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Post by stoatie on Apr 15, 2014 10:52:05 GMT
Well on the sunday just gone I completed my first 100k audax, a little over 66 miles around some of Cornwall's lovely but hilly lanes. Starting of at 9.00 at Falmouth's cricket ground with around 140 other riders on everything from steel, carbon, Mtn bikes and even a couple on a tandem. This was quite a big step for me as I've been suffering with severe anxiety for the last couple of years, so it was nice to be able to get out and semi interact with other riders as up to now I've always been a solo rider. We left Falmouth with lovely views of the sea out to the south, before heading down typical sunken Cornish lanes across to Gweek for our 1st info control, one thing I noticed was that when freewheeling down hills the sport is an absolute beast and flew past everyone. After Gweek we headed northwards towards Camborne for another info control before heading west to the cafe stop near Marazion with a lovely view out towards St Michaels Mount, I should have got a photo whilst I was there but was more concentrated on re-fuelling on tea and a slice of banana chocolate cake. Amply refueled it was time to head slightly inland and south up some horribly relentless hills and then graciously rolling back down towards Porthleven for the next control. After here it was time to head east back Falmouth not before missing a turn by a 100 yards or so after dropping my chain for the third time and loosing site of the group I was following. A few more hills and I was really starting to lag luckily I was picked up by a couple of guys from Falmouth wheelers who I managed to stay with and follow for the last ten or so miles which was good as they had done the route previously and knew where to turn. I arrived back at the cricket club a little before 3.00 to a brilliant spread of sandwich's, cakes and a well deserved pint. All in all a great day out the Viscount performed almost flawlessly, slightly sunburned and extremely achy legs, they've only just started to not hurt 2 days after the event. www.strava.com/activities/129846909 |
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Post by whippet on Apr 15, 2014 14:36:50 GMT
That sounds great Stoatie, I loved Cornwall when I did LEJOG last year. You'd need an easy gear for those Cornish hills.
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Post by Stella on Apr 15, 2014 21:14:40 GMT
You have my full admiration! 100k through hilly landscape ... Hat's off and big congratulations. :-)
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Post by triitout on Apr 15, 2014 23:04:29 GMT
Kudos to you on an excellent ride! 100k is no joke so early in the season.
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bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538 
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Post by bendo on Apr 18, 2014 9:28:43 GMT
Chapeau Stoatie! Paris-Brest-Paris in a few years time then?  Seriously though, keep it up mate. Audaxing on a Viscount: couldn't think of a better way to ride one. b |
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bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538
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Post by bendo on Apr 18, 2014 9:29:49 GMT
BTW, did you have any kind of baggage, like a saddle bag, panniers, etc? Or just the bottle cage?
b
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Post by stoatie on Apr 18, 2014 12:08:14 GMT
PBP is definitely on the to-do list, it's every 4 years. The next one is 2015 and to qualify you have to have done a series randonneur (200,300,400 and a 600km) in the 1st half of the previous year. But hopefully if I keep it up I should be good to go for 2019.
No baggage as such just a small saddlebag with a tools in and the spare tubular folded and strapped to the saddle and the bag. I'll probably get something like a carradice barley once I've started upping the distance.
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bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538
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Post by bendo on Apr 19, 2014 14:47:21 GMT
Whoah! Well it would be great to see you do the PBP on a Viscount. You're riding on sew-up tyres? That's pretty hard-core! Love the old school style of the spare strapped to the seat.
And after having another look at your build pics, I can say you must have balls of steel to do 100k on that nasty, quilted-vinyl saddle. Literally. b
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Post by stoatie on Apr 19, 2014 18:37:47 GMT
Out of all the saddles I own that ones actually the comfiest. I had a Funn saddle on the mtb that definitely wasn't fun, after a couple of hours on that I'd rather have made one out of razor blades. Swapped that for a Fizik wingflex thing and that's only marginally better. Seeing as the "nasty,quilted thing" is relatively comfy I'm a bit reluctant to swap it out just yet.
I saved nearly a kilo of weight swapping from the old wheel setup, and I really notice it on all the undulations around here.
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Post by stoatie on Jun 8, 2014 20:45:16 GMT
Completed my second 60 mile Audax today, not content with the size of the hills in Cornwall, I thought I'd pop over to the neighbours and have a jaunt around Dartmoor. Damn that place is hilly. Bit of a wet start leaving Brentor on the run down to the 1st control at Tavistock, brightened up a bit from there as I headed up over the moor via according to Strava the Cat 2 Rundlestone Climb also known as Pork Hill. Then a gentle roll down to Dartmeet across the bridge and I'm faced with my 1st 20% cliff to climb, had to have a couple of breather stops to make it up this one. A bit more rolling across the top of more before hitting the Cat 3 Widecombe 20% hill this one I had to get off and walk a section as well as a couple of breather breaks. All this climbing does give you a brilliant 40 mph descent to Bovey Tracey where the 2nd control was located I noticed a strange noise on the way down, turns out I'd broken my rear mudguard and buckled the rear wheel must have been one of the numerous cattlegrids. A cup of tea and a scone set me up for the next leg to Okehampton. Not the nicest road to cycle along as it was along the A392 which is quite a fast, narrow and fairly high traffic route, had to stop along the way to stick the waterproof jacket on amidst a torrential downpour. Arrived at Oke and felt that I was lagging a bit so topped up with a boost bar and a bottle of Guava lucozade for the bottle. From here it was back to base which mostly followed NCN 27 which was a nice change to be away from traffic but it did present a 2nd problem dog walkers with there uncontrollable dogs off the lead, most were OK a couple tried to jump under my wheels and 2 that were milling around a good 50 yds behind they're owners decided to give chase. I was also a bit bemused by the fact that a section of the trail just turned into a cross country track, not so good for 25mm tubular tyres. Down to Lydford and up the final climb also sporting a 20% sign at the bottom of it. Then back to the village hall to get my Brevet card stamped and a well earned tea and more cake, just in time for the hail to start. Dartmoor Delight
Me at the top of the Widecombe climb  |
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,381
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Post by Jem on Jun 8, 2014 21:02:37 GMT
Stoatie - my hat is well and truly off and doffed to you! That is quite some day.
Very interesting to hear the details of when you needed to refuel etc I enjoyed reading it.
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Post by Stella on Jun 9, 2014 12:34:29 GMT
Stoatie, I'm already exhausted just reading that. lol
Well done, mate. And I bet your bike got a lot of attention.
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Post by whippet on Jun 9, 2014 20:45:04 GMT
Good effort Stoatie! Must try a longer ride on mine.
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Post by Stella on Jun 9, 2014 20:47:06 GMT
You're all putting me to shame!
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Post by stoatie on Jun 17, 2014 19:39:53 GMT
Audax No.3 The Merlin Coast to Coast 60 miler. A bit closer to home this time going from Hewas Water which is about 20 miles away. Foolishly thought it's only an extra 40 miles I may as well ride to the start. A nice early Sunday morning start leaving home at just gone 7.00 to leave plenty of time to arrive at the start for 9.00. It was lovely cycling at this time of the morning barely any cars around even through Truro. I made good time arriving with half an hour to spare. Signed on had a cup of tea and milled around till the start time. Got a few comments on the bike, particularly the chrome forks and how half the riders here wouldn't even make it out the car park with the weight of them. 9 o'clock came and we all had to bunch up for a group photo about 100 riders in total, and then we all set off towards the north coast I tried to hang on to the fast group at the front as I wanted to get to the cafe stop as early as possible to avoid queing. All was well untill the 1st major hill when I tried to drop down into the granny ring the derailleur had othe ideas and promptly stayed in the middle this involved stopping and manually dropping the chain. I should have adjusted it really as this wasn't the only time that it occured. Still I soldiered on and got to the 1st info control, but missed the exact point luckily whilst trying to get my pen and brevet card out of the baggy the next group of riders came past shouting remember 243 (the distance to London from Ladock). From here follows the B3275 accros the A30 and up through Indian Queens, unfortunately I heard that familiar hissing sound after passing over a roundabout to discover a piece of wire sticking out the front tyre, I pulled the offending object out and spun the wheel round hoping the tyre sealant would do it's job which it appeared to do at 1st only to deflate on me as I was descending the next hill. Time to pull over and whack the spare Tub on. This probably cost me about 20 mins and a whole load of energy. And most of the riders that I was ahead of had now passed (all checking to see if I was Ok mind). Any way puncture sorted and onwards towards St Merryn for the next control/cafe stop but the time I arrived here so had half the field so I decided to just get my card stamped grab a banana and some biscuits that were provided, and use the local shop for an energy and an icecream, I should have used the cafe in hindsight because I spent about 15 mins in the queue, only 1 member of staff and a bunch of holiday makers. Time to head towards the south coast picking up the B3274 with a gentle climb to Roche and rolling down to Bugle into Clay country then came the 1st hill that caught me out so I decided to walk it and save my legs whilst eating the aforemetioned biscuits. From here we picked up NCN 3 through the Luxulyan valley this had the 2nd hill that I just looked at ands said nope promptly jumped of and walked up it veloviewer.com/segments/3769600Rolled down from here to St Blazey for the 2nd info control didn't miss this one but remembered what I had to write on the card as it was the distance to Fowey which was only 5 miles. Down to the south coast passing the village of Charlestown then down the steep descent to Pentawen. Then came another hideously steep hill which had me walking the 1st part, then cycling where it leveled off a bit more to be greeted by a man taking photo's and handing out water and more banana's. veloviewer.com/segments/6001053Only one more hill to go thankfully with an easier gradient back to the start at the Merlin centre where we were given a goody bag with a T shirt a pen and a energy gel. Sat down for a short while with a tea some sandwhiches and cake. Time to take the tired legs on the journey home a different route to the one I came in on as I didn't fancy the business of the A390 and Truro at that time of day. I decided to go along the Roseland Peninsular and take the King Harry ferry accross and then back up through familiar and quiet roads past Bissoe to home not before having to stop on the final hill having run out of water and desperately cramming any sweets/oat bars and the energy gel to avoid bonking. Finally made it home at 6ish 105.7 miles and 2500 metres of ascent. app.strava.com/activities/153917541When the photo's surface I'll post them up. |
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Post by Stella on Jun 18, 2014 10:37:36 GMT
Aww, Stoatie. You got really unlucky there. I would have walked those hills, too. Blimey! I may have done the first, but that's it. Not so much a fan of torturing myself. lol
Great read, though.
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,381
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Post by Jem on Jun 18, 2014 11:21:39 GMT
Audax No.3 The Merlin Coast to Coast 60 miler.. All was well untill the 1st major hill when I tried to drop down into the granny ring the derailleur had othe ideas and promptly stayed in the middle this involved stopping and manually dropping the chain. I should have adjusted it really as this wasn't the only time that it occured. From here follows the B3275 accros the A30 and up through Indian Queens Down to the south coast passing the village of Charlestown then down the steep descent to Pentawen. Great write up! Do you have a blog? Once in a while I have that issue with it not coming over on to the granny ring. I worked out that it is only when I am on a certain couple of sprockits on the back though and can kind of circumvent the problem with clever switching at the back first, but really ought to fiddle about with the adjustment screws sooner rather than later. I spent some idyllic summers in the prime of my youth around Mevagissy,(Goran Heavan?) and Pentawen Sands. Beautiful place but some brutal hills as you show! And finally must mention that Nick Lowe wrote a song called Indian Queens, that when I saw him live, he said it didn't have that much to do with the place but he liked the name so much he wrote a song around it. |
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Post by triitout on Jun 19, 2014 2:29:14 GMT
We have some excellent writers on the forum. Loved reading about your most excellent century+ ride. You really painted a word picture.  |
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Seriously though, keep it up mate. 
