The Imperial Century A Month Challenge Chatzone

[StuAff]

I'll pencil it in my diary too if you don't mind a northern monkey joining you It'll be nice to put a few faces to names. Just need to sort accommodation out & a pass from Mrs S

Would be excellent to see you again!

 

[ianrauk]

I'll pencil it in my diary too if you don't mind a northern monkey joining you It'll be nice to put a few faces to names. Just need to sort accommodation out & a pass from Mrs S

Were well used to that other norvern monkey @martint235 , so you will be more then welcome.. you can converse with each other in your own language

Plan would be a 8.30am start from Purley in Croydon.

Edit: There is a Travelodge in Croydon if needed.

 

[martint235]

Thought the rule was anything north of Watford Gap was northern & I believe the Gap is actually south of Watford?

No the Gap is way north of Watford. It's where the motorway, the West coast mainline and the canal come close to each other

 

[Eddie_C]

No the Gap is way north of Watford. It's where the motorway, the West coast mainline and the canal come close to each other

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?...Northamptonshire&searchp=ids.srf&mapp=map.srf

 

[Soltydog]

No the Gap is way north of Watford. It's where the motorway, the West coast mainline and the canal come close to each other

Geography was never my strong point

 

[rb58]

I'm aiming to get out early tomorrow to get the March job done. A bit worried about the forecasted fog, so will aim to stay off the main roads.

 

[rb58]

That's March in the bag. Early start brought a fresh but not cold morning and no sign of the forecast fog. This was a utility ride (I had business in Essex), so no picturesque stuff today. Down to Dartford then followed the river to Westminster. Headed out to Southend on the north side, but not before getting lost around Aldgate and getting to the Bow interchange on the A12 before realising I should have been on the A13. A quick blast down the A12 towards Blackwall tunnel (surprisingly quiet at 6.30am on a Saturday morning) and I was back on route. It was route one from there. Direct and quick (for me). The return leg was only to the Woolwich ferry, where I hitched a lift over the river and headed home. The house was empty when I got back so I went round the block to make sure I contributed to my next Eddington number.

Comedy moment of the day was on Upper Ground (London Southbank) where a guy on a road bike with panniers about 200 metres in front of me didn't realise there was a chain between the bollards! No damage done to body or bike as far as I could see, other than to his pride.

There was a definite air of Spring around today.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

March done, will put details in the your ride today thread.

 

[Aravis]

Something a bit different this month. An outing for an original 1980 Dawes Galaxy which I acquired from eBay last year. Here it is resting briefly beside Hartpury Mill on the river Leadon, north-west from Gloucester.

Sorry about the pedals. They spoil the Look a bit, but it's many years since I've ridden with anything else. I have the originals but no shoes to go with them.

So this particular personal challenge - completing one qualifying ride on a vintage bike - is accomplished. My regular bike should feel very comfortable when I ride it again.

 

[tatr]

March done! The London-Oxford-London audax follows a very pretty route, especially after Didcot - highly recommended for people living in West London.

What I want to know is how do people cope with commuting along the Uxbridge road? It seems to be full of extra-special car drivers - much worse than South London.

 

[Soltydog]

March done this morning. I'll post details up later, as I'm off to work shortly. & not sure 100 mile ride is ideal preparation for an 8 hour late shift

 

[ianrauk]

I managed to squeeze my metric ton in last night. Imperial is planned for the 29th, which promises to be wet and windy. Ho hum.

G'luck...

 

[StuAff]

March done. Weather wasn't too bad, but there was plenty of tree damage evidence of yesterday's storms (which had me bobbing around on a ferry, unable to enter Harwich port for 6 hours yesterday morning). And I saw a couple of electricity supply crews working on overhead wires.

A pleasant sunny morning, and then a freezing cloudburst, with hail, as I rode through Tonbridge. A new (to me) hill - Hollingbourne Hill, which was reet nasty. And the curiously named village of Bapchild.

Nice one. Linky no work. Marked as private. Bapchild rings a bell, we go near there on the Whitstable runs if memory serves...

 

[ianrauk]

A new (to me) hill - Hollingbourne Hill, which was reet nasty. And the curiously named village of Bapchild.

Well done. Yup, the blessed Hollingbourne Hill as tackled by a few of us many a time on the way to Whitstable for brekkie/brunch. A nasty brute of a hill. It lures you into a false sense of security, the longer you climb, the more it ramps up and the tougher it gets.

It's much better going the other way, with the very nice public house, The Dirty Habbit at the bottom...

@Trickedem climbing the hill...

 

[rb58]

That's a mean hill for sure. But the run down from there to Faversham makes it worth it.