Well, today’s the day: Dave and Trev are off on their 320km adventure back to Colchester. You can track them here, and use the comments to wish them luck or take the mick. They’re planning to roll out at 5am and do the ride in 16hrs. You can also tweet them messages at @roadccdave and @trevor_ergon24 respectively. Good luck chaps!
Follow Dave and Trev on their 320km ride to Colchester!
16 hours is the target, but how will they fare on their West-East adventure?
Fri, Jul 01, 2011 04:27
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road.cc’s founder and first editor, nowadays to be found riding a spreadsheet. Tony’s journey in cycling media started in 1997 as production editor and then deputy editor of Total Bike, acting editor of Total Mountain Bike and then seven years as editor of Cycling Plus. He launched his first cycling website – the Cycling Plus Forum at the turn of the century. In 2006 he left C+ to head up the launch team for Bike Radar which he edited until 2008, when he co-launched the multi-award winning road.cc – finally handing on the reins in 2021 to Jack Sexty. His favourite ride is his ‘commute’ – which he does most days inc weekends and he’s been cycle-commuting since 1994. His favourite bikes are titanium and have disc brakes, though he’d like to own a carbon bike one day.
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Latest Comments
Rendel Harris 1 hour ago
Yelled at by a driver just last month, "It's farkin' dark you farkin' twat why are you riding around wiv a black coat on? You're farkin' invisible!" To be fair, I was wearing a black jacket - a Proviz commuter jacket which is covered in their unparalleled reflective details which, as I know because Mrs H wears the same model, can be seen from hundreds of metres away. He also overlooked the fact that I was wearing a fluorescent yellow helmet, fluorescent yellow gloves, had a rear red light on the helmet, two rear red lights (one strobing one solid) and three white lights on the front (one strobing two solid). Apparently all he could see, or supposedly couldn't see, was the black jacket. They used to be an old joke about "invisible" stealth planes being rubbish because the Russians would be saying, "There aren't any planes about but there's a little guy in a sitting position at 50,000 feet..." - must have been confusing for my chap to see all those lights, reflectives and bright gear apparently going down the street of their own volition.
Rendel Harris 2 hours ago
Another reason to avoid Terry's, which is a pretty crappy overpriced place anyway and dreadfully hipster (there's a sign on the wall that says something like "when you eat at Terry's you're not just a customer, you're a member of a very exclusive club" - thanks but I just wanted coffee and beans on toast). I'd advise anyone in that locale to try the splendidly named Giggling Sausage cafe directly opposite, better food and coffee, cheaper, better service and fewer hipsters, you can enjoy watching them queueing like sheep to get into Terry's as you dine.
eburtthebike 7 hours ago
I wondered if parking in a cycle hire bay was against the law, so I googled it: it isn't unless there are road markings prohibiting parking. But, this little gem came up 'Obstruction: Even where a specific bay type might lack a dedicated motor-traffic prohibition, parking a vehicle in a way that blocks access to cycle hire docks, footways, or causes an obstruction is an offense.' Report it to the authorities and demand action. Don't patronise the place, obviously. And leaving rubbish reviews is definitely out. Absolutely, definitely out. Very absolutely definitely. Out.
eburtthebike 8 hours ago
".....dark clothing “has been deemed a contributing factor in many fatal or serious injury collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists” No. The dark clothing is not a contributory factor, the only cause of the deaths and injuries is drivers failing to observe. The list of police organisations above shows that motornormativity in the police is institutionalised, and just as rife as it is in the rest of society. The question is, how do we get them to change? Make all police ride bikes? Show them films of collisions where perfectly visible cyclists are mown down by drivers who weren't looking? Show them pictures of cyclists literally dressed up like christmas trees by are still hit by dumb drivers? The clincher might be the picture of the police car, festooned with hi-viz, after it had been hit by a driver.
bensynnock 8 hours ago
@mdavidford the standard practise is to ignore the consultation, start a petition, complain that the council doesn't listen to the public, and get your picture in the Bournemouth Echo with a headline 'Drivers fury at new cycle lane', or 'shopkeepers anger at lost parking space'.
eburtthebike 8 hours ago
"Serious cyclist injuries down 50% and overall road casualties continue to fall..." This is clearly fake news, invented by the bearded, sandle-wearing, bike-riding hippies who don't even live in Wales. Everyone who lives there knows that the frustration and cost to drivers of having to drive at the ludicrously slow speed of 20mph is worth so much more than a few dead cyclists. I live in the Forest of Dean, near Wales, and we've been trying for quite some time to get the national speed limit roads in the statutory forest reduced to 40mph, and 20mph in towns and villages. In fact, I mentioned it in the pub tonight, and the reaction from locals was, to say the least, not enthusiastic. It is a human right to be able to drive as fast as you want, and anyone saying different is an idiot. With Local Government Reorganisation, I was hoping that the Forest of Dean District would merge with Monmouthshire and then we could adopt the Welsh speed limits, but it ain't gonna happen, so sadly, we have to remain in England.
eburtthebike 8 hours ago
@andystow That's pretty much how new roads are justified. If ten million motorists save ten seconds a day over the next twenty years, and motorists time is worth a lot, then you can justify spending £372m on the new roundabout in Gloucestershire. You know, the place where the locals think that a cycle lane will destroy their life.
belugabob 8 hours ago
@rbrtribble as the driver was out of his vehicle, thereby not making it a driving offence, and the cyclists was stationary with their feet on the ground, there was no more need for a helmet than if the encounter had been between two drivers who had got out of their cars, or two blokes in a pub. Maybe all of those people who fall down the stairs and hit their head should wear a helmet? I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, and accept that you were being sarcastic, but leave my comment for the benefit of those who think you were being serious.
the infamous grouse 8 hours ago
@chrisonabike if flash-mobbing by female cyclists dressed in french maid attire is what it takes to help the roads be safer for everyone, then i think it's something we should consider lending support to.
No Reply 9 hours ago
Personally, if I have to light myself up in Hi Viz, and add bells, trinkets and lights, just to help the poor motorists see me, the question needs to be asked, if their eyesight is so bad, should they be driving?
31 thoughts on “Follow Dave and Trev on their 320km ride to Colchester!”
I hope there’ll be someone at
I hope there’ll be someone at home in Colchester to let you in. You have told them you’re coming have you?
From the trace they look like
From the trace they look like they have taken a wrong turn! Colchester is East not NW.
That saddle looks a bit high
That saddle looks a bit high !! :O
Going good guys,Keep it up !
Going good guys,Keep it up ! 🙂
good effort so far gents,
good effort so far gents, making good progress
Looks like they’re hitting
Looks like they’re hitting Burford on schedule – I was hoping to ride out there myself to have coffee and cakes with them but sadly have been unable to get away from the house – well done gents, enjoy your break, and happy riding the rest of the day.
Great bike riding weather in this part of the country B-)
Good going…makes me pucker
Good going…makes me pucker up just thinking about being in the saddle for that long. I wonder if they’d be up for a little detour to join me for tea and cake on the seafront in Brighton this afternoon.
In burford enjoying a whole
In burford enjoying a whole foccacia to myself. Trev went for the croque monsiuer. We left 30m late so running behind a bit 🙂
I hope you went to Huffkins?
I hope you went to Huffkins? Best coffee shop in Burford.
Good luck today chaps
Croque monsieur? Sounds like
Croque monsieur? Sounds like an old school TDF cafe raid. Did he manage to filch a bottle of brandy and stash it in his back pocket?
Five hours in. Good going
Five hours in. Good going fellas. Just think of the bonus points you’ll score in July’s Metric Century Challenge!
Well done, lovely day for it.
Well done, lovely day for it. Hope there’s something in the legs for the hills in Colchester up to town centre.
Congratulations on finding
Congratulations on finding the secret Bicester By-pass.
Just out of interest, what
Just out of interest, what are you using to do the tracking?
Trev looks pro! You’re
Trev looks pro! You’re looking a lot thinner Dave! That road.cc jersey, is it Sportwool? Do Rapha know about it?
Nah, it’s actual wool. Black
Nah, it’s actual wool. Black is very slimming too.:-)
We’re using opengeotracker for the tracking, running from my phone.
Lunch now, lasagna and chips FTW!
dave_atkinson wrote:Nah, it’s
It’s very slimming when it’s a size too small all right… can I have it back soon.
When you arriving? I am off
When you arriving? I am off on holiday in that neck of the woods next weekend.
Husbourne Crawley for lunch –
Husbourne Crawley for lunch – did you ride through the safari park (I can recommend it).
Good luck with the rest of the ride.
Into the final hundred now I
Into the final hundred now I guess =D>
Lasagne, chips, Tangfastics. The food of gods.
C’Mon Guys you are doing so
C’Mon Guys you are doing so well, I reckon ya gonna do it well inside ya time ya set yourselves. Well done 🙂
Honey! I’m home!
Final scores
Honey! I’m home!
Final scores on the doors: 356.8km, 23.1km/h avg.
I have a beer in my hand & a fry-up on the way 🙂
Nicely done
Nicely done
I’m up to 356m at ave speed
I’m up to 356m at ave speed of 2.31 km/hr.
Well done guys, oh by the way the game crashed when you were away. 🙂
Well done Fellas. Nice day
Well done Fellas. Nice day out. That must have been one of life’s tastiest beers ever. What time do you start the ride back to Bath today?
simonmb wrote:Well done
I’m never riding a bike ever again
Well done gents! I salute
Well done gents! I salute you. Rest up and remember the recovery ride back to Bath to keep those legs loose 😀
Well done! Very impressive
Well done! Very impressive effort.
Thanks for all the comments
Thanks for all the comments guys, I am glad our little adventure seems to have provided some Friday entertainment for some.
I felt good when I got up for a ride this morning but as the clouds rolled in and the itv4 coverage of le tour came on my motivation evapourated. A touch of DOMS in the afternoon meant it was probably the right choice
An awesome ride from Dave who was strong as an Ox after the quadruple espresso stop at 265km – little did we know there was nearly 100km to go. This is definitely one of my most satisfying cycling achievements despite not involving a podium or podium girls. I hope Dave agrees too.
oh and simonmb – thanks for the comment regarding looking pro, I do try my best 😉
yeah, big thanks to everyone
yeah, big thanks to everyone for getting involved, it was fun, sort of 🙂
I can smell my mum’s fry-up from 100km out so that gave me a push. Trev was strong the whole way through, though we both got a bit bored of the lanes after lunch. you should have seen the pair of us TTTing down the A421 just outside MK, we hit 50kph along that bit and it wasn’t even downhill. much 🙂
Gonna try the ‘low’ route
Gonna try the ‘low’ route next time 🙂