A plan

rjsterry

The idea occurred a while back, but I've been thinking, if I'm going to do it, it'll take a bit of planning and preparation.

Oh yes, the idea: in short cycling from home in Carshalton to my parents north of Bristol. Apparently my grandfather used to ride some pretty large distances (I think this was in the 1930s, but I might have that wrong) on a bike with very few (if any) gears and just a saddle bag for any luggage, so I thought I should try something similar.

It's about 120 miles, and I'm thinking of doing it in a day. My vague idea of a route is to loosely follow the A4, at least on the western half of the journey as this goes through various towns that would provide places to grab some fuel (Hungerford, Marlborough, Calne, etc.). The scenery is pretty nice through Wiltshire as well. I was thinking of doing this on a weekend to avoid the HGVs.

My rough Idea of time on the bike is around 8 hrs (avge 15mph), so it would need to be done in the summer to keep it all in daylight.

Unresolved issues so far occurred to me are:

I'm going to need to do some sort of training to bridge the gap between the daily commute to 120 miles in one go, but not really sure where to start other than doing more long rides (which are quite difficult to fit in on the two days I'm not cycling to work).

I don't fancy riding on any of the A4 through or east of Reading; any thoughts on routes to get across this bit in a reasonably direct way without belting down a dual carriageway. Any other route suggestions for the Wiltshire stretch (ITB, Running Man?) greatly appreciated as well.

I'm unlikely to have a new bike before the summer, so I'll be on the old Giant, but are there any changes or upgrades that would make sense for such a ride?

Of course there are probably things that I haven't thought of so feel free to point them out.

One other thought. The route does run through areas that regularly appear on the Commuting Forum, so if some of you fancied joining me for part (or all) of the route, that might be fun.

cjcp

You don't have to worry about getting a new bike. Getting up to fitness should be your main priority. Have a crack at some sportives. If you've got some weight to lose, get rid of that, too.

Can't help with the route, I'm afraid.

Pat920

I did Kingston-Bristol in a day and a half, on the scenic route avoiding A roads and stopping over in a B&B near Malborough. Kingston-Windsor-Henley is fast and away from busy roads. After that Wiltshire has great roads, and the Kennet and Avon and Bristol-Bath are great. I have a route if you are interested.

Try posting on Road-touring as well - I've had good responses there. 15mph for a whole day could be ambitious - but I'm not that fit (and don't have such a nice bike, and I prefer the scenic route.

Good luck!

will3

Good for you - go for it. There's a great feeling of satisfaction on completeing an actual long distance door to door journey (as opposed to touring for the hell of it)

R_T_A

My home town is Carshalton and I now live just east of Reading (Wokingham). I haven't cycled to the parents yet, but it's a plan I have this summer.

As Pat920 mentions, Kingston-Windsor-Henley is a good route and there are loads of ways to avoid the dual carriage ways. The A roads are pretty wide around there as well, so plenty of room for cars to pass you without getting irate behind you.

Good luck - it sounds like a great idea.

rjsterry

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

CJ, I had a feeling my fitness - specifically endurance - would be the most important thing. I don't think I need to lose any weight at 63kg (I have SCR to thank for that but also for my tendency to set off far too fast on any ride :roll:).

Pat920, I'd be very interested in your route out to Henley - when I've looked at the map, it's always looked as though there's a choice between winding country lanes (too winding) and major dual carriageways (not fun). I'll also see what the Road-touring forum can do for me. Even typing that out last night 15mph for 8 solid hours sounded a pretty tall order, but nothing ventured... I'll have to try a couple of longish routes to see what average I can maintain.

will3, thanks fir the encouragement (you may get a phone call sometime this summer from a man in a Wiltshire layby needing a bit more encouragement).

lost_in_thought

Yeah, I don't know you or how fast you ride, but a constant 15mph average for 120 miles/8 hours seems unrealistic to me - you'd have to make stops for food etc for starters.

Someone did a mad ride from Southampton to Loughborough in a day last year I think... I'll see if I can dig up that thread... might have some handy tips.

EDIT:

Page 9 of Ride Reports - post by 'Boy on Bike' towards the bottom of the page.

cjcp

rjsterry wrote:

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

CJ, I had a feeling my fitness - specifically endurance - would be the most important thing. I don't think I need to lose any weight at 63kg (I have SCR to thank for that but also for my tendency to set off far too fast on any ride :roll:).

I'd allow yourself 10 hours to allow for mechanicals/deflations, food stops and the fact that you won't be riding in a group, unless you meet up with ITB and he can use his largesse to shield you from the wind. 10 hours is probably on the high side, but better to err on the side of caution.

rjsterry

cjcp wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

CJ, I had a feeling my fitness - specifically endurance - would be the most important thing. I don't think I need to lose any weight at 63kg (I have SCR to thank for that but also for my tendency to set off far too fast on any ride :roll:).

I'd allow yourself 10 hours to allow for mechanicals/deflations, food stops and the fact that you won't be riding in a group, unless you meet up with ITB and he can use his largesse to shield you from the wind. 10 hours is probably on the high side, but better to err on the side of caution.

Hence my invitation to anyone who fancies coming along for part or all of the way - one or two fellow cyclists will make this a lot easier both physically and mentally. I think you're right about 10hrs to allow for food/comfort breaks and breakdowns. I haven't done any long distance stuff for a good while now, what with the littl'un and lots of work on the house, so time to see what I can do.

mudcovered

Pat920 wrote:

Kennet and Avon

Its a nice ride but current surface conditions mean that it turns into a serious mud bath if it rains a lot. I was using this as my commute route between Bath and Trowbridge but I've had to divert to roads just to avoid having to get mud out of my chain on a daily basis.

However in the dry its really good (if a little busy in the summer).

Mike

daccordimark

I once had a similar idea and rode from Kingston-U-Thames to Yeovil which is about the same distance and not too dissimilar terrain. I too thought it would take about 8 hours with 1 stop for lunch but it took 10 altogether including stops for breakfast and lunch. Like your Grandfather I packed everything into a saddlebag for the journey and the few days stay with a mate. I set off at 6am on a bitterly cold morning and had to stop after about 40 miles (Basingstoke) to defrost in Sainsbury's cafe. After that hard slog and a few days riding around Dorset and Somerset I bottled out and caught the train back.

So allow 10 hours, keep well fed, enjoy the ride and good luck. It is very satisfying when you get to journey's end and think - I rode that!

rjsterry

I'm a firm believer in 23c tyres (maybe I won't be after this ride), so unless the Kennet and Avon towpath is bone dry, I think I'll have to find a road alternative. I think I'll need to plot cafés and coffee shops along the route to work out suitable feed stations. I might try a jaunt out to Henley as a starter.

BTW is anyone interested in joining me? No idea of dates or exact route yet, just general expressions of interest.

cjcp

rjsterry wrote:

I'm a firm believer in 23c tyres (maybe I won't be after this ride), so unless the Kennet and Avon towpath is bone dry, I think I'll have to find a road alternative. I think I'll need to plot cafés and coffee shops along the route to work out suitable feed stations. I might try a jaunt out to Henley as a starter.

BTW is anyone interested in joining me? No idea of dates or exact route yet, just general expressions of interest.

For the whole thing? You must be joking

I'm in Kingston, so could ride with you for a bit depending on times, dates and route.

rjsterry

Oh come on it's not that far

As much or as little as you fancy. As I say, no real idea of dates or exact route at the moment, but I'll post further details here if you or anyone else is interested.

Porgy

I've often thought of doing London to Plymouth - where my parents live - and think I'm finally fit enough to do it. It's about 240 miles in a straight line - I'd probably spread it over three days and camp on the way.

Depending on when you do it - I might join you for a bit of the way - as training and help me sort out a route for part of the way (I always envisaged going via Bristol on way and coming back on south coast and up from Portsmouth).

I'm not sure when it gets light but I'd be inclined to set off mega early - and do as much on the London end before it gets light so you can enjoy the daylight bits all the more.... but then that's me...I love cycling in the dark.

desweller

If you plan your training it shouldn't be a problem. I got my first road bike in January '09. I'm no athlete, but managed to get enough fitness to do the Highclere Magnificat and Circuit Of The Cotswolds (~125 miles and ~100 miles respectively IIRC). Prior to last year the furthest I'd ever ridden was 50 miles, and that was a painful one off mistake due to getting lost!

If I were you I would aim to get my first 100km under my belt in the next three or four weeks, and then keep doing at least one ride of at least that length every week until a week before you plan to do the 120 miles, then stop riding for a few days to make sure you're fresh and at peak fitness.

DW

rjsterry

Hmm one 100km ride a week is going to be more of a stretch in terms of timetabling than the actual riding. I don't much fancy sitting on a turbo either. Sounds like I will need to get up proper early at the weekends or take some pretty massive detours on the commute.

rubbercolin

IMHO

The K & A towpath isn't any fun on skinny tyres :? . I would really prefer 28s for that route and it is the way I would go - scenic -flat - car free , then on via Bath to Bristol on the sustrans path.

Great trip if you take two days and ride the K & A most of the way


Good luck

rjsterry

Just a thought, but the suggested 100km a week on top of 100miles/160ish km commuting would make me a pretty decent contender on the SC Stats wouldn't it? Not that I get involved in that kind of nonsense *no, fight it, you are not going to get sucked into that as well*.

Pat920

I did dig out tmy route - it was 4 years ago. I followed the NCN 4 to Reading and on to Newbury - which I would not recommend! Better is to get out of London via Bushey Park - Sunbury - Laleham - Staines - Egham - up the hill to Bishopsgate - Windsor park - Rangers Gate - back roads to White Waltham and cross the A4 (see how particularly treacherous that bit of the A4 is!) then I sometimes go up the Henley, which may be a bit far North for what you want.

Beyond that I am a bit out of my home zone. I joined the K&A at Bradford then followed the Bristol and Bath. Somewhere in the middle I followed the southern part of the Duffield Challenge route.

Are you taking maps or GPS? If you are taking maps, add time for stopping and occasionally retracing your steps...

If you look up KT2-LME in Bikely you will see a route (not totally tested yet!) in the right general direction, but not aimed at Bristol.

cjcp

rjsterry wrote:

Just a thought, but the suggested 100km a week on top of 100miles/160ish km commuting would make me a pretty decent contender on the SC Stats wouldn't it?

Move along. Nothing to see here.

Aidy

Meh, just do it.

Make sure you've got a decent route sorted, and the weather isn't going to be minging and ride

Did my first 100+ mile ride when I was 16, most I'd ridden in a day before was about 40 miles.

Sewinman

If you want to get there in a day I would avoid the NCN routes. I followed them from richmond via Reading, Hungerford, K&A cannal etc. Great fun but I did it over two days. It took us 9 hours to get to Hungerford - the cannal paths are slow and full of peds.

Totally stress free though and the best weekend I have had in ages. When we got to Hungerford we ate a massive dinner as the sun went down over the common, two bottles of red, some whisky and in bed by 9.30pm!

rjsterry

Pat920: thanks for the route suggestion. I'll probably be taking as small a map as I can get away with. I've got a pretty good sense of direction and know the countryside on the western half of the route fairly well - we drive that way when we go to visit my parents as it's much nicer than the M4. It is the eastern half that I'm much more sketchy on so thanks again.

CJ: Don't worry, just pulling your leg, I can never remember to press the start button on my computer, so I have no accurate idea of how far I ride.

Aidy: I like your approach - stop thinking about it and just do it - I think I do need a bit of prep though.

Sewinman: I think I'll save the tow paths for another time based on all the comments about how slow/full of peds (fair enough really)/muddy they are. It's tarmac all the way for me.

will3

RJS: a futher thought about routing that I found out the hard way:

white unclassified roads tend to be lightly used and quiet, however, usually they are either in-direct or quite often are hillier than the B roads,
ie the main routes are usually main routes for a reason: they're the easiest ones!
(not always, but often)

rjsterry

will3 wrote:

RJS: a futher thought about routing that I found out the hard way:

white unclassified roads tend to be lightly used and quiet, however, usually they are either in-direct or quite often are hillier than the B roads,
ie the main routes are usually main routes for a reason: they're the easiest ones!
(not always, but often)

I'd sort of come to the same conclusion myself, hence my starting point for the route being the A4, with deviations as necessary to avoid dual-carriageways and heavy traffic. Good to hear someone else have the same idea.

will3

rjsterry wrote:

will3 wrote:

RJS: a futher thought about routing that I found out the hard way:

white unclassified roads tend to be lightly used and quiet, however, usually they are either in-direct or quite often are hillier than the B roads,
ie the main routes are usually main routes for a reason: they're the easiest ones!
(not always, but often)

I'd sort of come to the same conclusion myself, hence my starting point for the route being the A4, with deviations as necessary to avoid dual-carriageways and heavy traffic. Good to hear someone else have the same idea.

A4?
I guess you have to find your own balance between busy road and fast road.
A4 sounds big, but then so did the A6 South of Carlisle and that wasn't (due to the adjacent M6)

davmaggs

I've been toying with the idea of Vauxhall to Bath or Bristol, and during my research I found this charity web site. It has route maps and a link off to a full Garmin file so it might help you with the route planning as it's been tried and tested and copes with traffic.

http://www.action.org.uk/route/225890


PS on my own planning, I must say winter and life means that my bike lies idle so I need to get the commuting going again before I risk london to bath.

rjsterry

Thanks for the tip.

rjsterry

Just checked out that link davmaggs, and it looks pretty good as a route. A happy medium of directness and not-too-busy roads. I think I'll try scouting out the first bit out to Bracknell so that when I do the real thing I'm not constantly checking the map.