Hard Day In January '19 - 10th Anniversary Edition

Come to think of it, parking in one of the roads by the Old Red Lion probably makes more sense than parking at mine. It's there if we need it.

yeah prob best to park as close as possible to the start/finish for people to stash stuff in the car if needed

So at what time is the ride supposed to start then? I'm asking because I'm notoriously bad at getting up early, and it's a good 20k+ to get to Staines for me... which I would obviously not be racing either.

9am is the current start time. Happy to start a bit earlier if there is a need and agreement but certainly no later.

For a bit of clarity I will update the first post with time, place and route (as well as copy it here). I suggest you leave at 9am as it's a fair distance and afternoon light is still in short supply. Speaking of which, bring lights!

Start time and location

Arrive at the Cafe Nero in Staines on the pedestrianised high street for pre-ride coffee at 8:30, and then I suggest leaving at 9am. I suggest a quick safety check that all the riders know about group riding and the hand signals to be used on the day.

Route is below:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26461223

I think i know the answer to this already but are wide MTB handlebars a completely stupid idea for this sort of ride?

They take a lot of the weight off my hands compared to drops.

My issue is being a fat sh1t I'm hardly cutting through the air at the best of times

May I make a suggestion to @Camel_toe and others weighing their fitness, set-up and physical limitations (eg @skive 's knee)? Aim for the Big H cafe at the midpoint, having a break with the group and then taking the B480 (or however you decided to make it to the station last year @OneLessCardigan) to Oxford station for the train back. It would put you shy of 60 miles for the day, and means the last few miles could be done at your own speed while the rest of the group can continue at pace back to Staines.

It's not an easy time of the year to have the fitness for this distance, and the cold weather and darkness means that a steady pace of around 16mph is necessary to get this done in a reasonable amount of time. Upright setups I don't think are appropriate for a winter ride of this distance @Camel_toe. To make it back to Staines in good time the group will need to work well together with people taking turns on the front, and personally I don't think upright MTB bars will work well.

Yeah that's what i was thinking, It may also be due to the fact that the bar tape on my drops is wafer thin so have just ordered some lovely new stuff (which I will obviously use before the weekend to get the post new tape crash dealt with).

I'm happy to do whatever best suits the group. If I am struggling/holding the group up I'm more than happy to plod back on my todd to the start. I'm not at all worried about the distance so I will soldier on regardless

I am still intending to come to provide motorised support and a report with photographs.

I hope to see you all on Saturday,

Chris.

'They take a lot of the weight off my hands compared to drops'.

Camel _toe, it's a generally held view that one of the advantages of dropped bars is that they help you to spread your weight between the bars and the saddle. If you tried to do a long ride with a 'Dutch bike' position you would find that although you hands and wrists would be fine, your seat would not be.

Hi Dan,

I'm really sorry to read about your injuries.

I expect you know this, but people in the bike game generally seem to recover faster than the medical profession expects. Two friends of mine, both the wrong side of 75 have broken bones in crashes in the past couple of years, and both made rapid recoveries. They're both back to normal now, so I'm hoping to see you back on the road fairly soon.

Chris.

Yep drop bars reinstalled with new squidgy bar tape and saddle lowered a smidge which seemed to do the trick this weekend

I kind of knew the answer anyway just interested to hear people's thoughts on it. When i rode to Paris on this bike i spent most of the time on the tops of my bars anyway but that was more of a leisurely plod with one other person so not quite the same as this weekend.

Looking forward to it now hopefully the weather doesnt play up!

Recapping a few points that YAL made earlier: -

• Please use mudguards if at all possible. Sitting behind someone without mudguards if the road is wet is a horrible experience.
  
• Make sure you have lights.
  
• If you are concerned on the distance have your own bail-out plan. We will ride at a pace that suits the group if at all possible but the aim is to be back in Staines by 5pm so if that starts to look at risk we will need a plan.
  
  • Make sure you bring p^&nt^re repair provisions.
    
• We ride at 9am so if you arrive after you will have a pacey start to get you warmed up.
  
  

Not sure how / if I can send out a group direct message to those you have confirmed attendance to update status as appropriate but as it stands we have 18 riders with Clubman being DS in the car.

Looking forward to meeting you all!

So I've been reminded that I accepted an invitation for a house warming party on the 19th a long time ago. Annoyingly the party is in Lyon. So I won't be able to ride this in its entirety. Still looking at perhaps riding to the start and some of it. Sorry :(

I'm out, sadly. Ride safe everyone!

Sounds like the perfect excuse to stick you our front for the first 30 miles.

Aha true that. I’ll crunch some numbers tonight and see what my options are.

Watch out for some of the wildlife, esp. around the section thru Sonning Common...
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/17356126.footage-emerges-of-chris-the-rhea-as-bird-is-on-the-loose/

I've refused plans for this day, so I guess that means that I'm definitely coming.

71" gearing on single speed should be alright, I think?

Will be absolutely fine.

On your head be it!

Also, I heard about your encounter with some black ice, nasty stuff! Hope you heal up quickly so we can get back on the train beers this year.

Will be getting into Staines at 08:22 from Clapham Junction 07:58 if anyone's planning on doing the same. Greggs for breakfast.

Have been away and don't have time to go all the way through to check but has anyone contacted H Cafe to see if they'll be open to serve us a feast of beige food stuffs? Can happily call today if no one else has...

I will do my best to get a bike ready but it is not looking like it right now...

I'm in, I can come past yours on the way to Clapham Junction if that works?

Was gonna get on the overground at Peckham Rye tbh. Still though, if you wanna travel buddy it? Do you want that ass saver still? I used it over crimbo and it tore a bit on first use - needs some araldite, which I can do if I remember...

@Hulsroy you have more than one bike......