Audax rides

Kinesis don't have any stock of my size until after Mar 7 so it looks like I'll be riding the Tarmac (cheating the hills) or riding the Stealth TT bike (cheating the air). :)

The Peartree is about 3 miles out from the station and mostly a straight run.

I'm aware of the closed petrol station. I'm going to rewrite the instructions a couple of weeks beforehand to direct people through the town centre. There's a couple of shops there and some ATMs for receipts. Not sure about the gps file though. Will probably borrow the wife's Garmin and try and record the route that way.

I think I'd favour the Tarmac over the Stealth. Some of the ups would be grim on batwings and depending on what the winter has done, so would some of the downs.

Mind you, the wife's Stealth already scares me on the flat.

Which hills? Now I remember! The A46 Larrington alone is worth the Stealth!

Dean as on the bike

I've ridden that peice of crap over some unimaginable horrors - I'm sure I'll cope :)

Plus, it's usually dirty whereas the Tarmac never gets used so it would mean I'd have to clean it. ;)

Also, the Tarmac has 404s on it whereas the Stealth has big, handbuilt training wheels. All the better to smash over potholes with.

I'll make the call closer to the time.

What's the A46 Larrington?

Yesterday I did my first Audax, the Newport 200km. Rode to the start and back as well, which ended up being 240km which is quite comfortably my longest ever day ride. Had a really good time, despite some really minging weather on the second quarter of the ride and some problems with my navigation systems. Decided to do it on the fixed because the ride description said only 750m of ascent, it actually turned out to be more like 1500m, but my legs were fine really even at the end. I did get pain in my wrists and neck a fair bit, probably due to quite a lot of saddle to bar drop on my "track" bike, also my arse hurt as it always does on long rides, I've yet to find that perfect saddle.

In response to someone who asked about using a route sheet, I found it surprisingly easy really. However for a while my speedo packed up which made it a lot more difficult as I had to try to guess the distances between turns. Eventually it started clocking km's again and although the count wasn't the same as the route sheet a bit of maths after each turn did the job (this became harder to keep track of when chatting to people and near the end when tired).

I'll definitely be looking to do some more Audaxes, and really enjoyed doing it on my fixed as its my favourite bike really but that will be route permitting. I wasn't really sure how it works with the FWC and neither was the organiser at the finish, but I am not really bothered about it being credited to me "officially" as a fixed ride anyway.

Come out of Stow in the Wold and at the top of the hill keep going until you hit the A46 and follow it into Tewkesbury. From there, pick up the Willesden CC Severn Across route to Newent and resume The Dean. Nice descent with a TT across the Severn basin.

Very nice indeed. We took the A38 towards Gloucester before Tewkesbury and resumed the Dean on the B 4213.

Good work.

I wasn't really sure how it works with the FWC and neither was the organiser at the finish, but I am not really bothered about it being credited to me "officially" as a fixed ride anyway.

Don't worry, it's done on honesty. At the end of the year just let the FWC organiser know which rides you did on fixed (or which rides from your results you didn't do on fixed, if that's easier). I rarely bother getting my FWC card signed nowadays.

The original Larrington Manoeuvre was just to avoid Cleeve Hill by going right in Winchcombe and round the lump via Gretton and Gotherington.

Free route between controls makes all of these games much more fun. Some times it pays off but a few times I've decided to try and deviate from the route I've ended up making it much worse due to my own idiocy (doing this on PBP was especially idiotic given that the route is mandatory).

Might look at doing one of the Springtime rides on March 21st (from Ugley, Essex) since I missed Brazier's Run. There's a 110km ride so that'll be ~200km with riding to the start and getting the train home.

Stow in the Wold

I've ridden out that way a few times but it's not overly familiar. Good reason to do the Dean then, eh? :)

A38 towards Gloucester before Tewkesbury

has flashbacks of LEJOG training rides

Anyone interested in back issues of Arrivee magazine? They are available digitally on the auk website but in case anyone prefers paper. Probably going to chuck them out but let me know if you're interested. Got about half a dozen.

Any interesting ride reports in them?

Any interesting ride reports in them?

"And then we turned left onto the B18232818 which is a very interesting road..."

"... saw a lesser spotted badgerhawk which is unusual for this time of year and ..."

Yeah, I've read two issues so far :) But I'm thinking there might be some nice kit tips or ride sugggestions that might help me out? Wishful thinking perhaps.

Make that a bakers dozen.

Yes lots of ride reports, gear reviews and feedback from seasoned riders as well as noobs.

I'll definitely be looking to do some more Audaxes, and really enjoyed doing it on my fixed as its my favourite bike really but that will be route permitting.

Nice one. Another fixed rider. It's quite nice having the FWC card as it's a bit like a passport full of visas. You can still get your points without it as @Greenbank says but I quite like the blank look I get sometimes when after I've presented the ride brevet I ask them to fill out the FWC one.

If no one else wants them I might take them off your hands.

Yeah I reckon I will get a FWC card then, thinking about doing Delightful Dales on sunday which will definitely be on a geared bike but they do one a month from Cheadle hulme and they are mostly pretty flat so should be able to make more use of the fixed.

which will definitely be on a geared bike

It's a slippery slope, enough fixed Audaxing will change your perception of what is "too hilly to ride fixed".

(I still want to have a go at the [no longer running] Midlander Super Grimpeur on fixed. Ooh, plus the Kernow & South West 600)

enough fixed Audaxing will change your perception of what is "too hilly to ride fixed".

That's already been happening as I have been doing longer and longer rides on it, and taking it out in the hills near me, usually only 60-70km on hilly solo rides so far though.

The other consideration is I need to ride all my bikes so I can justify keeping them! I've been nearly solely on the fixed or the MTB for the last month, with one road bike ride thrown in because the fixed was out of action. And in a similar vein to Hippy, my road bike is usually clean meaning when it gets dirty I feel obliged to clean it, whereas the fixed is always a state.