tubechallenge.com

OK, here's the route that I've been using for my Zone 1 attempts. Some of you may be surprised at one particular feature of it; one which is absolutely knackering unless you're in the zone (excuse the pun).

Why am I telling you all? Because it's time to use a new route: one that doesn't involve such a long and pointless run, one that is better suited to LU service inadequacies, one that, ultimately, is faster.



The new route will be put into action soon. I have a funny feeling it's been used before and is quite popular, though....

That's really interesting to see a route.
It's completely different from both the routes I've tried. I will post the better of my routes sometime soon. The other involves the Russell Square-Goodge St run, not a favourite.

Ric

Anthony,

Is it really wise to publish a full, proper Zone 1 route on the site just 3 weeks before the challenge, thus enabling anyone who was trying to work it out for themselves (or indeed, anyone who hadn't a clue) to all follow the same route?

Yes, running from Russell Square to Goodge Street can be tiring (if you sprint it, which in my humble opinion is stupid) but I was just wondering why you'd want to give away just about every Zone 1 Challenge secret there is by publishing that.

I know that most people will do various sections the same but as tpfkar just pointed out - he hadn't got anything like that route.

I would advise people to think before telling everyone their routes - you're only levelling the playing field for the 20th of May.

Let's just hope that Regent's Park won't be the starting station now!

I guess that Anthony publishes this route because Queensway will be out of the game shortly. However I agree that it's boring to give away too much before the 20th - what's left left to talk about in the pub then?

Anyway, I've got a few comments/questions to Anthony about the route:

* How long did the Goodge Street - Russell Square sprint take for you? (i.e. what shape are you in?)

* Is it really quicker to double back at Charing Cross than sprinting or do you check the departure board before deciding?

* Do you always go for Aldgate East before Aldgate? Or does the first train at Embankment decide? Or do you consult the - admittedly approximate time table - to see whether you'll time an H&c when doing Aldgate first?

* According to my calculations, my fastest route would be 5-10 minutes quicker - depending on your run speed...

Anyway - despite spoiling some fun - I do appreciate your publishing of this route.

Speaking of routes - I never figured out why Geoff and Neil got stuck in Waterloo waiting for a NB Northern train (for 11 minutes) last year. Knowing their "track" record I'd expect to find a profound reason for that being part of the route - but so far I've failed... Anyone got an idea?

HÃ¥kan
proud member of the "66 Feet Under" tube racing team.

I met with Andrew when he was appealing for people to do a run with him.

The Goodge Street- Russell Square run took about 7mins

Charing Cross was faster then running between the two as you'd have to go out of the station then run between the two then back into Embankment. Last time also there was a train staright away

It was just the first train as Embankment that decided.

[quote="hwolge"]Speaking of routes - I never figured out why Geoff and Neil got stuck in Waterloo waiting for a NB Northern train (for 11 minutes) last year. Knowing their "track" record I'd expect to find a profound reason for that being part of the route - but so far I've failed...[quote]

That was just the route we had on the day - I can't even remember it off the top of my head to be honest but the Northern line was rubbish that day. 13 minutes?! I don't think we did the Waterloo area very efficiently but we might have won if we'd caught the train what was leaving the platform as we ran onto it. Oh well

Anyway, I'm actually slightly annoyed that Anthony has published a Zone 1 route - all this planning and then someone gives the solution out to everyone!

All this planning? What are you planning for if Zone 1 on 20th May are you planning a route from every station or has Anthony revealed a part of your route that is good?

Hmm, I recognise some of the pressures from my own route. I'm not at all sure about that Euston change though.

My own planning has its comedy runs as well though, and one bit that's rather dubious (but if it comes off will make the whole thing quite funky).

Anthony was not the first person to come up with this route. In fact it is identical to the route used by Steve Paull when he won the first Tube Challenge last year.

Geoff & Neil,

I looked further into the Waterloo Northern NB connection. I actually found a most decent route from Vauxhall ending in Old Street , with the Northern NB from Waterloo - interesting...

However, my estimate is that you must run between Lambeth North and Southwark in about 3:30 (or about 10 km/h) to make it worthwhile... Too fast for me (nowadays).
HÃ¥kan

joy54 wrote:All this planning? What are you planning for if Zone 1 on 20th May are you planning a route from every station or has Anthony revealed a part of your route that is good?

I meant planning the day and organising everything, not our route.

Hi again,

When I said I would post a route "soon", I was planning for "soon" to mean "imminently after May 20th"

If I can make it on the 20th, I'll try to do a route as close as possible to my 2:45 route, but lots of the starting stations would cause problems.

Such as Regent's Park.......

Well, well, well, 110 views and 14 replies later, my route has caused all the proverbial controversy.

This is allowing everyone to work it out for themselves, indeed, which is bad.

It was unwise to publish it. I have been saying some very unwise things lately, as I always have.

In fact, I should have just kept it secret, as I doubt that, if Regents Park is indeed the starting station, the routes will get any better than that! We will have a very uninteresting day ahead of us if it is.

The Russoodgell Street Square run does sort out the men from the boys, but there may be some very stupid boys present on the day. Hell, it'll be the day after my Electromagnetism exam, I'll be feeling suicidal as well. It's a run that I certainly cannot sprint (it's about 4 times longer than sprinting would realistically allow) and one that I have had enough of. Coupled with lifts at either end of the run, it's not sensible. Not only that, but you HAVE to use the lifts to get out onto the surface, because if you don't, you will be walking between the stations VERY SLOWLY.

I was quite aware that this was either very similar to, or identical to, the route used by Steve Paull when winning last year's run.

If the perfectly rational throught of Regents Park had even entered my mind, I would not have bothered posting this route in the first place. Now I have, and half the challengers know about it, and it's spoiled all the fun for everyone.

CrunchySaviour wrote:
The Russoodgell Street Square run does sort out the men from the boys, but there may be some very stupid boys present on the day. Hell, it'll be the day after my Electromagnetism exam, I'll be feeling suicidal as well. It's a run that I certainly cannot sprint (it's about 4 times longer than sprinting would realistically allow) and one that I have had enough of. Coupled with lifts at either end of the run, it's not sensible. Not only that, but you HAVE to use the lifts to get out onto the surface, because if you don't, you will be walking between the stations VERY SLOWLY.

I've been in fitness training running up and down spiral staircases in preparation for the Zone 1 challenge. Hampstead's is great!

Don't forget you can modify your post Mr Crunchy Saviour so as to delete a certain route map!