.

DASed a chap in a white rapha jacket - respect to those doing it SS / Fixed.

Nice stop in the Edinboro Castle whilst homeward bound to discover they have an adhoc cycle club called Nofreewheelers.cc - Bicycles, Beers and Burgers - a combination few could argue with.

It was chilly, but it wasn't unbearable. Such a lovely route. Nearly threw my toys out of the pram when I got a puncture though. Not sure I've ever ridden a sportive without getting one. Particularly annoying because I was with a group of seriously zippy riders. However, I was massively cheered to see the laughing faces of Wrongcog and Bigpaintbrush hove into view.
3 hours 45 mins moving time for the long course - which was quicker than last year.

That was fun. Busy too. Was a good mph quicker than I expected to be on my rolling average so I'm pleased with that. Bigpaintbrush towed me round graciously. My biggest regret was not watching Benj moose off into the distance eating the headwind like Terminator so much as our total failure to ride straight past him when we saw him struggling with a Karmapuncture about an hour later. We should have just shouted wanker at him and gunned it past.

Figgy flapjacks half way and hot chocolate at the end were a win. As was a cheery hello from KT who has a brilliant memory for faces only having met me once before. Fair play to you for tacking on the windy drag from and back to south London. Made my roll from Leyton seem very pedestrian.

Rolling time 4.02. Sort of ride time as suggested by strava: 4.26 which is only a few minutes slower than my bonky shit eater last year so I'm not having that! But remember kids, "it's not a race"!

Just realised the strava time wouldnt have paused at the tea stop half way like their official (but apparently broken) timer does. kicking last years time in the arse FTW! Poots has inspired me. I'm having a bath and going in search of Guinness!!!

Well, that was a lot of fun.

Poots, I think I DASed you at the side of the road when I clocked your jersey. :)

DASed a chap in a white rapha jacket - respect to those doing it SS / Fixed.

That'll be my mate Luke if he was riding a Fuji Track.

We were leapfrogging some people quite often as the two of us were feeling quite good up the climbs but the two we were riding with were suffering a bit. Overall time ended up being about as slow as I've ridden a bike in ages but really enjoyed it nonetheless.

KT Bee, were you riding with a Carradice saddlebag? Saw you several times if so.

Noooo ... I was wearing a pale plue and white sort of wool jersey, and riding on gears and forever alone (as I concluded pretty quickly that trying to keep up with the others would break me).

Top Day....dry and a bit sunny...saw KTB.....asked the organisers to sort out signing on for next year....did the Tour of Flanders so this rounded off a good weekend.

Really enjoyed that, great day out. Good to catch some forum people too.

That'll be my mate Luke if he was riding a Fuji Track.

Yep that's the one.

Really enjoyed that, great day out. Good to catch some forum people too.

Werd.

Poots, I think I DASed you at the side of the road when I clocked your jersey. :)

I was trying to work out if that was you or Wrongcog! Yo!