I was hoping to get out for a long ride I was hoping to ride up to Bridge of Orchy or maybe down the coast to Largs or something. Obviously it is a bit icy on the road so 15 mph would be an aspiration rathjer than a disaster. High roads are out the question given the icy road fall risk. Saturday is better than Sunday for me any takers? or suggestions?
Ordered a new bike today and so was considering which one would be victim of the “One in /One Out” policy. It’ll likely be ‘The Bunter’ a mtb wheeled custom tourer built in 1996 by Charlie Ralph of Alves framesets near Elgin. (It was one of the first 853 frames and quite nicely fillet brazed).While googling him I came across a lot of Retro Bike listings and one link to this bunch who appear to be local?
Charlie seems to be a favoured framebuilder. Needless to say I specced 3 dynamo braze on bosses for the frame just to make sure I had all options covered. Making me feel all nostalgic! I suppose there is space in the dunny at work?
Oh well, breakable carbon arrives Monday p.m.!
Check this out tho:
http://theleagueofcyclingpurity.wordpress.com/
Updated post- route is round the katrine
Leaving milngavie , meet Bullands car park 9am leaving 9.15 sharp
My number is 07854 162 998
Please post if coming . So we know if we are riding straight through dry men or meeting up.
If meeting up other than at milngavie text me
Gerry, you and Alison confirmed.
I am thinking of riding “the bunter” so 14-15mph seems a good pace to aim for. Back milngavie 3.30 latest.
Jacqueline has a token for free starters and mains for up to 20 at the Ashoka Curry Kareoke, Elderslie street
A £5 deposit is required which will get you two drinks at the bar
We can’t go
It expires on 30th June and is valid Thursday, Sunday and selected Fridays.
if this is of interest let us know and you can have the ticket to organise it.
SS
The ‘Fred’ is a fundraising ride of over 1000 riders riding over some of the hardest roads in the lakes. It raises funds for the Dave Rayner Fund (raises money for young road riders in England ). Fred was secretary ofe local road club and died at 50 so the other charity is Macmillan Cancer Care. It spends 112 miles combining Kirkstone Pass (highest pass in the lakes and site of Britain’s 4th Highest pub), Honister Pass, Matterdale Edge then a couple more minor peaks and at 100 miles you hit Hard Knott Pass with its sections of 1 in 3 (it is argued which is the steepest climb in Britain, this or Rosedale Chimney in Yorkshire). It manages another 1300 foot summit and another wee hill before you finish tho’
On Saturday afternoon Chris Johnstone, No Helmet Al, Gerry Cleary and myself headed down to Coniston for Sundays Fred Whitton Stag Ride. As you may know Gerry and I have been going out a bit at the weekend and on the Thursday Road Rides. You may know that Al has been out training in Australia from November to March and his ridden Sportives here and in Flanders since. Chris has also been training regularly. He trained once in February, once in March, once in April and also once in May. Good Prep!
The Fred starts on a nice easy climb then as seemed to be the way of the day had a wee climb up and descent before you reached the real climb. Kirkstone was the first and tho its the highest is probably the easiest…. to go up. On the way down we saw a rider lying down wrapped in a sleeping bag at the side of the road- never a good situation- waiting for emergency help. There were two crashes on that corner.
Honister was the next real climb of note. This one was tough. The descent was miserable. A few hours and more two passes later we got to the timing dibber control at Whinlater Pass. The marshal was advising anyone coming through on our time to turn round and call it a day as the second half was twice as tough. Red rag to a stag bull! We climbed the next few passes and hills fearing a change in the weather and the sting in the tail of Hard Knott followed by Wrynose at 100 miles .
Hard Knott is the daddy of them all. Think of climbing the Crow Road to find the Kyber Pass has been placed on top. Except someone has tipped the whole thing up so it is twice as steep..It has two genuine 1 in 3 sections lasting about 100 metres or more each. Almost everyone on a double chainset has to walk. I think the Kyber Pass road climb is maybe 1 in 6 at worst. Double it then make it last.
On the descent of Hard Knott, I was coming down behind Chris and was just thinking how steep it was and suddenly a few corners later I couldn’t see him. Each time I had a view ahead I scanned the riders in the distance, still descending, I could see Gerry, Al but no Chris. I was beginning to assume the worst…. But he showed up- probably glad that as we hit 106 miles or so there were on two named climbs to go the Wrynose Pass and Little Langdale. The former was a bit of a let down after Hard Knott. No one in threes here; I could swear it never got steeper than 1 in 5? To put this in perspective Alpine passes sit about 6 – 8%-maybe 1 in 16 to 1 in 12. All safely over we rode the little climb to Little Langdale and flew down into Conniston. never has there been a more welcome cheese pasty and mushy peas – yum!
I spoke to Gerry last night.S: How you feeling? GC:Like I just got off a flight with jet lag… The more I think about it the more that sums it up …
Aldi have their bike kit today.
The track pump for 4.99 is unmissable if you don’t have one.
SS
A last minute decision on where to ride last Friday night led to me and Gerry meeting up with no helmet Al to do the 100 mile figure of 8 road loop from Drumlanrig.
Brilliantly organised and very cheap compared to con-events like etape caledonia.
Anyone who has been on a road bike in the last two weeks will have noticed a fierce Easterly rising throughout each day. A relentless sapping wind… Saturday did not let us down.
Al, me and Gerry teamed up with 3 Johnstone Wheelers guys two of whom were chasing a sub 6 hour gold standard award. There were a few other JWCC riders out. But no GMBC or so we thought (I had failed to squeeze into a top).
The format was a start when you like, in bunches of 20, do the first 68 mile loop, come back for fueling and do the final 32 or so.
All went well at first and from the twenty in our start bunch we soon had a working group of 8. All went well til we hit the nasty we rise from Penpont to Moniave. A hill designed to split the bunch. Of course no Helmet Al was first up. But as long as you reel in and pass more rioders than pass you you can assume it is going well!
We regrouped and sensibly rode the next climb easily with that great tailwind at our backs and rolled down the road towards St John’s town of Dalry.
Then all hell broke loose in two stages. Some say it’s just that they don’t train a bunch to stay together these days, some say if you have too many riders around fifty in the one wee bunch it’s just a mid life crisis waiting to happen (but I thought Gerry and the young lad who narrowly missed selection for the Commonwealth Games swim team would have averaged it out) and some say it’s the sportive mentality – I don’t know. But suddenly I bunch went by and the attack was on. Gerry got dropped, I got dropped then All got dropped. We adopted that sad space where you are all sitting 50 yards apart knocking your pan in knowing you will not get back on but too proud / stupid / hopeful to slow up .
With the fast boys gone Al, Gerry and I rolled into St John’s Town of Dalry and turn into the headwind from hell. Gerry unshipped his chain on a wee rise, Al dropped me and we were back in the riding solo category. Oh well, only 35 miles in that wind to go!
The trick here is to find and form a bunch of even two or three riders but the wind was so strong that any variation in speed soon shows and gaps develop. After the Corriedoo climb, I sat in with two other JWCC riders I came across and finally Gerry rejoined about 5 miles from Drumlanrig. The last wee bit was lovely – a slight climb in the back way to Drumlanrig – best of all shelter by the trees from that wind.
Back at the start / fuel stop pressure was on for the 6 hour marker. It had taken us about 3hours 40 so far.
The JWCC road train had overcooked it in its silly chasing nonsense (‘my legs are shredded’ was a quote from one of the desperadoes)so we re-grouped for the second part follows the lovely minor road north of Drumlanrig and then makes its way over the Mennock Pass to Wanlockhead and Leadhills. This seemed to last a while. The bunch split again leaving me, Al and Gerry on our own. As usual the turn through the Dalveen Pass and back home never quite gave us payback for the headwing and we ganged up with another guy for the last 15 miles in. Turned out he was an original GMBC member who left to live in England in 91 and now lives in County Durham. All the guys we knew he didn’t and vice versa.
During this 32 miles I had the internal conversation with myself many times about how I think my love of bikes is over / where the hell is that wind coming from / what other sports could I take up / is this a way to spend a Saturday / why don’t I take up watching football /I hate riding a bike / I hate riding a bike etc etc
Anyway were were soon back with the sub six hours long gone…
Well done Gerry for riding it on his cross bike with 37mm tyres. He clearly has the long distance bug as you can see from his Argyll Audax post!
Al said it was harder than the Tour of Flanders Sportive he rode in Belgium a few weeks ago (it includes nasty steep climbs and cobbles)
Anyway now its over it was a good ride. Next stop Fred Whitton… I see that wind is forecast to continue through the week…..
See you down in Drumlanrig for the start next year? We will arrange a 5 mph South Westerly for the occassion!
SS
anyone out tomorrow a.m.?
9 am? or when/
ss
Iwill be out at Milngavie for 6.30
ss
http://www.justgiving.com/Simon-Simpson Hi people, I am riding the Fred Whitton in the lakes in a few weeks in aid of Macmillan Cancer support. I have set up a just giving page for it. So... now that's sorted all I need to do is get out on my bike.... SS
