Ian Archibald

I have entered. It is a great day out and I'd recommend it to all our members. If you use a road bike you can subtract a minute off your time to get a proxy comparison with the TT specialists. Also we get a team photograph. Fastest 8 riders times are aggregated to work out the winning club. We have some new superb TT'ers who can bring us home the bacon.

This is not just for the main bunch riders. There are definitely some 30 milers who should come along and put down their marker.

It costs £13 and you enter on the CTT website:https://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/

You need to register with the CTT, there is no cost to join the CTT - the club pays our membership. Once you register, the CTT website will store and display all your results. 

Nice ride. A few testing kickers and kind of disappointed the bunch didn't crack. Need to reappraise my fitness. Tiffin cake was excellent too. Cheers.

The Reliability Rides have been a success in recent history. Ideally 8 riders per bunch and if you have a mechanical you fall on your sword. We had a full bunch ride on Sunday: 3 punctures, one broken bottom bracket and many frustrated motorists who couldn't overtake, such was the length of our string. I'd prefer an APR with mudguards. Happy to turn out as long as I'm not lumbered with folks who say they have long COVID, a skinful the night before, and they haven't been out on their bike for 6 weeks. I'm assuming that's what a Reliabilty Ride ensures. Must google the etymology of reliability. I'm in the slowest group in the summer APR's and the best 10mins is when the fast guys come past and you try and jump on. I don't feel I'm being elitist in asking for small dedicated groups working together.

Got less to say about the Confined calendar. Tough to see how to reinvigorate the confined TT scene. I'd embrace the introduction of the CTT calendar - remember CTT is new to Scotland and much closer to the Confined ethos than British Cycling. The Renfrew Bunch taking over the Thursday club chain gang is a pain. If we embraced it we could turn that ride into an APR with a slower less experienced group heading off 10mins earlier. My favourite ride last year however was the Wednesday evening spin to Dalry. Easy ride with a wee habble at the end. What can beat that?

PS I'm salivating over getting a 10 minute start on a Thursday and when the main bunch catches us giving them hell down the Georgetown.

I think James gets the man of the match. A GT rule of thumb is you can go a minute quicker on a wheel (equally matched pair taking turns - 30s). James to take one and a half minutes off his best must first have been millimetres off Sam's back wheel and second, buried himself to stay there. Balls of steel on both counts. Double kudos. And single kudos for Sam to have been so steady to bring them home.

At the last minute McT has agreed to partner me in the 2 up tonight. See you all at 6 30.

Plan to have a dry run. Tired legs but got time to rest for Saturday...

Iain McT has volunteered to timekeep. 

I haven't timekeeped at all this year. But I would like to compete... I'll bring a watch. Looks like we will need to do a dead turn at the roadworks. Plenty wide with the junction there.

With my £1300 enve front wheel and £1000 FFWD disc, my Aero helmet and not to mention my Cervelo P5, it would be the worst £116 I could ever spend. Though first time round I did buy the cheapie JWCC suit. And I use it on the Tour of the Trossachs October TT - you can fit a duffle coat underneath to keep you warm which proves invaluable.

Nopinz will do one-offs btw. If you want to Time Trial forget spending any money until you get a decent skinsuit and long socks just for the look

You mean a JWCC Onsie, or a proper fast skinsuit?

Paid. Thanks.

Me too

We are in trouble McT. Ordered the latest hi tech skinsuit today. 10 day delivery. Reckon if we are going to beat Sam we better do it soon. Like last year probably.

Yes. i'm interested.

We should do pop up TT's. Good air pressure, light winds, immediately pop up a 24 hour Strava window Georgetown challenge. We must be due some floaters.

Business like and people fell on their sword when they were done. A couple of missed KoM opportunities with the slightly different wind direction today... Richie still ahead of me on Munnoch West - he did his pull - he deserves to best me. Thanks guys.

This was a terrible ride today and I feel I owe it to you all to share my view:

1.  No focus. Not neuro muscular, not VO2 max, not threshold, not sweet spot, not zone 2. Just maximum rubbish with minimum gain.

2. Riding in a slow cadence is almost universally accepted now as silly. You want to grow your quads - sprint flat out for 10s. Churning for 3 hours is like going to the gym and squatting the bar for 3 hours.  

3. This ride was not just time inefficient (we spent half our time free wheeling when we could have been on the sofa practising our duolingo Spanish) but more, now my legs are semi shredded for tomorrow.

4. Not even the social benefit of riding in a group. Either semi puffing or waiting for Billy in his big ring. 

We all have different goals I know. But this ride is ill conceived  I appreciate some guys like it. I wondered why Lynsey Curran refused to turn out - I’d told her we were touring round the lanes  - now I know. It was a testosterone fix.  C’mon guys. We can do better than this. 

My suggestion is to stick to a long zone 2 ride. Throw in a few 10s sprints and if you like, 30mins at sweet spot. 

I appreciate this will involve reprogramming our very own Duracell toy,  Charlie.

I guess the forum is not for this type of comment. Won’t take offence if the moderators take it down. Honest

And for those looking to hire a car from Alicante airport try Rentalcars.com

I’m always up for a cafe ride to Kilmalcolm. Will bring extra warm clothes just in case Couttie is still a basket case. He hasn’t got long now to get fit

We should have taken more KoMs. Missed opportunity. Hope for big wind again next week

Thanks for the canter Charlie. Made it back in time. Couttie is getting fitter too. Definitely out of intensive care and on the recovery ward. 

Ok. Meeting Lynsey at the fire station at 9 05. So Plan A prevails and we can tackle the Auchenlodment Rd after all; my favoured ascent of the mighty Braes.

Lynsey Curran wants us to meet her at the bottom of the Bowfield (she doesn't know where our Clubhouse, Cycling Centre of the Universe is). It wasn't the exact route we had in mind but still takes us to Uplawmoor / Kilmaurs. You ok with that Charlie?

Mr Couttie says he has 13 weeks to get fit and I'm looking forward to witnessing the transformation.

Oh and don't let Robbie pretend he's unfit. He's still enjoys the physique of a pipe cleaner. 

Anyhow, great ride today. Lynsey Curran forced the pace along and McT and I got our KoM.

Best get to work now before it's dark

Mct and I are looking for a lead out train for this segment. Wind should be perfect. Escape velocity is 50kph. Can't have a Renfrew Bunch route KoM going back to 2013. Embarrassing.

There must be a website function that filters out bad weather forecasts and stories of woe and illness. Tomorrow is going to be a cracker.