A pirate outing to Northern France in 2013, August Bank Holiday

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  • fat buddha wrote (see)

    I think you mean € not $ Trogs...  image


    Indeed I did but my laptop doesn't have a Euro key and I couldn't be bothered to search for a shortcut key image

    Wilkie wrote (see)
    Dustboy wrote (see)

    Love to but will be out of commission for a while. Look forward to race report though including travel/accommodation arrangements.

    Since Dusty's blown me out, is anyone else interested in a relay leg or two?  I don't swim, but I could be pursuaded to do a bike leg of the half distance (but be warned that I am NOT fast).

    I'll swim for you Wilkie if you can find someone to do the run.

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    Thanks, Trogs! image

    Can I tempt anyone to a half marathon??

  • Oh beaten to it - I was going to offer to swim!!

    I am deffo not doing the middle this year - my head (and body) have completely gone to pieces after Outlaw this year and I've been doing little training and hating what I have been doing image

    However I am up for the sprint now as attending a tri club pal's funeral yesterday has helped remind me about a few "life truths" so the self pity mode is about to be shoved back into the deep dark recesses of my head and this will give me a focus without pressure image

    Not sure re accommodation yet as I am very local to Dover but don't want to do just a day trip as half the fun is the whole supporting, boozing stuff image

  • Seem to remember someone early in the thread saying there are campsites close by.

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    Camping?  Wash your mouth out with soap!  image

    We've booked an hotel.  Or should I say, THE hotel.

    image

  • Hey Jaffa, if you don't fancy doing the whole lot and ferry bookings permit, how about just doing the run for Wilkie and me?

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    I guess that's a NO then!

     

  • Wilkie,  I was in denial that I might have to run further than the 3 miles max I've been doing recently...........and also in line with my legendary personal organisation skills,  I've not yet sorted what ferry we're on!

  • Also pre-empted - I was going to offer to swim (although I'm slow). Can't do the run for you I'm afraid, am banned from more than 10km due to my prosthetic hip.

  • jelly beanjelly bean ✭✭✭
    Went over yesterday and had a trundle round the bike course.  A lot of flat sections-good road surface, some of it in the process of being relaid-a 1k 10% hill at around 20k into the ride (10% according to the road sign) which is approached from a left hand turn from a side street straight onto the side of the hill.  There were a few turns crossing the flow of traffic but there's not much traffic.  A few k on from the hill there was a long fast decent through woods but a dead straight road. A lot of the route is along canals so quite exposed to the wind and sun on the wrong day but a very fast course on a good one.  Yesterday was windy and raining so a bit grim at times.  It's not a technical course from a bike handling point of view, very first timer friendly and looking at the general condition of the roads you'd be very unlucky to get a puncture.  The swim venue is purpose built for rowing and watersports/triathlon according to the promotional material.  The site is very close to the motorway so was pretty easy to get to and access from Calais.  Graveline doesn't seem to have much in the way of hotels though.

     

     

  • fat buddhafat buddha ✭✭✭

    ferry booked yesterday to take the minibago over - heading over Friday evening and coming back Tuesday so having a couple of chill out days around the event.  I need to check with the organiser if there is camping on site - any indication of that JB??  if not it's no big deal as there is a motorhome parking area in Gravelines but just need to get on there early to secure a spot as there will be loads of French and Belgian motorhomes as well I bet

    next - get the entries in!  we're still doing the sprint but I note that there is no bike/run route up for that yet but I guess the bike leg will be around the canal sections

  • jelly beanjelly bean ✭✭✭

    FB, there was no sign of any camping on site and the Parc's website (lepaarc.com)  makes no mention of it, all the local accommodation seems to be on www.tourisme-nord.com

  • fat buddhafat buddha ✭✭✭

    I mailed the race organiser and he said there's no problem parking the motorhome overnight at the Parc

    have entered for me and Petal and completed CC transaction but njuko.com is saying "payment pending" - anyone know if it takes a while for this to go through??  most sites are instant but maybe 'cos mine's not a French card I wonder.

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    We're going over on the Friday morning.  

    We've booked into an hotel in Gravelines.  Well, the hotel, there appears to be only one.

    I know the Paarc and rowing lake are new, but it doesn't seem to be on ANY maps - not even the one the Paarc links to on it website!

    But is is there, we've seen it image

  • fat buddhafat buddha ✭✭✭

    it's there on Bing maps - http://binged.it/16js6K8

    just not on Google maps but some of their maps are a few years out of date now

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    /members/images/4741/Gallery/Paarc.JPG

     The D17 appears to go straight across the middle of the lake though! image

  • jelly beanjelly bean ✭✭✭

    My registration and payment confirmation e-mails have the same date and time but I can't tell if that's the same day as I entered, it was a while ago.

  • Wilkie, did you find someone to run for a relay HIM?  If so I need to get my act together and sort out some travel/accommodation.

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    Not so far Trogs - I think I'll have to settle for watching!  

     

  • No worries.  Maybe I'll sort a day trip and come to watch too image

  • our entries are now confirmed

  • only a few days to go for those of us heading over

    I had a look at the bike course for the sprint that's now on the website - flatter than a witch's tit frankly with only 2m height difference across the whole thing!!  but there are some sharp 90 degree bends that could be interesting at speed...

    not sure if Petal will be racing as she came off her bike on Saturday and has a badly sprained arm but we'll see how it goes this week before deciding.  she wants to do it as it will be the last race before the World Champs so she wants race practice.

    just hope the forecast nice weather holds for Sunday!

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    The weather forecast looks good - keep your fingers crossed!

    I'll be supporting, and nipping around on my bike to catch JB where I can.  

    What time does the sprint kick off?

  • Enjoy it, even though it is a f#';[ng stupid idea to race so far away from home, all 35 minutes from Folkstone!

    Didn't get round to booking and have spent enough time driving in and out of that part of the world in the past year.

    Bon chance!

  • Very much interested to hear about this one for next year, especiallly accommodation etc. I recced the area last year and it seems quite nice. I don't think the big earth bank is on the goggle map. If they have put that there for wind protection, this could be an interesting one  on deep wheels if it's windy?

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    Having ridden some of the (IM-distance) course, I'd say it could be an issue.  

    Most of the course is totally flat.

  • that big bank is to shelter the rowers from the worst of the wind that can rip across this part of Northern France

    we're taking the deep rims......image

    forecast is light winds but light rain for Sunday morning - booo.... image

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    The Met office forecast for Gravelines now says cloudy image

    But we know how good the weather forecast usually is... image

     

  • The roads we cycled on would suit deep rims pretty well I would imagine.  Only an issue if it's windy as there is very little by way of trees and hedges.

    The weather forecast varies a bit depending on what site you look at but some have the wind speed as only 5mph and a temp of 15c at 9.00am but it will get over 20 in the afternoon but that's ok.  If it's going to be a fast day I may take my sadddle bag and mudguards off.  The rack stays though, I've got to fix my lunch box to something!

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