The 100 Mile Challenge

[Conal]

Travel arrangements

Hi all

I will definitely be taking part and will be travelling from Bishop's Stortford (on the M11 near Stansted Airport).

I have not yet decided to

Travel up the day before and camp, or stay in a B&B
Travel up the same day very early morning
Travel back the same night or
Stay the night after the event

The idea of exended socialising appeals to me but I am open to whatever materialises so can make those decisions nearer the date.

If anyone needs a lift I have a Volvo V70 (estate) with a Thule three bike carrier and a top box, so could take two other people/bikes. I am happy to go slightly out of my direct route (Milton Keynes Aldby?).

Conal

 

[Wisper Bikes]

100 mile Challenge Barnstaple

Hi Nick

I am going to Barnstaple on the 9th August for a few days and would be delighted to help find a base camp. Whilst there we are going to do some of the Tarka Trail which is a part of the Devon Coast to Coast route, most of it is on railway tracks converted to cycle tracks.

I think for safety's sake at least half of the ride could be done on these special cycle paths although they will not take us actually onto Exmore the coastal scenery is wild and spectacular.

I suggest that Barnstaple would be a great Start / Finish base, it is on the National Rail and Coach map and in the middle of the Tarka Trail. If we chose Barnstaple it could be the centre point of two 50 mile loops one flattish and the other very hilly. See; http://www.devon.gov.uk/cycling-leismaps-tarkatrail.pdf

Being in the town centre I could speak to Barnstaple Council to see if we could get any help or even sponsorship for the event, we may have to introduce "Barnstaple" into the name of the event though. The Barnstaple Electric Bike challenge or similar I don't think Wai Won would worry too much. Of course if it works well in Barnstaple we could have, say, the London, York, Glasgow Electric Bike Challenges next year. Then Warsaw, Paris, Moscow...................................

What do you think?

I would be more than happy to get involved with the planning

All the best David

 

[Tiberius]

David,

Thanks for the offer of help, much appreciated. I may be going down to the area the week before that. Between us we can check out some suitable stages and locations for bases/checkpoints.

Nick

 

[Wisper Bikes]

When are you there?

Hi Nick

When are you there, I could probably arrange to meet you?

All the best David

 

[Tiberius]

I have loaded the Tour of Britain routes for 2008 and 2009, or at least the Exmoor stages thereof, into my mapping program.

Here are files detailing them. You should be able to load these into GPS support programs, or into Google Earth.

The Ching Challenge 2009 route will incorporate as much as possible of these two routes in the Exmoor area.

Nick

 

[Tiberius]

Base Camp Established

Gentlemen,

I'm pleased to announce the location of the base camp and details of accommodation.

The Ching Challenge 2009 will be based at the Crown Hotel in Exford.
Crown Hotel :: Exmoor Hotels/Hotels Exmoor/Accommodation Exmoor/Exmoor Accommodation/Places To Stay Exmoor/Inns Exmoor/Special Breaks Exmoor
Tel 01643 831554

Exford is a good location on Exmoor itself, with roads leading off in all directions. The 2008 ToB passed through the village and the 2009 route passed just outside it.

There will be two loops of 50 miles, starting and finishing at the Crown Hotel. This means that the mid point lunch stop will be there as well, and there will be re-charging facilities. (There will also be a couple of shortcuts in the 50 mile loops for those wanting a gentler ride.) This arrangement means that we can keep all the administration and facilities in one place, and there isn't a problem of shipping people, bikes, chargers, etc between the start and finish.

We have the use of a relatively secluded area for parking, charging, etc. There is somewhere to lock away bikes overnight for those people staying over.

A dinner is planned for the night before, Tuesday 8th, which will be in our own dining room. If there is enough interest we can plan something for the Wednesday night. I've already booked to stay over both nights.

I'd like people to book directly with the hotel, please. Mention the Ching Challenge to get a special rate. The basic price for one person for dinner, bed and breakfast is £84, but there are combinations of single, twin, double and king size rooms available.

As well as booking with the hotel, please send an email to exmoor2009@re-voltage.eu so I've got you on my records. Obviously people can participate without staying at the Crown, but you'd have to make your own arrangements to be there for the 10 am start on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, this is not near a railway station. I couldn't work out a way of doing that without effectively locating ourselves off Exmoor and having to cycle on tedious routes back and forth. But this way we get a really good base for operations and some interesting routes. The most convenient station is probably Tiverton Parkway and we can organise a ferry service back and forth.

The routes are still being finalised, but I can reveal some things. People will remember some of the dramatic parts of last year's ride and they will be included. I checked out the 2009 ToB route, and there is part of it that will definitely be in, but one part that won't. Basically I was very disappointed with the route from Exford down to Barnstaple; its just long sections of boring B road with tall hedges either side. Instead there is something really good lined up for the afternoon. The manager of the Crown told me about a route that has been used for previous year's races and its an absolute humdinger. Its almost the perfect e-bike ride.

Nick

Ching Challenge 2009
Exmoor 2009 FAQ

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Sounds great

Hi Tiberius

All sounds great.

I will be there on Friday through to Tuesday so If I could get hold of the Rout by then it would be great.

Do you want me to put anything on the banner at the top of Pedelecs?

I notice it is still going to my web site, I will try again to get Russ to change it. I have emailed 4 times now!

All the best David

 

[Tiberius]

Hi David,

I will publish the route when its finalised. I realise there will be the temptation to hide Wisper batteries under bushes at strategic locations, but that just means a good battery harvest this year.

Do you mean you are in the general area from Friday 4th, or in Exford itself? What about the night of Wednesday 9th?

Nick

 

[Wisper Bikes]

100 miles

Hi Nick

I will be in the area on Saturday to Tuesday and would like to drive the rout to see if it is OK for my family to deal with. I have a feeling it may be a bit to tough for us. Either way I will come along and lend a hand.

All the best David

 

[Tiberius]

Hi David,

There will be some easier options, but they will still be interesting* rides.

For an event like this, it won't just be using an e-bike to go along a flat road at 15 mph. It will be the e-bike going up a hill at 12 mph when an unassisted bike would be doing 6 mph, then both going down hill at 25-30 mph.

The idea is that on these routes the e-bike average over 15 mph, or even more. But a fit cyclist who can do 25 mph unassisted on the flat will only average about 10 mph.

Nick

*I mean with dramatic scenery, not virtually impossible

 

[flecc]

But a fit cyclist who can do 25 mph unassisted on the flat will only average about 10 mph.

Nick

I'd say that's a big underestimate Nick. As a utility rider of unpowered bikes in my mid sixties who couldn't ride at 25 mph on the flat I still averaged at least 12 mph in my hilly North Downs area on runs of up to 50 miles or so. Club riders on their 25 mile or one hour runs in this same area return averages in the 19/20 mph region.

Legal electric bikes are certainly easier, but they aren't very much faster except for the relatively unfit rider.
.

 

[Tiberius]

Hi Tony,

OK, I haven't worked it out in minute detail - there are too many variables even for me to attack with partial differential equations. But the claim is based on two things.

First its roughly what my son achieves. He's a fit rider in his 20's, touring long distance on a road bike.

Secondly, the physics. When hill climbing, a fit rider (not a TdF athlete) can deploy 150-200 W continuously. An unfit rider on an e-bike deploys 75-100 W himself and 400 W from the motor. At low speeds the air resistance is less important than the gradient and speed is nearly proportional to power. So over a wide range of gradients the e-bike will be going two to three times as fast as the unassisted bike. Downhill they will both be going about the same.

Basically the route is set up so that an ordinary rider on a good e-bike will come out well ahead of a wannabe lycra on a road bike. There's always going to be exceptions. We've noted before on the forum about Mark Cavendish et al averaging 25 mph over a route. And I'm sure you could list some commercial e-bikes that wouldn't make it round the course.

Nick

PS Tony, you should come along.

 

[flecc]

PS Tony, you should come along.

Thanks Nick, but not any more now. Having the first touches of arthritis in the knees I'm not doing any more of the heavy duty long stuff, generally taking it more easy with my riding. I'm otherwise very fit for my age and my knees are likely to be wanted fully working for 20 or so more years, so preservation is the order of the day, pleasure riding only. I've also cut out all of my heaviest trailer work now and use the trailer very much less.

I've also got only the one battery now, in the last quarter of it's life.
.

 

[Aviator]

Support during the race

Nick

Could you confirm that all the batteries for the course must be carried throughout the race (charged and depleted ones) Or can discharged batteries be off loaded to a support crew en route, or say at lunch time?

Can riders have a support crew to help deal with any problems eg. punctures or even charge batteries on the way?

Martin

 

[Tiberius]

Nick

Could you confirm that all the batteries for the course must be carried throughout the race (charged and depleted ones) Or can discharged batteries be off loaded to a support crew en route, or say at lunch time?

Can riders have a support crew to help deal with any problems eg. punctures or even charge batteries on the way?

Martin

Hi Martin,

Yes, batteries can't be added or removed, but they can be charged.

If your support crew is another bike, that's fine.

You shouldn't really need a support crew. Punctures are something you should be able to fix yourself and we will have a rescue vehicle for anything serious.

If you are thinking of a support vehicle with an umbilical cord recharging you as you go along, then I've already thought of that. It will be treated as a single vehicle and the combined weight must be 40 kg or less. I would make an exception if it were solar powered.

The reasoning behind all this is that it should be something that pushes the technology. Swapping batteries at lunchtime is too easy, but stopping to charge them in situ makes you trade off charging time against needing to go faster.

Nick

PS. This does my head in. There's a GPS forum where my name is Aviator.

 

[Cyclezee]

If anyone needs a lift I have a Volvo V70 (estate) with a Thule three bike carrier and a top box, so could take two other people/bikes. I am happy to go slightly out of my direct route (Milton Keynes Aldby?).

Conal

Thanks for the offer Conal, you are true gentleman. Unfortunately I have to go to a conference in Belfast that week............I know where I would rather be

J hn

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Rout

Hi Nick

I am off to the west country tomorrow, may I have the rout? Don't worry we will not be doing the 100 mile challenge just the leisure ride so I won't need to plant any batteries in the fields!

All the best David

 

[AndyOfTheSouth]

Hi David

Before you go, write down 100 times 'route'. You know it will make you feel better.

All the best

Andrew

PS well done for taking an interest in eg the tyres.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Root

Hi Andy yes my spelling is crap!

Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route, Route.

Now can I have the rout please?

All the best David

 

[AndyOfTheSouth]

Hmmmmmm. Very impressive, very rapid. Hope you didn't cheat using what I believe is known as a 'word processor'...