Forth and Tay will be my first 200 (all going to plan), hope it's a good day. (ie no headwinds!!)
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Events, rides etc.
Audaxes + sportifs 2013
(669 posts)-
Posted 11 years ago #
-
Ha!! Its a circular route so there will be some head wind at some point. Hope its not a cyclone centered on Auchtermuchty as it goes round Fife anti clockwise! ;o)
Posted 11 years ago # -
See you guys on the Forth & Tay, which will also be my first 200.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Riding tomorrow - same route but 4 of us who didn't make it into the actual official audax. Maybe see a few of you in East Lothian at some point.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I'll be there, expecting to leave about 1020 and take positively hours to get round!
I'll be on a grey/white giant OCR with a black and white carradice (and my name, somewhat egotistically and needlessly, on the top tube (blushes))Posted 11 years ago # -
See some of you at the start, otherwise I'll say hello as you whoosh past...
Posted 11 years ago # -
Well that was frustrating!! Lovely sunny day, made the start, after about 3k ish my gears started skipping now and again, I put it down to cable stretch and made a mental note to adjust it at the first stop. At 4.5km there was an unpleasant sound as my (almost new) chain snapped, in the process snapping the rear hangar and I think twisting the cage on my rear mech :-(
I attempted to make a get you home singlespeed but my mini chain tool wouldn't seperate the shimano links :-((A coast/walk back to Mussleburgh saw Ace Bikes (behind the Brunton hall) do a get you home repair for me for just the cost of the split links (thanks chap!!) And a detour past velo ecosse has got a replacement rear hangar on the bike.
Now on the train home for an early bath (literally!) :-(Will be sram chains on it from now on!! Not impressed!
Posted 11 years ago # -
Bad luck Smudge. I'm another 'Did not finish'. Set off still recovering from lurg. Got to Gifford but didn't feel great so came home via Haddington and a coffee and scone at the third control.
Superb day for a cycle. Good to catch up w a few forumites at the start. (I was in the PortoVelo top on a green Ellis Briggs.)Posted 11 years ago # -
Braw day. Mrs Recombodna did very well on her first Audax (only her 4th longish ride ever).... 6 hours. even caught a bit of sun on my wigginsesque nose..
Posted 11 years ago # -
Think I may have noticed the bike/top combo, I was in minly black with a hiviz gilet and a blue assos cap, you probably passed me coasting/walking back down the hill!
Hope the lurgy improves soon.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Duplicate post caused by excessive tiredness
Posted 11 years ago # -
Bad luck to Smudge and Riffian.
It was indeed a gorgeous day to be out in whatever form. I shared the pain with Tom - good company as always. I suffered a little on the way back after a coronation chicken baguette - another food to put on the not-suitable as cycling food list.
The high points were reaching the top of Redstone Rigg (obviously!!), and then going down the other side. The run into Dunbar was lovely too. Also great to see lots of folk that I know, including some forumites.
The negative points (minor) were having to stop to take out the mud stuck in my mudguard (thanks for waiting Tom) and catching the sunny day coastal traffic near Musselburgh, a couple of which made solid attempts at wiping us out.
A great day out.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Hi riffian, I do believe we introduced ourselves at the start. Nice bike! I was on the red'n'black Dawes with an Audax Ecosse jersey. Funnily enough I also have (just) recovered from a stinker of a cold, it was touch and go whether I'd appear at the start, but my luck was in as I felt okay this morning. I was not terribly fast though, especially up the hills. A bit out of condition (it must be said however I'm not fast anyway). Still, made my target time of 6 hours 30 minutes, spot on. Could have been a bit faster but my chain skipped off the granny cog half a dozen times, usually as I was caught out on the start of a steep bit. Apart from that, I was pleased with the way the wee bike performed.
Such a lovely day. Perfect cycling weather! Bad luck to you and Smudge: I heard about Smudge's misfortune from a rider ( I presume a mate?) on the final leg. If it's any consolation I managed to get lost on the first leg, turned left too early and ended up riding via Coulston and Ormiston. Scenic, but I lost time as it's an extra 2k... Oh and apparently other folk snapped their chains, included a very experience audaxer who got stuck on Redstone Rigg: he managed to fix it though and completed the ride.
Overall though had a great time. Hats off to Musselburgh RCC for organising a great day, and for arranging such glorious weather!
Posted 11 years ago # -
@Crowriver, if it was a big bloke on a black Specialized Tricross then that was indeed a mate, who carried on completing the run pretty much solo.
I will have to bring in a sample of the cursed chain to next py and let people try splitting it with their on bike toolkits, I carry a park mini chain tool and had hoped to make a running repair but it wouldn't even look at splitting these links, I tried my full size park chain tool at home (which normally breezes through most links) and it split the chain but bent the driving pin doing it :-o
Posted 11 years ago # -
I don't recall the bike but aye he was a big chap.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Ah! Nice to meet you briefly Crowriver. Smudge: I vaguely remember passing you. For what its worth, I've found SRAM chains reliable.
Posted 11 years ago # -
In the end me and 3 other chaps set off for a makeshift tour of E.Lothian at 9am so would have been around ahead of you all. We absolutely flew to the Rigg, had a few technicals with one of our number getting two punctures, and blasted out 106km in the end as we took a few detours. The coast road traffic was brutal to be honest. really surprising. I counted 3 honks.
It was a lovely first long ride of the year. We did it in 4:30 or so I think. We had to slow down a fair whack on the way back as a couple of the chaps hadn't been doing as much training as some of us, but recorded some excellent speeds on a few 20km stretches. I also ate a lot less than I thought I would. Only, 1x flapjack, 1x gel, 1x mini falafal wrap, 1x cupcake.
We went off the beaten track and had coffee and cake in a lovely garden centre in East Linton.
All in all what a marvelous day. While I wasn't part of the official ride. I'd aso like to thank MRC for the suggestion and leading me into riding that route!
Posted 11 years ago # -
had coffee and cake in a lovely garden centre in East Linton.
Smeaton Nursery ?
Posted 11 years ago # -
Presume some people are planning to do -
"
The 2013 Sportive Dunfermline will take place on Sunday 19th May . Once again this year we have the same 3 routes and event HQ at the Queen Anne High School in Broomhead Parks Dunfermline."
Posted 11 years ago # -
I have just been investigating accommodation in Ballachulish for the Port Navigation (b & b now booked). It all looks spectacular over there - really exciting - hope the weather is good.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Good luck for the ride, amir! I've plumped for A Fyne Cowal, which also involves a ferry, but the timing is better for me and the start easier to reach by public transport.
Posted 11 years ago # -
That looks really good as well. I have a lot of events I'd like to do but have negotiate work and family commitments first.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Yeah, tell me about it! Luckily Mrs crowriver has been quite forgiving, so far.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@ Smudge
Never been a fan of Shimano chains. Did you install yourself?
Technical info here -
SHIMANO PINS & JOINING SYSTEM http://www.sutherlandsbicycle.com/Chapter5.pdf
Posted 11 years ago # -
"Never been a fan of Shimano chains. Did you install yourself?"
Not a fan either, especially now! Yup, installed myself, as I have been doing on motorcycles and bicycles for over 25 years now without any premature failures before this one :-<
Personal opinion is just that they're trying too hard to make them narrow and light, any misuse risks a breakage.I've always used SRAM on my MTB, guess what's going on the audax bike now...?
Cheers for the link btw. Will have a read later. If Smudgling lets me I'll fit the new derailleur, chain and gear cable today :-) fingers crossed!
Posted 11 years ago # -
Did a very slow 100km yesterday, was pretty tired at the end, and I've "only" got to go twice as far in a fortnight's time... :-(
Posted 11 years ago # -
Hmmm, ToEL was supposed to be my build up ride! 200km could be emotional (and VERY slow lol).
We can add bent (fubar) rear skewer to my list of damage! At least it's out now...Posted 11 years ago # -
@fimm, you managed 164k, you'll probably be fine on 200k. That's what I'm hoping for myself, anyway!
That said, I need a longish training ride this week sometime...
Posted 11 years ago # -
I had an exciting training ride on Saturday. Went over the Lammermuirs, and just past Longformacus at the furthest point from home I managed to hit a rock and get a blow out. Too used to riding a mountain bike!
Big hole in the side of the tyre (a Gatorskin), and first attempt with a spare tube just bubbled straight through. So in last hope I tried using my biggest patch on the inside of the tyre, and amazingly it held, and got me home, even with a fair bulge. Nice to know it can be done.
Excited about Forth and Tay. From my one 200k last year, I think so long as you stop and eat and drink enough, it'll be fine. I've found doing 70mile solo harder going, the company (even ten miles ahead!) makes all the difference.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Carry a bit of toothpaste tube to patch such holes. It weighs nothing and costs even less.
Posted 11 years ago #
Reply »
You must log in to post.
posts
