Tea Bag [bit late in the day]

garryb59 said:

Does anybody have any knowledge of 'numbers' for the Tea Bag 100k down
in E.Sussex in the morning [Saturday]. There is no phone no for the
organizer Dave Hudson on the Audax site and no email either.
I know I should be a bit more organized, but I never know quite what
I'm doing [or more importantly what I feel like doing] on the
weekends, so I never book anything.
Might just take a punt on it.

Punting at audax pace for 100K *would* be impressive. Would you ft
wheels to it to ge to the controls?

...d

Don't do it unless you know the route; he won't give you a route sheet
and won't take entries on the day. I could give you it (well mostly,
based on the second half of the 200 3 weeks ago) but you'll have to be
there at 0400 'coz that's when the 300 starts ;-)

MartinM said:

Don't do it unless you know the route; he won't give you a route sheet
and won't take entries on the day.

Which is all I need to know. Period.

Quoted message said:

I could give you it (well mostly,
based on the second half of the 200 3 weeks ago) but you'll have to be
there at 0400 'coz that's when the 300 starts ;-)

Ha! Outrageous time.
Like the great man said, 'a man must know his limitations'....when It
comes to cycling, I know mine, give or take a few
hours...........different set of rules for beer though :-)

thanks Martin, have a good one
Garry

garryb59 said:

MartinM said:

Don't do it unless you know the route; he won't give you a route sheet
and won't take entries on the day.

Which is all I need to know. Period.

Given the number of rides Dave organises (and caters for, mine
included) I don't think that's overly unreasonable; he just doesn't
have time to take entries on the day.

So:
My longest ride for nearly 11 months. A slightly less brutal start time
of 0400 (with an early 0300 option for the hardcores) meant I was able
to ride the 30km to the start...
(Ok I made that bit up) set the alarm for 0310 which actually went off
at 0326 and jumped straight in to the pre-loaded car. Arrived at
Heathfield (dark, 7oC) at exactly 0400 just as the last riders were
leaving; so grabbed brevet and a quick tea unloaded the bike and
pedalled off into the blackness with no real idea where I was going. It
was 1km from the start that I had my first and only "WTF?" moment from
a passing cager who yelled out of the window what was I doing? I
resisted the temptation to fire the same question back. After about 6km
I saw the first friendly bunch of LED lights and it turned out to be
John, my ride mate for next week's 400. Social chat was rudely
interrupted firstly by High and Over, a nasty hill over the South Downs
before Seaford, and then by riding in close formation on the not at all
empty A road to Brighton. A few 'ave it large clubbers by the seafront
before we struck inland near Shoreham. From here it was plain sailing
(my manor) all the way back to Heathfield. I forewent the decidedly
transporty caff at Cowfold in favour of full veggy breakfast at my
mum's who we fortuitously passed en route, but not without having to
climb 2 little mothers which feature (in reverse) on my own ride. Back
at Heathfield the car park was in full swing with most of the 300'ers
and also the 200 / 150ers, and they had a marching band in the high
street.
Fortified with a lot more than £1's worth of coffee and biscuits (the
entry fee!) we set off on the Dungeness leg, after shedding my
"converted from some old Aldi tights" and very efficient leg warmers.
With no sign of John I joined a posse of Rob (of Invicta fame) Mark (of
Mad Jack) Paul (another AUK cover star) and Richard (of LEL/BMB/PBP).
All very fine and pleasant with my third trip up Willingdon Lane this
year where I actually got into short sleeves. Taking turns on the front
into a stiff SE wind we arrived at Kentnobyl (194k) just as a steam
train did so dashed into the caff before the punters. An overly long
stay (where we finally met John again); but after that it became
wonderful! ; tailwind, flat, sunny and scenic. We did a big loop up
near Charing before arriving at World of Water (254k) which involved a
scenic detour by me (missed a turning).
And then to the last 47k; mostly rolling and quiet A/B roads; until we
crossed back into East Sussex, large amounts of brutal Up, the
highlight of which was Le Mont Mayfield and Newick Lane just before the
end. Arrived back at a nearly deserted car park (dark, 7oC) at just
after 2000 hrs.
Anyone considering any more Tea Bag events: they are well organised
with excellent routes which use a combination of tried and trusted
loops, highly recommended. I think I'll do today's ride again next year
for my SR.

MartinM said:

garryb59 said:

MartinM said:

Don't do it unless you know the route; he won't give you a route sheet
and won't take entries on the day.

Which is all I need to know. Period.

Given the number of rides Dave organises (and caters for, mine
included) I don't think that's overly unreasonable; he just doesn't
have time to take entries on the day.

So:
My longest ride for nearly 11 months. A slightly less brutal start time
of 0400 (with an early 0300 option for the hardcores) meant I was able
to ride the 30km to the start...
(Ok I made that bit up) set the alarm for 0310 which actually went off
at 0326 and jumped straight in to the pre-loaded car. Arrived at
Heathfield (dark, 7oC) at exactly 0400 just as the last riders were
leaving; so grabbed brevet and a quick tea unloaded the bike and
pedalled off into the blackness with no real idea where I was going. It
was 1km from the start that I had my first and only "WTF?" moment from
a passing cager who yelled out of the window what was I doing? I
resisted the temptation to fire the same question back. After about 6km
I saw the first friendly bunch of LED lights and it turned out to be
John, my ride mate for next week's 400. Social chat was rudely
interrupted firstly by High and Over, a nasty hill over the South Downs
before Seaford, and then by riding in close formation on the not at all
empty A road to Brighton. A few 'ave it large clubbers by the seafront
before we struck inland near Shoreham. From here it was plain sailing
(my manor) all the way back to Heathfield. I forewent the decidedly
transporty caff at Cowfold in favour of full veggy breakfast at my
mum's who we fortuitously passed en route, but not without having to
climb 2 little mothers which feature (in reverse) on my own ride. Back
at Heathfield the car park was in full swing with most of the 300'ers
and also the 200 / 150ers, and they had a marching band in the high
street.
Fortified with a lot more than £1's worth of coffee and biscuits (the
entry fee!) we set off on the Dungeness leg, after shedding my
"converted from some old Aldi tights" and very efficient leg warmers.
With no sign of John I joined a posse of Rob (of Invicta fame) Mark (of
Mad Jack) Paul (another AUK cover star) and Richard (of LEL/BMB/PBP).
All very fine and pleasant with my third trip up Willingdon Lane this
year where I actually got into short sleeves. Taking turns on the front
into a stiff SE wind we arrived at Kentnobyl (194k) just as a steam
train did so dashed into the caff before the punters. An overly long
stay (where we finally met John again); but after that it became
wonderful! ; tailwind, flat, sunny and scenic. We did a big loop up
near Charing before arriving at World of Water (254k) which involved a
scenic detour by me (missed a turning).
And then to the last 47k; mostly rolling and quiet A/B roads; until we
crossed back into East Sussex, large amounts of brutal Up, the
highlight of which was Le Mont Mayfield and Newick Lane just before the
end. Arrived back at a nearly deserted car park (dark, 7oC) at just
after 2000 hrs.
Anyone considering any more Tea Bag events: they are well organised
with excellent routes which use a combination of tried and trusted
loops, highly recommended. I think I'll do today's ride again next year
for my SR.

Great day for it too.

It's often expressed that all kinds of sporting events are as much a
mental challenge as they are physical, and *I* would consider this 300
to be where the big [insane] rides start, and therefore as much of a
challange in both areas.
The most I've ever done in a day is about 130 miles, and that's about
my limit, after that I get bored and start dreaming of hot showers,
food and beer. Reading your report Martin has made me realize I'd
probably struggle as much with the mental aspects of a longer ride as
the physical.

Respect !

Garry

garryb59 said:

It's often expressed that all kinds of sporting events are as much a
mental challenge as they are physical, and *I* would consider this 300
to be where the big [insane] rides start, and therefore as much of a
challange in both areas.
The most I've ever done in a day is about 130 miles, and that's about
my limit, after that I get bored and start dreaming of hot showers,
food and beer.

well I spent much of yesterday thinking about the same; but I had a
ride to finish before that ;-). You also tend to only think about the
next control, or if that's too far, the next turning off a long road.
I've had many remarks about distance riding being some sort of illness,
but the same is never said about marathon runners who expend a lot more
effort and do more damage to themselves IMO. It's a commitment, but I'd
hardly call it obsessive. I suppose having an ultimate goal (PBP) gives
it all purpose. If you can do 130 miles in a day you can easily stretch
to the longer distances. All depends what you want from it.

MartinM said:

garryb59 said:

It's often expressed that all kinds of sporting events are as much a
mental challenge as they are physical, and *I* would consider this 300
to be where the big [insane] rides start, and therefore as much of a
challange in both areas.
The most I've ever done in a day is about 130 miles, and that's about
my limit, after that I get bored and start dreaming of hot showers,
food and beer.

well I spent much of yesterday thinking about the same; but I had a
ride to finish before that ;-). You also tend to only think about the
next control, or if that's too far, the next turning off a long road.
I've had many remarks about distance riding being some sort of illness,
but the same is never said about marathon runners who expend a lot more
effort and do more damage to themselves IMO. It's a commitment, but I'd
hardly call it obsessive. I suppose having an ultimate goal (PBP) gives
it all purpose. If you can do 130 miles in a day you can easily stretch
to the longer distances. All depends what you want from it.

Sure. Making no judgement whatsoever here, I'm just kind of intriged
by these longer distances and the mindset of it all. And I can
understand the motivation of working towards an ultimate goal like the
PBP, it ties all the endeavour together. A sense of perspective comes
into play here too: when I packed up the weed 6 yrs ago and started
cycling again for the first time in 25 yrs I got a distinct sense of
satisfaction of gradually increasing the distances I could manage. One
mile leads to 2, which leads to 5, then 10, 20 etc. Some people
consider a 50 mile ride as kind of crazy. But now I think I've hit the
ceiling of what I 'want' ro achieve in any one sitting. My ultimate
goal is to ride C2C USA on a homebuild.....I just need 3 months of not
working and the funding to do it!

cheers
Garry

garryb59 wrote:

Some people

Quoted message said:

consider a 50 mile ride as kind of crazy. But now I think I've hit the
ceiling of what I 'want' ro achieve in any one sitting. My ultimate
goal is to ride C2C USA on a homebuild.....I just need 3 months of not
working and the funding to do it!

yep I'd join you on that if I could ;-)

garryb59 said:

.................................................................. My ultimate
goal is to ride C2C USA on a homebuild.....I just need 3 months of not
working and the funding to do it!

Interesting you should say that. I HAVE pedalled across America, the
challenge of a 300 or 400 or 600 or 1400 km randonee is much greater
than my transcontinental tour. Covering 60 -100 miles a day is not than
difficult and dong such a long tour means one gets into a routine which
means things tend to take care of themselves. A 400km randonee brings
some whole new challenges, riding all night for example. It's the
seeing how I am during such an event, seeing if I can do it that
motivates me. The fitness and weight control is just a bonus.