CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
This is the event that I intend to do next
http://www.edinburghsportive.btik.com/
on 4 June
I did it a couple of years ago but the route has changed.
Bit spenny but for charity. Looks like they could do with a few more entries - 103 so far out of a max of 400.
Next - probably the Northern Rock Cyclone then possibly the Ken Laidlaw.
I've been swithering between doing this and the Trossachs Ton that month (can't afford both - much too spenny as you say), but providing my gammy leg's fixed itself, I think I'll be doing this too. The deciding factor being that I can cycle there.
I've done the Bethany the last couple of years - if you don't know it, it's a really good route. Last year I just rocked up on the day because it was a sunny one - easy enough to sign up on the morning.
I did the new route last Friday. Some lovely bits of road I'd never been on. Not sue about choosing the A7 as part of the outward route - I can only assume they're trying to avoid the small roads near Middleton as they are so badly surfaced. Great climb over the "Swire" too. Worth stopping at the face at Philiphaugh for scones :-)
Last day to sign on to this. Forecast is looking good for Saturday.
That's a kick in the proverbials taking in the Swire/Witches Knowe after the Granites, Paddock Slacks and the Berry Bush. With the old coach road and the return over the Granites it sounds like it'll be a hot one.
The maps not too helpful but I think there's water stops at 29, 49, 72 and 88 miles.
It was a hot one two years ago - I got cramp about 70 miles in which somewhat hindered me.
Not doing it this year due to other commitments, but it's a great route. My advice would be drink lots of water...
That's a kick in the proverbials taking in the Swire/Witches Knowe after the Granites, Paddock Slacks and the Berry Bush. With the old coach road and the return over the Granites it sounds like it'll be a hot one.
I've just entered it today. Haven't really done any training (I seem to have moved straight onto the "tapering" part of training without doing any of the pesky bike riding part of training), so the above has got me a bit worried.
Are the climbs mentioned above horrible long slow drags or horrible Redstone Rigg-style short sharp ones? Just so I can prepare myself mentally - if not physically. There's not really that much detail on their website.
Thanks.
If you know the start and stop points then the CycleStreets web page will draw up a profile for you.
"Are the climbs mentioned above horrible long slow drags or horrible Redstone Rigg-style short sharp ones? "
Mainly long drags - I think Witches Knowe is the worst. I also did the ride 2 years ago - the worst bit for me was between Clovenfoot and Heriot. I then got back into my stride (as it were).
@amir. +1 for those bits. Clovenfoot brings to mind a Dennis Wheatley novel. I really hope you mean Clovenford or I'm looking for an alternative route.
Thanks Wee Folding Bike and Amir - er, really looking forward to it now. Apart from Cloven Foot of course - sounds terrifying!
There's nothing uber-steep like Redstone Rigg, more long drags, but they add up. The bit that gave me a shock (and where the cramp kicked in) was the new bit of straight road in a cutting just before Clovenford - it's steeper than it looks and it was hot and sheltered from the wind. After that, there are some steep bits just after Clovenford, but they're manageable.
Pace yourself and I'm sure you'll be fine. There was a guy who went off like a bat out of hell two years ago, but within 3 hours I trundled past him as he'd ground to a halt.
Mmm - I should have checked.
"Pace yourself and I'm sure you'll be fine. There was a guy who went off like a bat out of hell two years ago, but within 3 hours I trundled past him as he'd ground to a halt. "
I always find it hard to get the right pace at the start. Too fast and you wear yourself out - too slow and you never get going.
Thanks for the further advices PS and Amir.
Yeah I think I'm just going to take it fairly easy - I've not done a century ride for over 2 years, and I've never been so under-prepared as I am for this. I daresay I'll be fine but we shall see. Am carb-loading like mad today...
Lovely ride today. Good company during a lot of the, also long solo bits. I surpassed my expectations on time by quite some way so very happy. May have seen cycling at the end - just after 1430, but was too exhausted to think. Were you with others from ERC? Clovenford lived up to its pseudonym.
Enjoyable though pretty hard work, especially the road from Clovenfords to Heriot. I'm pleased with the time on my computer but that's without stops. The Witches Knowe is good isn't it?
Yeah - that part is hard going when you're tired. Witches know is great .. once your over it.
Well I enjoyed my 102 mile individual time trial(!). Sort of. I ended up about half an hour off my target time, but that was based on me being fit, so I was just pleased to have completed it. The head wind and Clovenhoof onwards did me in a bit I must say. The Swire/Witchie's Knowe: that's a funny little road I must say - think I preferred the ascent to the descent.
Chuckled to myself when I saw the Clovenford sign, but I didn't chuckle much after that. Highlight of the ride: ready salted crinkle cut crisps at the first food stop. Genius.
I think we need to polish up our ride reports if other forums are anything to go by. Some suggestions:
Always start with a mishap; arrive late, forget your shoes. This helps create the idea that you're only semi-serious about the ride.
Get the excuses in early; chesty cough works well, viral infection is better.
Make it clear that you weren't in a group. If you wheel sucked a mate the whole way, say you rode as a team.
Finish with an unfeasably fast time but don't mention which route you rode. Leave people to assume that you did the longest.
Point out that you only rode it to "get in the miles" for the Etape or the Marmotte. Never admit that it was a target event.
If we follow these rules we should move our performances to a new level.
Don't forget to add the claim that you haven't done any training for ages and haven't been anywhere near a bike for at least a year.
I saw that one cyclingmollie. Bikeradar? Made feel a bit sick. I prepared well for me, got a great time for me & still that fella beat me by a huge margin. I'd love an excuse but can't think of one.
@ cyclingmollie - ha ha! i have just read the very same ride report you have been reading, and thought, "oh good god".
@ Min - er, that sounds like what I was saying...
@amir and @Jackson Priest, yes it was that one. It's a great example of that kidology that you get in bike clubs. It's getting to the point that cyclists are starting to sound like golfers with all their excuses. And yes, it left me feeling pretty deflated as well, I thought I'd ridden as well as I could have and I was nothing like that fast.
"@ Min - er, that sounds like what I was saying... "
Heheh, so it is. I hope you had the grace to feel tired afterwards at least! :-)
I don't mind admitting that I felt awful by the finish. I had neck pain for the last twenty miles. And I was too generally unwell to finish the fish supper that Mrs Mollie kindly brought me. And that never normally happens.
Talking of Bethany
(Completely unrelated of course)
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/9am-Briefing-Two-treated-after.6779569.jp
Update
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Woman-and-baby-treated-as.6780384.jp
Heheh, so it is. I hope you had the grace to feel tired afterwards at least! :-)
Min, don't worry - I felt suitably dreadful by the finish. I had cycled to the start and planned to ride home afterwards as well, but must admit I phoned Mrs Priest up when I had an estimated hour to go and asked her to come and pick me up at the end.
And one final ride report suggestion:
If anyone completes the ride in a faster time - accuse them of cheating.
(see Bike Radar thread)
OR
Report a credible time, any number of woes, but spend the day in bed, garden, other.
I take it there are no official timings - is there even a list of starters/finishers?
You must log in to post.
Cycling in Edinburgh Flickr group
Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin
posts