Beacon's Brecons 300km Club Run. 29th May
Moderators: WorcsPhil, Beacon RCC, George, laurence_cooley, David Cole, Andy Terry, neilo
-
Philip Whiteman
- Posts: 2046
- Joined: 19 Nov 2006 16:17
- Real Name:
- Location: Drayton, Worcestershire
-
Philip Whiteman
- Posts: 2046
- Joined: 19 Nov 2006 16:17
- Real Name:
- Location: Drayton, Worcestershire
UPDATE ON PLANS
UPDATE ON PLANS FOR SUNDAY.
As a clarification, the groups will leave the Black Horse at 6am. Nick, Lee and Gary will join at Chaddesley at 6.30; I will join at Drayton at 6.25 and George will join at Tenbury some time later.
Each group will probably democratically decide when and where to stop en-route. For the A run, I propose stopping within the region of 100 and 200km which approximates at Hay/Whitney on Wye, and Monmouth respectively. A further shop stop is also likely in Upton. For the B run, Paul did mention at cafe in Leominster as the first stop.
Route https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13209182
As a clarification, the groups will leave the Black Horse at 6am. Nick, Lee and Gary will join at Chaddesley at 6.30; I will join at Drayton at 6.25 and George will join at Tenbury some time later.
Each group will probably democratically decide when and where to stop en-route. For the A run, I propose stopping within the region of 100 and 200km which approximates at Hay/Whitney on Wye, and Monmouth respectively. A further shop stop is also likely in Upton. For the B run, Paul did mention at cafe in Leominster as the first stop.
Route https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13209182
-
laurence_cooley
- Posts: 1119
- Joined: 31 Dec 2011 13:48
- Real Name:
- Location: Harborne
Good luck everyone.
If you happen to stop in Crickhowell and anyone has been complaining that it's not hilly enough, send them up here: https://www.strava.com/segments/7973437 (just follow the signs for the bunkhouse at 149.5 km).
If you happen to stop in Crickhowell and anyone has been complaining that it's not hilly enough, send them up here: https://www.strava.com/segments/7973437 (just follow the signs for the bunkhouse at 149.5 km).
-
Philip Whiteman
- Posts: 2046
- Joined: 19 Nov 2006 16:17
- Real Name:
- Location: Drayton, Worcestershire
More news later. Thanks to fellow riders for a superb day.
Philip Whiteman L
Amar Sanghera
Phil Richards
Trevor Richards
Alistair Hay
Toby Draper
Craig Walmsley
Ben Walmsley
Steve Philpott
General Galtieri
3 club run points each, according to Capitan Richards .
Philip Whiteman L
Amar Sanghera
Phil Richards
Trevor Richards
Alistair Hay
Toby Draper
Craig Walmsley
Ben Walmsley
Steve Philpott
General Galtieri
3 club run points each, according to Capitan Richards .
Last edited by Philip Whiteman on 29 May 2016 21:01, edited 3 times in total.
-
ballintrane
- Posts: 340
- Joined: 05 Jan 2014 19:39
- Real Name: Paul Johnson
-
Robert Wade
- Posts: 100
- Joined: 27 May 2014 17:46
- Real Name:
- Location: Halesowen
300km club run
Thanks to phillip for organising a great day out (not sure about the paris-roubaix section though 
) thanks to Paul for leading and for everyone else for the company, lovely route with some beautiful scenery, a great day for riding a bike!
) thanks to Paul for leading and for everyone else for the company, lovely route with some beautiful scenery, a great day for riding a bike!This club run will stick in the memory for quite a while. Some musings:
Isn't it great that when the good doctor suggests a 300km+ club run, over 20 people say 'hhmmmm, that sounds good' and turn up and ride?
On a truly perfect day for cycling, the Black Horse saw around 15 people setting off, with Paul off at 05:59, saying, 'if they ain't here now, sod 'em' ( or words to that effect), and the first section started. It was a long drag on Phil's group to Hay-on-Wye of over 105kms, but we rolled into the literary festival town, with bunting up for us, and thousands of people lining the streets...surely they weren't there for books? At Hay, somebody offered me a celeste-coloured chain for my Bianchi...is it possible to over-accessorise?
The second 80km section to Monmouth was more rolling, with a particularly hilly section after Abergavenny, even Ben the climber began to say goodbye to his climbing legs here...meeting up with Paul's group at the cafe was a welcome sight, although we do want to know the detail behind the continual references to Vince's coleslaw.
After Monmouth, there was a 6km off-road section along the Wye, complete with hundreds of picnickers and people general ambling along and emerging into Symonds Yat saw masses of tourists and Beacon fans all there to cheer us on with shouts of Allez, Allez, Allez.
The final section back home saw our group drift into silent mode, all talking seemed to stop, our riding got sketchier, and there was general sullenness as tiredness took over. A big thanks to Toby (and Alistair) here, who led at the front for the majority of the last 60kms while a good deal of us simply hid behind him - thanks Toby.
And finally a big thanks to Dr Philip Whiteman for suggesting this day out, insisting we did it, and picking out a scenic but fair route. A monster day.
Isn't it great that when the good doctor suggests a 300km+ club run, over 20 people say 'hhmmmm, that sounds good' and turn up and ride?
On a truly perfect day for cycling, the Black Horse saw around 15 people setting off, with Paul off at 05:59, saying, 'if they ain't here now, sod 'em' ( or words to that effect), and the first section started. It was a long drag on Phil's group to Hay-on-Wye of over 105kms, but we rolled into the literary festival town, with bunting up for us, and thousands of people lining the streets...surely they weren't there for books? At Hay, somebody offered me a celeste-coloured chain for my Bianchi...is it possible to over-accessorise?
The second 80km section to Monmouth was more rolling, with a particularly hilly section after Abergavenny, even Ben the climber began to say goodbye to his climbing legs here...meeting up with Paul's group at the cafe was a welcome sight, although we do want to know the detail behind the continual references to Vince's coleslaw.
After Monmouth, there was a 6km off-road section along the Wye, complete with hundreds of picnickers and people general ambling along and emerging into Symonds Yat saw masses of tourists and Beacon fans all there to cheer us on with shouts of Allez, Allez, Allez.
The final section back home saw our group drift into silent mode, all talking seemed to stop, our riding got sketchier, and there was general sullenness as tiredness took over. A big thanks to Toby (and Alistair) here, who led at the front for the majority of the last 60kms while a good deal of us simply hid behind him - thanks Toby.
And finally a big thanks to Dr Philip Whiteman for suggesting this day out, insisting we did it, and picking out a scenic but fair route. A monster day.
Chapeau to everybody who shared our adventure yesterday.
Particular thanks to Phil W for devising the mad idea, planning the route and your leadership and to Paul for leading that other unruly mob. Thanks also to Phil R for your enthusiastic stewardship of club runs and for lifting morale on the road (and your kind words above - thanks mate).
To ride from Birmingham to the Brecon Beacons and back is acheivement enough for me. Those who rode laps of the chip shop on their return to attain a round number of miles are just oddballs. Cycling distances are measured in kilometres.
Particular thanks to Phil W for devising the mad idea, planning the route and your leadership and to Paul for leading that other unruly mob. Thanks also to Phil R for your enthusiastic stewardship of club runs and for lifting morale on the road (and your kind words above - thanks mate).
To ride from Birmingham to the Brecon Beacons and back is acheivement enough for me. Those who rode laps of the chip shop on their return to attain a round number of miles are just oddballs. Cycling distances are measured in kilometres.
-
Nicks_77
- Posts: 544
- Joined: 22 Dec 2012 10:23
- Real Name: Nick Shenton
- Location: Iverley, South Staffs
What an absolute belter of a day out it was yesterday.
Perfect route, perfect weather and perfect company.
Thanks to Phil "The Routemaster" Whiteman for devising a fantastic route which took in some spectacular Welsh scenery.
Paul J - A worthy leader for such an undertaking, I don't think I've laughed so much in ages and to everyone else in our group who made the ride just fly by effortlessly.
We all managed to keep the pace nice & steady, playing the tortoise catching up those pesky hare's at Monmouth. With plenty left in the tank we picked up the pace from Upton and got home before dark.
Perfect route, perfect weather and perfect company.
Thanks to Phil "The Routemaster" Whiteman for devising a fantastic route which took in some spectacular Welsh scenery.
Paul J - A worthy leader for such an undertaking, I don't think I've laughed so much in ages and to everyone else in our group who made the ride just fly by effortlessly.
We all managed to keep the pace nice & steady, playing the tortoise catching up those pesky hare's at Monmouth. With plenty left in the tank we picked up the pace from Upton and got home before dark.
-
Philip Whiteman
- Posts: 2046
- Joined: 19 Nov 2006 16:17
- Real Name:
- Location: Drayton, Worcestershire
It was my intention to compose a report about Sunday’s ride but other’s postings have portrayed the great day wonderfully.
At the finale of the Weston run of two years ago, I said “never again” and that view was echoed by fellow riders. What a contrast the Beacon’s Brecons ride provided and I am honoured that friends are calling for a repeat event in future. Yes, most of us were suffering on the closing stage from Monmouth but it was a quiet satisfaction that we had completed a monumental ride and not one of suffering for the sake of it. The day was excellent not necessarily in terms of route and weather but the sheer camaraderie and thoughtfulness amongst participants towards each other.
My worries about the Hay Festival did not come to fruition although traffic was heavier than normal. The plan to route the run via a dual carriageway of six foot wide, forcing riders to machete their way through over-hanging hedge parsley was perhaps the most ‘interesting’ section, George was still cleaning the vegetation out of his moustache when he arrived at Monmouth. What I did not anticipate was the carnage of bodies populating the cycle path on the approach to Symonds Yat, providing great practice for emergency stops and wobbly riding. The cafes were reasonable, Hay was slow given the long queues and Monmouth was basic and functional. Upton's Coop provided excellent rocket fuel bananas.
The arrival of the B run at Monmouth was very amusing for those of us in the A group. We had been debating where located in comparison with our ride. Given they had 15 riders causing a greater potential risk for delay and confusion, one can only conclude that Paul had them on a tight leash to have arrived in such good time. Looking a the faces of on the arriving riders was also interesting. Without naming names, some riders appeared to be in a state of shock whilst others looked fresher than a daisy. Either way, I take my hat off to all riders on the event and have an even greater admiration for riders that never ridden this length of ride ever before. Chapeau!
Given support for a 300 ride in future years, I will happily arrange another unless somebody else wishes to volunteer. A future 300 ride could be repeat this year’s ride, a variation or to a destination completely new. Any feedback from participants welcomed.
At a personal level I genuinely want to thank my peers on Sunday. It was very fine line between being able and unable to start that morning. As they will be aware, I am currently on long term sick leave, and the support and the enjoyment they provided on Sunday gave a strong boost to my morale. I shall keep taking the tablets and identifying days during the next month to undertake long distance rides.
At the finale of the Weston run of two years ago, I said “never again” and that view was echoed by fellow riders. What a contrast the Beacon’s Brecons ride provided and I am honoured that friends are calling for a repeat event in future. Yes, most of us were suffering on the closing stage from Monmouth but it was a quiet satisfaction that we had completed a monumental ride and not one of suffering for the sake of it. The day was excellent not necessarily in terms of route and weather but the sheer camaraderie and thoughtfulness amongst participants towards each other.
My worries about the Hay Festival did not come to fruition although traffic was heavier than normal. The plan to route the run via a dual carriageway of six foot wide, forcing riders to machete their way through over-hanging hedge parsley was perhaps the most ‘interesting’ section, George was still cleaning the vegetation out of his moustache when he arrived at Monmouth. What I did not anticipate was the carnage of bodies populating the cycle path on the approach to Symonds Yat, providing great practice for emergency stops and wobbly riding. The cafes were reasonable, Hay was slow given the long queues and Monmouth was basic and functional. Upton's Coop provided excellent rocket fuel bananas.
The arrival of the B run at Monmouth was very amusing for those of us in the A group. We had been debating where located in comparison with our ride. Given they had 15 riders causing a greater potential risk for delay and confusion, one can only conclude that Paul had them on a tight leash to have arrived in such good time. Looking a the faces of on the arriving riders was also interesting. Without naming names, some riders appeared to be in a state of shock whilst others looked fresher than a daisy. Either way, I take my hat off to all riders on the event and have an even greater admiration for riders that never ridden this length of ride ever before. Chapeau!
Given support for a 300 ride in future years, I will happily arrange another unless somebody else wishes to volunteer. A future 300 ride could be repeat this year’s ride, a variation or to a destination completely new. Any feedback from participants welcomed.
At a personal level I genuinely want to thank my peers on Sunday. It was very fine line between being able and unable to start that morning. As they will be aware, I am currently on long term sick leave, and the support and the enjoyment they provided on Sunday gave a strong boost to my morale. I shall keep taking the tablets and identifying days during the next month to undertake long distance rides.
-
laurence_cooley
- Posts: 1119
- Joined: 31 Dec 2011 13:48
- Real Name:
- Location: Harborne
I was thinking when I saw how early everyone had finished that it sounded like things went a lot more smoothly than the Weston run. Splitting into two manageable groups presumably helped with that, because the major issue when we went to Weston was with many of us faffing about and waiting at café stops to be served. I perfectly understood why Philip didn't want to repeat that ride again the following year, but it would be nice to do it again sometime and hopefully the smaller groups option could help make that realistic.
I think it was a great initiative, Phil. I would certainly be interested in doing something similar in the future, maybe once a year. However, participation in any given year would depend on having enough miles in the legs, which in my case varies from year to year, depending on work and other commitments. Some variation in routes would add to the interest, I think. However, it would also add to the workload for you (planning a new route each time), so I would understand if you preferred to stick to the current route. If so, as well as reconsidering the section of 'Paris-Roubaix-with-hedges', you might want to tweak the route around Monmouth's one-way system. The off-road section near Symonds Yat wasn't so bad, actually, but it might be a different story in wet weather, and I was a bit concerned about the **flat** risk.
-
ballintrane
- Posts: 340
- Joined: 05 Jan 2014 19:39
- Real Name: Paul Johnson
-
Philip Whiteman
- Posts: 2046
- Joined: 19 Nov 2006 16:17
- Real Name:
- Location: Drayton, Worcestershire
-
Philip Whiteman
- Posts: 2046
- Joined: 19 Nov 2006 16:17
- Real Name:
- Location: Drayton, Worcestershire
Already in.
The Rough Diamond is possibly the easiest 300 audax around. By coincidence it also passes between Hay and Wye albeit using different roads beyond Talgarth. The nasties come with Clifton Bank and the road crossing a large ridge lying between Usk and Chepstow. The return section through the Vale of Berkeley is wonderfully easy. It is usually a 'race' between non-racing audaxers to complete the route in less than 12 hours.
Yes, I realised that my instructions may have been problematic to B Run whilst we were blatantly ignoring one-way and no-cycling signs in order to gain the subway.George wrote: you might want to tweak the route around Monmouth's one-way system..