Cycling UK Forum

sbcoombs wrote:Sorry you Cana the join us soft lips but family should come first. There will be other trips. Maybe you could join us for part of the journey.


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my iPad using hovercraft full of eels.

I'm hoping to work something in, I'm sure I'll join you for part of the trip.

Yes sorry to hear that Softlips. When we're younger it's work that "gets in the way", when we're older it's family and in between a bit of both! Hope you get to do some of the ride and your daughter will give you fantastic memories. With you in spirit if not in body yet. Think I've written off a road bike having gone flying over the handlebars for the first time in my biking life. Watching for ice but didn't see the sneaky branch that stopped my front wheel dead!

So at the moment we have one wimp with a broken shoulder another with a smashed bike one who slipped off his bike in the ice and I've stubbed my toe.
Please take care gentlemen

oldmanonabike wrote:So at the moment we have one wimp with a broken shoulder another with a smashed bike one who slipped off his bike in the ice and I've stubbed my toe.
Please take care gentlemen

One with a very nearly OK shoulder. A very nervous ride at the weekend proved the shoulder to be better than the nerves when riding on icy roads.
5 months left to get the training miles in!

Wimps Strava
Softlips Flash and Sbcoombs shared the leaderboard last week

Is there a photographer among the Wimps.
Looking at Lejog blogs the outstanding ones have loads of high quality photos of the ride and the participants.
I'm sure that we all want a lasting record of our ride.
Anyone want to volunteer to be the official photographer?

I think most of us will have a camera and/or smart phone so a record will be made by each of us.
What would be good is at the end of the ride to gather together all of the pictures for a COMPLETE record. Maybe a YouTube montage can be made too

Nickeveson wrote:I think most of us will have a camera and/or smart phone so a record will be made by each of us.
What would be good is at the end of the ride to gather together all of the pictures for a COMPLETE record. Maybe a YouTube montage can be made too

I can't remember the full story but it ends,
Everybody thought somebody would do it in fact nobody did it and the opportunity was lost.
We have had three wimps rides I'm sure I saw some pics taken but it was non wimps who organised the group photos, action shots and pointed out the points of interest.
Taking pics will be a low priority while riding unless someone has a real interest in doing it
Do we have such a person?

I’m not a natural photographer my family joke "I must think I’m still paying for developing ". I could make a 12 frame film in my Brownie last 2-3 yrs!

I've taken a few photos in my time and would be planning to bring a small camera. Apart from a morning shot at the beginning most of my shots would be of you all in the distance from the rear! I would hesitate to call myself official photographer but am happy to try and take a record of it all.
Sorry if I'm covering old ground but one or two queries! There was mention of a bed and breakfast offshoot early on. Is everyone now camping? I have gone back through the posts but got to p22 so far! Do we have a captive mechanic with us? Or is everyone able to sort out their mechanical problems ~ should we have any!? Last question! Is the plan to cycle as a group en masse or go at your own pace and meet up dinner time and evening. I guess a lot of this may have been sorted already on the rides, which I've missed out on!

John100 wrote:I've taken a few photos in my time and would be planning to bring a small camera. Apart from a morning shot at the beginning most of my shots would be of you all in the distance from the rear! I would hesitate to call myself official photographer but am happy to try and take a record of it all.
Sorry if I'm covering old ground but one or two queries! There was mention of a bed and breakfast offshoot early on. Is everyone now camping? I have gone back through the posts but got to p22 so far! Do we have a captive mechanic with us? Or is everyone able to sort out their mechanical problems ~ should we have any!? Last question! Is the plan to cycle as a group en masse or go at your own pace and meet up dinner time and evening. I guess a lot of this may have been sorted already on the rides, which I've missed out on!

We are all using campsites two or three in campervans the rest tents .There is no objection to anyone using b&b but they would have to find and book their own and travel from b&b to meet us at the campsites. We hope to arrange a discount at campsites for a block booking but this can't be sorted till late Feb when some of them reopen for bookings. I am unaware of the mechanical skills of the other riders but Landsurfer is arranging for cycle tools to be carried in the backup vehicle. Carrry your own spares. I think capturing a mechanic would be illegal.
I am hoping we will travel as a group but no doubt they will be separated at times at road junctions and so on.
The next days ride with meeting points with the backup vehicle will be decided the night before.
A link to the daily maps will be made available well before the start so they can be downloaded and printed off or put on Garmins. I will need everyone's mobile number at some point so that can be given to everyone in case of breakdown or getting lost.
I used to be accused of micro managing but I'm much more flexible now

Thanks for that

Jules is planning to run a daily blog / vlog for the duration of the event, subject to everyone being ok with that.
I have a pair of GO PRO cameras, left over from a data gathering project, that can be fitted to anyone's bikes that wants to provide footage during each days ride.

I will probably take a GoPro to get some video. I’ll probably also try to get some photos. They do make a nice reminder. I have some lovely ones from the alps.
I can fix most bike issues and will have basic tools in the bike and more garage based stuff in the van. I’m happy to be the spanner man if there are mechanicals.
As for pace, it would be great to stay together but I expect we will split at some stage due to different abilities. Perhaps we should have regroup points at the top of any big hills or at set points along the way. For punctures, toilet stops or mechanicals it’s usually better to limit the numbers who wait, with a regroup later on. Rule number one should be that no-one is left alone at the rear. It can make for a demoralising ride watching everyone disappear.
Maybe we arrange a sweeper each day from the stronger riders, to support anyone with tired legs. I’m happy to take some time at the rear.

sbcoombs wrote:I will probably take a GoPro to get some video. I’ll probably also try to get some photos. They do make a nice reminder. I have some lovely ones from the alps.
I can fix most bike issues and will have basic tools in the bike and more garage based stuff in the van. I’m happy to be the spanner man if there are mechanicals.
As for pace, it would be great to stay together but I expect we will split at some stage due to different abilities. Perhaps we should have regroup points at the top of any big hills or at set points along the way. For punctures, toilet stops or mechanicals it’s usually better to limit the numbers who wait, with a regroup later on. Rule number one should be that no-one is left alone at the rear. It can make for a demoralising ride watching everyone disappear.
Maybe we arrange a sweeper each day from the stronger riders, to support anyone with tired legs. I’m happy to take some time at the rear.

most of that is fine EXCEPT rule one is everyone does what I say unless I'm overuled by Jules