England : Suffolk Suffolk Sunday Club - Ride 3 - Are we there yet?

[Andrew_Culture]

Undaunted by the fact that we haven't actually managed to ride 100 miles yet due to weather related doings we're going to give it a crack again in March, when hopefully the weather will be somewhat more clement.

Date - Sunday 31st March 2013
Start time - 6.30am
Start & end point - The Giles Statue by Costa Coffee in Ipswich town centre
Length - 100(ish) miles in total, but done in three 'stages', so just do what you fancy (see below)
Food / café stops? - There is no specific café stop but we will be passing plenty of places suitable for hot drinks and food, and we'll be in no hurry, so will be happy to stop as the group decides.
Target average speed - NONE!


The route

Part 1
Where - Ipswich to Felixstowe, Waldringfield and back
Distance - 43 miles
Route - Click 'ere...

Part 2
Where - Ipswich to Aldeburgh via Snape Maltings and back
Distance - 50 miles
Route - Click 'ere...

Part 3
Where - Great Wenham, Hintlesham and back (Trumpet's TT Strava Segment)
Distance - 16 miles
Route - Click 'ere...


Please RSVP if you're planning on coming, we won't hold you to it but it's useful to know who we should keep en eye out for.

 

[Mike!]

I hope to do at least some of this one, will check date with the higher authority

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I hope to do at least some of this one, will check date with the higher authority

I think the segments idea works quite well.

 

[Mike!]

I think the segments idea works quite well.

Yes, will work well for me if I can get a pass. No way I'd be up to doing much more than a 30-40 miler for a little while yet, I have zero energy at the moment and few miles in the legs since October. This cold needs to do one!

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

Up through Snape is one of my regular jaunts, but 6:30am...

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Up through Snape is one of my regular jaunts, but 6:30am...

I've switched part one and two so you can join us without getting out of bed in the middle of the night

 

[totallyfixed]

I think the segments idea works quite well.

I'm a bit surprised that they do work given that the temptation to pack in after the first or second loop must always be there if you keep coming back to the same starting point?
Is it not a little early in the season to keep trying for 100 miles? For those that have not ridden that far before, the first time ought to be a good experience really and so maybe a little warmer? There is a good reason why we don't race the longer time trials until much later in the year. A great deal of energy can be lost very quickly in these cold temperatures if you are out there for several hours.
If your aim is indeed to crack a hundred it is always a good thing to have at least half a dozen riders making it more sociable and easier for the weaker riders to get a bit of shelter if the going gets tough or at least take turns on the front if there is a headwind [which there almost always will be on a circular ride].
Just saying.......

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I'm a bit surprised that they do work given that the temptation to pack in after the first or second loop must always be there if you keep coming back to the same starting point?
Is it not a little early in the season to keep trying for 100 miles? For those that have not ridden that far before, the first time ought to be a good experience really and so maybe a little warmer? There is a good reason why we don't race the longer time trials until much later in the year. A great deal of energy can be lost very quickly in these cold temperatures if you are out there for several hours.
If your aim is indeed to crack a hundred it is always a good thing to have at least half a dozen riders making it more sociable and easier for the weaker riders to get a bit of shelter if the going gets tough or at least take turns on the front if there is a headwind [which there almost always will be on a circular ride].
Just saying.......

I know where you're coming from, and when the weather warms up (around May) I'm planning to organise some much shorter Saturday rides that start much later in the day and focus a bit more on the social element (rather than mile-eating).

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

I've switched part one and two so you can join us without getting out of bed in the middle of the night

Damn, I'd better turn out then!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Damn, I'd better turn out then!

No pressure!

 

[Jon George]

I have to do one of my few shifts for my part-time job on the Saturday evening (finishes midnight), but let's just see how the next couple of weeks unfold. (I'm surprising myself with what I'm achieving out on the road - loose components notwithstanding!)

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I have to do one of my few shifts for my part-time job on the Saturday evening (finishes midnight), but let's just see how the next couple of weeks unfold. (I'm surprising myself with what I'm achieving out on the road - loose components notwithstanding!)

Excellent! Do you use Endomondo or Strava to track your rides?

 

[Jon George]

Excellent! Do you use Endomondo or Strava to track your rides?

For someone who acquired a degree in electronics in the dim and distant past, and is still interested in technology, I have yet to advance to a Smartphone – which is what I’m assuming you need! (I use a Blackburn on-board computer to monitor my efforts.)

 

[Andrew_Culture]

For someone who acquired a degree in electronics in the dim and distant past, and is still interested in technology, I have yet to advance to a Smartphone – which is what I’m assuming you need! (I use a Blackburn on-board computer to monitor my efforts.)

Yeah, you need an Android or Apple CostlyPhone

 

[Andrew_Culture]

For someone who acquired a degree in electronics in the dim and distant past, and is still interested in technology, I have yet to advance to a Smartphone – which is what I’m assuming you need! (I use a Blackburn on-board computer to monitor my efforts.)

That being said I also use a Holux Bike GPS which has a remarkably long battery life and is a LOT cheaper (about £35 on ebay!).