The Kennet Valley Run

We got all the seasons' weathers: frost, rain, sleet, hail, snow, sunshine, wind, gusts and if a rainbow was a weather type, I'd add that in also.  Apt that I was using Continental Grand Prix 4 Season tyres.

Myself, I was dressed for one season only: winter.  I was ready for the predicted RealFeel™-1.

There was a big turnout as you can tell from the amount of brevet cards that were laid out on the table at the start.

Brevet cards

It looks like others are dressed for one season also

There were familiar faces, like Titus.  He's more familiar from the FNRttC than from Audax.  But there is a trans-discipline movement in full swing.  There are several Fridays having a go at Audax.  Friday Miranda did the 100km version of this ride.  Her blog post reminds me of my early audax ride reports: treasuring the brevet card, absorbing all the advice given but needing to find your own way, the landscape and wildlife, teething problems with GPS and navigation, finishing with a great sense of achievement and wanting more.

Finishing this ride earnt me my first two audax points since July 2014.  I felt like a newbie myself, and especially with a new bike I am adjusting to.  It was when I got a puncture that I realised how out of audax routine I am.  I had to think!  When passing riders asked if I was ok, I replied with a hesitant yes.  And the riders hesitantly continued on, probably thinking 'she doesn't sound too sure'.   I was ok of course, just getting used to the feel of the bike and learning its quirks.   These quirks are things like how the bike balances with the front wheel off, and how things fall out of the new saddle bag compared with the old.

Had my own puncture soon after I took this picture

I had been prepared for the hills around Bratton.  A good break and meal at the Pickleberry Coffee and Gift Shop set me up nicely and I didn't struggle too much compared with previous years.  

The Kennet Valley Run is a great ride and I always enjoy seeing the white horse.

I also enjoyed the long sunset, meaning I didn't need to cycle in the dark too long.

I made it back by 7.30PM, at the Village Hall where there was plenty of tea, soup and cake to be enjoyed.  I chatted with a few people and then drove back home.  What a great day that was, and I'm ready for more.

Many thanks to the organiser Mick Simmons and team.

The rest of the photos are here: MyPhotos

Other thoughts:

• Plenty of kites
• Seeing two people artistically painting the inside of a bus stop, can't remember where
• Nice to visit the Tutti Pole again, but didn't hang around too long
• Happy, very happy, with my new bike.  Will change back mudguard to my old SKS race blade ones. Need a little more clearance.

The Kennet Valley Run 200

A few minutes into the ride and urban_biker proved to be right: "The sun will come out" he said at the start. After that, it didn't matter any more that we had a few showers.

At the halfway point, we sat in the Old Stable tea rooms, the sun shining through ... I was keen to get out on the bike again and enjoy the countryside, and the tailwind!

Old Stable Tea Rooms

Wiltshire scenery is great and I always like the area around Welford, with the round towered church St Gregory's (Round Towered Churches). Some of these roads we ride in reverse direction on the Willy Warmer. It is a lovely, lovely area.

Like last year, there were many punctures, and a repeat of a frame breaking. The roads are still quite flinty (that's right), scoggy (Manotea's word, as we now know, doesn't exist), floody (no such word?), holy (not the right word either?) .... I will take off the winter tyres for the next ride though, the Dean, at the end of March.

I made good time, just over 12 hours for an over distance 200. I very much enjoyed the ride, which I had been looking forward to enormously. The Dean seems such long way off. Maybe I should register for the FNRttC to Southend after all... The original plan was to ride it with friends Mandy and Rob, but when Mandy came off her bike a broke a bone near her knee, I mentally crossed the ride off my list.

I promised myself to take pictures and not worry about time limits. Normally I quite like the look of old, derelict, abandoned buildings. There were a few, where my initial instinct was to stop, but a split second later I had images of crumbled buildings in Christchurch NZ in front of me and so rolled on.

Thank you to the organisers for the event and for the great reception at head quarters. Was able to speak dove Dutch with Marijke.

A few more thoughts:

• Meeting Mel at the start! He said he is changing his approach.
• Thanks to LycraMan for guiding me to Bratton after my GPS problems
• Thanks to Tom/Deniece for lending routesheet at Bratton
• No thanks to myself for ending up without GPS and routesheet
• Faccombe 5 gathering is always good
• Howard's tweet
• Thinking Bratton is not so far from Weston super Mare
• Thinking home to Weston super Mare is do-able, get there for lunch ... hmmm
• The Old Thatched Cottage looks like a restaurant option in Weston
• Did I not need to fill a few gaps between June and July?

The pictures are on the slideshow till the next ride or here: Clicky

The Kennet Valley Run 200

Last week LEE wrote on the forum: "I'm on the PBP2011 treadmill as of 07:30 on Saturday (along with the rest of the Faccombe 5)". I wasn't sure if he was referring to the Faccombe 5 being on the Kennet Valley Run on Saturday; or the Faccombe 5 being on the PBP2011 treadmill. Anyway, he would have been right on both counts. I have been given the official go ahead by all affected parties, and came out with my 'I'm doing PBP' statement for the first time.

This is great! A whole 18 months of planning, anticipation, excitement, fear, ambition, milestones, doubts and reading PBP threads.

And we're off, the Kennet Valley Run ... done. Its an excellent route with great scenery. Shame about the rain in the first leg, but I don't expect any less any more! Pompey Phil and I were laughing, it was such a strong downpour. We stopped in a bus shelter for a while, as I wanted to put my cap back on to keep the rain off my glasses. Had something to eat also because I was fading a bit.

And when the sun came out, it was brilliant. The sound of sky larks was wonderful. With that and the snowdrops and crocuses, you get the feeling spring is here. Saw a couple of kites on the way back also. Maybe this is their new extended boundary?

There were many punctures and mechanicals again. RichForrest had the worst of it when his recumbent tried to transform into a foldable: Clicky. There were many blessing is disguise for him, it could have been so much worse in timing and location.

Hummers also had a rear tyre blow out which set him back, but nothing so bad that he wouldn't catch up with me again at the Tutti Pole. I think he restrained himself when ordering from the waitress, but there was still plenty of non-verbal innuendo going on!

Last year, I had a dozy patch after the half way mark. Doing the ride for a second time, I can understand why. It's certainly hilly on the way into Bratton. The nice tailwind helped us out of the hills on the way back this time.

I took the obligatory church picture which was St Marys at Great Bedwyn. And here is obligatory follow up history: "The present church of St Mary's was started in 1092 and took about 200 years to build. Beneath the church are the massive remains of a Saxon church begun in 905. The south transept houses the 14th Century tombs of Sir Adam de Stokke and his son, Sir John. In the chancel is a memorial to Edward Seymour, father of King Henry VIII's wife Jane, and later Lord Protector to the young Edward VI. The bells are one of the heaviest "rings" in Wiltshire - the tenor bell weighs over a tonne."

Wiltshire white horse, but which one?

Other photos are on the slideshow till the next ride or here: Clicky

The Kennet Valley Run 200

This was a great ride with beautiful scenery. I had a bad patch halfway. I was feeling very sleepy. If I had been on my own, I would have stopped for a quick snooze. Instead, I drank Lucozade, slowed down for a bit and carried on. Not sure what the right strategy would be.

But other than that, I felt really good. For the first time after a 200, I felt I could have gone on. With my new dynamo light also, cycling in the dark is no longer so daunting. So this ride has given my a lot of confidence.

Saw a lot of familiar faces, from previous rides, and YACFers. Its nice to catch up, see what others have been up to, what their 2009 ambitions are, how they are getting on ...

The area around Welford was really nice. There is a privately owned Manor House with surrounding park, which is only open to the public when the snowdrops are out. May make a visit. The associated church looks impressive too, it appears that a round tower is unusual. Click on this link (and then 'Search for images') to see some images on Google.