Do you mean the Devil's Beeftub?
If you are going that way - be aware that the road between Moffat and St Mary's Loch is closed at Grey Mare's Tail.
I do well with pasta the night before and lots of muesli in the morning.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Events, rides etc.
Audaxes + sportifs 2013
(669 posts)-
Posted 11 years ago #
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Pasta night before; porage in the morning? Works for me, but then I'm not exactly Speedy Gonzalez.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Pasta and porridge is my usual. On my first 200km (the Guy Fawkes last year) I stayed in a posh B&B in Galashiels and got hideously spoiled with full cooked breakfast and eating out in the evening. It has been hard to match since.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@DrAfternoon good luck for tomorrow. It should be fun!
I'd love to be doing that but am still a bit tired from this week and besides I haven't booked on it.
We were talking about doing a similar route a bit later as a DIY. I need to start getting some events booked into so that I have got something to aim for.
Posted 11 years ago # -
If you are going that way - be aware that the road between Moffat and St Mary's Loch is closed at Grey Mare's Tail.
Amir I was planning on heading back from Moffat to innerleithen that way - is that going to be impossible/passible? How much of it is closed? Couldn't find anything on the web about it.
Posted 11 years ago # -
If you are going that way - be aware that the road between Moffat and St Mary's Loch is closed at Grey Mare's Tail.
Amir I was planning on heading back from Moffat to innerleithen that way - is that going to be impossible/passible? How much of it is closed? Couldn't find anything on the web about it.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Here's a photo from Sunday. How passable it will be now will probably depend on whether they've started repairs as I'd imagine they'll have to remove the whole road first.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Gah I've worked out a different route although I'm assuming I could just wander up the hill to the right and get around it. The joys of cycling? At least the road'll be quiet....
Posted 11 years ago # -
I'm also planning to go in that direction but a bit shorter (60 miles) so I will probably nor go further than the Tweed valley.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I'd go up that way and walk around (luckily I use SPDs on my road shoes!)
Worth it just for the complete lack of lunatic motorbikers.
Posted 11 years ago # -
yah I think I'll go for it. The quiet roads just cry out for some good cycling! Hopefully the beers I've had tonight will not cramp my style tomorrow at silly AM.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Write up now up: http://mccraw.co.uk/tour-o-the-borders-sportive-2013/
Posted 11 years ago # -
Good ride. 185km. In 6:45- I rode the first 50miles with a friend but he was having a shocker and it took about 45 minutes more than I'd been hoping. It was into the wind and he was tired from the days running before. We barely broke 20km/hr all the way along the beef tub. What a slog into the wind, however I felt rather fresh by the end of it.
Then took the road up past where the road had collapsed which was awesome fun as the road was so quiet!
Lots of rides going on sportif style around Innerleithen saw at least 2 - one was a charity ride with 300 or so people for heart and stroke scotland. Pushed hard over the top and back in on the A7 - something that won't be repeated!
All in all I felt comfortable and strong and still got plenty in the tank at the end. Seems my LEL training might be paying off!
Posted 11 years ago # -
As I may have mentioned some time ago, planning on riding a 200k DIY a week on Tuesday (weather conditions permitting). Forth & Tay last month was supposed to be my first 200, but I DNS'd (along with most of the field) so now it'll be this. It's cobbled together from three routes I've used either for trainng or 100k DIYs, so I know the way pretty well. Not much in the way of audacious climbing, but a few scenic bits in there for variety.
Probably won't need light either, except towards the end in a 'can you see me' fashion, if I'm going for full value...
Posted 11 years ago # -
Anyone know what the ride through Innerleithen today was ? I was going the opposite way, first met the route on the Granites where it turned right to Heriot. Lots of oncoming riders as I struggled over the Piper's Grave and into Innerleithen (having to pedal downhill on the 34 chainring !). I took the back road past Traquair, the ride seems to have come over Paddy's.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Tour of Lauder Sportif. If you saw three persons (making what Strava tells us was good time) in red tops, one ginger-bearded, the other two not, that was Cyclingmollie, Uberuce and amir. We weren't on the TdL, but were going up the Granites at the same time as many of them.
Posted 11 years ago # -
There were two I think tour of lauder sportif was the paddys one and another was some heart disease one in the granites.
You guys were flying over the top Bruce - good stuff. I couldn't go that fast with only little old me and I sort of died at the top!
Posted 11 years ago # -
'Little old you' had already covered more distance than our entire ride at that point, so I wouldn't fret.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Having now googled the Tour de Lauder, yes that was it, set up to raise funds for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, shorter route does a loop around the Granites, longer route does the same but at Innerleithen adds on the classic Paddy's/Berrybush/Witchie Knowe loop. Looks like a good event, has anyone here done it ?
@Uberuce - I might well have seen your little group. I too was wearing a red top. Blue helmet, shades, on a dark brown Kinesis with rackpack.
Posted 11 years ago # -
So one interesting thing was bumping into a LEL organiser on the closed road past St Mary's Loch on his trike. He is a 5x PBP and 4x LEL veteran so I rode and learned from him a while. he's invited me down to a audax on first June from York - it's a 600 and he suggested I try and get a sub 30hr time on it. This will be good training for my sub 80 attempt at LEL.
SO anyone up for some fun in York and I'll let you know details - 1st June.
Currently 30-40 people entered.
Posted 11 years ago # -
This weekend I need a solid self 200-300 km route - anyone got a suggestion (from Edinburgh) (preferably with a gpx?)
Also I'm riding from Edinburgh to Hartlepool in the north east next thursday unless the weather is totally boggin. Anyone got a favourite road route to newcastle way?
Posted 11 years ago # -
Which way do you fancy heading? North, south or west? Do you want easy or hard?
Do you want a route that goes through Newcastle or round it?
Posted 11 years ago # -
Rob be warned that cyclops makes the toughest routes in the UK. Ensure you have a good luck at anything he offers you... and make sure you have eaten enough upfront.
;0)
Cyclops, are you on the Berwick & Beattock? Any tips? This will be double my longest ride to date. Port Nav was tough but then we had that blasted head wind most of the way back. I'm looking for tips for 200km onwards. I am concerned about how I'll do when tired in the middle of the night. Suppose you don't suggest Proplus? I don't taking supliments and don't normally drink coffee but may make an exception with coffee for this.
Posted 11 years ago # -
DaveC - as B&B is a circular route we hopefully shouldn't have a headwind all the way round. How everyone handles the dozies is different - I know I get very tired between 2am and 4am. On a 400 I normally keep going as I'm close to the finish by then but if you start falling asleep on the bike (you'll know you're doing this when you can't remember cycling the previous 50 metres or don't know how you ended up on this bit of road) stop and have a quick nap - even 10 minutes does wonders.
I find coffee or coke a more pleasant and less jarring source of caffeine than Proplus. Just keep eating and drinking enough and you'll be fine - when you get tired you can often forget to eat or drink on the bike, I find it helpful to set myself a schedule of having something every 10km, for example.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Here's my 200 that I want to do at some point (not this weekend, we're going to a wedding).
I tried once to cycle to my parents' house which is just north and slightly west of Newcastle. I went via Duns and Coldstream and then down the A697 towards Rothbury but bailed due to having been cycling into a headwind for all that time. I didn't find the A697 too bad to cycle on, but when I asked about it on the CycleChat forums there were mixed comments, with some saying it was a bit hazardous.
I can't really suggest a way round Newcastle, I'm afraid!
Posted 11 years ago # -
Cyclops - thanks for the help. I don't mind "hard" but might be keen to avoid "HARD"
I haven't been north for a while and basically looks like a northerly.I'd always rather start upwind on a training ride so something up into fife would be nice :D
For the south - I need a couple options but preferably miss newcastle and swing in from durham kind of area or I can go through newcastle I've ridden from newcastle home a few times (to hartlepool) so happy enough to do that.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@Fimm - thanks for that - looks like a good route. I always tend to avoid that haddington and back around lunch on saturdays though as it's a total nightmare of people "going oot for a drive" - I;ve saved it for another time though. thanks.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@ARobComp, there's a route here that I'm planning to ride in mid-May, around 229km: http://goo.gl/maps/WiQZ0
Based on the Forth & Tay, but from east Einburgh instead of Dalmeny, and taking in Crieff instead of Tayport/St Andrews. Misses the 'scenic' Lomond Hills climb/descent too, going via Kinross instead. So basically I've ruined the route, or made it a bit less challenging, depending on your perspective! ;-)
Again I've ridden most of these roads before, except the bit from Dollar to Auchterarder. Enough hills in there to make it interesting without being HARD.
Posted 11 years ago # -
If it's a northerly wind and you fancy something closer to 300km how about this:
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2400177
It's bits of the Daylight 600, Tayside Transgression 300 and Kingdom Come 400 joined together. About 250km from Inverkeithing (I'll let you plan your own route to there) and you should get blown all the way back home from the top of the Moulin climb. When you get to Loch Faskally you need to cross the river via a footbridge under the A9 and walk through a wood for about 50m to get to the boathouse (recommended refuelling stop). If you want to shorten it a bit you can go from Aberfeldy to Pitlochry via Grandtully instead.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@arobcomp - ah, a fellow monkey hanger...
I've never cycled all the way down from Edinburgh to Hartlepool - a couple of years ago I got the train to Berwick and cycled from there. If you have a look at this link from Berwick onwards, that's the route I took:
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2245393
I just tried to stick as closely to the coast as poss. Getting through Newcastle and Sunderland (you've got to do a bit of cycle pathing next to some of the main roads) got on me nerves a bit, as did the A1068, though it felt safe enough.
I did like the cyclists' Tyne Tunnel though, and there were some beautiful bits along the Northumberland coast (the swoop down to Bamburgh Castle's great, and the bit past the air force base towards Lesbury were highlights). You can stop for chips and go on the arcades at Whitley Bay etc, and there's also of course the tourist mecca that is Crimdon. The route's pretty much pan flat til you get to those ridgey bits coming out of Redcar.
The first part of the route in the link was just me trying to work out the most direct way to get to Berwick while missing out Spott etc - I was going to do it in a couple of months time. Prob quite a boring way to get there but as I said direct - there's about 5 miles on the A1 mind you, but I reckoned it wouldn't be too bad if I set off really early.
Funnily enough I'd cycle on the A1, but the A697 is my least favourite road. The only time I ever thought, 'hmmm, I could have been dead there' was on the A697, so that prob has coloured my judgement, but it can get pretty narrow and the cars go fast and do seem to pass awfully close.
If you do end up going down Durham way, then swinging in to Hartlepool, this route's not a bad one to get there from Durham - I did it a couple of weeks ago. And you can stop for a pint in the Spotted Cow in Elwick while you're there.
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2195079
Have fun whatever you do, and have some patty and chips with scraps for me when you get there. Not forgetting a pint of Strongarm in The Causeway.
Posted 11 years ago #
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