Mad Jack Fuller's (120k, bumpy bits) & Kennett Valley Run (200k,not so scenic)

[davek]

MartinM wrote:
> The first time I did it the
> controllers at Burwash remarked "a lot of riders do it once only"; this
> was my third on a row; do I need counselling?

My parting words to Mark were: "Same time next year?" - if you need
counselling, you're not the only one. But then Mark was telling me about
his forthcoming cycling trip in the Himalayas, so we are both positively
sane by comparison.

Despite being soaked to the bone and half-frozen for a large part of the
ride, I actually rather enjoyed it - the pain of climbing those hills is
always outweighed by the feeling of satisfaction when you get to the top
- even if the cup of tea you were counting on isn't there...

And perhaps my memory is playing tricks on me, but I thought that wasn't
quite as tough as the Invicta Grimpeur, which has an almost identical
rate of climbing (around 17m in the km) but is 20km shorter. But it's
only three weeks before that one comes around again, so we'll see...

I've got permission to do the Stevenage 200 on 26 March, and I quite
fancy the Dean 300 (Oxford) the following weekend. Anyone else up for
either of those?

d.

 

[MartinM]

davek wrote:

> I saw the badger - the second of the day, in fact. Didn't see MartinM,
> though - he's faster than me even with a puncture.

I saw you coming up to the control at Penhurst; Tim did very well
indeed, the car keys in his pocket probably spurred him on ;-)

> I'm extremely glad I took some fresh, clean civvies to change into at
> the end - I had no idea how badly I was going to need them, but it would
> have been horrible to have to drive home in my cycling gear. The leisure
> centre showers were also /very/ welcome.

I spent the journey back in Paul (the other EGCC rider's) car with the
blowers on full; when I got home I ran in to get a warmer drier coat
before attempting to lift my bike out of the car, when I got out Paul
was a frozen icicle, although it was me who advised him that it might
rain so to take his rainproof. there is nothing worse than sitting in
wet gear and then getting cold again, I had this on the Poor Student at
Chipping Campden (and again waiting for the train).
It Will be better next year ;-)

 

[MartinM]

davek wrote:

> My parting words to Mark were: "Same time next year?" - if you need
> counselling, you're not the only one. But then Mark was telling me about
> his forthcoming cycling trip in the Himalayas, so we are both positively
> sane by comparison.

Mark is clearly sectionable, he has after all done LEL twice, and PBP,
and even the Mid Sussex Hilly!

> And perhaps my memory is playing tricks on me, but I thought that wasn't
> quite as tough as the Invicta Grimpeur, which has an almost identical
> rate of climbing (around 17m in the km) but is 20km shorter. But it's
> only three weeks before that one comes around again, so we'll see...

I prefer the Invicta; there is something about East Sussex that is Not
of this Earth WRT cycling, there were definitely 3 new hills between
the reservoir and Doleham even though the route was the same.

> I've got permission to do the Stevenage 200 on 26 March, and I quite
> fancy the Dean 300 (Oxford) the following weekend. Anyone else up for
> either of those?

naah:

Stevenage, very nice ride, complete rip-off entry fee; take loads of
cake and pray for no wind.

The weekend after; I shall be plying the same hills (or even probably 3
more) as yesterday on El Supremo's 200, only without the n Viennese
whirls.

 

[David Martin]

davek wrote:
> I'm extremely glad I took some fresh, clean civvies to change into at
> the end - I had no idea how badly I was going to need them, but it would
> have been horrible to have to drive home in my cycling gear. The leisure
> centre showers were also /very/ welcome.

Unless I am riding there and back on a minimalist approach, I'd always
take something to change into. There is nothing to lift the spirits
more than being able to change into clean dry clobber, even without the
added benefit of a shower.

...d

 

[mikef]

It was Alan Core I was riding with. I think he was more impressed with
your ability to get the weather sorted out than Mark's! We got round in
about 7.5 hours which meant arriving at Fairlight after the boiler
packed up. It was certainly a relief to get climbing again after almost
freezing up there followed by the long descent. I was tempted to put in
another 10km on the way home to Eastbourne to make it up to 160. But
not that tempted.
Thanks for mentioning the SAE - I'll try and remember that. If the
weather's ok in October, I might break out my new
Inland-Revenue-sponsored Giant.

---
mjfarnesATbigfootDOTcom

 

[MartinM]

mikef wrote:
> It was Alan Core I was riding with.

not a name I can put a face to I'm afraid, there were 60 odd riders of
which I only knew a dozen or so beforehand.

> Thanks for mentioning the SAE - I'll try and remember that. If the
> weather's ok in October, I might break out my new
> Inland-Revenue-sponsored Giant.

Has it got a triple? ;-)

BTW Andy at Hailsham (the sadist who devised Mad Jack) was suggesting I
move the Hilly to the spring; not at all sure about this, especially as
the potential skog(tm) factor is even higher, although El Supremo has
now out-hillied me with his WOW100 the week before which IIRC uses the
same hill up to Fairlight. Plus the logistics of handling all the
entries over Xmas; does anyone else think this is a sensible idea?

 

[dkahn400]

davek wrote:

> I've got permission to do the Stevenage 200 on 26 March, and I quite
> fancy the Dean 300 (Oxford) the following weekend. Anyone else up for
> either of those?

Yes to the Dean. It is a total ******* though, apart from the Bunny
Girls of course.

--
Dave...

 

[davek]

dkahn400 wrote:
> Yes to the Dean. It is a total ******* though,

Coming from you, that is a bit worrying.

apart from the Bunny
> Girls of course.

Bunny girls? Tell me more...

d.

 

[Dave Larrington]

In article <[email protected]>, davek
([email protected]) wrote:
> Mike K Smith wrote:
> > Don't overestimate us! Going on past form we'll probably trundle round
> > the 100km in just under 7 hours, including stops. If you're pushing fast
> > times at the front there's a chance you'll be back before us, or
> > arriving as we're having our tea and cakes.
>
> Hmmm, 200k in 8 1/2 hrs is unlikely for me - my best time for a 200 is
> 10hrs, and I was in much better shape then so I'm unlikely to repeat
> that this time.

I'm hoping to get back under 11 for about the first time since the
Denmead Summer 200 last August. Managed 162 in 7:35 on Saturday, but
with so little scenery that I think I only needed the *middle* chainring
about four times. Unlike you lot, we started in glorious sunshine which
continued for, ooh, 20 km before England disappeared behind a fog bank
and only re-emerged shortly before the Halesworth control.

In my capacity as a Useless Cretinous Moron, I had erroneously swapped
an "R" for an "L" while transcribing the route sheet. The next Several
of junctions were the right distance apart; thus it was somewhat galling
to emerge back on the A143 at Wortham, some hundred yards upstream of
where I'd originally crossed it 5 km previously. However, it seems the
noble art of Fannying Around With Signposts is still being assiduously
practiced by the Natives of Suffolk, so an earlier detour in search of
the quasi-mythical village of Wilby wasn't my fault.

Furthermore, I had a brainstorm approaching Aslacton, and began to
follow the signposts thereto, instead of the route sheet, thus covering
three sides of a rectangle rather than the more sensible 1 (one). The
chap following me faithfully did the same, but while I identified the
correct turning, it appeared he did not, and I never saw him again.
Hour, well, minutes, of fun with horses, no dead badgers (but a good
dead fox) and a pathetic Vmax of 51.5 km/h. Now if they could be
prevailed upon to have a leg out to the seaside to bring it up to a
200...

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Give the anarchist a cigarette.

 

[Dave Larrington]

In article <[email protected]>, davek
([email protected]) wrote:

> I've got permission to do the Stevenage 200 on 26 March, and I quite
> fancy the Dean 300 (Oxford) the following weekend. Anyone else up for
> either of those?

I've entered the Stevenage (and the Invicta 200 the day before - I
/definitely/ need counselling) and will be doing the Dean 300 an' all.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Bandersnatch? I would never have guessed.

 

[mikef]

MartinM wrote:
> mikef wrote:
> > If the
> > weather's ok in October, I might break out my new
> > Inland-Revenue-sponsored Giant.
>
> Has it got a triple? ;-)

Sure has! Even so, I think I'll be looking for a cassette with a few
more teeth for the Hilly.

> BTW Andy at Hailsham (the sadist who devised Mad Jack) was suggesting I
> move the Hilly to the spring

Speaking as someone who's only recently started doing the odd local
ride, I'm happy to have Mad Jack and the Hilly at opposite ends of the
summer.

MikeF
---
mjfarnesATbigfootDOTcom

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Dave
Larrington ('[email protected]') wrote:

> I'm hoping to get back under 11 for about the first time since the
> Denmead Summer 200 last August. Managed 162 in 7:35 on Saturday, but
> with so little scenery that I think I only needed the middle chainring
> about four times.

You have a /middle/ chainring? What for? I don't find I need anything
between 39 and 53...

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Due to financial constraints, the light at the end of the tunnel
has been switched off.

 

[Dave Larrington]

In article <[email protected]>,
dkahn400 ([email protected]) wrote:

> Yes to the Dean. It is a total ******* though,

NOW he tells me :-( Perhaps I'll stay in and play with my Imaginary
Friend instead...

> apart from the Bunny Girls of course.

??

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Odd, is it not, how all roads lead inexorably to David Icke?

 

[MartinM]

mikef wrote:
> MartinM wrote:
> > mikef wrote:
> > > If the
> > > weather's ok in October, I might break out my new
> > > Inland-Revenue-sponsored Giant.
> >
> > Has it got a triple? ;-)
>
> Sure has! Even so, I think I'll be looking for a cassette with a few
> more teeth for the Hilly.
>
> > BTW Andy at Hailsham (the sadist who devised Mad Jack) was suggesting I
> > move the Hilly to the spring
>
> Speaking as someone who's only recently started doing the odd local
> ride, I'm happy to have Mad Jack and the Hilly at opposite ends of the
> summer.

me too; plus what perhaps Andy doesn't realise is that many of the
riders on both events are proper club riders (rather than me who's just
getting his money's worth out of the extremely long lasting cub kit)
who spend every second of every day between March and October chasing
HGV's on the Gxx/xx or whatever TT course; spending just 7 miles on one
of those courses on Saturday is enough to put me off (as well as being
utter **** at it)

 

[MartinM]

Dave Larrington wrote:

> > apart from the Bunny Girls of course.
>
> ??

wot 'e said; You can't just say Bunny Girls, tell us more

 

[Dave Larrington]

In article <[email protected]>, Simon
Brooke ([email protected]) wrote:
> in message <[email protected]>, Dave
> Larrington ('[email protected]') wrote:
>
> > I'm hoping to get back under 11 for about the first time since the
> > Denmead Summer 200 last August. Managed 162 in 7:35 on Saturday, but
> > with so little scenery that I think I only needed the middle chainring
> > about four times.
>
> You have a /middle/ chainring? What for? I don't find I need anything
> between 39 and 53...

I don't have anything between 39 and 53 either.

On my race bike.

The Audax steed has nothing between 42 and 52.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
And then there was light and He thought it was good, so He threw the
receipt away.

 

[dkahn400]

MartinM wrote:
> Dave Larrington wrote:
>
> > > apart from the Bunny Girls of course.
> >
> > ??
>
> wot 'e said; You can't just say Bunny Girls, tell us more

When Nik Windle organises a shoestring randonnee he does it properly.
So you should expect to encounter anything, including three beautiful
girls in full Playboy bunny costume in the middle of the night.

--
Dave...

 

[davek]

Simon Brooke wrote:
> You have a /middle/ chainring? What for? I don't find I need anything
> between 39 and 53...

I don't need anything between 52 and 42, but sometimes I need something
smaller than 42 (the grind up to Fairlight being a good example) which
is where the 30 comes in handy.

d.

 

[davek]

Dave Larrington wrote:
> NOW he tells me :-( Perhaps I'll stay in and play with my Imaginary
> Friend instead...

I just looked at the entry in the online calendar, and to be fair it
does specify 3900m of climbing, so it's not as if we haven't been warned...

Still not enough scenery to qualify for AAA points, though.

d.

 

[davek]

Dave Larrington wrote:
> I've entered the Stevenage (and the Invicta 200 the day before - I
> /definitely/ need counselling) and will be doing the Dean 300 an' all.

Yes, definitely certifiable.

I'm entering the Stevenage because I can't do the Invicta. :-(

And I might have the same problem with the Invicta 300, wot with it
being on Easter weekend. Kind of puts paid to my chances of doing a
National Series this year. :-(

Should be able to make the Invicta 400, though.

d.