Commuting Chat rides 2016

smokey_bacon

6th & 20th work for me.

menthel

Lets call it the 6th March. Stick it in the diary!

If you want to come, stick a confirmation in the thread and your preferred starting place- either Raynes Park or Dorking.

hopkinb

I'm in. I can start from raynes park or catch the train to Dorking.

vimfuego

OK - I'm in. Can meet you at Dorking, or if you cycle out & are coming via Epsom or Epsom Downs I'll pick you up on the way through

smokey_bacon

Im in subject to shoulder healing and docs giving green light.

errorist

I'm in. Pref to start at Raynes Park.

menthel

Right, plan is 6th March. We will start from Raynes Park and go over to Ranmore and Box Hill. Using my usual route we can pick people up at Epsom Station and Boxhill and Westhumble. It will give us a chance to take stock and decide how far we want to go and there is also a nice cafe at Westhumble next to the station- Pilgrim Cycles.

9am at Raynes Park?

veronese68

menthel wrote:

9am at Raynes Park?

Sounds good to me.

menthel

Great. I will put up a route from ridewithgps once I have one I am happy with. Will look to be about 70km in total, give or take a few!

elbowloh

Bugger. Would have been up for this, but i'm flying to Spain on the 6th for a week's cycling in Calpe.

menthel

We will try to do more than one! However, I won't be feeling sorry for you this time...

menthel

Let's move this to the 20th March- 6th is Mother's Day!

veronese68

Well spotted.

hopkinb

Was just coming to post the same thing, as I was informed by the mother of my child last night, after she had previously given her OK. I was tempted to say I got it in the calendar first, but she was on a 500 calorie day and there was a feral glint in her eye...

Menthel or anyone, if you fancy an impromptu ride in the meantime, give me a shout.

menthel

hopkinb wrote:

Was just coming to post the same thing, as I was informed by the mother of my child last night, after she had previously given her OK. I was tempted to say I got it in the calendar first, but she was on a 500 calorie day and there was a feral glint in her eye...

Menthel or anyone, if you fancy an impromptu ride in the meantime, give me a shout.

It magically appeared in my diary too. Best not to argue with wives I find...

Will shout once my bike is fixed and if I find some time!

menthel

Here are a couple of routes- nothing too onerous...

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12130802

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12131490

Note the two different outward legs to Epsom. I usually do the former but the bit down Ruxley Lane is crappy- if you have any suggestions please let me know!

mtb-idle

I avoid Ruxley Lane by living further out I'm in that little corner between the A24 and the A232 right by Nonsuch Park.

My normal commute home follows the A24. it's pretty err....urban and that's about the best that can be said about it.

If I've been to RP on the way home tho and am coming back through Raynes Park I would follow this kind of route to get out towards Epsom/Ewell. Not particularly better, just different.

https://www.strava.com/activities/289325685

prhymeate

I might have to check out a couple of these routes to Box Hill. I'm in Tooting but rarely head over to Box Hill because I've never been a fan of the journey there and back, so I tend to favour Biggin Hill as a result. Thanks for the links.

mtb-idle

from Tooting you are probably best heading out West towards Richmond Park then Esher and then out to Ripley. some great lanes etc out there. you can then loop back via Box Hill

rower63

Learned 2 valuable lessons today about using Strava Routes and Garmin's Turn Guidance.
1. Never create a Strava Route through a one-way system, especially Leatherhead. If you see it trying to route you through one, especially Leatherhead, manually force it around. Especially Leatherhead. We went up "Bull Hill" 4 times today, because the route Strava had auto-found for us when created was an impossible back-track-cut-through which Turn Guidance could never have negotiated properly.
2. Never allow any part of the "return" route be the same as the "out" route. Otherwise when you get lost and somehow cross the route again and it says "Course Found", you can't tell which one it's found. Especially around Leatherhead. That mistake today turned us around and we were literally half way back to Esher before we realized we were going the wrong way.
Bloody Leatherhead.

menthel

I use ride with gps- I find it much better for routes etc and tcx formats tend not to have those problems. Leatherhead is usually worth avoiding though!

mattsaw

rower63 wrote:

Learned 2 valuable lessons today about using Strava Routes and Garmin's Turn Guidance.
1. Never create a Strava Route through a one-way system, especially Leatherhead. If you see it trying to route you through one, especially Leatherhead, manually force it around. Especially Leatherhead. We went up "Bull Hill" 4 times today, because the route Strava had auto-found for us when created was an impossible back-track-cut-through which Turn Guidance could never have negotiated properly.
2. Never allow any part of the "return" route be the same as the "out" route. Otherwise when you get lost and somehow cross the route again and it says "Course Found", you can't tell which one it's found. Especially around Leatherhead. That mistake today turned us around and we were literally half way back to Esher before we realized we were going the wrong way.
Bloody Leatherhead.

We literally did that exact same thing in the summer.

Made it round the Leatherhead one way system at least 4 times before we negotiated our way out 8)

menthel

Right, the 20th approaches so who is still in for this?

rjsterry

Prhymeate wrote:

I might have to check out a couple of these routes to Box Hill. I'm in Tooting but rarely head over to Box Hill because I've never been a fan of the journey there and back, so I tend to favour Biggin Hill as a result. Thanks for the links.

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but on the rare occasions I escape on a non commuting ride, I tend to head out to Box Hill via Woodmansterne, Chipstead, Kingswood and the B2032. From Tooting, you can drop down through Mitcham, Hackbridge and Carshalton and the climb up to Woodmansterne makes a good warm up.

menthel

I still have next week in the diary. Is anyone joining me?

hopkinb

menthel wrote:

I still have next week in the diary. Is anyone joining me?

Yep, as long as I'm back home by 11.30.

menthel

hopkinb wrote:

menthel wrote:

I still have next week in the diary. Is anyone joining me?

Yep, as long as I'm back home by 11.30.

Ok- sounds like no stopping for a relaxing coffee then!

And seriously, don't expect me to be going anywhere fast.

veronese68

Hope so, all a bit chaotic at home (long story).

vimfuego

Can't make it I'm afraid (playing taxi driver for daughter #2 and her mates at a hockey tournament!). Enjoy - hopefully see you on the next one.

hopkinb

menthel wrote:

hopkinb wrote:

menthel wrote:

I still have next week in the diary. Is anyone joining me?

Yep, as long as I'm back home by 11.30.

Ok- sounds like no stopping for a relaxing coffee then!

And seriously, don't expect me to be going anywhere fast.

I had written "bike ride a.m." on the calendar. Being something of a literalist, my other half has therefore booked a family lunch at Cannizaro House for 12.30.

I'm quite able to leave an hour earlier, so 8 a.m start, 3 or so hours riding plus half an hour coffee stop. All I really need to do is jump in the shower and then jump in the car when I get back, so 11.30 isn't set in stone.

I wasn't expecting to be going anywhere fast either!