Provisional dates for rides with ColinJ

[Venod]

I've copied all the dates, I fancied Glasson dock but its the 1st Orienteering trailquest of the year, I will consider them nearer the dates if you don't need a firm commitment.

 

[ColinJ]

Tis a pricy one, good thing I hardly do any Sportives now I stuck down 5.5-6hrs to complete as I suspect it will be a bit lumpy and I wanted to be sure

Lumpy?

Nah, flat as a pancake ...!

I have been even more cautious and put 6-6.5 hours, though I did an even lumpier audax of a similar distance in just under 6 hours last year.

I've copied all the dates, I fancied Glasson dock but its the 1st Orienteering trailquest of the year, I will consider them nearer the dates if you don't need a firm commitment.

Just turn up if you want to - sometimes people who say they plan to come change their minds! (But make sure that you arrive at the start in good time. I had one person turn up unannounced once just as we were riding away from the car park - another couple of minutes and he would have missed us!)

 

[G3CWI]

How much are these rides? Do we get a goody bag? Will Colin pause to sign autographs and pose for selfies?

 

[ColinJ]

How much are these rides? Do we get a goody bag? Will Colin pause to sign autographs and pose for selfies?

They are nowt for those pre-registered but those who turn up unannounced have to pay nothing instead!

We don't have long enough arms to take group selfies, although @Alun turned up with a selfie stick about 3 years before the rest of the world got to hear about them and that did the trick.

Usually, the likes of @potsy set a timer on the camera and balance it on a wall, before rushing over to stand with the normal people ...

 

[skudupnorth]

New job is going to hit the Sunday rides but Saturdays are good as long as they do not clash with my good ladies work shifts and Mother cannot care for the mini-me's

 

[SteCenturion]

Will there be an option to "dive in" mid route on the Cheshire 200k @ColinJ ?

It's one I could make work for me, but don't have that kind of distance in my legs yet & also a little free time poor generally.

 

[ColinJ]

Will there be an option to "dive in" mid route on the Cheshire 200k @ColinJ ?

It's one I could make work for me, but don't have that kind of distance in my legs yet & also a little free time poor generally.

Why not! I would guess that we would be averaging about 20 kph and we would have decided the route well in advance so you could join us somewhere along that route and it shouldn't be hard to guesstimate when we would get to various points.

I am still working out the route and the logistics. I am just going to get the next few rides out of the way, and then I will start a thread about the ride. If I am getting a lift over from someone, then I would have more freedom over where to start it from. Otherwise, I would be catching the first train in the morning to Manchester, then another one out towards the start. I don't really want to have to travel out the day before.

 

[Littgull]

Here are some dates to scribble in your 2015 diaries if you fancy joining me and some of The Usual Suspects for forum rides, audax rides, and maybe a sportive or two!

I want to give you plenty of notice because I know dates get booked up well in advance, but I don't want to start multiple ride threads too far in advance of these dates.

Saturday, 28th March - a rerun of last year's very popular Trough of Bowland, Glasson Dock ride. ~100km. Start/Finish - Whalley.

Sunday, 12th April - SITD (Spring Into The Dales), a lovely scenic local audax event which several of us try to do every year.~110 km. Start/Finish - Mytholmroyd.

Sunday, 3rd May - Tour de Yorkshire sportive. One of my Scottish cousins fancies coming down for this event so I might be joining him. He will probably be too quick for me, so I will ride round at casual forum ride pace, assuming that there isn't a faster cut-off speed to aim for. If I do it, join me for the lumpy medium length route? ~108 km. Start/Finish - Roundhay Park, Leeds.

Saturday, 30th May - a spectacular and hilly Forest of Bowland forum ride. I planned it for last year, but it kept getting postponed and never happened. I did ride the route solo, and it is a good 'un. ~100 km. Start/Finish - Whalley.

Saturday, 27th June - a 200 km forum ride in Cheshire. I will pick one of the regular Cheshire audax routes and we can all ride it as a 'permanent' together, at 15-20 kph average speed. Start/Finish - To be decided.

Saturday, 25th July - a scenic and hilly forum ride in the Yorkshire Dales. It might be a rerun of the ride we did about 3 years ago, or I might make up a new route. Probably ~100 km. Start/Finish - Settle?

August and September ... I'll think about nearer the time!

Sunday, 11th October - Season of Mists. Sister audax event to SITD. Very scenic, very strenuous! (HILLS, MANY STEEP!) ~100 km. Start/Finish - Mytholmroyd. [Not 100% sure about this - I think the date and venue seem to have changed. Will have to doublecheck nearer the time.]

So, would anybody fancy joining me for any of these? I will be starting dedicated threads for each of them nearer the time, in chronological order. I'll start the Glasson Dock thread soon.

Hi Colin,

Good news. I'm ok for the "Forest of Bowland Spectacular' on 30th May and also the Cheshire 200km on 27th June. I'll have the car for that latter one as well so no problem in getting you there and back.

 

[ColinJ]

Hi Colin,

Good news. I'm ok for the "Forest of Bowland Spectacular' on 30th May and also the Cheshire 200km on 27th June. I'll have the car for that latter one as well so no problem in getting you there and back.

Excellent!

I have been thinking about that 200 km ride. I want to ride it 'as if' an audax, but without having to do it properly. That will let me put meandering loops in without us having to provide multiple proofs of passage to the audax authorities. I would like us to average 20 kph incl. stops, which should be ok in the flattish countryside round there, and that would enable us to finish at a reasonable time. Say, 08:00 - 18:00? Anyway, I will start a dedicated thread for that ride at the start of June.

 

[Littgull]

Excellent!

I have been thinking about that 200 km ride. I want to ride it 'as if' an audax, but without having to do it properly. That will let me put meandering loops in without us having to provide multiple proofs of passage to the audax authorities. I would like us to average 20 kph incl. stops, which should be ok in the flattish countryside round there, and that would enable us to finish at a reasonable time. Say, 08:00 - 18:00? Anyway, I will start a dedicated thread for that ride at the start of June.

More good news, Colin. I've negotiated the car for 30th May too. So as yesterday, I'll see you in Tod at 9 am on the day.

 

[ColinJ]

More good news, Colin. I've negotiated the car for 30th May too. So as yesterday, I'll see you in Tod at 9 am on the day.

Brilliant - cheers!

If I had to, I would have ridden to the start and back, but as I said yesterday - I used to commute on the A646 and am bored with it so it's nice to get the lift.

 

[Ian H]

You planning a ride in the SW anytime soon?

 

[ColinJ]

You planning a ride in the SW anytime soon?

SW Lancashire and SW Yorkshire, yes!

A friend of mine has family in Exeter and Penzance so maybe we will come down for a holiday some time and I would definitely bring a bike if we did!

I do fancy riding in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Shropshire, Derbyshire ... Blimey, there are an awful lot of nice counties in the UK! Northumberland, Durham, Cumbria ... most of Wales and Scotland ... Lots of islands.

 

[Ian H]

I do like Yorkshire and Lancashire (my parents are from Preston), but I've lived in Devon since 1976 and got used to the place. The north is good cycling country, though.