Doing my first 300 tomorrow—the Turra Coo from Nairn. It suddenly occurs that I've not actually ridden more than 80 km since the Talla audax in September. Hope I don't regret that.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Events, rides etc.
Audax and Sportives 2022
(220 posts)-
Posted 2 years ago #
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Good luck. I hope it doesn't rain too much.
I'm riding the Sportive Kinross tomorrow. Even with the way there and back it's unlikely to be as much as that.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Good luck. I hope it doesn't rain too much.
Was pleasantly surprised by the forecast whilst checking it this morning. Then I realised I was looking at the forecast for Huntly, Australia...
If I'm quick enough from Nairn to Turriff, I should beat the worst of the rain, and then hopefully it'll pass over quickly when I'm heading back west. Hopefully.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Good luck Frenchy. Have fun
Posted 2 years ago # -
Bailed at 100 miles, getting the train from Huntly to Nairn. A sore knee made the final 100 miles, via Aviemore, an entirely unappealing prospect.
Knee seems fine now, which I'm taking as confirmation that stopping was a good idea.
Lovely first 100km, absolutely flew along the coast, meaning I reached my parents' house near Turriff an hour earlier than expected, in time for lunch :)
Posted 2 years ago # -
A tough decision but it sounds like it was a good one. I seem to have a different niggle each ride. Often it's a knee today it was an achilies.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Best be careful with these types of injury
Posted 2 years ago # -
@frenchy - sorry to hear that. I bailed early too, had an awful nights sleep which coupled with a pretty stressful time at work at the minute that I just wasn’t getting into it. Felt a bit bleh at the start and first leg. Spent the afternoon exploring Moray myself and then wandering around Nairn. Always next time!
Posted 2 years ago # -
So, Fred Whitton Challenge...
Was doing alright until I hit Hardknot, then I wasn't.
Still, was a cracking day for it, the scenery was top notch, and it was really well organised.Posted 2 years ago # -
Well done completing it. There's a reason they leave Hardknot until so late in the day, at it isn't because they are trying to make it easy.
I haven't done the sportive but the route makes a fantastic ride anytime of year.
Posted 2 years ago # -
If I do it again I'll have to make sure I'm 10kg lighter!
Posted 2 years ago # -
That's great going!
My buddy's and I made an attempt a few years ago over two days, we failed so spectacularly!
Posted 2 years ago # -
"If I do it again I'll have to make sure I'm 10kg lighter!"
I obviously don't know your current weight, but I do know that I was the lightest of my group and it certainly helped.
Riding a bike with suitable gearing is also a good idea, I had a 33-32 at the low end which I have since upgraded to 33-36.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I rode my first 400 at the weekend, a long ride with an equally long tail. Time constraints ruled out either the Hellfire 400 or an extended Northumberland Nightshift. Instead I devised a DIY route to ride with a friend. We headed up to Aboyne for a lunch visit.
Unfortunately I didn't sleep well the 2 nights before so was glad of the company as we headed out just after 4am. The sun was just rising as we headed over the first of just 5 notable climbs in the day on the way to Anstruther for our first control and second breakfast of the day. The light was stunning and started wondering if sunburn was a greater risk than anticipated.
The next leg was the easiest, over the second hill to St Andrews and round the Tay to Arbroath. A tailwind from Dundee made for very easy riding along the coastal flats to our third breakfast of the day and the point where we turned north.
Next stop was Aboyne but on the way we would meet the first challenge of the day and what was billed as the hardest climb, up Cairn O' Mount. It was certainly a stiff climb but taken at a gentle pace and with the southerly winds we crested the top without exhausting ourselves and headed downwards. The descent was fun but over far too quickly, something to do with breaking the 50mph barrier for the first time, although with hindsight perhaps riding at the highest power and heartrate of the day on a descent was unwise.
Lunch was a welcome break with plenty food and a 15 minute nap leaving me ready to proceed. Sadly having had a tailwind for the first 9 hours we now had to repay the debt. West through Deeside allowed us some shelter in the trees and the gradients were gentle enough. We took a brief pause at the Braemar control and set out to the south. With hindsight I should have forced myself to eat more at this stop, but tiredness was kicking in making the thought of food unappetising.
Cairnwell may be the highest pass on the UK road network but most of the way up it felt like a Dutch mountain. The further we climbed the more the headwind increased until we eventually crested the summit. With just one small climb left in Fife between us an home we now felt sure we would success.
We had a pleasant break from the bubble of each other’s company when we met a couple of Swiss riders heading north who by coincidence crested at the same time as us. Although they weren't quite sure about places on their route they seemed to be riding LEJoG over around 10 days and enjoying the tailwind as much as we had been several hours earlier.
The descent of the upper slopes was a little concerning, the gradient and wind combined to cause a lot of speed wobbles. Instantly solved by releasing the grip on the bars, but that gave an equally instant speed increase. So a cycle of relax, brake, wobble, repeat was formed.
Although it's nominally downhill all the way from Glenshee to Perth there are enough small rises in the road tire any rider out, and so it was that after 200 miles we arrived in Blarigowrie just as night was setting in. Drunk locals were wondering the streets with one thinking it was funny to stand in the middle of the road as we approached. Tesco was thankfully still open so we made use of the food, facilities and coffee machine. The floor inside a supermarket lobby has never been as comfortable as it was for 20 minutes as we sat there slightly spaced out. 3/4 of the ride done we were now confident we could make it home but a look at the map also revealed quite how far we still were from home.
South to Perth we detoured slightly to a control in Stanley, but now late and dark didn't mark it with more than a fake town sign sprint. The diversion meant we came into Perth through the soulless Dunkeld Road, thankfully largely devoid of traffic as well as life at that time of night.
The wind dropped for the stretch through Perth which offered welcome respite but somewhere around Bridge of Earn it returned along with light rain. Thankfully the rain eased before the end, although the wind remained all the way home.
Kinrosshire was mostly uneventful, although it was so dark that anything could have been happening outside the pool of our lights. By the time we reached our final control in Scotlandwell dawn was beginning to arrive in the sky with Benarty hill silhouetted ahead of us.
Dropping into Lochgelly the local had just closed and the street was full of people waiting for their taxis. That I think was the last notable event on a ride which pushed us both to and beyond our limits, at 300km we both felt we had enough and were ready to stop but thankfully dogged determination and a belly full of coffee got us through, finishing the ride in just over 23 hours.
Needless to say I slept well.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Well done mate, Awesome effort!
Posted 2 years ago # -
Nice one! I know that late night Blairgowrie Tesco feeling!
Posted 2 years ago # -
Great ride that @acsimpson!
I signed up for Snow Roads so will finally get to experience Cairn O' Mount.
Posted 2 years ago # -
@bill - twice the hard way on the way up and the easy way on the way back in the gloaming?
Posted 2 years ago # -
thanks all,
@Bill, I would love to do the Snow Roads one year, but couldn't fit it into the calendar this year. My cousin lives on the route near Rhynie so I could combine it with a visit.@gembo, just once the hard way. Although I suppose you could technically ride it the easy way rather than going over Glenshee. The control points are here https://perms.audax.uk/?eventId=331
I see there is a newly launched Aberdeenshire Ascents collection of 10 climbs in the region.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Enjoy the Snow Roads, Bill.
@gembo, the route only goes over Cairn O'Mount once.
Posted 2 years ago # -
See you in Kirriemuir @Bill! It is the hills after the Lecht that hurt. The ones that the organiser didn't/wouldn't mention.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Didn't one of our audax colleagues attempt a round the year Snow Roads @bill? (i.e. a Snow Roads run every month)
Posted 2 years ago # -
@amir @bill - I'll be at the start in Kirriemuir too. I have unfinished business with the Snow Roads: this time I hope to make it beyond Tomintoul. I think we'd be very lucky/unlucky (delete as appropriate) to get a repeat of the 30 deg C heat we had then, but I hope I've learned my lesson!
Posted 2 years ago # -
16 degrees, no wind, no rain would be perfect. That's going to happen then!
In 2018 it was astonishing how the heat built up and many struggled. @panyagua - you will be amazed as to how flat it is beyond Tomintoul (not at all!).
I am checking my timings from last time: elapsed time 17hs 26min, versus moving time of 14:06 so clearly the heat took its toll my group with long stops. Even with a 6am start, lights were needed. I am doing a 300 tomorrow - hopefully lights won't be needed.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Incidentally, I named the last time I did Snow Roads "Dancing with hares" on Strava. That tells you what high temperatures and exercise does to a person's mind.
Posted 2 years ago # -
The one time I did the Snow Roads we had wall-to-wall sunshine (but I don't remember the heat being a problem). I ended up being burned more on one side of my face than the other.
It remains the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself, Bill (and I don't think you'll find it so hard).
Posted 2 years ago # -
@amir et al - hope the Lantern Rouge went well and kudos for extending. It’s a hilly one as-is! Did a nice “unofficial” 300 with @bill and another rider NOTP. Criminally early start to meet them at Symington. Breakfast in Abington before the Dalveen Pass to Moniaive. Ashamed to admit I’d never ridden it before, it was stunning. Then to Dumfries via Loch Ken and Colvend etc. Bit of a slump (personally) between Dumfries and Moffat, plus embarrassingly poor road surfaces on the back roads to avoid the A701 made this stretch feel like it would never end. Mouthful of paracetamol and dinner at Moffat then parted ways, @bill and our other rider going back to Edinburgh via Abington and Carnwath and I took the A701 to pop out at Howgate. Annoying Northerly headwind on way back but as ever the A701 from Moffat home was a delightful stretch!
Posted 2 years ago # -
Spotted the SBRs on lantern rouge from hill above Altrive. Then went cycle up to Ettrick Head and met Dave C on the way back. Glorious weather tho freezing this am on Witcheyknowe. Did spot three large hares
Posted 2 years ago # -
Life in the old legs yet.
Managed 4th in the Skinny Tweed today. Quite breezy.
Posted 2 years ago # -
@gembo sorry, didn't spot you.
We had a grand day out, upped to 300km by an A7 dash. Good speed for a 300km, but not sure how. Now have a bit more confidence for the Snow Roads.
Super fantastic to see @DaveC on his comeback.
Well down to @edinburgh87 and @bill on a strong ride. I am looking forward to those roads on the Tot(e)Bag audax in a few weeks.Posted 2 years ago #
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