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Anyone going?
Yarp
Last year was really really really good, just crossing my fingers that the weather holds up this year....
EDIT - is this related to you previous 'ride a century' thread by any chance?
I was but the accommodation fell through. Next year it's on the cards.
It was...I failed to mention that it was at night...I still wasn't certain I was going, but my train ticket is booked. Hoping for sub 7 hours, but willing to see how it goes.
Do you usually set off at midnight or before? I see sunrise is at 06:08.
Hoping for sub 7 hours, but willing to see how it goes
If you try for a time, knowing how quick you are you'll easily do less, BUT... EE isn't really about 'getting a time' it has a more Audaxy feel but without the controls. Basically just a bunch of people on bikes riding through the night and availing themselves of good food at the stops and having a decent chat on the way while enjoying the night time scenery and variable route.
You certainly won't struggle Daffy, it's quite a flat route overall, a few short sharpish inclines to start with (not really hills a they're only 200-300ft each) for the fist 20 odd miles to get you up and over heading towards the Mendips, great decent into Cheddar, then a nice long 20 milstretch on the levels which is ace if you can get into a group and bash it out, then a few teeny lumps for another 20miles.
Then you've got Blagdon hill in the Blackdowns (600-700ft total), which can be tough as it hits you at about 70 miles in when you're starting to feel it a bit, but then its 10 miles flat along the top to recover before a nice long descent down into the gap between East Budleigh and Sidmouth, then a short sharp 400-500ft climb over Woodbury common and descend to sea and a fry-up.
Do you usually set off at midnight or before? I see sunrise is at 06:08.
People will start leaving from around 10pm, there is no mass start on this event, there'll be loads of people hanging around, wondering when to leave, looking at all the other people also wondering the same thing, then a few small groups will start leaving (bunches of 4-6 at a time), then a few more will follow, and then all of a sudden the bulk of people of people will be on the road, and then it'll be the late comers rushing to get going from midnight.
It all sorts itself out on the road as there's a massive differential in speeds and group size so you end up with a couple of hundred people all spread out over the route.
If you're on your own I wouldn't start too early, but nor would I start too late, if you want some company, but if you're happy on your own just leave when you feel like it 🙂
I'll keep an eye out for a lovely titanium bling machine and shout some encouragement when you overtake shall I? 😉
I'm probably going. Likely leave around 10pm and hope to be eating a fry up in the Harbour View Cafe sometime near 7am.
I'll keep an eye out for a lovely titanium bling machine and shout some encouragement when you overtake shall I?
Please do, thought I doubt I'll be passing many people. I'll be carrying my camelback with a book to pass the 6 hours between arrival in Exmouth and back in Bath.
thought I doubt I'll be passing many people
I think you vastly underestimate how leisurely some people take this ride 😉
If you see a little cream/white Singular Osprey with polished guards on then say hi!
Green Surly Pacer here, also with polished guards. Hopefully see you there.
The weather is looking pretty bad for this...it's looking like a minimum 20mph (max 35mph) headwind for the whole 110mile journey...and it'll be raining...
They're predicting gusts in exposed areas of upto 65mph...
It was a pretty similar situation in 2014 with the remnants of Hurricane Bertha coming over the Atlantic that night. Wet for the second half of the ride and the wind coming down into Exmouth in the morning was certainly interesting.
Was is manageable?
Most people seemed to finish it. The weather was OK for the first half though and the headwind wasn't as constant as this is looking to be. It'll be OK I reckon, but it may be best not to be in too much of a hurry.
Given the weather, I think I might be using my Niner RLT with full guards rather than my road bike without them.
Looks like the worst of the rain will have hopefully blown through by the start time.
headwind not going to be great fun but shouldn't be impossible, head down, crack on, find some buddies and do turns 🙂
Make sure you guys try the northern / Scottish equivalent next year too - www.ridetothesun.co.uk
Well, if you two aren't fazed by this, I guess I'd better get packing. Given the wind, I guess I'll be leaving around 10:00. I have a train to catch from Exmouth at 09:10 😕
Worst case scenario we'll all get a bit wet, but I've been wet before, I got over it 🙂
See you there!
We'll that was wet, and windy! How did you get on Daffy?
It was wasn't it.
Daffy was quick, he dropped me after Cheddar, saw him at the end, he was about the 6th person back, apparently around 6am.
My ride back up to Dartmoor afterwards was a bit painful, with yet more headwind.
T'was very wet, but at least the wind was manageable. My knees are utterly destroyed. The nine (hilly miles) home from Bath Spa railway station were done at a speed which could only be described as leisurely.
Many thanks to Porkscratching it was immensely helpful having someone to ride with in those early stages. I was surprised that so many riders had already left by 10 (120-150) according to the organisers.
6hours 56 mins of ride time and 8hours 20 of total time. Just under 25kph average. Thank the Lord for the 3rd rest stop...that saved me.
What sort of lights do you guys run on your road bikes to see you through the night?
Strada with a support cell on the bars. Sirius with micro red eye on the lid. Flare on the rear with a spare (which was needed after 6 hours) in the bag. Also carrying a spare Equinox in my pack.
I use an old version of this:
and carry a couple of spare 18650s. Only needed one battery change, but was on low setting most of the night.
A 4 year old Exposure MaxX D for me, lasts ~10hr on medium so more than enough to sit on medium and bump up to full power for the descents, indicator had just gone amber when I got home.
Good Effort Daffy well done! Nice to see you managed to get in under 7hrs rolling time which was what you were aiming for, as your first longer distance ride that was probably quite a tough one mentally given the weather!
This years ride was about 1.5-2mph slower that last years, I'm blaming the weather 100% for that, especially that constant wind, not strong but annoyingly 'there' for the whole ride.
We left a bit later than intended, then spent a long time in the food stops hiding form the weather but overall we had a good ride, some fun bits, some less fun bits, some cake eaten, some tea drunk, what's not to like 🙂