Go for it riffian! it promises to be a spectacular ride!
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Events, rides etc.
Audaxes + sportifs 2013
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Posted 11 years ago #
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Cheers, riffian.
DaveC/amir I might possibly be interested in doing the Forth & Tay - purely for the pleasure of the ride... it will depend on what else is going on and if my b/f will give me a pass to go cycling all day with random men off the internet ;-)
Posted 11 years ago # -
"
Giro d'Italia 2013: Stage 19 cancelled because of heavy snow"
Posted 11 years ago # -
"with random men off the internet "
I am only occasionally random
Posted 11 years ago # -
I rode this route on Monday, when it was really warm: http://goo.gl/maps/0mo0f
Based loosely on the Forth & Tay.You could cut out some of the corners (eg. via Saline instead of via Oakley on traffic-free path), stop at Auchterarder instead of Crieff, carry on to Tayport/St Andrews instead of turning away to Ladybank (I ride to St Andrews quite a lot so wanted a change). I went via Kinross as I didn't fancy the climb over the Lomond hills, nor the roundabouts of Glenrothes. Does add an extra 10k or so on to the distance.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I have made up a south bound DIY route that could be run 22 or 23 June or later in the year if folk want to do the Forth-Tay one then.
It can obviously be tweaked (e.g. start point) but I think as it is, it should satisfy Audax UK rules. It could also be done in reverse.
Musselburgh-North Berwick-Dunbar-St Abbs-Berwick-Coldstream-Stow-Musselburgh
I think the shortest route possible just exceeds 200km. I have also mapped a potential route ( http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/214120573 ), which comes to just under 210km. I am not sure how the cycle path south of Dunbar works out for road bikes - will need to check.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Plus just noticed 300km from Gala on 29 June "Alston and back" (nice cafes there!). A wee bit tempted.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Amir said "Plus just noticed 300km from Gala on 29 June "Alston and back" (nice cafes there!). A wee bit tempted"
Hmmm might be usefull in an attempt at a double SR this year. Cheers for the heads up.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Amir, I'm not keen on following the A1 :o( Sorry. Musselburgh > Berwick on Tweed > Kelso > Innerleithen > Musselburgh uses only a short stretch of the Erit Lass and we could always go back via Tranent to avoid the A68. The way I was shown, to submit a DIY, is you set google directions to walking, put Start, Controls and Finish, with no way points (created by dragging the route), and aim for one control every 60 - 100km. This shows the shortest distance, which is what the organisor will be looking at. We need not necessarily ride the route which google suggests, if we want to avoid busy roads. The coast is a nice route but there was a lot of ups and downs from memory and avoiding the A1 we'll be adding lots of extra kilometres, where google (and Audax) would measure the shortest route, i.e. the A1.
What do you think? Its your ride though so do chip in if you really want to ride along the coast. Not sure about St Abbs, as its a nice stop over but a bit of a detour, where we could ride Pease Bay to St Abbs via Coldingham as an A1 avoidance technique?
Posted 11 years ago # -
The 200km quoted for that route is based on the Google walk thingy between the controls.
The MapMyRide route linked above takes a NCR cycle path from Dunbar to Pease Bay, a mile or two of which is alongside the A1 but the rest is not. I am not sure how suitable this path is for road bikes. Anyone know?
The diversion to St Abbs isn't completely necessary - Coldingham would do though the route would need a tweak (at the start?) to reach 200km (Google walkie stylie).
The route only goes on the A68 for a mile in a town (Lauder). It does go on the A7 from Stow south but this is avoidable using the coach road then taking an west turn and Heriot and back over the Moorfoots and following NCR 1.
Posted 11 years ago # -
The route itself is nice enough but I wouldn't say it is better or worse than the Forth n Tay and I would like to do that some time. I was thinking that the Forth n Tay was going to be rerun later this year, but perhaps I was getting confused with the Dave Harris audax (that also suffered from weather).
The height gained is only about 1200m but a lot of that is in the last half between Lauder and midlothian.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Snow Roads 300km (with 3700m of climbing)
Well we went up the night before and stayed at Northmuir. Food was laid on and I slept ok, but not as well as I normally do in my own bed. Early rise at 5am (who would have thought there were two 5 o'clocks in one day!!) with breakfast provided and then getting ready for the off.
6am we set off en-mass a huge 75 riders taking a couple of minute to leave. Alex said he had 130 entries but only 75 set off. We wound our way filling the road mostly until Fettercairn before we started to thin out. Next the Cairn O'Mount, where we thinned out some more. Stopping to strip off and have a drink and was passed by Dave so I caught him up and we chatted until Strachen where the first control was. This was the first Audax for a few riders, and what a choice, I picked something a lot easier! One guy when asked for his card looked stumped. Luckily the controller had a spare.
Then through Bancory and onto Oyne ovr luch farmland and woodlands up and down, via Echt and Kemnay. We stopped here and ate a rather expensive soup and drank a coke, ~£6!!
From Oyne we pushed on towards Rhynie and then onwards and upwards, towards the Cabrach, a lovely mount with forests and wild signed gate posts. Passing Cabrach, all of ~6 spaced out houses it looked long deserted and very isolated. Then down down down to Dufftown, were on the descent we caught Dave again, and those bents can travel down hill!! I struggled to keep up pedaling hard, whilst Dave free wheeled away from us!
After a hearty all day Breakfast in Dufftown we set off the 19 miles to Tomintool, and then turned south towards the Lecht. Man that was one heck of a climb!! 26 deg C , no wind (blocked by hill and woods) we slogged up the 1 in 5 section, with Dave describing it as 50 single leg bench presses!! After a stop on the top, we headed down to the Cockbridge and some much needed cold drink at the Allargue Arms! Then on to B****d Hill number 1 as I was told its called, then onto the next and the next.... until we descended to Crathie and more familiar road. 9 miles later we were in Braemar.
This control was staffed and we had a much needed feed before heading up the last climb, Cairnwell, ~9 miles away! From here it was another fast descent and a bit of a chain gang to the turn off to Kirriemuir. The Glenisla was just lovely mostly down hill again, but the we were ~30 km from the Arrivee and as the time approached 7.45pm I knew we'd get back before 9pm, my goal.
Arriving back was a relief, 15 hours, 301km and 3700m of climbing had worn me out! My climbing abilities after the Lecht left me and every climb afterwards was a struggle. I drank 7 bottles of water plus drinks at stops, and it was not nearly enough. The weather really made the ride though, hot with a slight south westerly breeze but the best weather by far I have ever had on an Audax and the best weather in Scotland for over a decade!
Fimm rode a fantastic ride and had panda eyes when she returned! My arms are burned as are my calves. Those 3/4 shorts were hot but probably saved my knees from bad sun burn! It was hot though, I have never felt cooling through shorts, as my legs sweated on the climbs!!
Posted 11 years ago # -
Congratulations, and a heartfelt chapeau!
Posted 11 years ago # -
I'll say a bit more when I'm at a keyboard not a phone. Was a long way. I do have the worst comedy sunburn ever...
Posted 11 years ago # -
Lol, naturally the hat doffing is directed at all the CCE'ers who completed that epic ride, especially those with comedy suntan! ;-)
Posted 11 years ago # -
@Smudge, I was taking it as such :-)
As DaveC says I have bad "panda eyes" and one cheek is more burned than the other, although it isn't quite as bad as it was.I don't think there's much I can add to DaveC's report. I slightly regret letting myself be dropped by the bunch at the beginning, but I caught up a bit by being slick through some of the controls.
I went through a real mental low spot leaving Dufftown, when I knew I was getting to the furthest distance I'd ever cycled and yet still had over 100km and the two big climbs (plus B*****d Hills 1 & 2) to go. The other hard part was the last stretch from the turning after Spittal of Glenshee back to Kirriemuir. Even though I knew it was only 30km, I wasn't sure I could do it! But I got back without even needing my lights, much to my surprise!
I think I found that harder than Ironman Austria, which I completed in 2011.
There were 3 women - we all came in within about half an hour of one another.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Well done Snow Roaders. You were very lucky with the weather - sunniest day of 2013 so far?
Must do this ride next year!
Posted 11 years ago # -
"You were very lucky with the weather" tell me about it.... wall to wall sunshine.
It is a very long way (have I said that already?).Posted 11 years ago # -
You rode a stunner of a ride fimm!! Mucho praise is due to be heaped on your shoulders, as I feel I prepeared some by riding to work n back for 2 months prior to this event, and the 400 2 weeks ago was good prep. Well done!! But Darn this was a hards ride, the climbing did for my knees, thighs/quads and calves, even those muscles under the thighs!! I was short on water at the Lecht but fortunately other riders knew about the pub a mile away, which was conveniently down hill. Next year I'l take two bottles from Dufftown, or fill up in Tomintool. There is chat on another forum about riders being drafted by mates who only rode a few of the sections, and being followed by support vans!!! Non Chapeau to those people who allegedly cheated!!
Oh and a couple of riders not happy with riding the Snow Roads on Saturday, got up at 6am again on Sunday and rode the Perm Snow Road in reverse!! Truely bonkers!!!
Posted 11 years ago # -
One of the local riders (not riding) very kindly parked at the top of the Cairn O'Mount to capture our pained expressions as we neared the top and most steep section of the hill!! Copyright of David Martin.
Full set here. Please respect David Martin's Copyright.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/sets/72157633677449244/
Posted 11 years ago # -
I presume the supported riders were not members of AUK. So even though it has annoyed some audaxers there are no points at stake...
Posted 11 years ago # -
Phil, rode most of the Berwick & Beattock and also half the Snow Roads with me, and has a few photos on Flicker. Here are the two CCE Dave's, I'm on the left.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Stunning effort from all concerned - just looks a beast of a ride. not sure it's one I'd ever be capable of, so awe has been struck.
Posted 11 years ago # -
chapeau indeed. We rode down that side of the Leicht with fully loaded mtb's (knobbly tyres and all) and were still going so quickly I was seriously grateful for my disk brakes. I'm quite sure I never want to ride up that way... Its not much better the other way but it is at least shorter.
Posted 11 years ago # -
In a mashup of Wayne's World and Kungfu Panda, I say: tchsha Po.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@DaveC thankyou. I had done a reasonable amount of training, in that I'd done the back-to-back 100 milers, then a ride of 150km or so the following weekend and then the 185km "South Deeside loop" that I did the weekend before the Snow Roads, and I'd done some extended commutes home, up to about 40km. I'll need to get my spreadsheet up to date to work out my total milage. I just wish I'd got a full 200 in at some point.
Those are good photos from David Martin - and I think there's another woman!! There were 4 of us!! (Sorry to go on about the lack of women - I'm used to being in the minority, but I'm afraid Audax has been particularly noteable in this area. I'll start another thread if we want to discuss it...) That photo of Dave and Dave is good too (where is recumbent Dave, btw? I haven't 'seen' him on here today...)
@steveo, I would rather go over the Lecht in the direction we did it than the direction you did it - I did not like descending the side you came up!
Posted 11 years ago # -
@fimm you guys rock!
If I were to do any sort of competitive cycling, this would be my choice.
Posted 11 years ago # -
"I'll start another thread if we want to discuss it"
Please do.
It's interesting that CCE has made some people aware of the whole idea/existence of Audax - and some have taken to it!
I have no idea whether the m/f ratios in Audax are low or much the same as other areas of cycle sport.
Perhaps you do(?)
Posted 11 years ago # -
I expect ratio alters with event distance(?)
Posted 11 years ago # -
On the 100's there are a lot of families and younger riders, like fimm, just out of your teens I think aren't you? :o)
The longer events appear to be ridden by the more hardcore and you see riders travelling much longer distances for events, like Joe from Chester, who I already knew and another rider from Swindon! It does seem that the majority of riders are male but I think it may be a bit of a middle aged crisis thing? We men seem to get either a motorcycle or a bicycle (or other fast car etc..)
I'm sure others have an opinion which differs from mine, I'd welcome them.
@SRD, Audax isn't competitive!! there are no prizes for first back, other than first pick of the bridies. Everyone gets the same time to ride and some riders actively go for the 'Full Value' event, making the most of their time!!
Posted 11 years ago #
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