London to Bristol (aka 'Brizzle' in Bumkin)

Sewinman

A friend and I are doing this at the end of May. We are staying in Hungerford on the saturday night, so two fairly easy days riding - I hope. Not having done anything like this before I wondered if people could help me with my pack list please?

I currently have (including what I will be wearing):

Bike
Helmet
Shoes
Pannier Bag(s)
Water Bottle
Inner Tubes X ?
Lock
Levers/Tool thing
Pump
Lights
2x Cycling shorts
2x Jersey
Jacket
3x socks
'Normal Clothes'
Tooth Brush/Paste
Pants
Money/Keys/CC/Fags/Lighter/Mobile/Lube

Anything else?

Sea_Green_Incorruptible

You'll be putting cider in your water bottle I presume?

_Brun_

Pcunture repair kit/patches.
Chain tool, plus new links/pins as appropriate.
Gear/brake cables. Unlikely to be needed, but take up bugger all space and it's worth having spares anyway.
A few zip ties.

gtvlusso

Aaaarrhhhh moi luvverrr!

A4 is an easy one until you are about 5 miles from Calne - bit of a long drawn out and windy climb....

Generally, it is an easy ride. I generally go Brizzle, Chipping Sodbury, Malmesbury, Swindon, Newbury, Reading - More north of the M4 than south as the roads are nice, country roads and there are a few climbs that you can test yourself on.

Sewinman

gtvlusso wrote:

Aaaarrhhhh moi luvverrr!

A4 is an easy one until you are about 5 miles from Calne - bit of a long drawn out and windy climb....

Generally, it is an easy ride. I generally go Brizzle, Chipping Sodbury, Malmesbury, Swindon, Newbury, Reading - More north of the M4 than south as the roads are nice, country roads and there are a few climbs that you can test yourself on.

Thanks for tips Brun.

We were planning on doing the Sustrans Route.

knight2k

Gaffer Tape - It'll fix almost everything!

itboffin

Sewinman wrote:

A friend and I are doing this at the end of May. We are staying in Hungerford on the saturday night, so two fairly easy days riding - I hope. Not having done anything like this before I wondered if people could help me with my pack list please?

I currently have (including what I will be wearing):

Bike
Helmet
Shoes
Pannier Bag(s)
Water Bottle
Inner Tubes X ?
Lock
Levers/Tool thing
Pump
Lights
2x Cycling shorts
2x Jersey
Jacket
3x socks
'Normal Clothes'
Tooth Brush/Paste
Pants
Money/Keys/CC/Fags/Lighter/Mobile/Lube

Anything else?

Hungerford you say mmmm interesting! that's 5 miles from my house.

lost_in_thought

Not sure why you need 'normal clothes'... are you planning a night out in Hungerford/Brizzle?

Fireblade96

Lay out everything you think you need

Put half of it back in the drawer

Remember puncture repair kit, credit card & mobile

Go ride

Sewinman

lost_in_thought wrote:

Not sure why you need 'normal clothes'... are you planning a night out in Hungerford/Brizzle?

As demonstrated by the Morpeth the other night I have an aversion to wearing cycling clothes in a pub...also I am in the countryside - so fully expect a comely serving wench to be serving beer in a Hungerford pub.

lost_in_thought

Sewinman wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Not sure why you need 'normal clothes'... are you planning a night out in Hungerford/Brizzle?

As demonstrated by the Morpeth the other night I have an aversion to wearing cycling clothes in a pub...also I am in the countryside - so fully expect a comely serving wench to be serving beer.

You should address her such as well - 'Hither, Barwench, and refill my tankard'...

They love that, I hear.

Also, you should look at what you can put on you/the bike and what you'll have to carry in a rucksack/pannier...

Fireblade96

And check that you have somewhere to eat planned in Hungerford !

...there's a story behind this. In brief, cycling from Bath to Reading with the (ex)GF, stopped for the night near Hungerford. She had planned to eat in the pub on the A4 - Pelican Inn I think. We checked into the B&B, walked up to pub.....and they weren't serving food ! The nearest place that might have food was miles away and even then not certain, so we drank loads of beer and ate the bar's entire stock of beer and peanuts.

Oh, and the B&B owners were *very* strange.

itboffin

Fireblade96 wrote:

And check that you have somewhere to eat planned in Hungerford !

...there's a story behind this. In brief, cycling from Bath to Reading with the (ex)GF, stopped for the night near Hungerford. She had planned to eat in the pub on the A4 - Pelican Inn I think. We checked into the B&B, walked up to pub.....and they weren't serving food ! The nearest place that might have food was miles away and even then not certain, so we drank loads of beer and ate the bar's entire stock of beer and peanuts.

Oh, and the B&B owners were *very* strange.

That's a very nice pub but WE don't like outsiders round these parts

Sewinman

itboffin wrote:

Fireblade96 wrote:

And check that you have somewhere to eat planned in Hungerford !

...there's a story behind this. In brief, cycling from Bath to Reading with the (ex)GF, stopped for the night near Hungerford. She had planned to eat in the pub on the A4 - Pelican Inn I think. We checked into the B&B, walked up to pub.....and they weren't serving food ! The nearest place that might have food was miles away and even then not certain, so we drank loads of beer and ate the bar's entire stock of beer and peanuts.

Oh, and the B&B owners were *very* strange.

That's a very nice pub but WE don't like outsiders round these parts

Yeah - my mate is Italian, so they will probably burn him for speaking in tongues. I was thinking of playing the Strider role from LOTRs - outlandish type, bringing strange tidings from across the great citadel sixty leagues yonder. Unfortunately, I don't quite look like him. :?

Edit - sixty leagues is a bit far too!

Fireblade96

itboffin wrote:

That's a very nice pub but WE don't like outsiders round these parts

I'm an outsider even here, I'm used to it !

I seem to remember the beer was good and they were very apologetic! However when the chef's takeaway pizza arrived he nearly lost it to two ravenous cyclists.

Oh, just remembered a Top Tourist Tip. Go and visit the Crofton Beam Engines
http://www.croftonbeamengines.org/intro.html
Highly recommended, and in a lovely scenic locaation down by the canal.

itboffin

Fireblade96 wrote:

itboffin wrote:

That's a very nice pub but WE don't like outsiders round these parts

I'm an outsider even here, I'm used to it !

I seem to remember the beer was good and they were very apologetic! However when the chef's takeaway pizza arrived he nearly lost it to two ravenous cyclists.

Oh, just remembered a Top Tourist Tip. Go and visit the Crofton Beam Engines
http://www.croftonbeamengines.org/intro.html
Highly recommended, and in a lovely scenic locaation down by the canal.

Tee hee small world I live 1.6miles from the beam engine in fact we passed it on our ML sportive, and I'll be whizzing within inches of your manor on Sat on my wiggly way to Bourne End and then wobbling back many many hours later

CiB

OP. Buy a tube of Savlon. Before you set off slap handfuls of it round your parts (yours not the bike's), and then do it again at the lunchtime halt. Repeat when you set off the following morning. For the first 20 yards it's like cycling with a bag of tadpoles down your shorts but after 3 hours in the saddle you'll appreciate it. Not sure if girls should adhere to this advice, but they seem to know what's what in that dept anyway.

I did 85 & 90 miles on Friday / Saturday a couple of weeks ago with the bare minimum. Clothes are heavy; discard them. It's near the longest day so discard lights. Discard the helmets (I did anyway).

Take plenty of fluids to drink, and enough food to keep the energy levels up. Don't wait unitl you're thirsty / hungry before tucking in. Get it down you on a regular basis.

Head over to Road --> Beginners & have a stare through this thread. It'll be useful for you.

prj45

lost_in_thought wrote:

Sewinman wrote:

also I am in the countryside - so fully expect a comely serving wench to be serving beer.

You should address her such as well - 'Hither, Barwench, and refill my tankard'...

They love that, I hear.

Yeah and it helps if when she turns round to get your peanuts you lean over the bar and slap her arse.

Sewinman

ChrisInBicester wrote:

OP. Buy a tube of Savlon. Before you set off slap handfuls of it round your parts (yours not the bike's), and then do it again at the lunchtime halt. Repeat when you set off the following morning. For the first 20 yards it's like cycling with a bag of tadpoles down your shorts but after 3 hours in the saddle you'll appreciate it. Not sure if girls should adhere to this advice, but they seem to know what's what in that dept anyway.

I did 85 & 90 miles on Friday / Saturday a couple of weeks ago with the bare minimum. Clothes are heavy; discard them. It's near the longest day so discard lights. Discard the helmets (I did anyway).

Take plenty of fluids to drink, and enough food to keep the energy levels up. Don't wait unitl you're thirsty / hungry before tucking in. Get it down you on a regular basis.

Head over to Road --> Beginners & have a stare through this thread. It'll be useful for you.

Thank you very much for all the great advice chaps.

Fireblade96

ITBoffin wrote:

I'll be whizzing within inches of your manor on Sat

If you get scalped by a guy on an ancient purple MTB, that'll be me. No-one's safe in my domain, especially lycra-clad outsiders

craker

I did Newbury to Chepstow last weekend, _not_ keen on the A4 when there's so many smaller, nicer routes to choose.

I did Newbury - Inkpen - Shalbourne - Grrrt Beddun - Savernake - Mildenhall - Marlborough - Broad Hinton .. etc etc

I crossed the M4 at Leigh Delamare services, stopped for a cup of tea and a pie. I was the only cyclist in there...

It makes navigation more difficult but its a far better ride. Have you got a GPS?

btw I suspect you're planning on taking too much gear. Once you've got adequate cycling clothing just add some lightweight trousers, hey presto you're ready for a night out in Hungerford

Stuey01

This sounds like a great idea. I might do a cut down version of this next time I go to visit my gf when she is working in Bath.

Thinking, train to Reading from CJ in the morning, on the bike at Reading. 70 miles later arrive in Bath around the time she finishes work. Steak, wine, hotel etc... drive back the next day.

nice.

Sewinman

Sorry to bump, but does anyone know a good pub grub place in Hungerford? A decent pub garden would be good too?

Thanks in advance.

biondino

Is vaseline as good an anti-chafing substance as any other? A physio/former racer told me he swears by it...

Sewinman

My mate, Stefano, is moaning that 90 miles on saturday is too far! This guy ran a marathon in 3.20 the other day... I am getting a bit nervous now! :shock: :oops:

_Brun_

Anyone who cycles regularly should be able to knock off ninety miles in a day, I'm sure you'll be fine. I'd say don't sweat it but given the temperature forecast I think sweating is inevitable.

You've got lucky in one respect, 10mph tailwind.

Sewinman

_Brun_ wrote:

Anyone who cycles regularly should be able to knock off ninety miles in a day, I'm sure you'll be fine. I'd say don't sweat it but given the temperature forecast I think sweating is inevitable.

You've got lucky in one respect, 10mph tailwind.

Thanks Brun, I did fifty miles the other day and it was fine. This is going to be a slow ride along the river and canals. So I am not sure what he is fussing about, but the mind games worked and I began to doubt.

redvee

_Brun_ wrote:

Anyone who cycles regularly should be able to knock off ninety miles in a day, I'm sure you'll be fine. I'd say don't sweat it but given the temperature forecast I think sweating is inevitable.

You've got lucky in one respect, 10mph tailwind.

Years ago I was 'told' I was doing the Audi 100 and had a months notice, in that time I did very little specific training for the ride other than being out on my MTB most days and having the bike nicked the weekend before. I ended up on a 10sp roadie type bike and was happy with position and my performance. I wasn't the last of the group to finish. Nowadays might be a little different though, I'm nearly 20 years older and larger in the waist and weight areas :oops: