CCA G-RIDE Spring Classic, Good Friday 25th March

mwyer

CCA G-Ride Spring Classic, Good Friday 25th March

Just one week after the Ride of the 3 Cafes you will be further challenged by the G-Ride. Grit, Gravel, Grime with Guts required all on Good Friday.

The route will be about 85 miles on the worst roads that North Herts can throw at us. Included will be gravel path sections of unmade road but all rideable on road tyres. In fact cyclo-cross tyres are banned!

9am from the Three Tuns. Plan for the ride to take all day. There will be punctures and at least one cafe stop at Hare Street.

The route will be posted soon but includes the Tranchee de Ardeley, Chrishall Common, The Furneaux Pelham Causeway and Latchford.

Order your tyres now!

tduckett

Im in...subject to any Easter matters arising.

dhadsley

I'll be there. Same tyres as last year. No punctures, probably jinxed it now.

Storts

Hopefully I will be able to join you again Mark. Last year was really good, the Gatorskins were robust and the only puncture I got was a slow one that took 2 days to materialise!

Scott.

JeremyP

Hoping to make this again Mark.
I ran 28mm Continental 4S last year and no punctures.
Bought a set of Challenge Strade Bianchi and latex tubes after a recommendation from dhadsley.
Still in the box from Wiggle.
Will fit them so we have an n=2!

mwyer

Hi all,

The route is taking shape. 78 miles at the moment so a bit shorter than last year but with 19 G sections it's a tougher challenge. I will probably try and take it up to a round number of 20. Clockwise this year which keeps most of our favourite sections but in the opposite direction including descending Dassels Berg and the gradual climb of the Ardeley trench.

Early lunch at the March Hare Tea Room (Hare Street) at 40 miles (11 sections) is probably a good place for anyone not doing the full distance to leave us or be picked up.

Tea stop at Church Farm Ardeley.

G Sections (Rated from * virtually road to *** more like cart track)
1. * Ashwell Street
2. ** Park Lane
3. *** Notley Lane
4. ** Bucklandberg
5. * Cokenach
6. ** Chrishall Common
7. ** Clodmore Hill
8. ** Coopers End
9. *** Cosh Farm
10. * The Causeway
11. *** Dassels Berg
12. * Latchford
13. *** Whitehill
14. * Beggarmans Lane
15. *** Tranchee de Ardeley
16. * Hertfordshire Way
17. * Greenway
18. * Cat Ditch
19. * Ashwell Street

Mark.

mwyer

Tim D
Dave H
Scott
Jeremy
Travis
Mark and Stevie

Jeremy, I think it was Strade Bianchi tyres that Jon Chapman used last year and had a load of punctures in.

JeremyP

Thanks for the note Mark.
Will stick with my 28mm Conti 4S.
JP

dhadsley

Jon was using Challenge Strada, a 25mm tyre and I was using Challenge Strada Bianca, a 30mm tyre. Jon had lots of punctures and I had none. No punctures either all the way round Paris Roubaix last year either.

Hopefully Jeremy has bought the right ones!

Disclaimer - I will not be held responsible for any punctures!

Senecio [Daniel D]

I can't help but think that Jon had the same puncture many times; ie the same foreign body remained in the tyre and kept going through a fresh inner tube.

Martin L

A reminder... following the Ride of the 3 Cafes Classic this Friday 18th... the G-RIDE Classic is on Good Friday 25th March. Go for it! A badge for every finisher.

mwyer

Hi all,

The route can now be downloaded from http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/1015581047

I have had to take out the Cosh Farm/Beard Lane section as it's too badly cut up. I have added a section from Chrishall to Elmdon.

The routes are drying out so if it stays dryish we should have much fewer punctures and get round much quicker. We had no punctures in the summer version last year.

Mark.

Stuart F

Hi Mark we can only see this map if we are friends.

mwyer

Sorry Stuart I thought we were friends!

It should be ok now.

Mark.

Martin L

Dan Hall

Hi Mark, I'm up for this again.

Simon.R

I wouldn't mind another CCA outing if thats alright? (and assuming I'll be OK(ish) with 25mm Gatorskins?)

I'll do anything for a badge..........

cheers

Simon

AdamR

I'm feeling I ought to be doing this, but conscious of my probable slower pace.
Any thoughts?

JeremyP

I'm a definite for this - weather looks good.
Will probably give the 2nd stop a miss if anybody else wants to push on for an early finish.
JP

mwyer

You are all welcome. The idea is to cruise the road sections at the pace of the slowest and then let rip on the gravel sections with a regrouping. So don't worry about pace we have all day. Anyone wanting to rush back can do so with Jeremy, although you will be missing the delights of the Ardeley Farm Shop.

25mm Gatorskins will be fine.

Unfortunately the weather forecast is for heavy rain on Thursday night so although Friday looks dry the roads and tracks will be wet.

I think we now have:
Mark and Stevie
3 x Pells
Dave H
Scott
Jeremy
Dan H
Simon R
My friends Neil and Emma
Daniel
Pete G

Possible
Tim D
Adam R

Mark.

AdamR

Ok put me down as a definite
What time is the start?
What time would you anticipate the return?
Meet at the Tuns?
Thanks
Adam

Vincent

I don't think I can ride this one as only have until mid day to ride tomorrow.
Can you send a link to a garmin file if there is one? Might do part of it.
Tried the map my ride business but nothing came up. Registered and tried finding you mark but that didn't work either.

mwyer

9 am start from outside the Three Tuns. I haven't booked coffee there as it didn't look like we had enough to make it worthwhile.

Very difficult to predict finishing time but could be anytime between 3 - 5 pm.

Vincent, I will send you the Garmin file later this afternoon.

Mark.

Nathaniel Rosa

I love the G Sections

Would love to come along but can't unfortunately

Have a good one

Storts

Sorry Mark, I need to drop out this time around, hope it goes well.

Scott.

tduckett

No can do either. Off to the zoo, monkeys flinging muck at me instead of cyclists!

Andy_R

I'll be there - apols for the late sign-up.

Mark - I've signed up to the Mapmyride site, so hopefully I should get chance to download the route before tomorrow if you're willing to accept my "friendship"!

Vincent

I will ride the 40 to hare street but may need to ride ahead as am on a bit of a tight schedule. Then boom home on the road.
No time to faff so will ride a cross bike with off road, narrow tyres, nobly but at high pressure. This is what I will ride the Scotton 100 on and off road event on 10th April so good practice ride.

Vincent

Thanks all for a great ride. 57miles for the short route back. Looking forward to a warm shower. Legs were starting to feel it.

JeremyP

Thanks Mark for organising.
A deceptively tough day on the bike - the off road sections really deplete the legs.
The lunch stop cafe in Hare Street seemed to go into meltdown.
Our splinter group of 3 rode back via Great Mundon and yes we found Trenchee Ardeley!
I ended up with 75miles and feeling tired.
Another great CCA caper on bikes.
JP

mwyer

5 of us made it back to Ashwell in the end from the 16 starters!

The long lunch stop did claim a few victims. They have always been fairly quick when I have stopped there before but I think their system fell apart totally today. Whilst Harley and Shelton were still waiting for fairly basic sandwiches other people who arrived after us had eaten their food and gone.

That meant we skipped the Ardeley stop but we kept up a good pace after lunch and had no punctures. Only 1 puncture in the whole day, what a contrast to last year.

Vincent, thanks for showing Neil the way back.

Mark.