2011-08-13 - Exmouth Exodus

have a great time everyone :)

ash pleasure riding with you in your warm up!

Got in to exmouth about 5 45. Amazing ride, completly dry. The bright moon setting over the final climb was stunning as it was just getting light

If any breakfasteers are smart phone using, we have made it to casa de bendix. There is a lot of bacon.

well done team bendix. was wondering how you went

6pt is sleepy pt. Can't decide whether two hour power nap leaves me feeling better or worse.

oh and the ride was amazing. I want to live in cheddar gorge.

With the doggers? :-P

indeed it is an awesome descent and even more so in the dark.

If only there was that lovely food waiting everytime I went down there.

Great ride by everyone.

I dunno what I've been eating lately, but I burnt through all the crap and finally hit the good stuff after about 140 miles. After that, leg two became considerably more pleasant. Just had quite possibly the largest bit of fish I've ever seen, and now to bed :)

With the doggers? :-P

With the cheese.

Lovely to breakfast with the breakfasters after they found us; thanks for coming everyone. I will bring a phone charger next time and be less of a shambles (possibly). Had a scenic and enjoyably downhill roll down to Exmouth with dropout and a pint in the sunshine before the train back to London. Thanks to 6pt for making the ride magnificent by being a tamer of garmins so I didn't have to rely on my incomprehensible route directions; riding at 20mph less than usual so I could keep up (and then waiting for me when I couldn't); and generally being excellent riding company. Glad you made it to Poole OK.

I think that is as much of a ride report as I'm going to manage as my brain began to melt several hours ago, but I am definitely in for 2012.

Time for bed.

It was an ok ride this year. Didn't enjoy it that much but I had plenty of time to think about stuff. I got lost once, having the map with me didn't really help as it was just an OS map covering south west&south wales. Not that much detail in there. ended up turning back to where I think I went wrong then seeing a couple of lights in the distance I followed them

I didn't walk any of the hills but I did stop in the layby after the hairpin on Blagdon to top up my sugar supplies.

Total riding time: 8hrs 1min
Total distance: 186.3Km

Oz, buy a Phillips Navigator road map and tear pages out according to where you are riding.
Details of every tiny road in Britain.

Though at 5am it can look a bit too detailed, blur and melt in front of your eyes.

Apologies for not making it to the Bendix Breakfast - my organisation and geography skills were somewhat lacking - my bike was going back in a Van to Bristol and I then realised that it is quite some walk from Exmouth to Chez-Bendix :(

Highlights:

Wildlife - Deer, Hedgehogs, rabbits,
The route - the final climb in the moonlight/light before dawn, Cheddar, some beautiful villages in Devon, blasting along the Somerset levels
The surprises: The Wedding party outside North Curry (I think) giving us a great cheer, the bemusement of locals out early/late, the prositutes on the the M5 bridge (rough)
The organisation - Amazing food/tea stops - we were too early for the last one but the Cheddar and North Curry stops were brilliant (although im not sure all those beans/chilli agreed with me)
The weather - Dry and not too cold - it was only after stopping for a while and going again did it seem a little chilly (mental note - buy some leg/kneewarmers)
Lady Luck - no mechanicals of note (not even one puncture in our group)
The Team - riding with the Trackdropout guys was awesome - special thanks to Gary for his routefinding.

I think some of us might do it again during the day at some point if anyone fancies tagging along?

Hey guys!!!

How was it?!

Congradulations that i havent heard of anyone left behind!!!

I want to hear the stories!

The organisation - Amazing food/tea stops - we were too early for the last one but the Cheddar and North Curry stops were brilliant

Astonishingly I think we were too early for the last two. This would explain how we missed them which confused me quite a bit; I was wondering where they were hiding. But then we did leave half an hour earlier than the advertised start time (only because literally everyone else had left by that point).

I'm definitely up for a day version if I can co-ordinate getting to Bristol in time for the start.

I dunno what I've been eating lately, but I burnt through all the crap and finally hit the good stuff after about 140 miles. After that, leg two became considerably more pleasant. Just had quite possibly the largest bit of fish I've ever seen, and now to bed :)

even larger than FRIDAY?? Yikes!

Astonishingly I think we were too early for the last two. This would explain how we missed them which confused me quite a bit; I was wondering where they were hiding. But then we did leave half an hour earlier than the advertised start time (only because literally everyone else had left by that point).

I'm definitely up for a day version if I can co-ordinate getting to Bristol in time for the start.

The north curry stop was a little hidden - we almost missed it - as it was in a small village School room/hall that was up a little gravel drive. We only spotted it as we were in North Curry and saw that it was the only place with its lights on :)

Ah, that would make more sense. I had it in my head that North Curry involved a hill rather than a tea stop, so I was busy looking for one of them. My legs started to refuse to co-operate at that point.

It was an ok ride this year. Didn't enjoy it that much but I had plenty of time to think about stuff. I got lost once, having the map with me didn't really help as it was just an OS map covering south west&south wales. Not that much detail in there. ended up turning back to where I think I went wrong then seeing a couple of lights in the distance I followed them

I didn't walk any of the hills but I did stop in the layby after the hairpin on Blagdon to top up my sugar supplies.

Total riding time: 8hrs 1min
Total distance: 186.3Km

Was Blagdon on the route?
That means you probably went through my family's village- Upottery....
well done you lot!
REALLY JEALOUS- will be making sure to try and save the overnighter weekends next year (unless I get the job with MSF (fingers crossed)).

Was Blagdon on the route?
That means you probably went through my family's village- Upottery....
well done you lot!
REALLY JEALOUS- will be making sure to try and save the overnighter weekends next year (unless I get the job with MSF (fingers crossed)).

Yup - Blagdon was on the route - Uppottery sounds familiar - I am sure we saw signs to it if not rode through it.

Blagdon was tough as all the breeze seemed to dissapear and so I ended up rather too warm when climbing it

Well done, all. It is a lovely ride. Love to say I told you so. :)

The first odd-numbered year that the weather has been good, too. By rights it should now be tipping it down again next year, when I'll probably do it.

I'm all done and a little sore. My comments regarding it all pretty much echo Rosie's I think. Food stop confusion but a general contented happiess. Cheddar Gorge was the most amazing bit if road to swoop down, need to get around to churning up it at some stage... But As lovely as the EE was I think my fav bit of the last 48 hours was my sunshine fuelled ride on to Poole. I've been meanin to do it for about four years so really pleased I could tick it off the list. Plus there's something to be said for seeing the sea practically every time you look to you right. Didn't enjoy ride back to London, but that's done too, which is good. Will definitely be doing the Exodus again next year! (but booking a train back)

^ typed on iPod while exhausted. apologies for incoherence. Will tidy it up tomorrow :)

Your priorities are all wrong. Don't you know that this forum values good written expression more than bike riding?

I think some of us might do it again during the day at some point if anyone fancies tagging along?

I would be keen on this. In fact I remember chatting with Gary, Keiran and Ed about the possibility of this last year so it's long overdue.