The Metric Century (100KM) A Month Challenge ChatZone

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steverob

Guru
Location
Buckinghamshire
However, as I am considering doing a 100km ride this weekend (first since my crash, have already managed a few 50 milers this month) if I do, I might post it in the Metric Century thread anyway. Yes, I know I'm not eligible for the challenge now, but it'll be motivation to keep me going for the rest of the year - would be interesting to see if I could have managed all 12 months if I hadn't crashed.

Well I did manage to do the 100km today - in fact it was my longest ride of the year (by all of 0.9 of a mile!). However I very nearly didn't get to go through with it, when after just 10 miles a car left hooked me at a junction nearly taking me out. The guy in the truck that was right behind the idiot's car gave a huge blast on his horn when he realised what was about to happen and that helped bring it to my attention so I could attempt to brake - obviously otherwise the first thing I'd have seen was the side of this vehicle coming right across my face. The truck did pull alongside to check I was okay, but all I could do was puff out my cheeks and shrug my shoulders - I was absolutely steaming as you can guess, but knew if I opened my mouth I'd have just let loose a volley of swear words and that wouldn't have been fair to him because clearly he was a nice guy and he knew that the other driver was the one who was a ****.

Kind of put a dampener on what was otherwise quite an interesting ride. Also putting a dampener - literally this time - was the rain that never really amounted to much more than spitting, but never went away either. Considered stopping for shelter a few times, but thought it was just easier to press on. But I did get to explore some new roads around Woburn and Flitwick I'd never done before and that's always fun.
 

Rickshaw Phil

Overconfidentii Vulgaris
Moderator
18th Jan - 100KM Cheshire ride https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmaps/route/1010038/100km-Cheshire
20th Jan - 65miles Jodrell Bank https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmaps/route/1012922/65miles-Jodrell-Bank-convoluted-route
6th Feb - 100km Catchpenny Pool - Redesmere https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmaps/route/1042380/100km-Catch-Penny-Pool-and-Redesmer
8th Feb - 100km Pickmere - Chelford https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmaps/route/1045596/100km-Pickmere-Tatton-to-Chelford
16th Feb - 100km Congleton and Back https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmaps/route/1059088/100km-Congleton-and-Back
20th Feb - 100km Loop around Arley https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmaps/route/1065827/16mile-Loop-Around-Arley
6th March - 100Km Brereton Heath Nature Reservehttps://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmaps/route/1091157/100km-Brereton-Heath-Nature-Reserve
8th March 100Km Altrincham Plumley Lymm https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmaps/route/1094528/100Km-Altrincham-Plumley-Lymm
13th March 100Km Mow Cop Lane https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmaps/route/1104079/100Km-Mow-Cop-Castle-Easier-side
25th March 65 miles To the Cloud at Congleton https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmaps/route/1126663/65-Miles-The-Cloud
3rd April - 70 mile Mow Cop and The wizard View: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/13731985
11th April - 108km Gawsworth Cheshire Meander https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20221294
13th April - 104km Congleton and back via Alderley https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20266183
18th April - 102km Giantswood https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20406406
25th April - 103km On the Drops https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20620656
28th April - 103km Easy 100Km https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20620656
23rd May - 100km Lymm, Pickmere, Goostrey, Congleton and back

28th May - 115km Lymm, Pickmere, Goostrey, Congleton Goostrey, Pickmere
31th May - 125km Pickmere, Goostrey, Haslington,Church Minshull, Wettenhall, Little Budsworth, Cuddington, Pickmere.
3rd June - 146km Dunham, Mobberley, Wilmslow, Peover, Goostrey, Haslington,Church Minshull, Wettenhall, Little Budsworth, Cuddington, Pickmere.
7th June - 102km, Lymm, Pickmere, Goostrey, Congleton Goostrey, Pickmere lymm
9th June - 101km, Lymm, Mobberley, Henbury, Gawsworth, Marton,Goostrey, Over Peover,Tatton, High legh
13th June - 100km, Lymm, Rostherne, The Wizard, Swettenham, Plumley, Pickmere.
15th June - 110km, Appleton, Arley, Comberbach, Acton Bridge, Delamere, Kelsall, Clotton and back.
19th June - Very Hot 100km, Lymm, Pickmere, Goostrey, Congleton Goostrey, Pickmere lymm
21st June - Hot 101km, Lymm, Tatton, Peover, Goostrey, Hulme Walfield, Congleton, Swettenham, Goostrey, Plumley, Pickmere, Hoo Green, Agden, Lymm.
26th June - 102km, Appleton, Arley, Comberbach, Acton Bridge, Delamere, Kelsall, Clotton, Huxley, Ice Cream Farm and back.
30th June - 103km, Plumley, Peover, Boots Green, Swettenham, Brereton Pool, Boots Green, Peover, Plumley.
3rd July - 100Km, Dunham, The Wizard, Gawsworth, Swettenham, Plumley, Pickmere, Arley, Appleton.
5th July - 105km, Appleton, Arley, Acton Bridge, Norley, Kelsall, Clotton, Huxley, Tattenhall Marina and back.
7th July - 101km, Appleton, Arley, Plumley, Goostrey, Brookhouse Green, Sandbach, Middlewich, Lach Dennis, Plumley, Pickmere, High Legh, Grappenhall.
12th July - 100km Lymm, High Legh, Pickmere, Goostrey, Congleton and back
14th July - 100km Lymm, Rostherne, Ashley, Mobberley, The wizard, Henbury, Gawsworth, Somerford, Goostrey, Plumley, Pickmere, High Legh, Lymm.
17th July - 117km Appleton, Arley, Plumley, Peover, Goostrey, Swettenham, Astbury, Scholar Green, Rode, Small Wood, Brereton, Swettenham and back.
20th July - 112km Lymm, High Legh, Great Budworth, Acton Bridge, Weaverham, Whitegate, Little Budworth, Oulton Park, Wettenhall, Venetian Marina, and back.

24th July - 102km, Lymm, Pickmere, Goostrey, Giant's Wood, Congleton, Goostrey, Pickmere lymm
25th July - 109km, Appleton, Arley, Acton Bridge, Norley, Kelsall, Clotton, Huxley, Beeston Castle and back.
1st Aug - 100km, Lymm, Ashley, Mobberley, Jodrell Bank, Goostrey, Byley, Middlewich, Lostock Gralam, Great Budworth, Anderton, Whitley, Grappenhall.
Umm, I think your watch might be running a bit fast.:unsure:
 
Well I did manage to do the 100km today - in fact it was my longest ride of the year (by all of 0.9 of a mile!). However I very nearly didn't get to go through with it, when after just 10 miles a car left hooked me at a junction nearly taking me out. The guy in the truck that was right behind the idiot's car gave a huge blast on his horn when he realised what was about to happen and that helped bring it to my attention so I could attempt to brake - obviously otherwise the first thing I'd have seen was the side of this vehicle coming right across my face. The truck did pull alongside to check I was okay, but all I could do was puff out my cheeks and shrug my shoulders - I was absolutely steaming as you can guess, but knew if I opened my mouth I'd have just let loose a volley of swear words and that wouldn't have been fair to him because clearly he was a nice guy and he knew that the other driver was the one who was a ****.

Kind of put a dampener on what was otherwise quite an interesting ride. Also putting a dampener - literally this time - was the rain that never really amounted to much more than spitting, but never went away either. Considered stopping for shelter a few times, but thought it was just easier to press on. But I did get to explore some new roads around Woburn and Flitwick I'd never done before and that's always fun.

Not funny at all Steve, I'm glad you're OK. I assume the left-hooker just drove on oblivious?
 
OP
OP
ColinJ

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
I got another metric century in yesterday, a 103 km ride from the home of sister #1 in Coventry to the home of sister #2 in Leighton Buzzard.

I delayed my departure until 13:00 because of rain and thus managed to avoid all except for a few drizzly spells. I enjoyed some sunny spells on the way. What I did not enjoy was the nagging, blustery cross/headwind that hindered my progress.

I only averaged 21 kph (13 mph) but that didn't mean that ride felt easy. The wind made up in difficulty for the relatively flat terrain. I was carrying a 35 litre rucksack, which started feeling pretty heavy after 3 hours and terrible after 4 hours.

My delayed departure meant that I got caught up in rush hour traffic from NW of Milton Keynes down to LB.

I was coming in to LB on the A418 and had heavy traffic thundering past me so I opted to get off the road onto the segregated cycle path to my left. That turned out to be really good. The surface was excellent. I didn't see any broken glass and nobody else was using the path so I could ride along as fast as I wanted to.

I knew that there was a busy roundabout ahead where the A418 crosses the A4146. I had gone through my route on Street View before setting off so I knew that the cycle path went off to my left to cross the A4146 about 50 metres to the west of the roundabout. It was there that I made a really serious mistake ...!

I think that my blood sugar must have been getting low after 5 hours of battling that wind. The traffic was very heavy so it was hard to spot a gap in which to cross but eventually I saw that 3 cars were going straight ahead on the A418 which created a gap in the flow on the A4146. I set off to cross but failed to clip in first time, and then I realised that I had set off on the big ring and struggled to get moving ...

That small delay was enough time for 2 westbound drivers to fly around the island after the 3 northbound drivers had passed, and accelerate down my stretch of road. I was halfway across my side of the road when I looked to my right and saw both drivers emergency braking to avoid hitting me! :eek:

I mouthed apologies to them and got out of the way ASAP. Having had time to think about what happened, I am now pretty convinced that the 2 drivers must have been speeding but the fact is that I got myself into a seriously dangerous situation. I should not be relying on drivers not to speed out of a roundabout immediately after traffic has crossed in front of them!

Lesson very definitely learned! I opted to walk the bike across from the centre refuge. I waited for the traffic to stop at the roundabout, made eye contact with the drivers that I was crossing in front of and nipped across, watching out in case of cyclists or motorcyclists filtering through from my left.

I was quite shaken up by the incident. I know some people will suggest that staying on the road all along would have been the answer rather than using the path. I don't agree - I'd had several high-speed close passes before opting for the path, and the roundabout looked scary in rush hour traffic.

I think it would have been better to put the bike crossing another 25 metres from the roundabout so cars would take longer to get there, but OTOH they would be traveling faster when they got there.

My forum ride will be coming back into LB that way tomorrow so we will have to decide whether to use the path or the road and be very careful either way!
 

shirokazan

Veteran
My forum ride will be coming back into LB that way tomorrow so we will have to decide whether to use the path or the road and be very careful either way!
This is the section from Wing to LB, isn't it? I've used both the road and the path in the past: I tend to use the path unless the traffic is fairly quiet. Note that just before the roundabout there is an entry point from the path back onto the road, meaning that you can do most of the section from Wing on the path and rejoin the road to get across the roundabout.
Anyhow, glad that you're still in one piece! :bicycle:
 
@ColinJ, I get that feeling of cars bearing down on me as I cross the a50 everyday. It is horrid and probably makes me slower across the junction as a result (contradictory I know).
 

steverob

Guru
Location
Buckinghamshire
This is the section from Wing to LB, isn't it? I've used both the road and the path in the past: I tend to use the path unless the traffic is fairly quiet. Note that just before the roundabout there is an entry point from the path back onto the road, meaning that you can do most of the section from Wing on the path and rejoin the road to get across the roundabout.
Interesting - I usually use the road from Wing all the way to the roundabout and switch to the cyclepath at that point! However, I'm usually turning right at that roundabout rather than going straight on, so I'm crossing the A418 first, then the eastbound A505, which is a little easier to do - traffic isn't going quite as fast round the bend and you have much better visibility of it. Anyway, it'll be easier on Saturday afternoon - less traffic than on a midweek rush hour for sure.
 
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OP
ColinJ

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
@ColinJ, I get that feeling of cars bearing down on me as I cross the a50 everyday. It is horrid and probably makes me slower across the junction as a result (contradictory I know).
We used the cycle path on the forum ride on Saturday and I realised that the crossing point is much closer to the roundabout than I'd remembered. Using it was fine the second time round, with lighter traffic levels, but I think it is definitely too close to the roundabout when there is frenetic rush hour traffic. I am an experienced cyclist and I had looked for a suitable break in the traffic on Thursday, but 2 motorists still managed to get scarily close to the 'kill zone'!
 
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