Darryl Gunson

Well done guys, a tremendous achievement. As for it being all in the mind,  you’ve certainly got the right personal qualities for that 

Planning to ride in the Georgetown league on Wednesday, or I would.

Charlie and I will be riding down to the ferry for a steady ride on the Cowal, on Wednesday. 8.30 at BoW viaduct on the track. All in maybe 90 miles.
Come and join us.

Camped last night, family has got a cottage in port Ellen so staying there tonight, camping again in Tayvallich 

Nice one David!
I like the “touring” part but not so much the “camping” bit though 
I’ll watch this development with interest .......... followed! 
Cheers

this appeals to me, but not sure how much time I would have next year, could possibly do a long weekend …. 

Seeing if there is anyone else interested in doing a bit of touring with wild camping flung in.
Next summer hoping to do 5 nights or so with approx. 50/80 miles a day, possibly heading over to Orkney / Shetland Isles.
This year thought I might do a taster with 2/3 nights a bit more local, probably a long weekend in July.
Anyone else have a similiar interest?

Im away just now, cycled to Ghigha yesterday via Arran and Campbeltown, over to Islay today, Tayvallich tomorrow and Home via Arran on Monday,
I could be up for a couple of nights over glasgow fair weekend.

Me and Ginty will be there. He has to be back for 2 so may need to bail at some point.
see you tomorrow 

Hi
A huge well done to all the guys a fantastic achievement those hills were brutal.  I felt so proud when you all got back.
I wanted to say thank you so much to all of you who looked after me.  Chung you gave me the best laugh he hadn't got on his bike and felt sick due to Gerard taking the scenic route to Kettlewell This was my first sportive and I loved it. Next year definately the full distance...anyone interested
I recommend the wheelers skinsuit definately makes you go faster

Thanks Gerard - that’s the JWCC bunch at the start of the ride - all looking relatively fresh. It was a different story at the end though!
There were 7 JWCC and two friends - Scott (just back from a weeks training in Majorca) and Glynn who was always going to be good on the hills given can’t have weighed more than 55kg - wet through.
The intention was to ride ‘as a group’ at a very conservative pace. This proved to be a very good decision. Group was intact when after 30 miles or so Linda peeled off to follow the 60 mile route - sterling effort Linda!
After that the fun and games began. I’m sure some of the others will want to add their own experience, but suffice to say that this is a very very hard ride indeed. In a word, brutal. It is every bit as hard as the Fred in my opinion.
Anyway, our policy of keeping the group intact and stopping at the feeds served us well. Everyone was in good spirits with no mechanicals or mishaps (we saw a few which served as a salutary reminder that the course can be dangerous, especially the downhills). 
I’d ridden quite a few of these roads before so I had an idea what to expect, but I kept that to myself to preserve morale , as each climb was as hard or harder than the next, with a few 25% sections thrown in for good measure.
We regrouped in Hawes for the last time and had a welcome coffee before tackling the very last climb - Fleet Moss. I hadn’t ridden this before, but Graham had, just the previous day (yes he cycled down!). He told us with a solemn look on his face that it was just as hard as anything we had already done. He wasn't lying.
Overall a great day out, which will no doubt gain epic status in our memories, once we forget about how hard it was.
It was a long day though, with the drive back to Glasgow. With hindsight, staying another night would have been good.
Thanks to all who participated - JWCC and friends. 
Cheers!
 
 
 

Thanks Gerard - that’s the JWCC bunch at the start of the ride - all looking relatively fresh. It was a different story at the end though!
There were 7 JWCC and two friends - Scott (just back from a weeks training in Majorca) and Glynn who was always going to be good on the hills given can’t have weighed more than 55kg - wet through.
The intention was to ride ‘as a group’ at a very conservative pace. This proved to be a very good decision. Group was intact when after 30 miles or so Linda peeled off to follow the 60 mile route - sterling effort Linda!
After that the fun and games began. I’m sure some of the others will want to add their own experience, but suffice to say that this is a very very hard ride indeed. In a word, brutal. It is every bit as hard as the Fred in my opinion.
Anyway, our policy of keeping the group intact and stopping at the feeds served us well. Everyone was in good spirits with no mechanicals or mishaps (we saw a few which served as a salutary reminder that the course can be dangerous, especially the downhills). 
I’d ridden quite a few of these roads before so I had an idea what to expect, but I kept that to myself to preserve morale , as each climb was as hard or harder than the next, with a few 25% sections thrown in for good measure.
We regrouped in Hawes for the last time and had a welcome coffee before tackling the very last climb - Fleet Moss. I hadn’t ridden this before, but Graham had, just the previous day (yes he cycled down!). He told us with a solemn look on his face that it was just as hard as anything we had already done. He wasn't lying.
Overall a great day out, which will no doubt gain epic status in our memories, once we forget about how hard it was.
It was a long day though, with the drive back to Glasgow. With hindsight, staying another night would have been good.
Thanks to all who participated - JWCC and friends. 
Cheers!
 
 
 

Thanks Gerard - that’s the JWCC bunch at the start of the ride - all looking relatively fresh. It was a different story at the end though!
There were 7 JWCC and two friends - Scott (just back from a weeks training in Majorca) and Glynn who was always going to be good on the hills given can’t have weighed more than 55kg - wet through.
The intention was to ride ‘as a group’ at a very conservative pace. This proved to be a very good decision. Group was intact when after 30 miles or so Linda peeled off to follow the 60 mile route - sterling effort Linda!
After that the fun and games began. I’m sure some of the others will want to add their own experience, but suffice to say that this is a very very hard ride indeed. In a word, brutal. It is every bit as hard as the Fred in my opinion.
Anyway, our policy of keeping the group intact and stopping at the feeds served us well. Everyone was in good spirits with no mechanicals or mishaps (we saw a few which served as a salutary reminder that the course can be dangerous, especially the downhills). 
I’d ridden quite a few of these roads before so I had an idea what to expect, but I kept that to myself to preserve morale , as each climb was as hard or harder than the next, with a few 25% sections thrown in for good measure.
We regrouped in Hawes for the last time and had a welcome coffee before tackling the very last climb - Fleet Moss. I hadn’t ridden this before, but Graham had, just the previous day (yes he cycled down!). He told us with a solemn look on his face that it was just as hard as anything we had already done. He wasn't lying.
Overall a great day out, which will no doubt gain epic status in our memories, once we forget about how hard it was.
It was a long day though, with the drive back to Glasgow. With hindsight, staying another night would have been good.
Thanks to all who participated - JWCC and friends. 
Cheers!
 
 
 

Excellent stuff, sounds like a belter

Thanks Gerard - that’s the JWCC bunch at the start of the ride - all looking relatively fresh. It was a different story at the end though!
There were 7 JWCC and two friends - Scott (just back from a weeks training in Majorca) and Glynn who was always going to be good on the hills given can’t have weighed more than 55kg - wet through.
The intention was to ride ‘as a group’ at a very conservative pace. This proved to be a very good decision. Group was intact when after 30 miles or so Linda peeled off to follow the 60 mile route - sterling effort Linda!
After that the fun and games began. I’m sure some of the others will want to add their own experience, but suffice to say that this is a very very hard ride indeed. In a word, brutal. It is every bit as hard as the Fred in my opinion.
Anyway, our policy of keeping the group intact and stopping at the feeds served us well. Everyone was in good spirits with no mechanicals or mishaps (we saw a few which served as a salutary reminder that the course can be dangerous, especially the downhills). 
I’d ridden quite a few of these roads before so I had an idea what to expect, but I kept that to myself to preserve morale , as each climb was as hard or harder than the next, with a few 25% sections thrown in for good measure.
We regrouped in Hawes for the last time and had a welcome coffee before tackling the very last climb - Fleet Moss. I hadn’t ridden this before, but Graham had, just the previous day (yes he cycled down!). He told us with a solemn look on his face that it was just as hard as anything we had already done. He wasn't lying.
Overall a great day out, which will no doubt gain epic status in our memories, once we forget about how hard it was.
It was a long day though, with the drive back to Glasgow. With hindsight, staying another night would have been good.
Thanks to all who participated - JWCC and friends. 
Cheers!
 
 
 

Thanks Gerard - that’s the JWCC bunch at the start of the ride - all looking relatively fresh. It was a different story at the end though!
There were 7 JWCC and two friends - Scott (just back from a weeks training in Majorca) and Glynn who was always going to be good on the hills given can’t have weighed more than 55kg - wet through.
The intention was to ride ‘as a group’ at a very conservative pace. This proved to be a very good decision. Group was intact when after 30 miles or so Linda peeled off to follow the 60 mile route - sterling effort Linda!
After that the fun and games began. I’m sure some of the others will want to add their own experience, but suffice to say that this is a very very hard ride indeed. In a word, brutal. It is every bit as hard as the Fred in my opinion.
Anyway, our policy of keeping the group intact and stopping at the feeds served us well. Everyone was in good spirits with no mechanicals or mishaps (we saw a few which served as a salutary reminder that the course can be dangerous, especially the downhills). 
I’d ridden quite a few of these roads before so I had an idea what to expect, but I kept that to myself to preserve morale , as each climb was as hard or harder than the next, with a few 25% sections thrown in for good measure.
We regrouped in Hawes for the last time and had a welcome coffee before tackling the very last climb - Fleet Moss. I hadn’t ridden this before, but Graham had, just the previous day (yes he cycled down!). He told us with a solemn look on his face that it was just as hard as anything we had already done. He wasn't lying.
Overall a great day out, which will no doubt gain epic status in our memories, once we forget about how hard it was.
It was a long day though, with the drive back to Glasgow. With hindsight, staying another night would have been good.
Thanks to all who participated - JWCC and friends. 
Cheers!
 
 
 

Well done folks. Sounds like you did the Wheelers proud on a tough course 

Thanks everyone for making Glynn and myself welcome. And Darryl, you were right about needing low gearing for the event.. on the last climb (think it was Fleet Moss) I needed to get off the bike for a breather.. unable to keep a 34x27 turning, even standing on the pedals!
There was a man and a woman sitting on top of the grassy embankment overlooking the road on the climb, encouraging me to keep going as I passed. I called out to them, "I imagine you've seen the full range of human suffering today". Their eyes twinkled briefly, before smiling politely in response.

I agree with the guys, this was a very well organised event, in a stunning part of the country on great roads... we stayed in a quaint wee village called Kettlewell in 4 different lodging all within about 100 yrds of each other and had a meal in the local hotel, food was great and for once we went easy on the pints, only 3 or 4 max .. as for the ride itself, no-one has exaggerated how tough this was, easily as tough as anything I've done before including the Fred and the Marmotte Pyrenees, it seemed that every single climb had sections in the high teens or low 20's plus a couple of 25 percents that seemed to go on for ages... as usual the company was great, so despite the pain it was a really enjoyable day in a masochistic kind of way.. Slept like a baby when I got home..
mcginty
 

Thanks Gerard - that’s the JWCC bunch at the start of the ride - all looking relatively fresh. It was a different story at the end though!
There were 7 JWCC and two friends - Scott (just back from a weeks training in Majorca) and Glynn who was always going to be good on the hills given can’t have weighed more than 55kg - wet through.
The intention was to ride ‘as a group’ at a very conservative pace. This proved to be a very good decision. Group was intact when after 30 miles or so Linda peeled off to follow the 60 mile route - sterling effort Linda!
After that the fun and games began. I’m sure some of the others will want to add their own experience, but suffice to say that this is a very very hard ride indeed. In a word, brutal. It is every bit as hard as the Fred in my opinion.
Anyway, our policy of keeping the group intact and stopping at the feeds served us well. Everyone was in good spirits with no mechanicals or mishaps (we saw a few which served as a salutary reminder that the course can be dangerous, especially the downhills). 
I’d ridden quite a few of these roads before so I had an idea what to expect, but I kept that to myself to preserve morale , as each climb was as hard or harder than the next, with a few 25% sections thrown in for good measure.
We regrouped in Hawes for the last time and had a welcome coffee before tackling the very last climb - Fleet Moss. I hadn’t ridden this before, but Graham had, just the previous day (yes he cycled down!). He told us with a solemn look on his face that it was just as hard as anything we had already done. He wasn't lying.
Overall a great day out, which will no doubt gain epic status in our memories, once we forget about how hard it was.
It was a long day though, with the drive back to Glasgow. With hindsight, staying another night would have been good.
Thanks to all who participated - JWCC and friends. 
Cheers!
 
 
 

First of all, Thank you Darryl for suggesting/organising this Sportive & all the Wheelers & friends for another very memorable day indeed on the bike!
I wouldn't have thought about doing this if it wasn't for Darryl's idea, since all I do these days are flat & cobblily :-) ............. but I'm glad I did this even though as everyone have said - it's brutal  !
It's been a long time since I've done a "local sportive", probably have to go back to 2012 now, so it was a great reminder that there are still some brilliant events to be ridden without crossing the Channel.
It might not have the glitz & glamour of bigger, more internationally recognised foreign events, but what it lacks is made up for by the warm reception (everyone I met, locals/marshalls helpers etc all had a smile on their faces) friendly atmosphere ........ & less riders to elbow out the way at feed stations 
In my opinion, this was an extremely well organised event with some lovely scenery & some of the hardest climbs I've ever done 
I've lost count of the times 20/21% gradient reading shown on my Garmin & these were always at the end of some long constant 10,12, 14, 16% slopes. Every time I ask Darryl, how many more climbs, he just said "........... only 1 more"  ........ I know full well that it was not true ........ but somehow want it to be so!
What also pleasantly surprised me was the conditions of the roads we drove & rode on, it was actually quite good without too much pot holes or broken surfaces, that was very welcome indeed, especially the brilliant & long but fairly technical descents. Which was great because after everyone climbs, the long down hills would munch away the km's, bringing us closer back to the finish!
It goes without saying that I had a great time - thanks also to Gerard for pick-up & drop off & to my travel companions .............
P.S We were lucky with the weather, because I dare to think what it would be like if it was windy & wet 
Cheers

Thanks Gerard - that’s the JWCC bunch at the start of the ride - all looking relatively fresh. It was a different story at the end though!
There were 7 JWCC and two friends - Scott (just back from a weeks training in Majorca) and Glynn who was always going to be good on the hills given can’t have weighed more than 55kg - wet through.
The intention was to ride ‘as a group’ at a very conservative pace. This proved to be a very good decision. Group was intact when after 30 miles or so Linda peeled off to follow the 60 mile route - sterling effort Linda!
After that the fun and games began. I’m sure some of the others will want to add their own experience, but suffice to say that this is a very very hard ride indeed. In a word, brutal. It is every bit as hard as the Fred in my opinion.
Anyway, our policy of keeping the group intact and stopping at the feeds served us well. Everyone was in good spirits with no mechanicals or mishaps (we saw a few which served as a salutary reminder that the course can be dangerous, especially the downhills). 
I’d ridden quite a few of these roads before so I had an idea what to expect, but I kept that to myself to preserve morale , as each climb was as hard or harder than the next, with a few 25% sections thrown in for good measure.
We regrouped in Hawes for the last time and had a welcome coffee before tackling the very last climb - Fleet Moss. I hadn’t ridden this before, but Graham had, just the previous day (yes he cycled down!). He told us with a solemn look on his face that it was just as hard as anything we had already done. He wasn't lying.
Overall a great day out, which will no doubt gain epic status in our memories, once we forget about how hard it was.
It was a long day though, with the drive back to Glasgow. With hindsight, staying another night would have been good.
Thanks to all who participated - JWCC and friends. 
Cheers!
 
 
 

Thanks Gerard - that’s the JWCC bunch at the start of the ride - all looking relatively fresh. It was a different story at the end though!
There were 7 JWCC and two friends - Scott (just back from a weeks training in Majorca) and Glynn who was always going to be good on the hills given can’t have weighed more than 55kg - wet through.
The intention was to ride ‘as a group’ at a very conservative pace. This proved to be a very good decision. Group was intact when after 30 miles or so Linda peeled off to follow the 60 mile route - sterling effort Linda!
After that the fun and games began. I’m sure some of the others will want to add their own experience, but suffice to say that this is a very very hard ride indeed. In a word, brutal. It is every bit as hard as the Fred in my opinion.
Anyway, our policy of keeping the group intact and stopping at the feeds served us well. Everyone was in good spirits with no mechanicals or mishaps (we saw a few which served as a salutary reminder that the course can be dangerous, especially the downhills). 
I’d ridden quite a few of these roads before so I had an idea what to expect, but I kept that to myself to preserve morale , as each climb was as hard or harder than the next, with a few 25% sections thrown in for good measure.
We regrouped in Hawes for the last time and had a welcome coffee before tackling the very last climb - Fleet Moss. I hadn’t ridden this before, but Graham had, just the previous day (yes he cycled down!). He told us with a solemn look on his face that it was just as hard as anything we had already done. He wasn't lying.
Overall a great day out, which will no doubt gain epic status in our memories, once we forget about how hard it was.
It was a long day though, with the drive back to Glasgow. With hindsight, staying another night would have been good.
Thanks to all who participated - JWCC and friends. 
Cheers!
 
 
 

Thanks Gerard - that’s the JWCC bunch at the start of the ride - all looking relatively fresh. It was a different story at the end though!
There were 7 JWCC and two friends - Scott (just back from a weeks training in Majorca) and Glynn who was always going to be good on the hills given can’t have weighed more than 55kg - wet through.
The intention was to ride ‘as a group’ at a very conservative pace. This proved to be a very good decision. Group was intact when after 30 miles or so Linda peeled off to follow the 60 mile route - sterling effort Linda!
After that the fun and games began. I’m sure some of the others will want to add their own experience, but suffice to say that this is a very very hard ride indeed. In a word, brutal. It is every bit as hard as the Fred in my opinion.
Anyway, our policy of keeping the group intact and stopping at the feeds served us well. Everyone was in good spirits with no mechanicals or mishaps (we saw a few which served as a salutary reminder that the course can be dangerous, especially the downhills). 
I’d ridden quite a few of these roads before so I had an idea what to expect, but I kept that to myself to preserve morale , as each climb was as hard or harder than the next, with a few 25% sections thrown in for good measure.
We regrouped in Hawes for the last time and had a welcome coffee before tackling the very last climb - Fleet Moss. I hadn’t ridden this before, but Graham had, just the previous day (yes he cycled down!). He told us with a solemn look on his face that it was just as hard as anything we had already done. He wasn't lying.
Overall a great day out, which will no doubt gain epic status in our memories, once we forget about how hard it was.
It was a long day though, with the drive back to Glasgow. With hindsight, staying another night would have been good.
Thanks to all who participated - JWCC and friends. 
Cheers!