Marc

No words required. Received this magnificent photo today from an SA vet who quite understandably would love to become a DA vet 🤣

Loops it is. Presume meeting at viaduct at 9.30am

Yep. Solo chainy! If there is such a thing 
A good safe steady through and off. Just had to let the imagination go wild. I was even hearing Charlie moaning at the bishy lights... Richie sprinting up kilmacolm and there was fierce competition on KOM and sprint.
Managed to average 23mph! Beat that suckers.

I am getting this all together now.  It is so good to see so many people helping out, everyone is needed and important to the day being a success.
I will be at Bishopton Community Hall from 0700h, with me I will have an allocation of signs, zip ties, hi viz jackets and a note of where you are positioning yourself.  The first rider is off at 0801 so please arrive to give yourself plenty of time to get into position.  Please do wear the hi viz while you are marshalling (it is in the risk assessment) your own safety is your first priority on the day.  Just use a bit of common sense when positioning any signs, making it reasonably visible to other road users and please remember to bring them back.  You there on the day as the eyes on the course so we do want any emergency.  I will have my mobile number on the hand out, give me yours and I can text you to say your work is done.
Here is who I have where
Start Line - Scott M
Holding up - Ginty
West Ferry R/about - John C
Langbank R/about - Tommy & Greg B
Woodhall R/about - Ian McTavish, Ian Carvill, Colin Sales
Dead Turn - Karen G & Richard
Newark R/about - Davic C, Paul L, Marc
Exit - Chung
Finish Line - Stuart
I hope everyone is okay with this, please like this post if you are so I know you have seen it. 
Looking forward to a great event for the club.

Gerard I can help. I'll probably have a 2 year old so if you can sort me something up at the sign on that would be appreciated. 
 
 

Where did u guys come from. Thought Still game was a tap in for the win. Going to get Alan McLean to officiate as that will at least get rid of Galeb & Mark as they will miss their start time. Clearly the 2 Iain’s will be distracted by clothing issues. 

Remember when we all agreed about taking care at roundabouts? Tonight at Houston was far too close a call for comfort. Take it easy it is not a race, and even if it is a race dont do that!  Also a car had to stop at Newark Castle and from what i hear there was something at Langbank too? (I didnt see that one)
It wasn't just that though it was  guys surging through for their turn rather than through and off.  This is the basics.
My moaning might just sound like sour grapes because i was left behind after the restart at Knapps but fair enough i should have been paying more attention. Afterwards though Gregg was saying it was one the worst bunches he'd been a part of....if someone with his experience is saying that then time to listen.
 

Keep saying it...bunch is too big. A few weeks ago I joined the north bunch chaingang and they split into 3 groups with no problems. 

Have to agree was on Greig’s wheel nearly all night , we don’t seem to understand smooth, we were all over the road at some of the roundabouts , was very very messy

Thank you Iain. I was second through Langbank roundabout, on the outside and took it very steady to avoid snapping the elastic which is what ALWAYS happens there (and every other roundabout).
You can guess how I was rewarded for trying to keep the bunch together after the roundabout. As I accelerated,  three or four riders burst past me in a bunch sprint  like I was getting in  their way and it took a few minutes to settle back into two lines. Total mess.
Some people need to chill, work in a bunch, and follow a wheel after corners even if it is not going full gas. Please don't dump your mates who are probably still easing on the roundabout, hoping an HGV is not coming into their lane. If I want you to come through on a steady ride I will flick you through, I don't want people charging past. By all means smash past me on the Clune or in the final 300m but this was not the case.
Then there was a wee spill just past my house which I thought was a final message so I went home early.
Maybe bunch is too big. Cue usual suggestion for two bunches. If others commit to this then I will join the second bunch next week.
 
 

Well said Iain, Galeb, Alan. There were a number of tension points tonight for sure. Crazy surges in the though and off, roundabout behaviour and pre roundabout behaviour was shocking with a rider in the outside lane blocking cars at the Langbank roundabout ! Bunch split once after Cedric's crash, bunch split again after Houston roundabout with no proper regroup, we had a terrified motorist at Houston roundabout due to rider careering through when others including myself had stopped etc.
I say for sure a pre brief next week as there are a lot of new faces. Happy for anyone else to do it but also happy to do it myself as I feel strongly about this.
I still think we stick to one bunch, but those of us who are regulars and form the core bunch need to keep the etiquette and if others are not them leave them to it - and tell them.
To finish on a positive - at the ramp on to Westferry tonight there was a 2 rider and a single rider who horsed it off the front, however others rode steady and gradually increased pace AFTER we were all on the dual carriageway. I believe this is what we need to do then horse it in a steady line once on the dual carriageway and clune etc.
 
 
 
 
 

Hi people,
the title of my post might have set alarm bells ringing. Sorry for that.
So.... I’ve not been well for the past 3-4 years. Up & down. Making bad choices then punishing myself for it. Caught in a loop. Eventually went to get help.
Basically l, I had a really bad experience when I was young that I hidaway from.Denied it happened. Beat myself up for it. 
Eventually, I sought help. I was referred to a councillor and a CBT therapist. I won’t lie, having to discuss my issues and experiences was brutal. 
Why am I telling you this? Because if I hadn’t I probably wouldn’t be here.
Things got so bad that, what I thought was my salvation, “cycling” became toxic. Watching my weight, training, trying to keep up &, as life unravelled, being dropped was very crushing. I saw cycling as being my validation but it became a pressure & a stressor.
Thanks to mental health professionals & some very good friends in the club who have given me council, I’m on the mend. Thanks, guys.
I’m still cycling but for now I’m just going out when I feel like it. I’m also eating like a horse with no qualms or worries about “racing weight” I never raced much anyway!
Why am I posting this? We live in a society that is so driven by aspiration and the need to “get on” and compete. I’ve come to the conclusion that after my experiences I’m just lucky to be here. I’m quite proud to be alive.
So my message is- if you are struggling, don’t be ashamed to seek help and if you think a friend is struggling don’t shy away from asking if they are ok.
you just might savesomeone’s life. 
If you are struggling and looking for help, message me. I might not have the answers but I can signpost you to people who can help you.
It’s ok not to be ok!

Well done to Marc winning the restricted gear TT
Here are the times
Marc - 27.31
Stuart - 28.54
Colin - 29.28
Scott - 31.50
Alan - 32.55
David - 35.55
 
Cable ties were too big so small ring was based on the honour system. On strava no-one has a suspiciously low cadence so it seems all the honourable and upstanding wheelers were doing the TT tonight. Chaingang must have had the cheats and rule benders

Thanks to Ian for time keeping and Alan for organising. Still looking for the terrific descent that Alan promised! 😫
 

Solo single Arran Done!
Ended up with approx 2hrs 43mins (based on flyby). Shame garmin was glitching - could have made it in the top ten of the Arran segment. Talking about glitching - there are some nice new tarmac in sections but there are a whole other with rough surface. Bouncing everywhere didn't help with garmin GPS - lost signals a few times and had to restart it (I also lost it's memory card cover!). That kind of messed up my pace monitoring (that I based from previous runs) as I had time against every 10miles along the way so I know how I'm doing with pace. So my cumulative miles are probably 3 or so miles less. But luckily I had plan B - I looked up visual markers on google street view at every 10miles in case that happened, so I knew roughly where I was with pace.
Anyway apart from that all went to plan and I was ahead of schedule by a few mins arriving back at Brodick at around 10:45am! 

David B, David C and myself returned to Galashiels for another Audax, this one was the last one we needed to qualify for PBP. David B had decided not to go to Paris and was just doing this for the craic.  Davie Borland was planning on riding straigh through the night so he could meet his wife for stake and chips about 1pm the next day, the pace he set of at it seemed he would! he was flying and lead the field throughout the day, as this was 3 out and back legs we got to wave a couple of times. He sensible decided to stop after the second leg rest up and meet the wife. David C and my self had a more relaxed plan and after the first leg 230km we were feeling good, We then headed of into the night for the second leg towards Gretna and rode with a Friend of Campbells called Neil. He was stopping at lockerbie at the first passing, but we decided to continue on hoping to complete the 2nd leg without stopping, but our pace had dropped in the darkness and as we hit Gretna it was fairly cold. When we got back to lockerbie about 380km in we were very tired and the usual pains we each had were back. We decided to stop at lockerbie truck stop(from and Irvine Welsh novel) and sleep for 3 hours and head back over the climbs in daylight. 
When we woke we both agreed to head back to Galahsiels and call it, it was a tough call but by this stage we had difficult sitting down and our pace was abysmal. I suppose training for these events are a good thing! and the qualifiers did there job, and weeded out the chancers trying to do the bare minimum to get to Paris! any way we got back to Galashiels after 460Km and plenty of time to do the 140km left, but of to McDonalds and home we went! Thanks to David C and Davie B for the company on this adventure! one my buttocks will never forget!
Salut! 

We need to take a bit more care before the west ferry. Going through the roundabout and up the on ramp is not the final 300 metres in the Tour de France from Rivoli onto the Champs Elysees. If there is a car on the roundabout then the bunch should be stopping for it not riding through. However only 3 stopped tonight!
The speed is such that if guys at the front had slammed on their brakes then others may go into the back of them so I can understand why it was (arguably) the safe choice to make by then but that to me suggests that on the final part of the downhill we should be easing slightly instead of trying to keep as much speed and momentum as possible for going up the drag. Same thing applies on the downhill before the Crosslee roundabout. You cannot see what is coming until it is too late. I'm as guilty as anyone for going fast through that if im on the front but i'm going to try and be more safety conscious from now on.
 
Anyway what was the scores?
Kom - i think Sam, Marc, Galeb then who?
Sprint - Marc, Sam, Me, Billy, Galeb
 

Could someone else please attend chaingang tonight. I am still suffering from trauma of hanging on to Galebs wheel last Sunday and if mark kelly posts that he is coming I am staying indoors

Bit of a hard one tonight, a car attempted an overtake before squeezing in to the back of the bunch before Bridge of Weir cutting myself and Andy off and then had to try and chase back. Of course the traffic lights were then green so things didnt ease or stop ! Wouldn't have made it on without Greg doing a good turn towards Houston before his legs went...After that just hanging on.
As for results - Bit of controversy and a DQ for the Clune for Ian. I wasn't going to DQ however Richie made a good case and i was persuaded when it was pointed out it would move me up a point in the scores
KOM -
Richie and Sam - tied - 5 points
Me - 4 points
Did i miss anyone out?
Finish -
Cedric - 6
Sam - 4
Richie - 3
Ian - 2
Me - 1
 
 

Lots of attacking tonight with a strong wind.
New sprint king in town with Sam being the first to beat Marc in a head to head this year.  Admittedly it looked a bit close to call but i figure cant have Marc winning all the points every week Also Richie is now a member and eligible for points!
 
kom
Marc  - 5
Sam - 4
Richie - 3
Galeb - 2
Ian A - 1
 
Finish
Sam - 6
Marc - 4
Me - 3
Richie - 2
Ian A - 1

Getting a puncture about a minute before the sprint kicks off is rather frustrating
What were the results for the KOM and finish?
 
 
 
 

I was third on the sprint! Not one wheel was sucked... Charlie would be proud 

Good to see everyone again... was a struggle though. Burst

I don’t know XXX I believe that your public image, profile and likability could be seriously improved by more liberal use of Gifs in your postings xxx

Great time Ian!