http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Pedal for Scotland en Wed, 24 Jun 2026 07:37:19 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009&page=2#post-313942 Mon, 09 Sep 2019 13:15:09 +0000 EdinburghCycleCam 313942@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Oh no, sad to hear about that :(</p> <p>I did the big belter route with my friend as usual, but got the impression that this was the least well organised of the last 3 years. Despite us being in the first 10 on the coach in the morning, and arriving at 4:15, the coach didn't leave the RHS until 5:30, meaning we didn't arrive until 6:30 and nearly missed the 6:45 start (I'm sure some others probably did). None of the staff we spoke to at Glasgow Green seemed to know what chute the big belter route left from - we weren't sure if they actually used the A and B chute, or just one of them, and we eventually just went in the gold chute since it had the most people in it.</p> <p>First feed stop (well, second - the first one is very near the start and we never stop there) had very little on offer - last year there were bananas, cereal bars, caramel wafers, etc all for free - this year it was all charity bake sale stuff, meaning everything cost money. I've no real problem with that, but it'd be nice to have something else on offer for anyone who didn't have money with them, especially since it's a paid-for event.</p> <p>When we arrived at the feed stop at Forth there were cereal bars and bananas and very dry sandwiches (white bread and "just cheese", "just ham" or "just tuna mayo" options), and we asked about the 11:20 cut off - this was at around 11:00. We were told it was 3 miles away, so we both left quickly to try and make it.</p> <p>We reached the cut-off at 11:15, just as two event staff were changing the signage to direct people to the shorter route. We asked if we could do the full route, but were told we were too late. We decided not to argue, since if we did try to do the full route, we'd probably be swept up - my friend had her annual cough / chest infection which she seems to always get just before PfS.<br /> 20-30 mins later we were passed by a group doing the ride for charity, who asked us how we were getting on - I said that I was kind of glad we got moved to the diverted route, and they were all horrified and annoyed - they didn't know they were on the shorter route, didn't know there WAS a cut-off time (It's mentioned in the letters / map you get posted, but nothing at the event itself), and were doing the ride for charity. They said they were going to complain, or take their numbers off and do the route as "civilians", not part of the race because they'd all been sponsored to do 100 miles. In the end they passed us again and we never saw them again - I'm not sure if they took an alternative route or just did the 70 mile truncated route.</p> <p>We met another small group near the finish line, where one of them came from the wrong direction and stopped to tell the rest of his group "Nah, that's it! They've &lt;rule 2'd&gt; it! That's the end up there, it's meant to be 100 miles?" - they'd also not realised there was a cut-off time and they'd been diverted.</p> <p>On the whole, it was fun, but I think I overdid it a bit with the CCE Tweedbank outing on Saturday... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009&page=2#post-313902 Mon, 09 Sep 2019 09:31:02 +0000 edinburgh87 313902@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>More here, incredibly sad especially in light of last week's events at TotB</p> <p><a href="https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/people/devastated-wife-pays-tribute-to-tragic-husband-who-died-during-pedal-for-scotland-cycling-event-1-4999992" rel="nofollow">https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/people/devastated-wife-pays-tribute-to-tragic-husband-who-died-during-pedal-for-scotland-cycling-event-1-4999992</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009&page=2#post-313890 Sun, 08 Sep 2019 22:28:54 +0000 LivM 313890@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Sad to see that a chap died after collapsing on the ride. Married to a friend of a friend. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009&page=2#post-313888 Sun, 08 Sep 2019 21:10:03 +0000 Frenchy 313888@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Well done all! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009&page=2#post-313880 Sun, 08 Sep 2019 16:45:43 +0000 HankChief 313880@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>A grand day out :-)</p> <p>We had a lovely little peleton of @biketrain, Mrs McR, mini-chief &amp; I. An unpleasantly early start but the weather was lovely. Mini-chief took it all in his stride, and diligently waited for us at the top of the climbs.</p> <p>For added excitement we were joined by Micro-chief and mini+micro-train for the last leg from Linlithgow.</p> <p>Micro-Chief took the tiredness in our legs as an opportunity to rip up the pace and so the finish was a bit of a blur. Mini-Chief decided not to get involved in the sprinting and concentrated on his new trick of riding no handed! Having sucessfully done it continuously from Winchburgh to Kirkliston I would say he now has the knack.</p> <p>Really nice vibe to see people challenge themselves and bring the determination to complete the course. Shame it was the last one... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009&page=2#post-313878 Sun, 08 Sep 2019 14:37:58 +0000 gembo 313878@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Saw a few people returning around 12.30 </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009&page=2#post-313877 Sun, 08 Sep 2019 14:14:40 +0000 acsimpson 313877@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Hope it went well. The stars haven't aligned for me this weekend so I guess I'll never be joining PfS.</p> <p>I hope you all had a great ride. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009&page=2#post-313862 Sun, 08 Sep 2019 06:30:38 +0000 HankChief 313862@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It's too early...</p> <p>Looks a cracking day for though </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009&page=2#post-313831 Fri, 06 Sep 2019 22:01:21 +0000 Frenchy 313831@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I'm no longer able to make it on Sunday. On the off chance that anyone wants my place (for free) give me a shout.</p> <p>Edit: for clarity, you'd need to find your own way to Glasgow for 7am on Sunday. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009&page=2#post-313798 Fri, 06 Sep 2019 12:43:51 +0000 dessert rat 313798@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@biketrain, MrsMcR planning to be @ chez Hankchief @ 0545 to join the Ingliston biketrain </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009&page=2#post-313795 Fri, 06 Sep 2019 11:49:07 +0000 biketrain 313795@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Anyone have any experience of taking the Transfer coaches from Ingliston to Glasgow Green? Hankchief and I are debating a time to arrive at the Highland Show ground. Trying to balance time in a warm bed against having enough time to heard Mini Chiefs and biketrains along the classic route. We will collecting them at various feed stations on the way. Last year I got a to Ingliston just before 5am and was at the start line ready to go around 7. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009&page=2#post-313758 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 12:05:46 +0000 biketrain 313758@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I have been advised by P4S to use the West Gate. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009&page=2#post-313733 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 08:29:36 +0000 biketrain 313733@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I am planning to cycle to the transfer coaches pickup point at Ingliston. Does anyone know if there is a traffic free route from Newbridge?<br /> Trying to avoid the airport roads and save a bit of time. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009&page=2#post-313649 Tue, 03 Sep 2019 20:46:04 +0000 gembo 313649@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>We chanced on to the route a few years back near strathloanhead we had come over from Heights and some closed roads but no problem just joining in. We then took a mad detour up by West Lothian Golf Club to get out of the way </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009&page=2#post-313644 Tue, 03 Sep 2019 19:56:34 +0000 EdinburghCycleCam 313644@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Never done the "classic challenge", so I can only comment on the first quarter or so which shares the same route - as winpig said, nobody checking anything, though at least at the start the roads are closed with police and G4S security folk at every junction along Edinburgh Road and at least one G4S person at every other junction along the road, with the side roads coned off.<br /> Even the branch for the longer route only has one or two G4S folk at it, and I'm sure nobody would notice if you decided to take the other route. No closed roads until just before the Royal Highland Centre after that branch though, if you go the long route.</p> <p>I reckon you'd be fine to just pootle along - though considering the scale of the road closures, I'd expect most if not all to be fully open at 10pm on the Saturday. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009&page=2#post-313590 Tue, 03 Sep 2019 09:44:32 +0000 acsimpson 313590@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Thanks @Winpig. That sound about how I was expecting it to be (Except for the truck). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009#post-313448 Sun, 01 Sep 2019 14:01:42 +0000 wingpig 313448@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I rolled onto the (leisurely fifty-odd mile, not the racing-costume whooshride) course by mistake a few years ago when I escaped the rutted canal path at Winchburgh. There were a few tabard-people dotted about but no-one checking anyone. The road was only half-closed around Kirkliston, with giant Asda artic thundering along in the oncoming 'lane', chewing up the traffic cones in the 'middle' of the road. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009#post-313446 Sun, 01 Sep 2019 13:36:29 +0000 acsimpson 313446@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>How closed are the roads during PFS? If a friend discovered at 10pm on the Saturday that they had a Sunday pass could they follow the route if they were self supporting? Or are there blocks which only registered riders would get onto? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009#post-312653 Sat, 17 Aug 2019 22:04:05 +0000 HankChief 312653@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Thanks @greenroofer. I guess my expectation was that we would be something like your experience at a speed approaching 8-10mph when we were moving and long stops every 5 miles or so. They happily do the 4mile school run without a break at those sort of speeds.</p> <p>In reality we were struggling to sustain 8mph. Some of that was poor gear selection but it was the stops that really killed us. Looking at strava we rarely did a mile without stopping for some reason or other.</p> <p>When they want to they can apply themselves. Heading North on the bridge with the wind behind us was okay but they wanted to stop and look at things. Coming back into an really awful headwind and with another rider just in front of us, they both just got their heads down and powered over without stopping doing 8-10mph on the way up the bridge and 12-14mph down the other side. It was probably our fastest mile of the whole trip.</p> <p>It may be that their heads weren't totally in it today (end of holidays and me only announcing the training ride this morning when they were already engrossed in their screens probably didn'thelp). It certainly is harder having 2 of them to divide my attention (with consequential jealousy tantrums) or the route be broken up by sections on public roads which then required a certain amount of safety instruction and higher stress levels.</p> <p>I will look at next weekend's weather forecast and maybe do the Airdrie -Bathgate route to give us some flatter and more consistent offroad cycling.</p> <p>We'll definitely be looking for an early start time to give us the biggest time window, so we can take a relaxed approach. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009#post-312652 Sat, 17 Aug 2019 21:33:36 +0000 Greenroofer 312652@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>When mini-Greenroofer did this (several years ago now, I realise to my dismay: she was 10 at the time and is now 14) we put in quite a lot of training over gradually increasing distances. This did mean that she rode the whole thing with energy to spare (I still love watching the video I made of her riding up all the hills past the men in Team Sky kit), but it was quite slow.</p> <p>She got quite good at not faffing (that is, we didn't <em>waste</em> time), as by the time we rode it she'd had a lot of practice at riding 'long' distances, but we still took time at each feed stop to pause and enjoy the experience and atmosphere. We took 5h 28m to do the ride, which is an average speed of 10mph.</p> <p>Is it sufficient just for you to reset your own expectations? So long as you avoid the broom wagon, then if it takes them 8 hours to do it, that doesn't matter. Measure the achievement by the distance they rode, not the time they took. A relaxed attitude to the time may be all it needs to get them through it. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009#post-312650 Sat, 17 Aug 2019 20:42:32 +0000 HankChief 312650@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>What are the hivemind's top tips for getting little people to complete the course?</p> <p>Having just had the go ahead to start cycling again, and it being the last year, I have rashly book us onto it.</p> <p>Today's 1st training ride saw us venture over the bridge and back via Craigies (21 miles) They were fine with the distance (in terms of tiredness/comfort) but the speed was dreadfully slow, both in terms of sustaining speed and wanting lots of stops/faffing.</p> <p>Will the buzz of the event be enough to keep them going? And what should we focus on for our next (&amp; possibly final training ride)? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009#post-310969 Thu, 18 Jul 2019 21:14:57 +0000 LaidBack 310969@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@crowriver - I'd go for it. Not sure the age of your stoker but the fact that other children will be on ride will be a huge boost. Tandeming does allow you to patch in their missing energy if they fade. Stops along the way. Is last one too. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009#post-310949 Thu, 18 Jul 2019 18:07:40 +0000 crowriver 310949@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Was just wondering if my youngest was about the right age to stoke the tandem twixt Glasgow and Edinburgh, with a view to her doing it on her own bike in a couple of years. As eldest has already done. And they've only gone and made this the last one.</p> <p>One thing really valuable about PfS is the closed roads. It allows folk to realise that cycling 45 miles is not really that bad, doesn't take that long, and <em>maybe</em> they could cycle similar distances on open roads. Great for kids too.</p> <p>Now fretting over whether to book us both in for this last ever ride... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009#post-310330 Tue, 09 Jul 2019 10:34:25 +0000 gembo 310330@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The 100 was introduced in the last third of the twenty years this has occurred? But clearly maybe only went to Kilmarnock into stiff head wind once or twice? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009#post-310325 Tue, 09 Jul 2019 09:46:45 +0000 EdinburghCycleCam 310325@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Last year's route: <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1830545430" rel="nofollow">https://www.strava.com/activities/1830545430</a><br /> 2017's route: <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1177738803" rel="nofollow">https://www.strava.com/activities/1177738803</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009#post-310315 Mon, 08 Jul 2019 20:49:37 +0000 gembo 310315@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@frenchy - ah I see what they have done. Same closed roads out of Glasgow with the wee one. Then at Avon bridge takes in all the routes fietsclub Balerno usually cycle. Tempting, I will tell Barry about the hill </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009#post-310314 Mon, 08 Jul 2019 20:30:16 +0000 Frenchy 310314@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Maybe used to go via Kilmarnock, but certainly didn't last year. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009#post-310313 Mon, 08 Jul 2019 20:20:03 +0000 gembo 310313@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@Frenchy, does it not go to Kilmarnock first/?</p> <p>We were at the hill of Carmichael the other day/ there is a most glorious road round to tin to hill tearoom that avoids the hill on the right.</p> <p>Barry who is a big Irish man that cycles with us insisted on going up the hill, thus missing the glorious road </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009#post-310300 Mon, 08 Jul 2019 15:48:52 +0000 Frenchy 310300@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Reminiscing* about that blooming Carmichael Hill has convinced me to do the long route again.</p> <p>*The connotations of "reminisce" are far too positive here. Perhaps "shuddering" would have been more apt. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19009#post-310299 Mon, 08 Jul 2019 15:46:02 +0000 Frenchy 310299@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Define "fun"? </p> <p>Last year's was definitely Type II fun. I'm praying to all the Gods I believe in that it won't be as wet this year.</p> <p>It's a 100 mile cycle ride through the central belt/South Lanarkshire, with free food at regular intervals and a blooming big hill 70 miles in. First 20 miles are on closed roads (or the whole route of the shorter version).</p> <p>Whilst I clearly enjoyed it enough to sign up again this year, I'm not particularly convinced it's worth travelling from Switzerland for... </p>