Hello all, not long back from Galashiels. Had an excellent time on the Guy Fawkes. We did have snow coming down and on the road on the way over from Selkirk to Samye Ling, and there were mutterings from quite a few over cake and hot chocolate of giving up the game, but it brightened up later and turned into a lovely day.
Fairly easy run down to Langholm, then a tough up and down ride over to Lockerbie, but after lunch at Cafe 91 (thanks to DaveC for the mention) it was looking perfectly doable. Long climbs back up to Samye Ling, but a gorgeous road, and a stop for more hot chocolate, this the full on cream and marshmallows version that I'd spotted earlier. Then the long repeat section to the fork toward Innerleithen, big climb then a long downhill and flat. On my own by this stage, had been with four other chaps but the three serious roadies were well well ahead by now and I was climbing faster than the other chap (who was on a very nice Van Nicholas titanium).
The B709 was the bit I was dreading, two big climbs on the profile with a hundred miles on the legs already, and the main worry for the weather. But it was still light when I got to the turn, and the snow was mostly gone, so went for it, and I actually really enjoyed it. The climbs are very long but not ever horribly steep and the long downhill in between was enough recovery. It was getting dark on the second climb but I quite like night cycling and very exciting to bomb down the hill to Innerleithen with just the bike light blazing.
Stuck to the main road back along to Galashiels. Not the most lovely bit, but fast and went pretty quick apart from a stop to replace light batteries. My Hope Vision 1 is a great light but suddenly shuts off rather than fading when it loses power which is not brilliant in the pitch dark 5 miles short of Gala on the A72! Perfectly timed fireworks as I arrived back though.
So, final control 18.44 after an 0800 start. 8.5 hours riding. I stayed in a B&B Friday and Saturday and had a very leisurely ride home today over the Moorfoots.
Only traumatic bit was a puncture on the way down on Friday. I was up high and it was freezing cold, tough business with numb fingers, but all came good, and bike was great otherwise.
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