Marlborough Connetion - Feb 4th
Dave Larrington
Er, me.
Anyone else?
--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
A *National* Socialist Government did you say, Mr. Chaplin?
dkahn400
--
Dave...
MartinM
Dave Larrington wrote:
> Roll call!
>
> Er, me.
>
> Anyone else?
naah, oldest sprog's cross country tournament,
200k and dinner in the cat or take him and cheer along?
a no-brainer
nik
from Dave Larrington <smert.s...@privacy.net> contains these words:
> Roll call!
> Er, me.
> Anyone else?
Me.
I think there are about 80 entries.
It's going to be cold (again)!
Nik
JBB
"Dave Larrington" <smert.s...@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.1e4c3b5ce...@news.individual.net...
Sorry - local but too far for me at this time of year
Julia
Dave Larrington
(nik...@zetnet.co.uk) wrote:
> Me.
>
> I think there are about 80 entries.
>
> It's going to be cold (again)!
ITYM "colder". Last forecast I saw for that part of the world gave a
maximum of three degrees, and overshoes do not work very well for us
Dark Siders... Bah!
--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Better hide the pork scratchings...
Dave Larrington
First Several of kilometres covered at Ludicrous Speed, even after Mr.
Kahn of this parish took off behind some other quick chap and vanished
into the distance at Mach 1. Still sixth on the road when Cumnor Hill
took the wind out of the sails, as did the first crossing of the
Ridgeway. Only more so. Lambourn was full of even-more-stupid-than-
usual horses, which is a nightmare for Darksiders :-(
Hungerford - Marlborough was very nice, except for the VW Touareg who
/nearly/ went off the road rounding a bend at about 90 mph towards me.
The more so since it was one of Her Majesty's Dibbles driving it. Back
over the Ridgeway from Marlborough was 'orrible. Wheelspin at first,
then a long drag watching all and sundry disappearing over the horizon.
"You'll catch me down the other side" opined Jackie Popland, who I
didn't see again until the caff in Wootton Bassett. 25 minutes wait for
a cup of coffee, without which I'd have been back inside eleven hours
for the first time in months. Bah!
Next bit flat at first, but no-one was looking forward to the Whiteway
out of Cirencester. Especially when a group of us missed a turn in the
town centre and failed to find it. "It didn't look like this on the
Poor Student" I said. "Yeah," said another bloke, "but that was a
Sunday so there wouldn't have been so many people around." "It's not
the people" I said, "more the buildings." Anyway, we /did/ find it -
Bah! - but only had to do the first 3.5 km instead of the full 10.5 -
Hurrah! Nice run to Lechlade marred in Bibury by twunt in 5-series
doing a U-turn out of the car park on the right and proceeding over the
bridge at 2 mph. Unable to overtake due to an oncoming car. If I used
175 mm cranks instead of 170s, there would be a part of a foreign
motorcar that is forever Campagnolo. 1 km later a rabbit tried to
headbutt my front wheel. Must be something in the water round there.
Forewarned about the somewhat tardy service in the caff in Lechlade, I
got my card stamped, made my excuses and left. By now it was growing
even more gloomy than it had been all day - nary a glimpse of the sun -
so I leaned forward to switch on the EL-500s...
...and instead caught the #1 DLumotec Topal attempting to run away.
Again. This time due to Messrs. Busch and Müller having fabricated the
mounting bracket from cheese. 650 km only. Not impressed. Does
/anyone/ make light mounts compatible with a front derailleur post out
of a more suitable material than Allgau Bergkäse?
Bit lumpy for much of the last forty-something km, which is especially
depressing in the dark. Kept catching a couple of lads on the downhills
and promptly losing them again back up the other side on the roller-
coaster B4437 towards Charlbury; they eventually got away on the drag
back out of the Evenlode valley, thus missing my cries of glee at
spotting the second dead badger of 2005. The simple pleasure of
spotting a dead badge, however, was undermined by watching the average
speed dropping back into the seventeens when I'd been doing my level
best to keep it above 18 all the way from Wootton Bassett, but the last
few km back to Woodstock were fast enough to get back to:
o 18.1 km/h, and
o lashings of coffee and biscuits.
Of course, Dave Kahn had been back for about a fortnight and was
attempting to consume his own mass in cake...
For those RRTY-seeking fools wanting a not-excessively strenuous winter
200, this and the Poor Student, which takes in similar - indeed
identical in places - territory, are highly recommended. By me. Innit.
--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Funsize Mars bars? What could possibly be MORE fun about eating LESS
chocolate?
dkahn400
> Brief ride report:
>
> First Several of kilometres covered at Ludicrous Speed, even after Mr.
> Kahn of this parish took off behind some other quick chap and vanished
> into the distance at Mach 1.
Some quick chap, not some /other/ quick chap. I was hanging on with
gritted teeth. I take the view that if I go eyeballs out at the start I
will have less time to make up later on. I did try to do the decent
thing and take the occasional pull at the front, but evidently not to
his satisfaction as he kept blasting past again. I wasn't entirely
useless, however, as I prevented his going off course at least 3 times.
For the Alan Holmes database "Mach 1" in this case was about 37kph on
average, or 23mph.
There was a line of dribble running down his chin and a mad look in his
eyes. He was riding an Airborne, and his only luggage was an
under-saddle pack and what looked like a football boot bag bungeed to
his rack, so I knew I wouldn't be able to hang on to him when we got to
the first serious hill.
And so it proved. So I continued a lonely second on the road for about
5k until looking over my shoulder I saw a postman on a bike gaining
ground quite rapidly. Maybe the Alan Holmes theory is sound after all.
But no, when the postman drew alongside it turned out to be the
legendary Steve Abraham, on fixed of course, and wearing a postman's
hi-vis vest over an otherwise all-black outfit.
Another heaven-sent opportunity for a wheel sucker such as I, and I was
able to hang on to him for a little while. He got away once due to a
distinct amount of uphillness, but luckily for me was held up a couple
of times at junctions that I was able to blast straight through.
Eventually I dropped off Steve's wheel too, and I before long I was
caught by another escapee from the bunch, this time amazingly on a
hardtail mountain bike. He had smooth tyres on of course but it was
still a very impressive effort. A strongly built lad.
Presently we passed Steve Abs by the side of the road where he was
answering a call of nature. He had a big grin on his face so obviously
wasn't too upset about it. A couple of times I thought the lad on the
MTB had cracked as he suddenly droppped back, but each time he would
reappear although he had slowed as a substantial group was now gaining
on us. Then Cumnor Hill arrived and the MTB rode away from me followed
in short order by most of the group. Then it was largely a matter of
survival riding into Hungerford with a couple of stragglers from that
group, and staggering gratefully into the Tutti Pole for a breakfast of
beans on toast.
As I getting ready to set off again I began chatting with an old lady
who was interested in the presence of so many cyclists. At that moment
Mr. Larrington arrived. "Ooh," she said, "it's one of those." How did
she know? I explained to her that the poor fellow was differently abled
and was therefore riding in an invalid carriage.
> Next bit flat at first, but no-one was looking forward to the Whiteway
> out of Cirencester. Especially when a group of us missed a turn in the
> town centre and failed to find it.
I had no problems there, and it was a fairly solitary and uneventful
ride into Wootton Bassett for fruitcake and tea.
The route was quite tough after Wootton Bassett and I rode most of it
alone until, about 15k from Lechlade, I was caught by a pair of riders
who came up very rapidly. At first I thought they were a pair of local
roadies out training. It was only as they came past that I realised
they were on the same ride. They got about 100 yards ahead, but luckily
there was a downhill section where I was able to use the Galaxy's
weight to bridge the gap and get back onto their wheels for a great tow
all the way to Lechlade.
> Forewarned about the somewhat tardy service in the caff in Lechlade, I
> got my card stamped, made my excuses and left.
It was a bit slow. Last year I had arrived there very late, and people
were coming out of the caff singing the praises of the pasta bake.
Hungry as I was I had heroically resisted the urge to go in, but I had
held onto the thought of that pasta bake all year. Now, however, I had
time in hand and was not going to miss it, so in I went. The pasta bake
was either with chicken or with tuna: no dead-creature-free option.
Damn. So it was a vegetable soup. It took an age to come, and when it
came it was initially too hot to eat, though thick and delicious once
it had cooled a little. I eventually got going again about 5 minutes
behind the 2 riders who had towed me in.
There is a short section after Lechlade that retraces part of the
route, and here I again encountered Mr. Larrington on his way into the
village. By way of greeting I got out of the saddle and rode straight
at him eliciting a scowl and a darkly muttered comment about
irresponsible geriatrics, or something. :-)
After Lechlade there was a lovely section of quiet and narrow but
exposed roads through the hills. I saw a rider in a red jacket some
distance behind, but gradually he dropped back out of sight. Suddenly
as I rounded a bend there were the 2 riders who had left ahead of me.
They were just restarting, having stopped to put their lights on.
Unfortunately it was right at the bottom of a long uphill drag and
there was no way I was going to catch them while the road was going
upwards. Eventually I decided it would be a good idea to stop and put
my own lights on. Although there was some downhill to come there was
now no hope of catching them.
On the way into Charlbury with about 15km of the ride left it became
completely dark and I fancied I could see a cyclist's headlamp some way
behind. I pushed a bit harder and gradually it got more distant. On the
run in to Woodstock, however, it reappeared and looked as though it
would catch me. On the last little hill in Woodstock itself he came
flying past. It was Peter Marshall in the red jacket I had seen
earlier. He had the scent of the finish in his nostrils and was
stopping for nothing. I summoned up the last bit of climb left in my
legs, caught him up, and we rode the last 300m to the finish together.
> o 18.1 km/h, and
> o lashings of coffee and biscuits.
19.67, so not much in it. For Alan's information that's just a shade
over 12mph. Although whizzing along at over 20mph on the flat is quite
possible for an ordinary cyclist, on a long route with hills and cafe
stops the average speed plummets.
> Of course, Dave Kahn had been back for about a fortnight and was
> attempting to consume his own mass in cake...
Well, two large plates of pasta with melted cheese, two slices of
flapjack, one piece of cake, a few bananas and some biscuits, a bowl of
rice pudding and peaches. Just a snack really.
> For those RRTY-seeking fools wanting a not-excessively strenuous winter
> 200, this and the Poor Student, which takes in similar - indeed
> identical in places - territory, are highly recommended. By me. Innit.
Great rides, both of them. I see that the Poor Student results are now
on the web site, and that's my RRTY complete. A claim will be made
shortly. Last year's Marlborough Connection was my first Audax. Riding
it again this year seemed to complete the initiation for me.
--
Dave...
Dave Larrington
dkahn400 (dkah...@yahoo.co.uk) wrote:
> There is a short section after Lechlade that retraces part of the
> route, and here I again encountered Mr. Larrington on his way into the
> village. By way of greeting I got out of the saddle and rode straight
> at him eliciting a scowl and a darkly muttered comment about
> irresponsible geriatrics, or something. :-)
Because the last leg was on the other side of the route sheet, I had not
appreciated that there was any retracing involved, so merely enquired of
Mr. Kahn where on earth he was going. He did not reply...
[...]
> On the way into Charlbury with about 15km of the ride left it became
> completely dark and I fancied I could see a cyclist's headlamp some way
> behind. I pushed a bit harder and gradually it got more distant. On the
> run in to Woodstock, however, it reappeared and looked as though it
> would catch me. On the last little hill in Woodstock itself he came
> flying past. It was Peter Marshall in the red jacket I had seen
> earlier. He had the scent of the finish in his nostrils and was
> stopping for nothing. I summoned up the last bit of climb left in my
> legs, caught him up, and we rode the last 300m to the finish together.
He wasn't very far behind you after Lechlade - he passed me (going in
the opposite direction) at the humpbacked bridge by the edge of town...
> Great rides, both of them. I see that the Poor Student results are now
> on the web site, and that's my RRTY complete. A claim will be made
> shortly. Last year's Marlborough Connection was my first Audax. Riding
> it again this year seemed to complete the initiation for me.
I noticed your Anorak's Delight from November has now appeared on the
web site too. Chapeau. Denmead Winter Randonnee on March 4th will
complete the set for me, and then it'll be time to do it again :-)
--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Kinder surprise! What's the surprise? Your children are now dead.
Simon Brooke
dkahn400 ('dkah...@yahoo.co.uk') wrote:
> Dave Larrington wrote:
>
>> Brief ride report:
>>
>> First Several of kilometres covered at Ludicrous Speed, even after Mr.
>> Kahn of this parish took off behind some other quick chap and vanished
>> into the distance at Mach 1.
>
> Some quick chap, not some other quick chap. I was hanging on with
> gritted teeth. I take the view that if I go eyeballs out at the start I
> will have less time to make up later on. I did try to do the decent
> thing and take the occasional pull at the front, but evidently not to
> his satisfaction as he kept blasting past again. I wasn't entirely
> useless, however, as I prevented his going off course at least 3 times.
> For the Alan Holmes database "Mach 1" in this case was about 37kph on
> average, or 23mph.
Stoppit both of you. You're making me /so/ jealous!
Great ride reports, thanks.
--
si...@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
Just as defying the law of gravity through building aircraft requires
careful design and a lot of effort, so too does defying laws of
economics. It seems to be a deeply ingrained aspect of humanity to
forever strive to improve things, so unquestioning acceptance of a
free market system seems to me to be unnatural. ;; Charles Bryant
Simon Bennett
> There was a line of dribble running down his chin and a mad look in
> his eyes. He was riding an Airborne
Was it Mike Pain? Strong Dorset accent (when he speaks).
Dave Kahn
> Stoppit both of you. You're making me /so/ jealous!
The lesson is clear. Next time you hurl yourself at the Scottish
landscape, choose a softer bit.
> Great ride reports, thanks.
Mine was going to be a quick 3 or 4 line jocular reply to Dave's but
there was magic in the day and I found it possessing me again. May some
glimmer of it reach across and help you heal that little bit sooner.
Because you really need to get out there again.
--
Dave...
Dave Larrington
I think he had a red jersey, if that's any help :-)
--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
The onward interchange factor will be unity except for journeys to
Chesham, Croxley or Watford.
Nick Kew
>>Forewarned about the somewhat tardy service in the caff in Lechlade, I
>>got my card stamped, made my excuses and left.
>
>
> It was a bit slow.
Hmmm. Shirley, there are alternatives to the caff? Don't say
*all* the five pubs have died or gone otherwise useless?
--
not me guv
Dave Larrington
There did seem to be a thriving population of Pubbes, an outpost of the
notorious Flying Londiso Brothers sinister empire and even a chippie...
Personally I wasn't hungry, but did look somewhat longingly at some of
the BEER in the chiller of the Cotswold Wine Company, before settling
for a Diet Coke :-(
--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
The thing about Tony Parsons, though, the defining aspect of his
personality, is that he is a complete twat.
Simon Brooke
('dkah...@yahoo.co.uk') wrote:
It clearly worked. See thread 'I'm Free'.
--
si...@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; all in all you're just another click in the call
;; -- Minke Bouyed
MartinM
Dave Larrington wrote:
but did look somewhat longingly at some of
> the BEER in the chiller of the Cotswold Wine Company, before settling
> for a Diet Coke :-(
I think you would also settle for a Diet Phosphoric Acid in the White
Hart Denmead given the BEER prices(1), according to a rider from The
Other Place last week.
(1) 3.15 for a pint of Speckled Hen
There is an interesting micro- brewery pubbe somewhere around Denmead
which caught my eye (but nothing else) on the Xmas ride
Dave Kahn
> In article <43e7d786$0$1173$5a6a...@news.aaisp.net.uk>, Simon Bennett
> (sben...@YOUAREALLNETDENIZENSwiderworld.co.uk) wrote:
>
>>dkahn400 wrote:
>>
>>
>>>There was a line of dribble running down his chin and a mad look in
>>>his eyes. He was riding an Airborne
>>
>>Was it Mike Pain? Strong Dorset accent (when he speaks).
>
>
> I think he had a red jersey, if that's any help :-)
Blue jacket. There was a bit of an accent but I couldn't place it.
--
Dave...
MartinM
Dave Larrington wrote:
> In article <43e7d786$0$1173$5a6a...@news.aaisp.net.uk>, Simon Bennett
> (sben...@YOUAREALLNETDENIZENSwiderworld.co.uk) wrote:
> > dkahn400 wrote:
> >
> > > There was a line of dribble running down his chin and a mad look in
> > > his eyes. He was riding an Airborne
> >
> > Was it Mike Pain? Strong Dorset accent (when he speaks).
>
> I think he had a red jersey, if that's any help :-)
John Spooner? he was on our table (I think) at the end of the Mulled
Wine
dkahn400
> dkahn400 wrote:
> > It was a bit slow.
>
> Hmmm. Shirley, there are alternatives to the caff? Don't say
> *all* the five pubs have died or gone otherwise useless?
If you were after a blisteringly fast time, or conversely if you were
in time trouble, you would find an alternative or not stop any longer
than was necessary to obtain a stamp. It is a good idea, however, to
support the controls by buying food from them as this encourages them
to continue to offer their services. In this case although I had
started quite fast I was no longer one of the front runners, but I
still had plenty of time in hand. The half hour or so spent in the cafe
didn't really matter. Besides, I wanted to try the pasta bake.
--
Dave...
MartinM
hack existing ones off by not using them (as some get extra staff in
and even open early/late to cater for hungry cyclists) or by covering
their nice seats in skog (tm) from using no mudguards. Having said thet
Tesco in Newbury flatly refused to have a jam jar of stickers last year
so they were forced to use McDonalds. Having obtained a sticker from
the latter I then went and used the former (and not just out of
principle; the queue was a mile long at McD's)