Zone 1 Challenge Cup 2023- Friday 2nd June 2023

[greatkingrat]

I might try that next time - 16 minutes waiting at Paddington H&C would have gone by faster if I had an ice cream!

[Going Underground]

Bit of a disaster from me (3:49:26).

Up to Bayswater, run to Queensway where I passed Kev going the other way (had the Central line train we boarded at Liverpool Street really taken that long to get to Queensway?).

It wasn't that slow I had been up, down, across, down, across, up and across again in that time !

[Going Underground]

Thank you for arranging and booking the room @tangy I will bring some money to cover this at the R15 on Saturday

[tangy]

The results of the Zone 1 Challenge Cup 2023 held on Friday 2nd June 2023.

The start station was Battersea Power Station (as picked by The Raven's young daughter Georgie).

12 challengers completed in 11 teams:

11th: Richard Standing- 03:49:26 at Vauxhall (No team name submitted).
10th: Julian Pennant (and wife)- 03:39:?? at Vauxhall (No team name submitted).
9th: "Have I Got Bakerloos for You" (Peter Smyth)- 03:26:18 at Vauxhall.
8th: "Running up That Fifteen Storey Building" (James Ramsbottom)- 03:20:26 at Gloucester Road.
7th: "The Twilight Zone" (Kevin Brown)- 03:17:03 at Russell Square
6th: "Bus Ventures" (Vincent Karthaus)- 03:15:53 at Vauxhall
5th: "The Optare Solo MetroRider" (Tangy)- 03:12:09 at Southwark.
=3rd: "Minor Delays" (Clive Burgess)- 03:10:29 at Vauxhall.
=3rd: "Morden has Broken" (Ian McIntyre)- 03:10:29 at Vauxhall.
=1st: "Battersea Cod & Chips" (Andrew James)- 03:04:05 at Vauxhall.
=1st: "I didn't know train drivers liked 10 pin bowling so much: Always striking and nobody's spare" (Andrew Chilcraft)- 03:04:05 at Vauxhall.

Best team name judged by many in the room when it was read out goes to Andrew Chilcraft.

Highest score in the quiz was a three way tie between Peter, Ian and Clive who all scored 34/50.

Thank you for everyone that attended and the BOZO signs off for another year!

[Capelblue]

I'm not going to post a detailed route for this as I will probably use it again next year !

The Battersea start was a popular one as it eliminated one run, but did mean that we all started off negotiating the knot of stations south of the river. Interestingly Vincent got onto the same Bakerloo line train at Lambeth North that I got on at Elephant and Castle, so no advantage gained either way.

Initially there were several of us doing the same changes, but we thinned out until it was just me at Euston, catching up with Vincent at Euston Square where the matrix signs were down and doom laden announcements of severe delays. Vincent must have crossed the bridge between the platforms about 4 times debating what to do, in the end it only cost me about 5 minutes, and an additional change at Baker Street as I hopped onto to the first train which was a Met given the lack of information.

Euston Square was within the first hour for me and was the last time I saw anyone until right near the end of the challenge when Clive got onto the same District line train as me, after that we couldn't shake each other off and tied in 3:10:29 at Vauxhall

Other than the sub-surface issues which continued all day, the only other issues were my eternal nemesis Earl's Court where although I got a good change, it was offset by the train taking 6 minutes to get there from High Street Kensington, the trains on the Piccadilly line and the bank branch of the Northern line were real trundlers too.

The only other issue was my fitness, must do better !

[Lunaticonthegrass]

Well I certainly had an eventful afternoon. I always seemed to be either just making trains or just missing them. There was no inbetween for me.

When Battersea Power Station Station was revealed as the start, I was tempted to re-use the route I had for my first Z1 in Decemeber 2021 (although with alterations because the Piccadilly platforms at South Kensington had reopened). However I have a tragic flaw of wanting to create routes. After playing around for a bit and not getting anywhere I tried something different and suddenly everything slotted into place.

Leaving BPS, my first change was at Waterloo, where the tone for the day was set when I missed a southbound Bakerloo by seconds and had a 5 minute wait for the next one. Slowly down to Elephant & Castle, but then a borthbound Northern line train arrived at the same time as myself. 3 minutes at London Bridge for a Jubilee and then a long run up at Westminster to see a westbound sub-surface leaving. Got a bit lost at Victoria but made it down to Vauxhall and back then straight onto another westbound sub-surface. Then I think another good change at South Kensington to an eastbound Piccadilly.

The first part of my route was very intense, with a change almost every other station, and I pushed myself too hard on the runs. I was therefore already in a daze and I headed east on a rather stop-start Piccadilly train. I remebered from last year that Russell Square wasn't a cross-platform double-back, so I made sure I was at the right end of the train this time but I still just missed a train. Then back at Holborn I ran into crowds from the eastbound Piccadilly train which arrived shortly before I did, so I could only walk up the escalators and I think I missed another train. There had been announcements of delays on the Circle, H&C and Met earlier in the day but they had mostly stopped by this point. Only a minute or so at Liverpool Street for a Met to Aldgate then my first OSI to Aldgate East where I just missed ANOTHER train.

Along to Embankment then up to Euston, where I had a 5 minute wait for a Bank branch train. Getting off the train at Moorgate I encountered someone else running, which turned out to be Andi. I made the mistake of knowning that he was a fast runner but trying to keep up with him. Eventually I let him pull ahead but he didn't get a train up. We both wanted to head west - he to Farringdon and myself to Paddington. The first train in 5 minutes was a Met, which was fine for him. I also got on and stayed on it until Great Portland Street before changing to the H&C 2 minutes behind. I was pleased that I'd planned to do the Paddington run in the easier direction but I was still flagging as I headed down to Praed Street. Onto the Bakerloo again and I'd managed to get a second wind as I did a better run at Oxford Circus to the Central line.

I'd been losely on track for a time of 3 hours and a bit throughout my attempt. But this promtly vanished when I ran from Queensway to Bayswater to find myself with a 9 MINUTE wait for a train of any description going west. So long a time that I went to Sainsburys outside the station and still made it back with 5 minutes to spare. I watched the current record time, then both of my personal times fly past here before a District train turned up. Then got held at HSK for a while before heading to Earl's Court. No District trains in the eastbound platforms when I arrived so I headed down to the Piccadilly platforms, only to find that there was a 2 minute wait for an eastbound train there. If I was chasing a good time I would have run back up to the District line, but I was tired, fed up and just wanted to finish. so I waited for the Piccadilly train and finished in a dissapointing 3:20:26.

Final route: BPS Waterloo Elephant & Castle London Bridge Westminster Victoria Vauxhall Victoria South Kensington Russell Square Holborn Liverpool Street Aldgate (run) Aldgate East Embankment Euston Moorgate Paddington (H&C) (run) Paddington (Praed Street) Oxford Circus Queensway (run) Bayswater Earl's Court Gloucester Road

Then all the way up to the pub. I really wished I could have stayed longer but strikes meant I could only stay for 35 minutes, during which I necked 2 pints, had some food and answered as much of the quiz as I could. Ah well, roll on next Saturday!

[RJSRdg]

I'm not going to post a detailed route for this as I will probably use it again next year !

The Battersea start was a popular one as it eliminated one run, but did mean that we all started off negotiating the knot of stations south of the river. Interestingly Vincent got onto the same Bakerloo line train at Lambeth North that I got on at Elephant and Castle, so no advantage gained either way.

I suspect Vincent was just changing carriages at Lambeth North, as he got off the train I was on at Elephant & Castle.

[Capelblue]

Vincent told me he had run to Lambeth North from Southwark

[Golf]

Well for someone whom dont do tube challenges anymore i wanted to test myself against the current crop as it were.

I actually had a dream where BATTERSEA came out of the hat i had actually planned a route depending on if any of the other stations came out of box.

So straight off taking the NORTHERN line saw a few get out at NINE ELMS. but that wasnt my plan mine was WATERLOO heading for JUBILEE with 3 other guys whom took advantage of me shouting down the corridors clearing the way as it were. Changing there and heading southbound on the NORTHERN to ELEPHANT & CASTLE this gave me a lovely long BAKERLOO line connection with mr CHILCRAFT only up to PADDINGTON BAKERLOO swapping there for a long run and only a 3min wait for a i think was a circle train to EUSTON SQUARE mr andrew tried to bluff me at this point pretending to do the same run but i left and thought i got one on him as i had run to EUSTON and he wasnt there.

coming back down to TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD which has drastically changed since i was last there i got my CENTRAL Line with a 1 min wait to QUEENSBURY running down the road getting shouted at by a royal mail driver whom i promptly told to **** off.

arriving at BAYSWATER oh joy of joys a waiting DISTRICT line train to EARLS court where i switched for another long journey on the PICCADILLY to KINGS CROSS for a change to southbound NORTHERN to MOORGATE where i met another challenger doing the same thing but heading a lot more westbound than i getting out at FARRINGDON my running knowledge of 2012 helped in fact it was a carbon copy of the route just with extra stations involved.

CHANCERY LANE slight wait here where mr andrew had rejoined me in the last remaining stations couldnt get rid of him on any the connections via LIVERPOOL STREET or ALDGATE running to EAST where if the train had been a bit quicker i have lost him but even then a wait at SLOANE square where i reckoned even train after would have caught the same train we did the change at VICTORIA and trundled into VAUXHALL together with a time of 3h 04m 05s not bad for my 1st go at the zone 1 in years am i the only person to have won 3 times?

[Golf]

i just noticed that the bozo hasnt added any of the times from zone 1 to explorer site i think he is overstretching himself.