North West Passage Audax, 18 Feb - anyone done it?

[DCLane]

I'm looking at a possible first Audax - and the 18th Feb is currently available. Has anyone done it before? There's information at: http://www.westpennineroadclub.org.uk/audax.html

Mine would probably be the 120km rather than the 200km - the most I've done in a day before was 65 miles. Also, I'm doing the Evans Ride It! sportive in Leeds a week later so don't want to overdo things.

 

[mcshroom]

No. Entered last year but chickened out when the snow arrived.

There's a thread on last years ride over on another forum here

 

[ColinJ]

Several of us have! We were going to do it last year but the bad weather put most of us off. See our 2009 thread for one that we actually did ride!

I might do it this year, subject to acceptable weather conditions.

 

[DCLane]

Several of us have! We were going to do it last year but the bad weather put most of us off. See our 2009 thread for one that we actually did ride!

I might do it this year, subject to acceptable weather conditions.

Thanks Colin - do I see a possible forum group doing the Mini one here? I'm not planning doing the biggie ...

 

[Crimmey]

Started last year and turned around before Burnley when the biggest snow flakes I have ever seen started to fall. Still ended up doing 50miles in atrocious conditions. There's a hardcore guy at our club who did the 200km! The year before wasn't much better. Although clear skies, it was touching -4 in the Forest. Would I do it again? There's a good chance Ill be there.

 

[Steve H]

Yes - I'd be up for doing the mini. Not done it before, but looks pretty good

 

[ColinJ]

Svendo did it either last year or the year before and it was so cold that the water in his bottles froze!

In 2009, some of the CC gang joined me in riding from Hebden Bridge to Rochdale, did the event and then rode back afterwards. The trouble is - it meant a lot of riding backwards and forwards on the same roads, and it was a race to get back before dark. If I do it this year, I'll catch the train to and from Rochdale, and if if it wasn't icy, I'd do the scenic hill out of Whalley rather than yet another stretch of busy A-road round to Blackburn.

 

[Steve H]

My entry is in!

 

[DCLane]

Mine'll be in the post on Monday - the 120km one.

 

[ColinJ]

I might well do it because I want to do a metric century a month this year and it's hard to find the motivation in winter.

(PS I might do a 100 km Waddington ride from Hebden Bridge for the January one, if anybody is interested?)

 

[potsy]

(PS I might do a 100 km Waddington ride from Hebden Bridge for the January one, if anybody is interested?)

Me, if it's a flattish one to ease us into 2012

 

[Garz]

There's a hardcore guy at our club who did the 200km! The year before wasn't much better. Although clear skies, it was touching -4 in the Forest. Would I do it again? There's a good chance Ill be there.

 

[SlowerThanASluggishSloth]

(PS I might do a 100 km Waddington ride from Hebden Bridge for the January one, if anybody is interested?)

I'm interested in principle, Colin, depending on the date and other commitments but a word of warning - I haven't been out for my first 2012 ride yet

If my legs cope with a Waddington run I'd consider the mini NWP - could be a good run (although there's a fair few A roads, aren't there? )

 

[oldfatfool]

Me, if it's a flattish one to ease us into 2012

Colin...............FLAT

 

[Svendo]

Svendo did it either last year or the year before and it was so cold that the water in his bottles froze!

Just checked the Garmin data, and I did do the Mini version in 2010. 74.18 miles in 5:02 plus a half hour stop at the Country Kitchen in Waddington for a Baked Potato with cheese. It was very cold which encouraged my relatively high average speed of 21.5 km/h, and ice in the water bottle.
Looking at doing it again this year, I've requested the day off work. Think I'll enter on the line and choose the distance depending on the weather. The mini is a challenging enough ride, but the idea of still not having done the long Audax from my home town does rankle a bit.