PBP Qualifying events - the full list and who's riding

[jefmcg]

200km - Steam Ride, Ruislip Lido, London. Entry fee: £7. CC riders: jefmcg frank9755

Well, I am proud to have made a stab at it. I broke my collar bone in January. After a rest, I purchased a turbo, used it twice and then <bad life event occurred> and I had to go to Australia. Arrived back on Saturday morning at 6.30 am after 22 hours in economy class and 4 moping around KL airport. Obviously I wasn't doing the ride, but when jet lag shook me awake at 4.30 am on Sunday morning, I decided to ride the 20km to the start and have breakfast before heading home. And I may as well load the gpx into my phone and print the route sheets.

Then when I was there, I thought: I should go for a ride today, if I ever have a chance of PBP. So joined the scrum for brevets. Took my leisurely way around the course, which at kilometre 160 I was regretting, as I thought I could finish but just out of time. But shortly after that I bonked, and the last 47km took me nearly 4 hours - stopping to throw up occasionally

Still, I managed to do the 200 in 14 1/2 hours, after being off the bike for 8 weeks and badly jet lagged, so not ruling PBP out entirely yet.

How did you get on @frank9755 ?

 

[ColinJ]

Well, I am proud to have made a stab at it. I broke my collar bone in January. After a rest, I purchased a turbo, used it twice and then <bad life event occurred> and I had to go to Australia. Arrived back on Saturday morning at 6.30 am after 22 hours in economy class and 4 moping around KL airport. Obviously I wasn't doing the ride, but when jet lag shook me awake at 4.30 am on Sunday morning, I decided to ride the 20km to the start and have breakfast before heading home. And I may as well load the gpx into my phone and print the route sheets.

Then when I was there, I thought: I should go for a ride today, if I ever have a chance of PBP. So joined the scrum for brevets. Took my leisurely way around the course, which at kilometre 160 I was regretting, as I thought I could finish but just out of time. But shortly after that I bonked, and the last 47km took me nearly 4 hours - stopping to throw up occasionally

Still, I managed to do the 200 in 14 1/2 hours, after being off the bike for 8 weeks and badly jet lagged, so not ruling PBP out entirely yet.

Bad luck, well done, and I hope you manage PBP somehow!

 

[smutchin]

@jefmcg Well done for giving it a go. Definitely the right decision. At the very least, it counts as good practice towards the next one, and there's plenty of time to get in shape for PBP. I wasn't hanging around yesterday - far too cold to make a day of it, so I just wanted to get round as quickly as possible and was back at Ruislip before 5pm, which is pretty fast for a 200 by my normal standards - under 10 hours is unusual for me.

My next ride is the Man of Kent 200 next weekend. Will be very pleased if I can put in a similar performance.

 

[frank9755]

Well, I am proud to have made a stab at it. I broke my collar bone in January. After a rest, I purchased a turbo, used it twice and then <bad life event occurred> and I had to go to Australia. Arrived back on Saturday morning at 6.30 am after 22 hours in economy class and 4 moping around KL airport. Obviously I wasn't doing the ride, but when jet lag shook me awake at 4.30 am on Sunday morning, I decided to ride the 20km to the start and have breakfast before heading home. And I may as well load the gpx into my phone and print the route sheets.

Then when I was there, I thought: I should go for a ride today, if I ever have a chance of PBP. So joined the scrum for brevets. Took my leisurely way around the course, which at kilometre 160 I was regretting, as I thought I could finish but just out of time. But shortly after that I bonked, and the last 47km took me nearly 4 hours - stopping to throw up occasionally

Still, I managed to do the 200 in 14 1/2 hours, after being off the bike for 8 weeks and badly jet lagged, so not ruling PBP out entirely yet.

How did you get on @frank9755 ?

Oh dear - sounds like a tough day, but a brave attempt!
By contrast, I had an easy time of it.
Rode the first hour at a leisurely pace chatting with a couple of clubmates, one of whom was doing his first audax. Then speeded up a bit. Went the wrong way round the loop at Quainton, so got to wave at most of the other riders. Met a couple of people I'd ridden with last year and rode with them for a while either side of Oxford, got a bit confused by the infos, and made it back to Ruislip at about ten past five. I enjoyed the route and it's the nearest audax to home that I've done - just a six mile ride away - so I was home before it was properly dark.

 

[ianrauk]

@jefmcg

My next ride is the Man of Kent 200 next weekend. Will be very pleased if I can put in a similar performance.

Doing this also, be nice to say hello.

 

[smutchin]

Doing this also, be nice to say hello.

See you there!

 

[Ian H]

Fixed 200 ridden in surprisingly respectable time. I checked the climbing afterwards and discovered it had 2 AAA points. So a 300 or two planned, and one each of 400 and 600 entered.

 

[goody]

Got my entries in for the Hard Boiled and WCW. I know it's not an Audax but my entry into the Mallorca 312 will have to be 'unofficial' as it's full now - oops!
I've liked your post jefmcg, not because of the thought of you throwing up a the side of the road but for the determination that got you there!

 

[PMarkey]

Signed up for the Plains 300 and the Heartbeat 400 but have managed to drop myself in it for a 600 as I had forgotten that I am on Holiday from May the 23 until June the 6 and the 600 qualifiers start on the 23rd so only leaving two weekends to get my final qualifier in, the first weekend's rides are the Mae Mr Pickwick yn mynd i chwilio am ddreigiau a chwedlau or the Pendle 600 and the second weekend and final chance to qualify is The East and West coast 600,the Three coasts 600 (both on my doorstep) or the the Buzzard 600 (286km away) I'm thinking of going for the Pendle 600 leaving the Three coasts as my last chance qualifier but I am going to have to really step up the mileage to manage the Pendle.

 

[marcusjb]

Pendle is a great ride. Properly hard, but lots of amazing scenery. Just don't panic when you reach Robin Hood's Bay (about 140km in and follows about the most brutal section of riding I have ever done in the UK), it gets a bit easier for a while!

I'm route-checking the club 300 tomorrow, so that'll end up being my qualifier no doubt. Looking forward to it, riding out to the start and back should put my somewhere around 380km for the day.

 

[PMarkey]

I have not had much luck with Andy Corless's rides having DNF'ed the two I have entered the 2013 Delightful Dales due to the weather and last years Swan with two necks due to that nagging negative little voice defeating my resolve , on the plus side I have managed a better start to this year so should be OK.

 

[marcusjb]

There's no doubt it's a tough ride (certainly the hardest 600 I've ridden in the UK) and whilst there's clearly masses of climbing, it never feel gratuitous (send them up that hill cos it's there). It's a real journey - you're riding coast to coast twice through some fabulous scenery.

I rode it in 2013 and we had pretty difficult weather conditions at night (a lot of rain and very cold) and fairly difficult conditions during the day (300km of head winds anyone?) - but the majority of riders completed the event.

Get to the sleep stop with time for even a short rest/nap, then you should be good. The second day is still tough (features the headline climbs of Hardknott and Wrynose etc.), but you can start to see the end in sight and it will all come together. As I said, do not panic at 140km - you will arrive at Robin Hood's Bay thinking "there is no way I can do another 360km of that!" - but it does ease again. That section in Robin Hood's Bay is vicious. The only bit of riding where a 20% sign feels like a relief! The ride west is still tough, but the climbs are bigger and shallower rather than short and sharp.

It's really a wonderful ride and a proper tour of northern England.

You'll be rightfully chuffed to complete it and it puts you in a pretty select group!

Good luck!

 

[PMarkey]

I rode to Robin hoods bay in 2013 and well remember the hills on the way towards Robin hoods bay I also remember the sense of relief I felt after the route I had plotted on Google tried to send me across a field so I bailed and headed for the A171
I think hill repeats may be the order of the day over the next month or so as if I'm honest hills are my weak point and thanks for the advice Markusjb

 

[marcusjb]

I guess you have seen the video of 2013 as well? May or may not be wise to watch - might put you off!

 

[goody]

Did the Hard Boiled yesterday, it's name and reputation are well deserved! After riding from the start for about fifteen minutes and going along nicely with a large group had a nagging doubht that I hadn't put my car park ticket on the dash. Pondered on this for about two minutes befrore turning round and went back to the start and displayed my ticket correctly! Left an empty car park again about 35 minutes later. Riding in the dark on my own until the first pub control was probably the best part of the ride for me, I'm not much of a group rider and I like riding unlit country roads and lanes especially when it's pitch black with no traffic. Started to see other riders from there on and I was a bit dissapointed to see it was almost daylight as I left the pub. Remember lots of headwind after that and a bit of trouble with one of the info controls my KM wasn't quite in synch with the route sheet. Lots of fast slippery descents, well they are slippery if you go onto the grass because you couldn't make the turn! Two rapid deflations both caused by bits of flint, new schwalbe Durano's be interested to hear what tyres others were on that didn't suffer similar. Met some pleasant characters a chap on a Ti Lynskey who is doing the Dorset Coast today hope it's not as windy down here as it is here today, Good Luck! Also a couple from Macclesfield who had ridden down to do the ride and are riding back next week, tandems are fast! Hope everyone got round OK, It was a bit painfull but I think I enjoyed it! 322 KM according to my Strava https://www.strava.com/activities/275601471