Chiltern Classics Reliability Rides 2010

Bronzie

Oh yes, it's that time of year again............break-in the new season with a series of "Reliability Rides" to burn off the Xmas pudd

The dates have now been finalised as follows:

Sun 24/01/10 09:00 start - Harp Hilly 100 - 100km/50km
Hemel Hempstead CC Club Room, Nash Mills Lane, Hemel Hempstead, HP3 9TE

Sun 31/01/10 09:00 start - Team Quest - 100km
Ickenham Guide Hut, Community Close, Ickenham, UXBRIDGE, UB10 8RE

Sun 07/02/10 09:00 start - Hemel Hempstead CC - 100km/50km
Hemel Hempstead CC Club Room, Nash Mills Lane, Hemel Hempstead, HP3 9TE

Sun 14/02/10 09:00 start - Edgware RC - 100km/50km
Denham Country Park, Denham Court Drive, Denham, UXBRIDGE, UB9 5PG

Sun 21/02/10 09:30 start - Willesden CC - 100km/60km
Ickenham Guide Hut, Community Close, Ickenham, UXBRIDGE, UB10 8RE

Sun 07/03/10 09:30 start - CC Luton - 100km/65km
Edlesborough Village Hall, High Street, Edlesborough, Bucks. LU6 2HX

More details on our website:
www.ccluton.com/reliability_ride.htm

So what's a "Reliability Ride"
Reliability rides are traditional early season non-competitive training events similar to an Audax ride in format. At signing-on, you decide how long it will take you to ride around the course, and if you complete the event within your chosen time band, you receive a certificate. Some of the rides are route-marked, others will provide you with a route sheet to navigate yourself around the course.

Bronzie

Just a reminder that the series starts next Sunday - see you there?

APIII

I'll be there! (hopefully )

hammerite

I hope to make at least one of them (my club has two RRs that clash with these), and this Sunday I've a XC race - that'll be a shocking affair as I've not run since before Christmas.

Robstar24

I'm signed up for the Harp Hilly this coming Sunday, and am looking to do some of the others too. by the looks of it should be a good turnout, over 70ppl already signed up online, so should hopefully increase.

I know Chilerns quite well from training round there, but how well do you need to know the route, or is there some signposting?

Bronzie

Not sure if it'll be signposted - hasn't been in the past although I haven't ridden it for at least a couple of years. You normally get a route map at signing-on and folks usually know most of the route.

Route map available on the Harp website also:
http://www.lesrvr.com/HarpHillyHundred/ ... uteMap.jpg

oldwelshman

Having not ridden for three weeks due to weather, went mad this week and done 210 milkes this week including 55miles ripping my legs off on the track so think I will pootel down from my house to Hemel and do some of this ride but not all of it.
Will do most of route and see whether I will go home as it will pass my house by the downs, or carry on to tring, aston hill, tom's hill then may go home so will do 17 miles ppotle to hemel and then few miles hardish training then shower
Depending if I am in a group or not will do couple of detours which maybe they should consider Going down berko hill is ok, but when you go left through town the surface is horrendous until turning for ashridge, the top road is not perfect but a bit better so will go that way and tag back onto group for ashridge.
Anothe one is Aston Hill, that is always quite busy so I prefer to go up the start, and turn right after 200 yeards and climb through the woods, lovely surface, no traffic and nice views. Even a cafe at the top if required
Comes out on main road again so can tag back on ride though probably I will be dropped by then

APIII

Good turnout today. The guy doing the results said there were aroud 190 :shock: Guess everyone was champing at the bit to get out after all the bad weather

Bronzie

Very well organised event today - individual timing, signposted, reasonably priced food at the finish...........all for £10. Remind me why people pay £30+ for sportives?

Robstar24

really enjoyed this ride yesterday, great to see a large number of riders out, all of whom seemed to be having a good time. was tricky terrain though, found myself initially with a fast group but spat out the back after 15 miles or so.

well done to Harp Club for running this great event, am looking forward to the rest of the series

oldwelshman

Robstar24 wrote:

really enjoyed this ride yesterday, great to see a large number of riders out, all of whom seemed to be having a good time. was tricky terrain though, found myself initially with a fast group but spat out the back after 15 miles or so.

well done to Harp Club for running this great event, am looking forward to the rest of the series

What colours did the group wear? Was it the climb up to Bovingdon you got spat out on? I survived that very fast but not bison hill. I gave up there as I knew I would be dropped
Must have been a big delay in groups setting off as I never saw another group after that!!

Robstar24

yeah it was Bovingdon I think, seemed to be a large number of Team MK riders in the group. I must have started relatively late on, as there were big groups leaving as I arrived around 9am, and after I got dropped there were quite a few other smaller groups, but nothing like as big as the first one, which must have been about 30 strong.

Bison Hill was a horror, nice road and views on the top though

mcmullej

There was a little old lady who stalled her car on Bison Hill as we went up. She was stopped on the wrong side of the road at the steepest corner.

Bison is some hill. Tough on cars and little old ladies too.

The 'short sharp hill' out of Berko near the end was a bit of a shocker too.

Really enjoyed the day. When do the results get published?

Bronzie

Bronzie wrote:

Sun 07/03/10 09:30 start - CC Luton - 100km/65km
Edlesborough Village Hall, High Street, Edlesborough, Bucks. LU6 2HX

More details on our website:
www.ccluton.com/reliability_ride.htm

Leaving the best until last

Bronzie

Thanks to everyone who turned out to ride today despite the freezing wind - hope you enjoyed the event.

Some items were left behind in the hall at the end - as the organiser is away with work for the rest of the week, he's left me with the items - PM me with details of what you lost and I'll arrange to get back to you.

oldwelshman

Good ride today. I planned to do a steady recovery ride today after over doing it yesterday but it seemed to be one big group at the start so I was roped into joining it.
Only planned to do about 55 miles as I know the backend bit is a bit rough.I went a bit harder than expected.
Was steady on the flat bits but on the front they were pushing on anything not flat so I had to dig in.
Some nasty ice patches, notably by the farm in Hoddeson (we missed the left turn and had to turn round and that was MK and Luton guys on the front ) and on the top of the descent at Wingrave, very ropey there !
Surprisingly I was still in the front group by Tom's Hill and got there at average 20mph so that was it for me Probably down to about 25 riders by then so I twiddled up and ended up alone with no sign of next group so rode to Gaddesdon Row before turning left to go up Hudnall lane and downs.
One thing, is thics ride same date every year? I had to stop 3 times along the Gaddesdon Row bit due to ars on wrong side of the road with the runners coming opposite way, I almost hit one car who swerved across and did not see me !! Good job I was not in a bunch at the time. It was the same last year, get the run date changed
I am now sat with my legs aching like hell having done 250 miles this week in first week back riding "proper"
Only need to loose a stone and ride for another month and should be ok.

Bronzie

..

Bronzie

oldwelshman wrote:

we missed the left turn and had to turn round and that was MK and Luton guys on the front

Lucky they had someone with half a brain there to point out the error otherwise you'd all have ended up in Aylesbury

The ride has been the 1st Sunday in March for 7 years now - but I agree we will have to try and avoid the Hemel 10k runners in future. But given the number of runners on the road, I couldn't believe the number of cars coming the other way (overtaking the runners) - you'd think they'd have more sense and take the main road that runs parallel to the country lane.

Good to see you again Dave - and nice to actually get to ride the route for 1st time in years as I've organised for last 6 years. Also nice to see all that bloody turbo training this winter is finally paying off - arrived back 11 mins after the winn......erm I mean most reliable rider.

alan14

Hope no one fell off on the ice. The Wingrave bit was in a particularly dangerous spot - down hill on an S-bend - from where I usually hammer it. Luckily I had eased off and was following 2 riders so going fairly slow.

I didn't check my watch to see the exact time, but I must have met the runners around 11:50. There were cars overtaking small groups - got baulked by a car going the same way - and then stragglers all the way to the Nettleden hill. It's best to hold the ride on the first Sunday as we're guaranteed dry roads, bright sunshine and a light breeze, so perhaps start it slightly later or change the route at that point.

What was the reason for not going via Bridego bridge? Also, who was the photographer at the top of Tom's Hill - anyone official?

Bronzie

Alan14 wrote:

What was the reason for not going via Bridego bridge? Also, who was the photographer at the top of Tom's Hill - anyone official?

The bridge under the railway near Ledburn was flooded with about 6" or water / ice on Saturday when they put the signage out so they altered the route to avoid it.

No idea who the photographer was - nothing organised by CC Luton - maybe he just likes pictures of cyclists looking knackered?

oldwelshman

Well he would have got me alone as I dropped from the first bunch at the bottom, tactical of course
Which group was you in Rich, I looked out for you but did not see you. I rode with Gav for a couple of miles and there were couple of other Luton riders.
It split a bit when we missed turn and the group behind legged it and tried to get away We turned round and was pushing until we saw the ice by the farm so jsut re joind on the uphill bit just after the ice.
Was going out for recovery tonight but will give it a miss, cold already so suspect it will be icy and that route we did yesterday makes up most of my training ride !
Rich, do any of you guys ever do midweek evening chain gang round woodside estate ?
Surface looks good round there.

Bronzie

I was up near the front when we got to Aldbury and could hear you just behind me so you probably weren't far back at the top of Tom's - ended up in a group of about 6 of us but I was cooked on the last 20 miles. Still managed to ride home mind you, so a nice 90 miles in the legs all told.

oldwelshman wrote:

Rich, do any of you guys ever do midweek evening chain gang round woodside estate? Surface looks good round there.

We used to but haven't for several years because the road was in such a state - there is a Tuesday evening chaingang which starts from Streatley but probably won't start up again until May

Robstar24

was really looking forward to this ride, but having suffered a few crashes recently because of ice (including on the Quest reliability back in Jan) wasn't prepared to risk it, looks like I made the right choice as it sounds like the course was pretty ropey in parts....can't stand riding on icy roads, when will this weather stop!?

Bronzie

Alan14 wrote:

Also, who was the photographer at the top of Tom's Hill - anyone official?

Not organised by us, but I have been sent a weblink by the photographer

oldwelshman

I can't believe the number of top spec bkes out that day I was on my trusted hack bike, lights, mudguards etc, wiegs in probably about 23lbs but it was fast downhill
Too fat for uphill at the moment and would not make any difference which bike I used but was worried about the ice and horse shixxt