End of another audax year and the start of another.

Well that was an interesting year and as of yesterday (1.11.10) the new season has started.
I finished with a points total of 80 this year managing to get the recumbent points championship and the record along with it. Are you coming out of retirement now MrL?

For a while I wasn't sure that I would win it this time as I had a good challenger which helped to motivate me to get out a few times. So thanks Tim and I look forward to doing it again this season.

The blogging side of this fell a bit by the wayside recently as I just didn't find the time to add stuff on here.

Since my last update I've still been cycling, no surprise there really!
First was my local FSoTM ride, a 30 mile ride over to Marston Vale forest centre and cafe.
A good group of us went up through Little Brickhill, through Woburn park and onto the cafe in the rain (it rained last year too) for a coffee stop.
After which I got my tools out (tools not tool!!) to spin the forks around on a bike brought from Asda. It had been put together at the shop and had them in back to front!! after raising the saddle for the lady also she found it was much better to ride.
The next one is this coming weekend 7.11.10 with a big 30 mile loop around Leighton Buzzard and back via the cafe at Stockgrove park. All are welcome to join us as usual.

The second weekend saw me up and away early for a ride over to Chalfont for the start of a planned 300km ride. This was shortened to a 200 as I'd got an invite to a wedding that evening instead.
The ride over went well and I got to the start with an hr to spare, I had coffee and watched the 200km riders depart and waited for the 100km riders to arrive.
It was a good ride over to Benson for breakfast, I was still going well and got there while a lot of the 200km riders were still there.
The ride back through the chilterns was a bit harder, as I've still not sorted my gears out and was having trouble getting the front changer to drop into the small ring. I walked a couple of hills on the way back and was back at the start at 13.00
After more coffee and too long chatting I was away again for the ride home.

I was planning to go out again mid month but couldn't be asked to get out of bed after a longish week at work so the last ride I did was an extended calendar event adding 100km to a 100 km ride Starting at Stevenage.

It was a late start at 07.15 as the ride didn't start until 10.00 and the ride over went without problems. Apart from the front gear changer!!
There was about 350 other people riding this event and they were being sent away at 5 minute intervals.
My start time was 10.15 so there were a few people ahead of me on the road.
It was the usual recumbent ride rolling along at 30+kph on the flat, silly speeds on the downhills and crawling up them at walking pace.
Being a well organised event catering for all types of rider the controls were only 25km apart. There was a huge queue at the first couple of places but the village hall stop at Therfield was good with excellent cakes and sandwiches from the local WI. It also happened to coincide with the worst of the rain so too long was again spent there.
Away again and the ride still seemed to keep on rolling up and down the hills a quick blast through Stevenage main roads got me back a bit quicker than the using the cycle tracks like last year.
The ride home was again non-eventful and I got back at 19.00 for a leisurely 12hrs out with 4hrs off the bike!!

The new season starts as I mean to go on with the Upper Thames 200km ride from Cholsey (nr Didcot). An excellent ride which was my first 200km audax and now my 4th time of doing it.
I will be riding the 70km there and back of course :-D but this will mean a 4am start and I do have the day before booked off work.
This will definitely slow me down for the local Sunday ride though.

See you on the road
Rich