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

evening people, hope you all have i wicked ride, was really sad not to make it in the end but had to work! bummer

Not sure it was quite as grim as Ed described at the start? A bit scrappy for sure and definitely could have done with a ride leader who knew the route, but thanks to Ed for keeping us on track until we parted ways. Thanks to Arducius for leading us in for the last 20 miles.

Purposeful pace, one deceptively tough climb, a few fast descents, a bit too much wind, poppies, good company and fine choice of pub at the end on the river.

Hope dicki made it back OK - not sure my legs would have been up for cycling back?

Ta.

Did anyone experience a last few miles' bad road surface?

I went out to Oxford last week, and the final leg of the journey was across gravel. I reckon that I may have caught Oxford part-way through road refurbishment.

oh my old knees
got back about 11.30
a few wrong turns around beaconsfield, and paid a visit to chalfont st giles in honour of my painful ass ( think cockney rhyming slang / viz ) , but luckily it wasn't a massive detour but managed to get most of the route right, pishill was a severe climb, coming back it beat me, i have to say pushed about a mile up the hill, steepness seemed similar to swain's lane at it's steepest
another nice day out
where do i collect my graduation certificate having completed the summer series ??

well done to katie koo and the other guy ( sorry I didn't get your name ) who did the honourable Capt Oates thing and told us to go on without them, I had hoped it was a leave no-one behind kind of ride but they were adamant we heard later from them they had made it to Oxford, well in guys

I think we made it in not long after you guys- mainly due to having done the sensible thing and bought a map and maintaining a respectable 13mph. No lycra or SPDs required- still made it back for the nocturne too.
We went through Marlow, Fingest, Christmas Common, awesome descent of Watlington Hill then a straightforward coast along the B480 which would have been lots more fun without a headwind!

was a lovely time and definitely the most honest in terms of pace of the three I've been on this year...our navigator in chief, Corney did a no show so it took us a while to get going but was lovely when we finally made it out onto the country lanes. Lovely company from all involved and props to Dicki for riding back and Arducius for combining it with the Dorset Dash.

@Arducius. How was the Dorset Dash?

I got home after showing you lot to the station, but only had time to do a little washing up before riding back to the station to pick up MF and Pifko, back to mine to have a mound of pasta and then back into town for the start of the DD. Was a little rushed, only just made it.

The ride was really good, met some goos people and the guy who was running it did well to navigate and keep most people in a group. Riding through completely empty lanes, under a pitch black sky (the moon set around 12 I think) really is pretty damn awesome. If you have never done a night ride then I'd definately recommend getting yourself on one.

Far too much to detail in one post but highlights include some very drunk local kids in Marlborough who provided some quality entertainment, visiting Stone Henge just as dawn was breaking, me and Pifko breaking away from the front and being the only thing each other could see for a good few miles, the sun rising in the morning and breaking through the clouds, and finally ariving on the beach for the biggest fry p I've ever seen.

The only downside was the cold. It was fucking freezing. Much colder than forecast so I couldn't feel my feet or fingers for most of the ride. But still very enjoyable!

Fuck, I hadn't thought about the temperature last night. It was certainly chilly this morning, last night must have been bloody cold.

Yes I think "Bloody cold" pretty much sums it up. The forecast said it would be 9 degrees. I was nowhere near as warm as 9!

Well now we've all "graduated" I can say that was an excellent set of rides, each with a nicely different flavour.

I thought Oxford was the toughest, especially the climb that seemed to go on forever. Was a good pace despite that and had some lovely sections, particularly the stretch through Burham Beeches. Sitting in the pub near the end with the Red Kites flying overhead was nice, as was the fish and chips in the riverside pub at the end.

Got to say how impressed I am with Arducius. Doing the Dorset Dash after that ride is impressive enough but should also point out that he towed the peleton at pace into a nasty headwind for at least the last 20 miles.

I did consider attempting the Dorset Dash after Oxford but I would have been a liability on that ride (probably had only enough left in the legs to get me half way, and that's no good on a night ride!).

advise: NEVER MAKE A CUP OF TEA AND GO FOR A SLASH IN THE MIDDLE OF WRITING UP A POST!
I'm a very slow typer and just lost it all. So, new much abreviated post:

Highlights:
Pace - fastest of the three of Cornie's rides I've done
nice bunch of riders
pub stop 1, great ale and circling Red Kites
pub stop 2, good choice for late lunch with great ale (again)
only 1 puncture, and that was right near the end (walking distance to pub 2)
Arducius guiding us - way past his flat to the station (knowing Dorset Dash started 3 hrs later!)

Lowlights:
Pace, yes I know it was in the highlights but it did mean the ride wasn't as 'inclusive' as it was meant to be.

Anyway, thanks to all, and Clubman - I hope you're healing up fast - we certainly could have done with your local road knowledge!

I've just put the photos from Saturday online...

http://picasaweb.google.com/karma.armour/LondonToOxford10?feat=directlink

it would be nice to get some names to faces from the ride
i presume ^^^ you are rubberducky ?

the dog moment
that was great
me there at the back with blue top and black shoulder bag

I must admit I was slightly concerned the dog might decide to start following one of us all the way to Oxford, or get freaked out and end up under someone's wheel.

That's me on the right. All that way and no one mentioned my cap was on wonky!

it would be nice to get some names to faces from the ride
i presume ^^^ you are rubberducky ?

Nope, not me...
I'm not in any of them (my favourite situation). I like to capture the scene rather than being part of it :)

ahhh, the man behind the lens !

as can be seem from my gurning mug i'm not great in front of the lens either !!

From what I remember L-R...

middleofnowhere, Gina(?), Sainsburys Ed, (guy who spent most of the ride with the muppets rubber ducky song in his head), Dicki, (guy with wood frame), ...

That's middleofnowhere on the left, there. Sainsburys_ed doing the navigating, and dicki in the pink shirt, hiding in the background? Sorry I can't remember everyone's names...

ha! loved that dog running after the owner on a mtb. was something almost like a tour de france moment. :)

hope the duck from your helmet is in good hands. she was very happy to get it.

good times.

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

Anyway, thanks to all, and Clubman - I hope you're healing up fast - we certainly could have done with your local road knowledge!

It was frustrating not to be able to ride, and now it seems my presence would actually have been useful.

I think a run like this does really need someone who knows where he is going, and it seems to me that older riders (like myself) have rather taken for granted that there would be a younger generation coming through who would replace us as leaders. My experience of the navigation abilities of others, especially outside my own club, is fairly limited, but I must say it does seem a strange turn of events that I can still go on early season training runs (probably a similar level of effort to this Oxford trip) and be confident that I won't be dropped - not because of my riding abilities but because I'm often the only one who knows the way home!

I'm keen to pass on what knowledge I have. I've written an article on leading training runs (originally for my club magazine) which I will post here as a new thread, but I need to find a suitable photo to go with it.
Perhaps we might have a ride( or rides, even) in the Autumn when some routes might be learnt. I fancy Tring and back, but the distance can be adjusted according to conditions and strength of riders.

I say Autumn because although I am healing after that crash, it's not proving to be a rapid process - I'm not near to getting back on the bike yet. I'm committed to a (non cycling) holiday starting in late August so I'm not likely to get back to any sort of fitness before then.
I'll report back when fit.

i think the younger generation just rely on other people to bring maps
shame we were all a younger generation on the ride !
next time i think some good and proper OS maps covering the route might be a wise move and i will try and get things sorted !

Not that I went on the ride, but as I understand it there were no outspoken leader in the first place, so I guess everyone just relied on someone knowing the way?

Not an excuse, think everyone should be able to find their way home, but perhaps an explanation?