Next attempt (& stopwatch operator)

[Nigel]

I've been thinking about when I might get another opportunity to try a full network. I think it will be sometime in the week commencing 13 June (and personally, I prefer to avoid Mondays and Fridays), but at the moment I've no great constraints for that week. This assumes that the planned strikes which have been suspended don't come back.

I'm going to ask around my friends to see if I can find anyone willing to act as a timekeeper, but since most live out to the NE of London it's not very convenient for them for most of the start & finish points which can produce feasible fast routes. Alternatively, if anyone else was considering a challenge that week I was wondering if they wanted to share a stopwatch operator, or for us mutually to act as stopwatch operators for each other. To be clear, we would just need to agree the start point and time and a proposed finish - we wouldn't intentionally be doing the same route. Then, in the later stages, if either looked likely to get a GWR, the other would to agree to abandon their atttempt and meet up to act as timekeeper. (Not quite sure how that would work if both thought they were on GWR-beating schedule, unless finishing on same train.) It's just an idea and a bit of a long shot, but if anyone is interested please get in touch by PM.

[palkanetoijala31]

perhaps you should be giving nigel his own section soon neil thats 3 attempts in 2 months.

[tubeguru]

No.

[Nigel]

Quite right too - no way am I going to become as prolific as Andi. I'm just trying to make attempts this year when the opportunity arises. I'll soon be too decrepit to carry on, or the Olympia service changes will make a full network nigh on impossible - I'm not sure which will happen sooner.

[Nigel]

I think I'm going to postpone my next full network attempt that I had pencilled in for next week. This is for four reasons:
(i) I've now got too much to do to be able to afford to take effectively one and a half days out next week;
(ii) I'm feeling knackered and, in particular, the groin strain I acquired from my Overground and Zone 1 challenges last week hasn't fully cleared up;
(iii) Latimer Road being closed one-way reduces the flexibility to re-jig routes dependent on where I am at a particular time;
(iv) I haven't yet had time to properly research some alternative strategies I've had ideas about.

I suspect that this means with holidays, other commitments and the forthcoming Circle Line closure it will probably won't be until early September that I get another opportunity for a full network attempt. I'll let you know when.

[supercommuter]

Good luck.
From Robert Robinson
Challenger 1980-2002