FNRttC - Newhaven - Dieppe - 2011

The time has come!  If it wasn't for PBP this would the THE highlight of the year.

Tonight, from midnight, I'll be with the Fridays riding to Newhaven.  I am pleased that the halfway stop will be at Gatwick Airport again.  It has something special in the middle of the night, with no plane to catch.

In Newhaven, we have the most fantastic breakfast cafe.  That cafe is like a negative control in an experiment.  It has no style (a cabin), no decor (white walls), no scenery (underneath a flyover).  The question in the experiment is 'how do you rate your breakfast'.  The idea being that you are not influenced by external factors.  Unfortunately this experiment will always fail when the 'subjects' are the Fridays.  When having breakfast with the Fridays after a night ride, it doesn't matter where you are or what the breakfast is like. It is always a memorable experience.

Over 30 people signed up.  Some will take the ferry to Dieppe and ride on the next day to Paris.  Perfect timing for the finish of le Tour de France.

I need to fit in a long ride for PBP, so will take the opportunity to do a 300.  My route between Friday and Saturday looks like this (double click to enlarge):

I shouldn't expect the weather to be too good.  There will be showers, but it is warm.  And I am on a mission, I'm cycling home to my parents.

I'll be tweeting (@swarm_catcher)

FNRttC July 2011 - Brighton

On top of the Beacon, Simon had encouraged people to keep going down to Brighton, rather than wait for everybody and get cold.  This had created a sense of urgency in me.  From trying not to raise my heart rate on this Genteel ride, I turned into a racer chasing down the break away.  The Pyrenees Stage 11 it was.  I could hear Chris Boardman's voice: "It is all down to how much risk you are prepared to take".   Visibility improved by looking over my glasses.  In the far distance was a blurred shimmer of red light.  That was my target.

We arrived at the Madeira soaking wet.  A proper FNRttC that was.  Loved it.

Conquering the Beacon
Photo by Martin Brice

It starts at Hyde Park Corner with magic.  We bunch up at the traffic lights, ready to hit the road en masse.  We wait for the next green light.  Simon surges on and puts his hand up to stop the oncoming traffic.  And it's like magic!  On a roundabout notorious for 'having to go with the flow'.  Going against the grain is an absolute no no. Any hesitation and you'll hear the cab drivers cursing you.  But Simon gets in the middle of the road, puts his hand up, and all traffic slows and stops as if mesmerised.  I would imagine it is mesmerising.  From the other end, you'd see this guy cycling towards you.  Behind him a group of cyclists with dazzling lights, like you've never seen before.  It's midnight, what is going on?

I couldn't get into the the ride until I had sorted out my back light.  I was on my way to the station when I realised I had left my pump at home. When you change bike and gear, you are out of routine and things like this happen.   I turned back home to pick it up.  My partner rolled her eyes.  I set off again, and noticed how my back light was quite weak. 'Oh no, I don't have spare batteries!  I turned back home to pick some up.  My partner rolled her eyes and sighed.   It was a good thing I had spare batteries, because once at Hyde Park Corner, the light wasn't good enough anymore, in my opinion.  I changed the batteries feeling smug. Only, the batteries were flat!  Oh no!  How irresponsible of me!  One should always check the state of one's spare batteries, I could hear a 'with hindsight type of devil' whisper in my ear.  Fortunately there are plenty of opportunities to buy batteries and I could relax again.

Wonderful reception at the Scouts Group

'It's the wrong turn' sounds like a line from Wallace and Grommit.   The comedy moment for me was Adrian (I think it was) pointing out the single white light amongst a sea of red.  'He's realised', Adrian said, 'You wait, gradually, the red will turn into more and more white until no red is left'.  More magic!  Simon is getting a bit of stick on the forum for this.  But if I led a group towards the coast, it would always be the 'scenic' way.

The worlds of FNRttC and audax are really mixing now.  With the three guys I happened to be seated with at the Madeira, we talked Bryan Chapman, PBP and Hummers.  Pete stated his ambition of doing a 300 for the first time this year.  It might sound like an odd question coming from me, but I asked what drives him to do a 300.  'To do an SR (Super Randonneur) series next year', he said. 'Ah, that is completely understandable then!'.

A most enjoyable moment was saying thank you and goodbye to Simon and the gang:  'See you next week'!

Photos are on the slideshow till the next ride or here: Clicky

5741 - Frame number for PBP

You will be able to 'track your favorite rider' here: PBP Riders Tracker

Frame number in, transport to and from Paris booked, accommodation before and after booked, bike serviced.

What is left to do?

• study 'le dossier'
• plan my worst case scenario schedule - DONE 
• buy new shoes - DONE
• replace chain - DONE
• list of what to pack
• visualise - STARTED

What cycling is left to do?

• FNRttC to Brighton - DONE
• FNRttC to Newhaven - Dieppe - Rumbeke 300
• West Bay and Back 200
• Keep commuting to work
• Keep attending spinning classes twice a week
• Two more time trials
• Laps of Richmond Park

How do I feel?

• Positive
• Looking forward to it 
• Need to study schedule, visualise, pack the right things and then I will be ready

Six weeks to go.

A Yorkshire Dales Perm 200 - NPS2F

It is viaduct heaven in the Yorkshire Dales!  You'd think the image below is 'the viaduct', but the Dent Head viaduct is one of 22.  Dent Head is a minor, with 10 arches, as opposed to 'The Ribblehead Viaduct' which has 24 arches.  I can believe that the Settle-Carlisle railway line would be one of the most scenic in England.

Dent Head Viaduct

I didn't have a chance to research my cycling route beforehand.  Otherwise I would have come across two significant facts:

• Dent, where I was staying, has the highest railway station in England.
• Dent has almost four times the rainfall of London.

At least I knew from the audax entry form that 3100m climbing would be involved.  And the fact I'm doing this as an audax means rain, naturally.

Perfect PBP training then, especially after only having had three hours sleep the night before.  

And I managed to put myself under pressure again, having said to my holiday companions I would be back in Dent by 8PM.  All was fine, I was pushing it for the last hour, and even more so for the last 12 km, because I was going to make it very close to 8.  I gave it everything, as if I was in a spinning class.  After the 'last mile', I saw a signpost to Dent: 9.5 miles.  My heart and body sank.  It took me a further hour and a half to cover the last 9.5 miles.  I was soaking wet, again, of course.  My feet hurt.  I was exhausted.  

Nearly there!

That was an endless stretch of hilly road and very remote. I arrived in Dent and wondered around a little, mixing with the beer and music festival-goers. Finally, I struggled up the drive to the holiday barn, from which, fine views can be enjoyed!

My chums and I with the view in the background

I love a full day's out cycling though.  The scenery was great and varied.  There were many cyclist on the road, and off-road.  Also many walkers, cavers, climbers and 'sportsmen'.  The Yorkshire Dales are fantastic for outdoor activities.

I stopped off in a pub near Kettlewell, for a coffee.  I had seen the sign: "No muddy boots allowed".  The landlord didn't look me up and down, just down.  'Coffee please' I said, and sat down.  My overshoes might have been wet, but they were not muddy.  My feet hadn't touch the ground for the last 50 miles, there is no way they were muddy, and cycling shoes are not boots.  

Wensleydale cheese!  I had a craving for it after cycling past the 'Wensleydale Cheese visitor centre'.  Shame on me for not stopping, but cycling around with cheese in my saddlebag didn't appeal.  

Going through Burnley made me think of Fred Dibnah.  All those out of use chimneys still standing.  There are some beautiful buildings/structures around.  Here is a great fact about Burnley from the wiki site: "More Benedictine is drunk in one local working men's club, the Burnley Miners Club, than anywhere else in the world, after a local regiment stationed in Normandy during World War I brought back a taste for the drink." 

After Burnley was the lovely ride back via Clitheroe and Slaidburn, which I remembered from my LEJOG trip.  This is in Lancashire now and the Forest of Bowland - beautiful.  I stopped off at the Slaidburn Youth Hostel to fill my water bottle.

Profile of the ride - like alligator's teeth

The following day, I drove over to Settle, to the start of the CycleChat forum ride.  I made my excuses which were received with complete understanding.

CycleChat meeting point

Photos are on the slideshow till the next ride or here: Clicky

FNRttC June 2011 - Whitstable

When I saw a signpost to our end destination: "Whitstable 4", I was disappointed.  I didn't want it to end.  We had a tail wind all the way, and it seemed to get stronger and stronger.  Those last 4 miles were over in a jiffy.

I loved sitting, having breakfast, on the balcony of the cafe.  The waitress recognised me from the week before: "Back for more", she said.  Sure am!

It was sunny, people were happy, chatting ... Because I had limited time, I was absorbing the atmosphere in a time-lapse manner.

The weather forecast had been expressed in inches of rain all week  To be fair to our middle of the night caterers,  Simon had set the deadline for pulling out to Thursday.  This reduced the field from 130 to 65.  Right up until midnight Friday, the weather was appalling.  My motto doesn't work in Simon's system, but normally I say "Always get to the start".  Always get to the start, and then decide whether to ride or not .  From midnight onwards, we had perfect cycling conditions.  It was warm, no rain, a little drizzle perhaps, and a tailwind all the way.

So, we benefited the advantages of a reduced field. It was like the old days.  Although, a group of 65 now appears really small.  Bunching up is much quicker, you see people more than once, shorter queues for facilities, shorter queues for food, Simon with time to chat ....

A pedestrian asked what we were doing and Simon replied "We've come to see you!".  The serious answer of "We're going to Whitstable" prompted a reply of "Ah Whitstable", with an intonation of  "I have no idea who Whitstable is".

"We've come to see you"

Just after the Rochester Andy Snacks stop, I noticed this intriguing structure.  If I didn't learn anything new about London, I learnt about Sir John Hawkins, the triangular trade, and these almshouses, still used to house Navy pensioners.

Sir John Hawkins Hospital, Kings, Chatham
John Hawkins on wiki

I have also discovered why an audax in Kent is called the Invicta:

Kent motto Invicta, on house in Milton Regis
Kent Invicta on wiki

The reason I had limited time at Whitstable is that I got to do the ride on the promise I would be back home to help out at the Hanwell Carnival Allotment Stall.  Since I am the beekeeper with honey to offer, it was only right that I would be attending my own makeshift stall.

I look tired

Photos are on the slideshow till the next ride or here: Clicky

Other thoughts:

• 12 puncture in the group
• sleeping on the train back to London, to miss every single drinks trolley
• skylarks
• tipping helmet at the Sportsman (table booked for 10th July)
• need to start planning for Newhaven - Dieppe (have ferry and Eurostar, need overnight stay and route)
• perfect ride - thank you Simon, and everybody involved 

London to Brighton 300 DIY by GPS - Update

I made a couple of mistakes on this ride, but with hindsight, I might have done myself a favour.

The ride was London to Brighton along the east and south coast: 310km shortest distance, 350km ridden, 3100m climbing.

One of the mistakes was making this DIY hugely over distance.  I though I'd be OK.  I was going to use my racing bike, no mudguards, no saddle bag, only one bottle etc.  The route is flat-ish.  Validation was going to be by GPS, so no wasting time at control points.  Everything was in my favour, I even had some Science in Sports goodies provided by Ealing Bike Hub.

Unfortunately, these advantages were completely offset by me turning into a tourist rather than behaving like an audaxer.  I was loving the ride, by the coast, miles and miles of it.   I told myself to relax and enjoy myself.  I was on rehabilitation after the BCM.  There were plenty of sites of interest, but why did I have to take not just one photo of something, but several, at different angles, with different light settings, looking around, oh .... look over there, snap, snap.  Those minutes add up.

Best angle?
Margate Turner Gallery

The other mistake, was to overshoot a couple of landmarks in Ramsgate.   I turned back to the first, and it was a complete waste of miles and time.  The Belgian Cafe, I would not recommend as a Belgian cafe.  You can buy 'a pint of Leffe' for sure (not that Belgians would order 'pints' of Leffe).  But the decor, which was a collage of retro-posters, did not have one cycling related image.  A waitress dropped a tray.  I guess it happens.  However, the expletives used following the drop stood out in being non-Flemish / non-French .  The cakes, the typically Belgian carrot cake and lemon meringue pie (I think not!), were not presented in individual portions.  I was disappointed and not in a good mood any more (can you tell?).

The headwind started to play its part and I began to realise I no longer had a time buffer.  Inspired by my personal best on last Wednesday's 10 mile time trial and being on my racer, I was going to start pushing it a bit more.  I did long steady state stretches and I did interval type stretches.  And so, this ride might very well have become a very good PBP training ride.  All this effort against the headwind took its toll though, because when I reached Battle I was ready to pack it in (second time this year!).  Only because of encouraging tweets did I decide to carry on - thank you to my regular followers, dkhan400 and SirWobbly.  If I lost my good mood in Ramsgate,  I was now angry!  Angry for allowing the word 'packing' to enter my head, and angry for having lost even more time whilst visiting Battle train station!  I asked for directions to the train station, and the lady said 'it's a long way, it's about a mile away'.  But that wasn't enough to bring my sense of humour back.  My 30-odd miles 'pending' were a reality.

We now have the perfect PBP training ingredients: tired from the early start, tired from pushing too hard, tired from the headwind, demoralised from having done the required 300kms, but having to do the over distance kms, running out of water, getting cold, getting lost, getting very sleepy.  Now go, go and do your time trial bit, you are going to have to, if you want to finish in time!

Fortunately, I had the Science in Sports goodies, they were very handy.  Both the rehydrating powder sachets and the energy bars suited me.  Before I read their tagline, I thought to 'make them part of my ritual'.  It is the detail that makes the difference.  The energy bar wrappers tell you clearly where to 'tear down'.  And when you do tear down, the packet tears open, and all the way.  Ah! Don't laugh!  I have used sachets of drink powder before, got them in New Zealand.  Thought they would be perfect.  When I came to use them on an audax, I could not get one of them to open.  I got to know Ealing Bike Hub on one of their bike maintenance courses.  It is a perfect setup for learning about bikes whatever level you are at.

I had decided that a 600 was not necessary this weekend (had been eyeing up the Invicta 600, but only with one eye).  The cycling forums' consensus seems to be that long distance rides are no longer required at this stage of PBP preparation, but shorter rides working on speed are more beneficial.  So in conclusion, I think I did myself a favour by organising an overdistance ride, and getting myself into time limit trouble.  It meant I had to ride hard.  If  I can do 350 in 21 hours, call it 300 in 20 hours, then I can do 1200 in 80 hours (all else being equal). That is 10 full hours left for sleep!  I'm beginning to look forward to PBP again.  For a while I was looking forward to it being over.

The day after this ride was PBP registration day. You're pre-registration is completed by adding records of your qualifying rides. What a milestone!

I want to go back to Margate, Broadstairs and Deal.  And another visit to Rye is already in the calendar (scallop festival).  It is a shame I couldn't stop there, but again with hindsight, having more leisure time will be a good thing.

Photos of the ride are on the slideshow till the next ride or here: Clicky

Other thoughts:

• Learning about Cinque Ports
• Thank you to friends in Brighton for providing sleep over
• Last picture taken in Dover, tells a story
• Seeing the FNRttC Whitstable route in daylight
• Learning about GPS, tracks, routes, waypoints, tracklogs ...

Tribute to FNRttC Whitstable

London to Brighton 300 DIY by GPS

Preview of the route for Saturday (double click to view larger image).