South Bucks Winter Warmer Audax, Sat, Dec 1

[Adrian Fitch]

Feel like joining me for a 204km spin trough the lanes in Bucks, Oxon, Hampshire and Berks on the first Saturday in December?

 

Logistics are fairly simple. Early train from Marylebone to High Wycombe and then an 8km ride to the start in Little Kimble.

 

Entry is £5 and includes refreshments at the start and finish.

 

http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/12-681/

 

Who's in?

 

Adrian

--
Blog http://adrianfitch.wordpress.com
Photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/adrianfitch/

[Dockhill]

The words "winter" and "warmer" don't really seem to go together - but as long as it's not chucking it down on the day...

[ric]

They go together in terms of real ale, which with any luck could be one of the "refreshments".

[ric]

p.s. so long as the intended pace isn't too brisk I will be up for this. Need steady base miles at the moment.

[will]

oops...have just signed up for this. 

i might bend your ear on saturday morning for some audax hints if that's ok...

[Adrian Fitch]

Of course Will. I'm planning to do a longer ride though (about 140km or 5h30) but I'll be at the cafe at 8.15 and start with everybody else.

 

If anybody wants to join me then I'll post the route, just let me know.

 

Adrian

 

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[Gingersinger]

I'll be doing this too. High Wycombe to Little Kimble looks more like 18km than 8, though, so am planning to get the 6:30 Marylebone to Little Kimble (arr 7:35). Also spotted that the postcode for the start in the email from the organiser is wrong - should be HP17 0XN (not HP16).

Paul 

[Adrian Fitch]

Hi Paul

 

I'm planning to catch that train too. Don't know why I thought we needed to catch a train to High Wycombe.

 

Adrian

 

On 20 November 2012 20:51, Gingersinger <paul.c...@virgin.net> wrote:

I'll be doing this too. High Wycombe to Little Kimble looks more like 18km than 8, though, so am planning to get the 6:30 Marylebone to Little Kimble (arr 7:35). Also spotted that the postcode for the start in the email from the organiser is wrong - should be HP17 0XN (not HP16).

Paul 

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[Steve Whatman]

I assume there will be people planning to do the usual 100 back for 1?

On 11/20/12, Adrian Fitch <adria...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Of course Will. I'm planning to do a longer ride though (about 140km or
> 5h30) but I'll be at the cafe at 8.15 and start with everybody else.
>
> If anybody wants to join me then I'll post the route, just let me know.
>
> Adrian
>
>
>
> On 19 November 2012 22:34, will <mister...@googlemail.com> wrote:
>
>> oops...have just signed up for this.
>>
>> i might bend your ear on saturday morning for some audax hints
>> if that's ok...
>>
>> On Friday, October 26, 2012 3:06:10 PM UTC+1,
>> adria...@googlemail.comwrote:
>>>
>>> Feel like joining me for a 204km spin trough the lanes in Bucks, Oxon,
>>> Hampshire and Berks on the first Saturday in December?
>>>
>>> Logistics are fairly simple. Early train from Marylebone to High Wycombe
>>> and then an 8km ride to the start in Little Kimble.
>>>
>>> Entry is £5 and includes refreshments at the start and finish.
>>>

>>> http://www.aukweb.net/events/**detail/12-681/<http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/12-681/>

>>>
>>> Who's in?
>>>
>>> Adrian
>>>
>>> --
>>> Blog

>>> http://adrianfitch.wordpress.**com<http://adrianfitch.wordpress.com>
>>> Photos
>>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/**adrianfitch/<http://www.flickr.com/photos/adrianfitch/>

>>>
>> --
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Blog http://adrianfitch.wordpress.com
> Photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/adrianfitch/
>

> --
>
>
>

--
Sent from my mobile device

[Adrian Fitch]

Bound to be, although the forecast doesn't look too promising so there may not be many...

[Alex H]

I think I'm going to give tomorrow the swerve in favour of Sunday's base training. That weather is looking pretty biblical.

[Steve Whatman]

4 deg, cloudy and then some light rain. Classic winter bike
conditions. I'll be there.

On 11/23/12, Alex H <foota...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I think I'm going to give tomorrow the swerve in favour of Sunday's base
> training. That weather is looking pretty biblical.
>
> On Friday, November 23, 2012 9:42:12 AM UTC, adria...@googlemail.com wrote:
>>
>> Bound to be, although the forecast doesn't look too promising so there may
>>
>> not be many...
>>
>>
>>
>> On 22 November 2012 20:17, Steve Whatman

>> <stevew...@gmail.com<javascript:>

>> > wrote:
>>
>>> I assume there will be people planning to do the usual 100 back for 1?
>>>
>>> On 11/20/12, Adrian Fitch <adria...@gmail.com <javascript:>> wrote:
>>> > Of course Will. I'm planning to do a longer ride though (about 140km
>>> > or
>>> > 5h30) but I'll be at the cafe at 8.15 and start with everybody else.
>>> >
>>> > If anybody wants to join me then I'll post the route, just let me
>>> > know.
>>> >
>>> > Adrian
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > On 19 November 2012 22:34, will <mister...@googlemail.com

>>> > <javascript:>>

[keypunch]

On 23/11/12 13:20, Alex H wrote:
> I think I'm going to give tomorrow the swerve in favour of Sunday's base
> training. That weather is looking pretty biblical.
>

i note that they're forecasting 43mph gusts of wind on sunday.... (with
average windspeeds of ~20mph)

so, it's wet and windless vs. sunny and hurricane-like... it's a tough
call...

[Simon Bardsley]

I'll be there tomorrow, but will probably be doing something a bit shorter than the usual 100k - a combination of the probably weather and feeling a bit ropey for the last 24 hours mean I'm planning to keep it short & sweet.

See the hardy/foolish (delete as applicable) ones amongst you at CSG.

[keypunch]

OK, I'm in.

I already invested in one of those perspex map holders, might as well
get some use out of it....

but where's the GPX file....??? *starts panicking*

> --
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>

[Adrian Fitch]

The GPX files from the organiser were a bit "minimalist". Here's the route I plotted from the route sheet...

http://www.routeyou.com/route/view/572591/cycle-route-south-bucks-winter-warmer-2012.en

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[Dockhill]

Eh? I thought the GPX files were some of the most detailed I've ever seen!  They were road-perfect - usually, you get all this point-to-point stuff - loads of straight lines.

And he split them up into little bits - between each checkpoint.  And the "special" one where you have to get off and walk over the river.

Anyway - I've re-plotted the whole lot using OpenStreetMap / bikehike - this is a full tcx with added checkpoints for the controls (OSM even let me plot the route over the weir) - 

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B8zS3wafU5aYUDdBZTRFakJvcHM

Looking at the weather forecast, at the moment they're suggesting dry but very cold. 

G

[Adrian Fitch]

We must have received different files. The first one in my batch covers from the start to the first control in Thatcham (60km) with only 23 track points. One at each turn.

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[Dockhill]

Well - after today's (short) ride in the cold,  I've regretfully decided to give this Saturday a miss.  The forecast temperature is about freezing in the town, so it'll be sub-zero in the countryside.  My fingers were in agony today - despite long gloves, glove liners, and no stops.

Disappointed, but I'm not going to risk doing 8 hours in near-zero conditions.

Hope you all have a good ride - be on the lookout for ice.

G

[Adrian Fitch]

Sorry that you won't be joining us George but I understand. It is forecast to be a very chilly day.

Sent from my iPhone

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[keypunch]

sorry george, but the forfeit is 8 hours on the turbo for you... i don't
make the rules ;)

at least maybe this time i'll get a proper outing for the winter bib
tights...

On 29/11/12 17:50, Adrian Fitch wrote:
> Sorry that you won't be joining us George but I understand. It is
> forecast to be a very chilly day.
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On 29 Nov 2012, at 14:27, Dockhill <geor...@gmail.com

> <mailto:geor...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>> Well - after today's (short) ride in the cold, I've regretfully
>> decided to give this Saturday a miss. The forecast temperature is
>> about freezing in the town, so it'll be sub-zero in the countryside.
>> My fingers were in agony today - despite long gloves, glove liners,
>> and no stops.
>>
>> Disappointed, but I'm not going to risk doing 8 hours in near-zero
>> conditions.
>>
>> Hope you all have a good ride - be on the lookout for ice.
>>
>> G
>>
>> --
>>
>>

> --
>
>

[Charlie Sword]

Winter bib tights! Ian, what's happened to you?

It's my fingers that just can't take it. I've never found anything that can keep me out in anything below about 3 degrees. Anything colder and I want to cry.

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From: keypunch <dp...@soroban.fastmail.fm>
To: dp...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Thursday, 29 November 2012, 18:51
Subject: Re: South Bucks Winter Warmer Audax, Sat, Dec 1

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[Dockhill]

That's my problem.  I can put handwarmers between two pairs of socks, and keep my toes nice and warm. I can wear tights and baselayers and nice thick tops, and keep all of that warm.  But my fingers... once it gets below 2C, I get to the point where gloves thick enough to keep my hands warm are SO thick, I can't actually operate the levers.

Scott can confirm what a wuss I was yesterday - or even after climbing Anerley Hill, my fingers had no colour left in them!

Ian... when I did my 4.5 hour turbo session earlier this year, there were comments that perhaps I'd bumped my head after all. 8 hours, hmmm.  Although at least I can have as many cake stops as I want.

[will]

Eer....Adrian, have gotten thoroughly confused by mr lister' s gpx postings which I can't get to work, and am new to the garmin routing thing. Have you by any chance worked out the latest route and updated your routeyou link?

Looking forward to it I think, and see you there.

[ric]

I'm afraid I wimped out and have opted for a 140km North Downs training ride with the ladies of Look Mum No Hands team.

[Adrian Fitch]

Will, here's a link to a zip file containing a gpx and tcx of the full revised route https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3738178/SBWW12.zip. I've also updated it on routeyou.

We'll miss you ric.

Stay safe

Adrian

On 30 November 2012 15:34, ric <richardmar...@gmail.com> wrote:

I'm afraid I wimped out and have opted for a 140km North Downs training ride with the ladies of Look Mum No Hands team.

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[keypunch]

George, just as an experiment (in the interests of science), try
insulating your core (and head) to the extent that you're way too hot...
you may find that this solves the cold hands problem. Whether this is of
any practical use, however, is another matter...

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>
>

[Charlie Sword]

That's fine if you have absolute confidence you will keep moving throughout the ride because you can ignore the sweat. But if you have to stop for a puncture you will freeze. 

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From: keypunch <dp...@soroban.fastmail.fm>
To: dp...@googlegroups.com

Sent: Monday, 3 December 2012, 11:22

Subject: Re: South Bucks Winter Warmer Audax, Sat, Dec 1

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[Sam C]

I got 3!

Even so, you soon get back up to temperature provided you can keep the wind out. Waiting for/sitting on a train for an hour after the finish on the other hand can be a problem - so I carry a spare dry baselayer in these circumstances.

Shorts and longs on top adds a bit more insulation to your bum and thighs which can help too.

[Joe]

So apart from Sam's 3 punctures how did it got for you all?

So far all the weekend ride reports have only reinforced my view that lie-ins and a run were the right choice for the weekend.

[Adrian Fitch]

It was a very chilly day. Ave temp was just 3° according to my Garmin. Sam, Will, Ian and I got around in 10:10 total time, just under eight hours riding. We spent far too long in the first coffee shop, having lunch at a cafe, stopping for Sam's three punctures and my fifty-or-so pee stops so the last ninety-ish minutes were ridden in the dark. Not ideal at this time of year, particularly when it involved a decent hill and a few twisty lanes.

 

We made it to the finish with only ten minutes before the hourly train back towards London so raced off rather than stay and enjoy some of the warm food and drinks provided by the organiser. Ian realised he'd left his bag there when we were changing trains at Princes Risborough so, for some added fun, rode the 6km back to retrieve it.

 

There wasn't much ice around but a few of the lanes were a little slushy in places and one lane was quite muddy. We were careful on downhills and going around shady corners so no problems. The only "off" amongst our group happened at a closed rail barrier when a low curb jumped out at Will. Other than that, incident free.

 

On a personal note, I can vouch for keeping your core warm. I had a sleeveless synthetic base, a long sleeved merino base, a club windtex jacket plus a gilet and I was fine. My hands were very comfortable with only lightweight merino liners in SealSkinz gloves and my feet stayed warm with merino socks in winter boots. It probably helped that I also had a wool hat under my helmet and made sure I ate and drank regularly.

 

Get your clothing right makes these long, cold rides so much more enjoyable.

 

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[Dockhill]

Ah, so that explains Ian's "6km extra" ride on Strava. I'd been wondering - but was too afraid to ask.

On balance, I still think two hours on the turbo was more fun than 8+2 hours in the cold.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll try these suggestions about insulating your core to the point where you feel you're in a sauna - although still tempted to try those neoprene hood covers.

[Sam C]

Unfortunately we did manage to lose Paul in the randomness at the start - I hope you had a good ride Paul; now I can put a face to the name hope to see you out on some other rides.

[demery]

Joe

How's tricks? Are you up for a Richmond park ride soon?

Did you manage to see mark c the other week?

[Gingersinger]

I was always going to plod round thanks to a cold - I don't think I'd've managed 10 hrs even if I'd tried! But I did get round perfectly comfortably in around 12 hrs, and I did get to fill my face with chilli and rice pudding at the end. I think that's the slowest 200 I've ever done. Just goes to show that 15kph is pretty generous. Anyway, that's no 4 of my RRTY done.

I too stayed reasonably toasty. I even had to take a layer off in the middle of the day. Industrial-strength jersey from Ground Effect was the main asset.

I got some decent wildlife spots too - red kite, egret, deer and a squirrel on speed.

See you at the Willy Warmer?

Paul

[Adrian Fitch]

I think there will be a fairly decent DP contingent at the Willy Warmer (if the weather is good).

Sent from my iPhone

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