The Annual Lunacy (aka "I Don't Do Winter") Challenge Chatzone

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Fiona R

Formerly known as Cranky Knee Girl
Location
N Somerset
Posted in Imperial Chat sorry for repost. Feel this is my real challenge home, my favourite one. My 11th 200km done.

Another excellent GWR 211km audax yesterday in blazing sunshine and a stiff Easterly means September is in the bag, Plains Trains and no more Automobiles from Warmley on the Bristol/Bath Railway path to Blunsdon/Swindon then Stonehenge then Radstock and back to Warmley. I pushed myself and rode from home so it was my longest ride ever by 15km at 254km although not lumpiest ever it was a not too unethically flat 2440m. The worst bit by far, getting up at 5am and trying to leave by 5.45, ended up leaving at 6am. Then I tried to wing it in Bristol on empty roads (rather than slower known bike routes) and got totally up the spout lost, eventually google mapped myself onto the railway path, and arrived 15 minutes after the start. duh. No time for planned coffee. Luckily I still got my brevet card as organiser dashed off to chase the bunch. downed a banana and off I go into the headwind on my own. At 70+km the latte and sausage sandwich were very welcome at The Whistlestop Cafe. still a few stragglers here so some sign of the around 90 that supposedly started. Rode with a couple of friends for a bit south through Wootton Basett and onto Avebury, which is far nicer than Stonehenge. I carried on making sure to keep eating and drinking as 80+km to next control.

Really hot and the wind a side/headwind so a lot easier. I was trying to keep my pace up, trying not to lose face. Came across a PO and a handfull of audaxers propping up the bin outside, so I joined them with a cold drink and ate a roll I had packed. Eeking water out on this section. On down to Woodhenge which was new to me, but I failed miserably at photos. then headed east to Stonehenge on the gravel public access track that doesn't require payment. I didn't realise yesterday that the high number of trailers/tents/camper vans of varying age and durability were obviously there for Equinox! Every single group/family cheerily waved and helloed in response to my greeting, they had already had 85 others go past! Past the old relics (stones not hippie vans!) and back onto the main road and a busy section west. This was my first 200km audax 2 years ago and there was a stinker of a westerly that day, this time a tailwind. The rolling lumps were still quite sapping and I was relieved to turn off onto the lanes and the fabulous Ginnys Cafe at Boyton. Highly recommended. The owner is the best, she remembered me from other audax visits when I am always knackered as a long way from home. Fabulous tea and ice cream today, still munching on my almond butter and marmite rolls too. I was at about 75% of official audax now and finally less than 100km to home, 14.30. So hot, I washed my face applied more factor 50, and off I went rolling all the way to Cranmore and then north to Radstock. The hills into Radstock, out of Radstock and into Radford are all known and sapping but thankfully beginning to cool off now. I even overtook a bunch so I'm not going to be Lanterne Rouge as at least 6 behind me. Result.

A main road downhill blast into Keynsham for a fair few kilometres and the last drag up to Warmley, where I hit the wall last time as I'd not eaten at 20km to go, No rookie food errors today. Back to the arrivée at the Holybush pub at 18.45, there were (majority of) the other 80 I hadn't seen riding! Getting dusky so I filled my bottles and headed back to Bristol on a very scary and slow ride on the Railway Path with pedestrians all in dark clothes with dogs and majority of bikes had no lights on. Then I got in a snarl trying to negotiate the station roadworks and walked a lot and finally got home after 20.00 14 hours out, not too bad overall speed at 21.5kmh but speed really wrecked (about 1kmph I reckon) by the to fro shenanigans in Bristol. It wasn't easy but pretty pleased given the bad start and then pushing myself.

I'm still learning so much about longer rides, I had thought about extending this one to 300km earlier this month, but I abandoned that idea to keep for next year when daylight is longer.
 
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ColinJ

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
Lunacy is all about the stories you have to tell, the more extreme the tale the more memorable it is! very well done on 12. You only HAVE to do 1 more
Unless we have freakishly good autumn weather then all I WILL be doing is one more this year! :okay:
 

Pale Rider

Legendary Member
Especially nutrition that is quite different for women to men. Trial and error.

An interesting point that had never occurred to me.

My definition of a long ride is quite different to yours, but I'm increasingly put off pushing it too far by feeling a bit gummy for a day or two afterwards.

When I volunteered at London Edinburgh London, I was told the riders that really thrash it take weeks to fully recover.
 

steverob

Guru
Location
Buckinghamshire
I'm probably out.

Yes, there's still a theoretical possibility I could do my remaining six rides between now and December 31st, but due to a bad ankle injury (amongst some other issues) I haven't even been on my bike in the last seven weeks and haven't done a Lunacy length ride for another ten weeks on top of that, so I think it will take me a good month or so to even get up to the levels I'd need just to get one more entry in, giving me just two (very dark and cold) months to do the remaining five.

I'm hoping to be able to do a 50km this weekend (that alone would be my first in eight weeks) to keep my entry going in the Half Century Challenge, but I'm not even confident about that right now.

I could cheat and reduce my target - if I'd set myself 50 miles at the outset, I'd already be complete (have done 14 rides), or if I went for 85km, I'm currently at 10 rides with 3 to go - but I'm not sure that's within the spirit of the challenge.
 

Fiona R

Formerly known as Cranky Knee Girl
Location
N Somerset
I'm probably out.

Yes, there's still a theoretical possibility I could do my remaining six rides between now and December 31st, but due to a bad ankle injury (amongst some other issues) I haven't even been on my bike in the last seven weeks and haven't done a Lunacy length ride for another ten weeks on top of that, so I think it will take me a good month or so to even get up to the levels I'd need just to get one more entry in, giving me just two (very dark and cold) months to do the remaining five.

I'm hoping to be able to do a 50km this weekend (that alone would be my first in eight weeks) to keep my entry going in the Half Century Challenge, but I'm not even confident about that right now.

I could cheat and reduce my target - if I'd set myself 50 miles at the outset, I'd already be complete (have done 14 rides), or if I went for 85km, I'm currently at 10 rides with 3 to go - but I'm not sure that's within the spirit of the challenge.
That is really rotten, I hope you carry on improving. Keeping up the 50km challenge would be a very fine achievement indeed given everything that's happened. Good luck for that, take it steady.
 

Fiona R

Formerly known as Cranky Knee Girl
Location
N Somerset
Sorry to hear that :-\ I echo what Cranky Knee Girl says above. It certainly doesn't sound worth pushing anything to complete the Lunacy this year. The upside is that you have no need to pick a new distance next year :-)
Ooh look at your red hot chilli pepper in your signature, at least that is what it looks like to me!
 
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ColinJ

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
I have just been on the Northern rail website to claim compensation for my non-running train. I filled in the blurb and await the payment. I'm not sure if it will be a full refund.

What inspires confidence in the company is that afterwards they suggested that I register with them so as I can complete my future compensation claims more quickly! :wacko: :laugh:
They have refunded half my return fare - i.e. £2.70 of the £5.40. I could argue for more but can't be bothered to!

Now that I have got over the fatigue, I'm quite happy to have done the extended ride. :okay:
 

steverob

Guru
Location
Buckinghamshire
I have just been on the Northern rail website to claim compensation for my non-running train. I filled in the blurb and await the payment. I'm not sure if it will be a full refund.

What inspires confidence in the company is that afterwards they suggested that I register with them so as I can complete my future compensation claims more quickly! :wacko: :laugh:

Whenever I have to claim a refund on my train travel (usually my commute rather than leisure admittedly), I have to make sure I do it from my work PC, mainly because all the fields I need to type in now auto-fill in my browser, so I can complete my claim within 20 seconds rather than having to fill everything in manually and look up things like my season ticket number. I even have my photocopy of my season ticket saved as a JPEG on my work PC, so I can just attach it to my claim straightaway.
 

Bazzer

Setting the controls for the heart of the sun.
I'm steadily approaching the target, but life has forced the last couple of rides to be evening rides, with finishes around 10pm. So the opportunity to ride on a Saturday morning was gratefully taken. It was just a pity the weather gods didn't see it that way!
For the first 50k or so, there was the occasional light shower. Certainly nothing significant with the route chosen limited the time riding directly into the wind. Then I rode into a monsoon. I sheltered under a pub's eaves for 10 minutes while the downpour continued and when I could finally emerge, flooded roads were the order for the rest of the journey.
Not content with having soaked me once, the weather gods decided I really wasn't wet enough and for last 3 miles where shelter is largely limited to head height hedges, they gave me another cloudburst.
 

Fiona R

Formerly known as Cranky Knee Girl
Location
N Somerset
Yesterday was lunacy. Borders and Castles 200km audax. A bit of an iffy forecast but the really bad weather was dusk onward. We'd be back around then. There was a lot of confusion re the route as nothing arrived in the week, advertised as having a gpx provided it never came. Eventually was mailed a route that turned out to be corrupt. A fair bit of mtb territory and I only had 28s on but disc brakes probs saved me.

Started off OK climbing through the Wye Valley after a 7.30am start at Chepstow Castle, trying to find 8 castles en route today. Weather was not too bad given the very heavy showers and stiff westerly/southerly forecast. First a squirrel leapt into my ride buddy's wheels descending Symonds Yat, somehow he survived with some superb bike handling, but I squeezed my brakes a touch and swerved a touch even though I was not that close behind, reactions, and my back wheel went and somehow I also stayed upright. Then there was a nasty incident with a motorist trying to mow two of us down on a bridge overtaking with a car coming towards us. He expressed his opinion that cyclists should be in the crematorium when challenged by another in the group, passenger had a chair leg in the car apparently and got out with it. I had departed the confrontation by then but heard it all.

Welcome coffee and flapjack in Ross and we were relatively pleased with progress to a new control at Yarpole Community Cafe at the church, highly recommended but only open 10-1 I think, check times. Refreshed we climb up to Croft Castle and on round to Weobley. We kept hitting off road sections although riding a sturdy audax bike they are not gravel bikes, still only got 28s on not 32s These all slowed us down considerably and was quite annoying as we knew bad weather was on it's way, already had a deluge. After refreshment at the pub in Grosmont (another warm welcome and the most enormous pots of tea for 1 ever) we had just 45km left. Boy were they horrendous. steep climbs were known, more corrupt route (if only we had had more time to devise own route if we had known earlier it wasn't a route checked route.)

Coming through Raglan at dusk and the rain storm was coming in. It was dark and lashing down for the climbing up to Devauden The road was a river with white lines obliterated and it made for very extreme and dangerous riding. Eventually we crack the summit and the normal welcome view of the bridge was absent. visibility was minimal. The descent was terrifying, the only consolation was I knew the road was reasonable as I'd ridden it quite fast recently in better weather, the whole road was flowing water. Somehow we made it back in one piece, shaken and stirred but still alive. I didn't even "need" to do that one for RRtY!

One more to go to be a total lunatic, 12 down.
 
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