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end of the season
Last Saturday was my last audax of the season - the 200k Anfractuous from Chalfont St Peter. After the previous weekend's 600k extravaganza, I'd have been sorely tempted to bail on it, had it not also been ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
uon's first 200k, thus making me feel obliged to turn out so he would!
0515 is not a good time to get up. Sausage sandwiches on the train helped the pain a little, and on getting to the Community Centre (luckily I knew the way from Gerrards Cross as Gerald (ACF) & a chap on a Condor fixie, who were also on the 0515 train, seemed unsure), several cups of tea and a nice chat with the assembling riders were also of assistance. Lots of ACF kit on show!
First 50k to the nice cafe at Benson were a bit of a struggle - not so much physically as mentally. This is more-or-less normal for me - I tend to spend the first few miles sulking as the field go sailing past me. And the legs haven't warmed up yet. The Christmas Common climb went fine, although I felt myself starting to bonk halfway up so had to stop at the top for preventative flapjack consumption. And the wind was reasonably favourable so the rest of the way to Benson was very pleasant.
I do like that cafe - in fact, all of the controls were v high quality. Beans&mushrooms on toast, 2 large mugs of coffee, & a chat with Matt, Alex, and Simon on the next table, and I was ready to head off again. It was a really sociable ride, in fact - doop & I didn't ride with anyone else, but we were close enough to the speed of that group that we'd always run into them at controls for a chat.
We made very good time over the next 12k or so to Goring. Then there was the "start grunting" instruction on the routesheet for Streatley Hill. doop sailed off as per (he climbs a damn sight better than I do!), and I am afraid I bailed about 1/3 of the way up and walked it :-( I had a slight stitch (had had for several miles but it only became a bother when I started climbing), and it just wasn't working properly. Walking it was bloody hard work, mind - not sure I wouldn't have been better off on the bike!
Jacket'n'beans in Wantage, and comparing post-600 aches & pains with Rich, went down v well, although may have contributed to my slight slowness in hauling myself up the 1 in 10 shortly afterwards. (This not helped by hearing my phone ringing from inside the pannier & convincing myself that something Dreadful might have happened & I should call back. It hadn't, obviously.) The next bit of the ride over the downs was lovely, though - beautiful views and great fun to ride. I got a bit weary after that - the ride through the valley all seemed a bit of a blur, though quite a pretty one, so we stopped at the Bell in Boxford for Red Bull & crisps.
"It's all been quite flat, hasn't it?" said doop. "Do you know when the next hilly bit is?"
I waved my arms vaguely & talked about the Chilterns and ridges and so on, but confessed to no real knowledge. Off we set again, & approx 3.5 min later, lo! a hill. Well done there, doop. (I blame him entirely!).
LUMPY to the cafe in Pangbourne, where MORE COFFEE, and also Ross had turned out to say hello, which was nice. The other ACFers all left just before us, professing their intention of doing the Hilly Route. doop & I, having more sense, took the flatter alternative, thanking you kindly. Probably wouldn't have made so much difference into Marlow (well; it would have been slower, but it was still just about daylight), but the bit after Marlow I was feeling knackered and very glad not to be managing some of those surfaces and windy narrow descents. Especially given that while I have Solidlights, doop's lighting wasn't really up to it.
doop burdened himself further at Marlow by stopping at Waitrose to buy fizz to take home - we wanted to celebrate the end of the season! I still Do Not Like the pull out of Marlow - there's a nasty hairpin where the gradient suddenly increases on the blind turn, and the surface close to the edge is awful. If you take it good and wide it's bearable but that's nerveracking as people come down it at speed and not reliably on the correct side of the road. After that it was reasonably easy going - although the farm road past the duck pond (the ducks were in bed by this time!) was way worse than I remember it being in daylight... and I always forget the Surprise Hill just after that.
Straight along the A40 rather than the hilly alternative, and into the Arrivee for my fastest 200k to date (12h20) and doop's first 200k. Chapeau! He did rather better than my first 200k the Poor Student last Jan) when I arrived with 2min to spare... and this time last year he couldn't ride a bike :-)
Sunk a plate of pasta apiece and quite a lot of tea, and had a nice chat with the other riders still around, before train home for shower, FIZZ, & curry.
I really enjoyed the day - was surprised at how well I felt given that I'm clearly still recovering from the Middle Road. A splendid end to the season :-)
uon's first 200k, thus making me feel obliged to turn out so he would! 0515 is not a good time to get up. Sausage sandwiches on the train helped the pain a little, and on getting to the Community Centre (luckily I knew the way from Gerrards Cross as Gerald (ACF) & a chap on a Condor fixie, who were also on the 0515 train, seemed unsure), several cups of tea and a nice chat with the assembling riders were also of assistance. Lots of ACF kit on show!
First 50k to the nice cafe at Benson were a bit of a struggle - not so much physically as mentally. This is more-or-less normal for me - I tend to spend the first few miles sulking as the field go sailing past me. And the legs haven't warmed up yet. The Christmas Common climb went fine, although I felt myself starting to bonk halfway up so had to stop at the top for preventative flapjack consumption. And the wind was reasonably favourable so the rest of the way to Benson was very pleasant.
I do like that cafe - in fact, all of the controls were v high quality. Beans&mushrooms on toast, 2 large mugs of coffee, & a chat with Matt, Alex, and Simon on the next table, and I was ready to head off again. It was a really sociable ride, in fact - doop & I didn't ride with anyone else, but we were close enough to the speed of that group that we'd always run into them at controls for a chat.
We made very good time over the next 12k or so to Goring. Then there was the "start grunting" instruction on the routesheet for Streatley Hill. doop sailed off as per (he climbs a damn sight better than I do!), and I am afraid I bailed about 1/3 of the way up and walked it :-( I had a slight stitch (had had for several miles but it only became a bother when I started climbing), and it just wasn't working properly. Walking it was bloody hard work, mind - not sure I wouldn't have been better off on the bike!
Jacket'n'beans in Wantage, and comparing post-600 aches & pains with Rich, went down v well, although may have contributed to my slight slowness in hauling myself up the 1 in 10 shortly afterwards. (This not helped by hearing my phone ringing from inside the pannier & convincing myself that something Dreadful might have happened & I should call back. It hadn't, obviously.) The next bit of the ride over the downs was lovely, though - beautiful views and great fun to ride. I got a bit weary after that - the ride through the valley all seemed a bit of a blur, though quite a pretty one, so we stopped at the Bell in Boxford for Red Bull & crisps.
"It's all been quite flat, hasn't it?" said doop. "Do you know when the next hilly bit is?"
I waved my arms vaguely & talked about the Chilterns and ridges and so on, but confessed to no real knowledge. Off we set again, & approx 3.5 min later, lo! a hill. Well done there, doop. (I blame him entirely!).
LUMPY to the cafe in Pangbourne, where MORE COFFEE, and also Ross had turned out to say hello, which was nice. The other ACFers all left just before us, professing their intention of doing the Hilly Route. doop & I, having more sense, took the flatter alternative, thanking you kindly. Probably wouldn't have made so much difference into Marlow (well; it would have been slower, but it was still just about daylight), but the bit after Marlow I was feeling knackered and very glad not to be managing some of those surfaces and windy narrow descents. Especially given that while I have Solidlights, doop's lighting wasn't really up to it.
doop burdened himself further at Marlow by stopping at Waitrose to buy fizz to take home - we wanted to celebrate the end of the season! I still Do Not Like the pull out of Marlow - there's a nasty hairpin where the gradient suddenly increases on the blind turn, and the surface close to the edge is awful. If you take it good and wide it's bearable but that's nerveracking as people come down it at speed and not reliably on the correct side of the road. After that it was reasonably easy going - although the farm road past the duck pond (the ducks were in bed by this time!) was way worse than I remember it being in daylight... and I always forget the Surprise Hill just after that.
Straight along the A40 rather than the hilly alternative, and into the Arrivee for my fastest 200k to date (12h20) and doop's first 200k. Chapeau! He did rather better than my first 200k the Poor Student last Jan) when I arrived with 2min to spare... and this time last year he couldn't ride a bike :-)
Sunk a plate of pasta apiece and quite a lot of tea, and had a nice chat with the other riders still around, before train home for shower, FIZZ, & curry.
I really enjoyed the day - was surprised at how well I felt given that I'm clearly still recovering from the Middle Road. A splendid end to the season :-)