gregbalden

I am heading out soon to do old largs road and either healy or fairley depending on how I feel.
 
iain

Not for me. 10 hours in  the rain last week end was enough for a while
 
However, I am looking for sportive suggestions in May and June. I've posted a couple in the Audax/long distance thread.
 

Hi All,
 
Some of you might know that I had planned on doing the Paris-Roubaix Challenge again this year, since I "enjoyed" it so much last year & thought I must go back to put myself through this again. So, I thought I would write a wee report on my trip with my friend Stevie from the Velo.
 
The travelling schedule was bikes on cars with everyone travelling to Hull on Thursday for a over night ferry crossing arriving Friday morning in Zeebrugga.
This time, without the police chasing us, we had time to spare before our journey to Lille, a short drive to Oudenaarde to visit the "Flanders Museum" & have lunch/beer under the gaze of Merckx & Martens etc.
We even manage to get the bikes out & cycled 3 of the iconic climbs of the Tour of Flanders - Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg & the Koppenberg. It was a fantastic wee detour!
 
Driving through even a small part of Belgium, I could not help but enjoy/admire this beautiful country. All the houses seems to be well designed & looked after, the roads are clean & the people are so relaxed & friendly. It'll be a place that I would love to go back to with my family for sure!
 
Now, its a well known fact that movie sequels are always s**ter than the original one. Well, in my Paris Roubaix Part 2, it was definitely the case in terms of the weather
 
The extremely early coach trip to the start village of Busigny was never very pleasant, but to be met by weather of rain & strong wind just about made me want to jump back onto the coach again (especially as I decided NOT to pack a rain jacket, I comforted myself by seeing a LOT of riders making the same mistake)
We arrived fairly early which meant it was very busy, so we held back a bit before starting so that the roads won't be busy especially going into the Pave sectour, it's bad enough when it was dry but the wet stones was going to be a different ball game altogether. Having ridden it last year, I kind of knew what was coming (the others had the previous day experience of the Flander climbs too) but on the wet .............. it'll be "tricky"!
 
On the run in to the first Pave sectour, there was a lot of puncture compare to last years both on/off the road and this would be the trend through out the day. (I had a total blow out on my tubs too, but thankfully I got it fixed & resumed my ride)
 
The wet Pave is like riding on "lumpy ice" (not that I've done it before), it's just a very, very un-pleasent & a SCARY experience for me, I was slipping & sliding every where, traction was poor - definitely a new one for me. It kind of brings back some of the awful feeling I had from last year. But I manage to stay calm/focus and just took things as it comes & stay positive. There was quite a few folks crashing onto the verge of the sectors & face planting the fields & ditches, bloody awful!
 
This was a long ride, and no doubt you'll go through mixed emotions & you have good/bad times. For me, I just had to stay positive & get on with it. But those thousands of horrible stones will do it's very best to smash your wheels/bike & your body/sanity.
All around me, I saw cyclist loosing the plot as emotionally/physically, they were pushed/forced over the edge. Some were standing on the side looking lost & destroyed, but at the same time you have normal residents going about their business - it was a very surreal image indeed!
I saw on one section of the Pave - a cyclist in front of me crashed into the verge & got up, picked up his bike & flung it onto the field with disgust before kicking this fallen bottles like he was dribbling a football - bizarre (luckily I saw the same cyclist at the finish looking a lot "normal") It certainly drives people insane!
 
Luckily as the route went on, the weather got a bit better & dryer which mean some of the Pave sectors were dry at least but the Arenberg was a totally nightmare, it was wet & it was very very greasy, not to mention the famous huge stones & bigger gaps which makes it legendary. 100m in and an ambulance crew was tending to a guy that had fallen and broken his leg. Then a pile up just behind me with a Velo also going down, which meant we had to stop to check (which was very tricky indeed) to see if he was ok, luckily he was but getting going again was almost impossible.
 
Seeing how this stretch really was un-ridable, cyclist started to mount the pavement on the right hand side, a few followed & got through but the event stewarts saw this & immediately pulled the ropes back up to prevent more folks from doing that (they were only doing their job I suppose :-)) bloody murderers!
I have no idea how I manage to stay rubber side down, but thankfully I did & manage to finished the Arenberg unscathed!
 
After that, It all kind of gotten into a routine for me - road, eat, drink, Pave, road, eat, drink, Pave ......... so on..... and before I know it, we were almost into Roubaix, and by now it was sunny :-) Just the easy ride through the suburb traffic & into the Velodrome fro the final finish.
 
This year, for me it was less emotional but still just as enjoyable even though the weather was not favourable at all - what with the rain & strong head/cross wind, it certainly made the pave sections a lot harder & more demanding to ride on for sure!
 
Anyway, job done & collected my medal, but still a 15km ride back to Lille as we had to cycle into Roubaix on the morning.
 
So, this is my sequel ..................... one faces a dilemma .......... should I make another one - part 3 ............. :-) anyone for next year then?
 
Thanks for reading
 
Cheers
 
Chung

Not for me some sea kayaking planned tomorrow morning.
Andy

Looks nice but surely not far enough
A return to Nove Colli is high up my list

Jeezo folks, coulda hung around a bit!! Only kidding! Great day indeed, I returned, finally, at 1400. Arriving literally to the last folks leaving!
 
Hilarious!
 
Got a quick coffee and headed home! I was miles off the pace! But! I completed it anyway.
 
Thanks again Kenny and team!!
 
Greg

Tough but enjoyable at least until the Clune, cramped badly on the first ramp and after that was just a case of spinning to the end. Was going so slow up Phil's Folly that my Garmin kept autopausing thinking i'd stopped!
 
 
Thanks to Kenny and Jann for the organisation as well as those that checked out the routes yesterday(and anyone else ive missed out), great to see it so well attended.

Stunning area. Main roads around lake are busy, but to the north west area some stunning climbs and much quieter roads. Was on GSXR1000 rather than push bike though. Traffic is generally considerate of cyclists though. I think it's called tolerance and appreciation...

Paul & Alan
Do not forget your suits as the sheriff likes u to look smart. You might also bring an overnight bag and do not worry about big Bubba

Tsk. Cycling is suffering, Ritchie.
 
Just think of the satisfaction you'll derive from completing the full route.
 
Alternatively, just think of the slaughtering I'll give you if you wimp out!

Richie, not acceptable! Haha you WILL be doing the long like the rest of us!!
 
Pain? Yes! Long miles? Yes! Beer and glory? Guaranteed!!!
 
Greg.

Sounds awful. Can not wait for Italian events far more civilised

I was thinking along Geo's lines, past largs to ardrossan or so, turn then on the return to the bb or just carry on ifnits cold

I'm up for that Greg. Keeps away from inland icy roads. What do the rest think?

After today's call off I need to be out tomorrow. Looks to be very cold though so hopefully no ice.

All the best Al! Good luck!

As some may or may not know i have recently got a new job, and shall shortly be moving away!
 
I have been with the club for 7 years come September. This club and its extremely generous, helpful and friendly have been very good to me. I cannot thank the club and its members enough.
 
I'm off to work in the prison service in Inverness so I'll be a short distance ( to say the least) away. So my last club run will probably be this Sunday 31st, and probably a Thurs the week after.
 
Because the club and it's members have been so generous to me, I am going to donate my TT bike to the club, for the committee to then donate it to a club member who is looking promising in time trailing or a club member who is in need of that helping hand to get started with some racing. Unfortunately, it will not have wheels and a rear derailleur. This was a poor decision from me to borrow it of myself to keep myself on the road through the winter. But it's a start.
 
So I'll round this off with a MASSIVE thank you to this club and all of its members, past and present and I hope not to stay too far away from the club.
 
Greg.

As some may or may not know i have recently got a new job, and shall shortly be moving away!
 
I have been with the club for 7 years come September. This club and its extremely generous, helpful and friendly have been very good to me. I cannot thank the club and its members enough.
 
I'm off to work in the prison service in Inverness so I'll be a short distance ( to say the least) away. So my last club run will probably be this Sunday 31st, and probably a Thurs the week after.
 
Because the club and it's members have been so generous to me, I am going to donate my TT bike to the club, for the committee to then donate it to a club member who is looking promising in time trailing or a club member who is in need of that helping hand to get started with some racing. Unfortunately, it will not have wheels and a rear derailleur. This was a poor decision from me to borrow it of myself to keep myself on the road through the winter. But it's a start.
 
So I'll round this off with a MASSIVE thank you to this club and all of its members, past and present and I hope not to stay too far away from the club.
 
Greg.

As some may or may not know i have recently got a new job, and shall shortly be moving away!
 
I have been with the club for 7 years come September. This club and its extremely generous, helpful and friendly have been very good to me. I cannot thank the club and its members enough.
 
I'm off to work in the prison service in Inverness so I'll be a short distance ( to say the least) away. So my last club run will probably be this Sunday 31st, and probably a Thurs the week after.
 
Because the club and it's members have been so generous to me, I am going to donate my TT bike to the club, for the committee to then donate it to a club member who is looking promising in time trailing or a club member who is in need of that helping hand to get started with some racing. Unfortunately, it will not have wheels and a rear derailleur. This was a poor decision from me to borrow it of myself to keep myself on the road through the winter. But it's a start.
 
So I'll round this off with a MASSIVE thank you to this club and all of its members, past and present and I hope not to stay too far away from the club.
 
Greg.

As some may or may not know i have recently got a new job, and shall shortly be moving away!
 
I have been with the club for 7 years come September. This club and its extremely generous, helpful and friendly have been very good to me. I cannot thank the club and its members enough.
 
I'm off to work in the prison service in Inverness so I'll be a short distance ( to say the least) away. So my last club run will probably be this Sunday 31st, and probably a Thurs the week after.
 
Because the club and it's members have been so generous to me, I am going to donate my TT bike to the club, for the committee to then donate it to a club member who is looking promising in time trailing or a club member who is in need of that helping hand to get started with some racing. Unfortunately, it will not have wheels and a rear derailleur. This was a poor decision from me to borrow it of myself to keep myself on the road through the winter. But it's a start.
 
So I'll round this off with a MASSIVE thank you to this club and all of its members, past and present and I hope not to stay too far away from the club.
 
Greg.

As some may or may not know i have recently got a new job, and shall shortly be moving away!
 
I have been with the club for 7 years come September. This club and its extremely generous, helpful and friendly have been very good to me. I cannot thank the club and its members enough.
 
I'm off to work in the prison service in Inverness so I'll be a short distance ( to say the least) away. So my last club run will probably be this Sunday 31st, and probably a Thurs the week after.
 
Because the club and it's members have been so generous to me, I am going to donate my TT bike to the club, for the committee to then donate it to a club member who is looking promising in time trailing or a club member who is in need of that helping hand to get started with some racing. Unfortunately, it will not have wheels and a rear derailleur. This was a poor decision from me to borrow it of myself to keep myself on the road through the winter. But it's a start.
 
So I'll round this off with a MASSIVE thank you to this club and all of its members, past and present and I hope not to stay too far away from the club.
 
Greg.

Got my day off so I'm going.
 
Allan C as first to the post I'll offer my car and 1 seat for you and your bike.
 
Any one else?

Greg,
 
I'll keep an eye on the post to see what the situation is with cars. Ideally I'd like to take my bike to give it an outing, so I will see how things pan out with the thread.
 
Allan

I'm interested in trying some mountain biking. Now, I have no experience and I only own road bikes.
 
What I'm suggesting is one Sunday or any other day ( week days also) a trip to glentress. Bike hire seems to be around £20. obviously those with bikes can take them. Car shares also to keep the cost reasonable.
 
Is there any interest for this?

I would do the nove colli in a heartbeat again. Was just saying this on Sunday.