Anyone going tomorrow?
Yes, & cyclingmollie and Jacksonpriest
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Sport
Audax + sportives 2017
(282 posts)-
Posted 6 years ago #
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and Cyclops?
Posted 6 years ago # -
"and Cyclops?"
I'll be there but not on a bike. I even get to go back to bed after the start.
Posted 6 years ago # -
With muffins I hope.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Looks like a bit of heavy rain to start with, hope it's not too bad. Have a good ride all.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Good luck to you all. Some roads I know by cycling and others just by reputation!
Posted 6 years ago # -
Got soaked this morning through Penicuick, west Linton, Blyth bridge, dolphinton and Dunsyre.
Had to request The Mop at the apple pie. Dry on Lang Whang. Pedal Power out putting up Cycling Event signs
Posted 6 years ago # -
Reward for cycling to work this morning after a tough 400 on Saturday (& Sunday) - a cold shower at work. Thanks!
Posted 6 years ago # -
The 400 at the weekend was a fantastic route. Well recommended though it is hilly. Start was wet for 4 hours and the night section was very cold (down to 2 degrees or so).
I've got the following rides booked:
Erit Lass 200 from M'burgh 3 Sept
Dick McT 150 from Gala 9 Sept
Etal-U-Can 200 from Gala 14 Oct
Long Dark Teatime of the Soul 200 from Gala 4 NovUnfortunately I'm away for DaveC audax in Sept. Looks like a good one
Posted 6 years ago # -
Yes, there's a stunning shorter ride to be made out of that, taking in the Queen's Way, the Glentrool Forest Park and South Ayrshire. No Idea how you would close it up into a circuit though.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Could start in Dumfries or Stranraer I suppose. It's quite hard to get very short - it's big country
Posted 6 years ago # -
Ride report on the Southern Upland Audax.
The Southern Upland 400km Audax started at 6am. Cyclops gave us the go ahead and we all - just sat there. So I went off first and led through to the A7 which was quite a change from the Merse and Moors when I'd watched everyone ride off never to be seen again. The road has caught a dose of the recent gravel dressing and wasn't too good for descending.
At Innerleithen amir caught up and we set off into worsening rain towards Mountbenger. By Cappercleuch misty clouds were rolling across the hillsides and the rain was bad but it stopped as we approached Moffat. Johnsonbridge Services was busy with people in kilts, bikers and foreign tourists watching me wring out my socks. Jacksonpriest met us here after he'd taken a wrong turn into Moffat.
A short stretch on the infamous B7076 then through dairy farms past reeking silage clamps to the only puncture of the day just beyond the Water of Ae. After the beautiful hillscape of Barrs Hill we crossed the A701. There was an old windmill in a field at Duncow. This was very long stretch and though our hive mind was aware of the cafe in Moniave we thought we'd push on to Newton Stewart. We gave up that idea at Clatteringshaws and had lunch in the visitor centre. Very nice, birds outside, windy of course. Jacksonpriest wrapped his quiche to eat later with his new spork (I've no idea if this is true - he said a lot of things). We faffed in St John's Town - toilet, shop etc. Beautiful hydro buildings on a twisty road through endless roadside umbellifers.
The Queen's Way was spectacular especially at Talnotry - a monument on a rocky pinnacle surrounded by a tall river terrace and hanging woods with timbers fallen like spillikins down the slopes.
Glentrool Forest Park is a hilly landscape with forest sometimes miles away, sometimes reaching up to the road. Thankfully the headwall of the glen was a gentle rise - the awful ascent, the Nick of the Balloch, is from the other direction. It was hardly much better climbing out of Balloch northwards though. Then rolling roads through woods lit by a setting sun to Maybole. Awful Maybole. Cars, vans, lorries, more cars. It was incessantly noisy with traffic so that the locals shouted instead of speaking. A woman left her dog for us to look after and then another cyclist left us his bike while he confirmed that for vegans there is nothing to eat in Ayrshire. Glad to leave. Still pretty towards Straiton but then over a hill to arrive in Dalmellington in the dark, more shouting locals, another climb up a hillside and through the forestry, the western horizon lit by the fading glow of the sun.
More hills and forests on the way to New Cumnock but now I was feeling tired and really cold. We stopped in Kirkconnel, not sure why now. Chip shop was shut (Frankie's btw - an information control question) but pub open and lots more shouty people. By this point apart from the checkout girl in the Co-op in Maybole we'd not encountered anyone in South or East Ayrshire who didn't shout.
After Crawick the road went through the hills instead of over them, a nice change. I was getting serious saddle problems by this point. No amount of chamois cream helped. It was impact injuries (ally frame, 23 mm tyres - feel free to comment) and felt like I was sitting on drawing pins.
Abington Services looked better from a distance. Up close there was just one concession still open - a newsagent selling pasties and sweets. But there was a coffee machine and the hot chocolate was very good.
It got colder, then much colder. Cold enough that I could see my breath. Cold enough to see freezing mist gathering in layers above the ground. Amir's GPS said 2 degrees above freezing. I've cycled most of this road before in both directions but I couldn't think where I was. After a long dark teatime of the soul amir pointed out Whitmuir hill silhouetted against the dawn light. Whitmuir's a 100km round trip from Musselburgh but taking the direct route we were almost home, realtively speaking.
A series of climbs led us to woods framing ever closer views of Edinburgh in the morning light. Through Bonnyrigg amir led us to a cyclepath to avoid a roadworks diversion on the routesheet. Food at Cyclops's at the finish - very grateful, thank you. We'd arrived about mid-field, five more to come or seven or something I don't remember.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@cyclingmollie great review. Lot of shouty people in Ayrshire, very accurate. Too kind on Maybole. Chips as close to Vegan as an Ayrshire Hurdie can get.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Thanks gembo. To be fair the Honest Toun is just as bad at times.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@cyclingmollie, I was down at pinkie St. Peter's last Tuesday was braw
Posted 6 years ago # -
Nice write up. You only forgot the fantastic moon rising amongst the brilliant starlight, and possibly numerous wishes on falling stars, in the main that the end were nearer than it was
Posted 6 years ago # -
Oh and the yoga wall in Moniaive
Posted 6 years ago # -
@cyclingmollie
Good write up on the 400 - it follows another good one from Dave C on a 400km DIY on another site- maybe he'll share here.
I did a first attempt at a DIY 100km on Tuesday before work - a pleasant ride out on the Dunfermline to Clackmannan Railway in the pitch black (lots of interesting wildlife), then over the Clackmannan Bridge to the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel, before following the canal to get to work. The canal was very stop start with all the bridges, so don't think I'll be doing that again, but overall it wasn't bad - must have been >80% on cycle paths.
Planning to do Borders of Fife in September and then want to negotiate some passes for more Calendar Events in the 2017-18 year.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@amir The yoga stop. How could I forget that!
@paddyirish Solo DIY in the dark yikes. I'm hoping to do Dave's Borders of Fife event too.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@cyclingmollie thanks for the write up. Seriously considering an SR next season and this is my most likely 400, so consider this bookmarked :)
Posted 6 years ago # -
Very enjoyable write-up @cyclingmollie. I've somehow managed to avoid the longer brevets this year, but as a result I've felt that something has been missing. Hope to be in a position to saddle up for an SR next season.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Thanks. An SR next season would be a pretty good target.
Posted 6 years ago # -
It was the most reluctant start of an Audax I've ever seen! Clearly not cold enough :)
Had to work hard to keep up with my regular Audax companions, one who recently completed LEL, and the other who has become a competitive TT rider.
An excellent day out and some good shooting star action, but the end of the Southern Uplands always seems very long and I get grumpy at the rotten road surfaces on the A701.
It's often said that 400s are actually harder than 600s, given that the latter usually has a sleep stop, at least after the creaky start on the second morning. So anyone who can do a 400 should be well capable of an SR.
I will say in Maybole's defence that the pizza is good!
Posted 6 years ago # -
Did you order the pizza or was it thrown at you? :)
Posted 6 years ago # -
Indeed, ballistic pizza is an effective form of defence :)
Posted 6 years ago # -
Rode the More Passes than Mastermind route today, not ridden it for years and quite enjoyed being on the bike all day.
I was pretty nervous I must admit as it's a long while since I've done a +120km ride with 2km of climbing. Recently I've done mostly 1 hour interval sessions with some power building on the turbo, and mountain biking! I was pretty sure I'd be really struggling but decided that as this was the first day I've had for a long while I should just get out there and do it.
I set out and battled headwinds and rain all day, but managed to hit 23kmph moving average. I was reasonably pleased with this. Main things I aimed for were adequate fueling, lots of fluid intake, and sensible pacing in the REALLY bad headwindy bits. Seemed to keep myself at a point where the legs could turn comfortably. Certainly felt like I actually could have kept going at the end.
Pleased that I've still got it in me although neck is sore from rain/headwind avoidance and my bartape is paper thin which I need to sort out! Cracking route. Always terrible weather.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Nice one ArobComp
Posted 6 years ago # -
Anyone interested in extending their rides may be interested in this ride from Gala on 9 September
http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/17-650/
Although it's classed as a 150km, the length is actually more like 158km. So a couple of turns around the block on top (or ride in to the station) will get you over 100 miles
Posted 6 years ago # -
Thanks amir, I might have been tempted but I'm trying to decide to ride DaveC's one later in the month. I've cleared my diary for the 23rd and a couple of shorter long rides before hand.
Now all I have to do is stop putting off entering.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Anyone seen this rather disappointing article:
Sportive riders ‘beaten with sticks’ by protestors angry at road closures -
Posted 6 years ago #
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