James

Thanks to John for timekeeping and the holders for pushing off. 
Tough night for me, went off way too hard and blew up going up to the roundabout getting dropped in the process. Recovered a bit but having to wait would have cost Ian a sub 16
Shame about Marcs puncture, will need to have a rematch next year! 

Some photos I took tonight of the TTers!
G
 

I am coming out of retirement to ride with James

4 riders on a warm, sunny evening, and some good times.
Tommy 27.06, pb, paid
Colin 23.47, paid
James 22.25, pb, paid
Stuart 22.23, pb, paid
£12 transferred to the club account.

The Jim Daly or Largs 30

Well done indeed. Jan, please note that I had already paid my own tribute in the more appropriate road race section-just sayin. Without order there is chaos. I have informed the committee anonymously. As is the new norm.

What could have been a solo double...
Settled with the solo 56+50 and what a day!
The highlights:
- Almost missed the outgoing ferry - made it just in time. Didn't take into account the weight of the 4 bottles of water and the 4000 kcal of food!
- Ferry full of cars meant I was out of the ferry at 0806 and a bit and by the time I found a spot for the bag of food I was around 3 mins down to start with! 
- Very variable wind conditions today that didn't help. At times there was Northerly winds - I might have been better doing it anti-clockwise?
- First lap done with 5mins behind schedule (plan was to finish fist lap at 1050)...ferry was right there and was contemplating chunking it. Refuelled with supplies and I was 10mins behind schedule by then. A quick clac and I estimated that I would just miss the ferry if I went for the double and so opted for plan B via Ross road. 
- Oh Ross road! the grind up that thing (with 39x25 was not easy) and then the technical decent didn't save me much time. I did make up 7 mins but I was still 3mins down on schedule. 
- I lost another 2 mins (making it 5min in total) - some of it due to paying for the effort on the Ross and some on getting a cramp up Lochranza and peddling with one leg while trying to shake the other out of the cramp!
-   Top of Lochranza climb took a Gel and buried myself to reach just in time around 1351 for the 1355 ferry!
Don't think I want to see Arran for a while now... 

Good turnout tonight. 
Stuart Tennant 16:22 pb
Colin McPhee 16:48 pb
James Snodgrass 17:01
Gerard Deeley 17:02
Scott McIntosh 17:16
Colin Sales 17:33 pb
Alan Thomson 17:53
Sammy Edgar Jet 18:13
Joseph McIntosh Jet 18:43
James Ross Jet 19:20 pb
Ruairi Mulholland Jet 19:53 pb
Alan took the money, all paid inc Colin S x2
 

Six souls faced tonight's biblical conditions to fight for that much desired end of season chocolate bar.
It was hard fought:
Gerard 17 19 (pd)
Lorne 17 21 (guest)
Alan T 18 18(pd x2)
Sam Edgar (age 13) 19 08
Hannah T 23 46 (guest)
Stuart DNF (puncture) (pd x2)
Temp 12 degrees, 1004mb, 85% humidity, 7mph NE wind. It should have been a fast night. Alan got a season's best. He is in full training post retirement but doesn't plan a taper until his return from Calpe. Hardcore.
 
 
 

Richard
I am not entered as I cant make that race

I 'll time keep or Hold up

With no one to be seen, it was me and the rain. Ended up doing the full route, even went for the sprint 

You were not the only ones who went into the wrong service station, me and Duncan wet into one after which he confidently declared we only had 80kms to go and 20k to Moffat after riding hard for 40 odd minutes we still had no sight of signs for Moffat and see just about to turn back when John arrived with old skool technology (a map) and told us we had not even made it to Johnstone bridge yet.
Last 65kms I hated, don't know if this is a function of not having distance or time on my computer as it seemed that no matter how hard I pushed Selkirk would never appear. Physically ok for me but don't know if I want to do it enough to actually get enjoyment out of the challenge. Weather was actually ok and rode in shorts throughout.
You pair deserve a lot of credit for finishing I could not have spent that much time suffering on the bike, I would have chucked I.  and your right if you just look at maintaining  a low average speed it might look physically achievable with little prep neede but there is more to it than that. 

In our goal to qualify for Paris Brest Paris Myself, Davie B and David C headed down to Galashiels for the 400(420)km out and back to Barnards Castle. We stuck together until the Barnard Castle the half way mark and then Davie B continued at a faster pace with a couple of guys we had met and  David C and I started the dusk Wet Climb over some Moss hill.
Through the damp night we rode but! it was a balmy 12 degrees so it was not too bad. We did encounter few kms of road with 100s of frogs on it which passed the time trying not to squash any, which we managed! Until I heard David shout! -1 frog bless his soul, a few minutes later a Huge Rat ran into David's wheel but he managed to stay upright, I used to have a Rat her name was "Otago" David loves my patter. It was about then 3am? that Davids Knee started to hurt and our energy levels were very low, luckly we passed through lockerbie and had only 20km to a 24 hour with a service stop, I'm not a big fan of McDonalds but I was tonight. After about 5mins cycling David convinced me that the service station was here?? "Look" he said and pointed towards a BP sign behind some trees, But we stil had had 20km to go? I wasnt going to argue with him or his shiney new Wahoo gps, a few minutes later we got to a Service stop only to find it was the wrong one and nothing was open(Hammock Award Contender), a few swears were jokingly exchange and we rode on to McDonalds. Once we got there David went for a Sleep and I changed out of my wet clothes. I tried to sleep but people were intent on talking to me even though my eyes were closed, but best McDonalds I ever had, I even ate David's leftovers once he fell asleep. 
Back on the bike and back into the rain, With Davids Knee and my development of what I can only describe as "the worse butt pain in the world ever®" we took a nice steady pace back the last 100km.. the sun came out near the end and we were greeted by fried egg and bacon sandwiches by the organisers. A quick shower and off back up the road, I told David I would stay awake on the journey home as he was driving, I think I lasted abut 5mins.
Started at 9:00am finished next day at 10:17am 
Distance : 419.91km    Time pedaling 18:48:33     Elevation 3,922m
Avg Speed    22.3km/h    Elapsed Time    25:17:05
Anyhow only a 600km to do to qualify, To be honest i thought these would be easier than they are... yes they are physically draining but it really is all in the mind. Thanks for the company Lads

Usual time and place!
 It shouldn't need saying but remember that in a chain gang you are supposed to ride through and off....not through and continue to accelerate as you join the other side. By all means attack if you want however try and not surge through if you are only doing your turn in the rotation.
Of course all of this may be inevitable due to it being big group with lots of recovery and then a tendency to come through too hard as a result.  The solution may be splitting into smaller groups but i'll leave that option for now.

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
 

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

Great stuff from Darryl, an epic Wheelers day out in some stunning scenery.  Very glad of my decision take each hill as steady as possible for such a long route with a couple of steep climbs.  I am a rubbish climber but based on how I fine feel today it has paid off.  Many thanks to everyone there, it was a memorable weekend.  When do start planning the next one...?

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!
 
 
 

Utterly brilliant day on Arran and 3 new members of the SA Hall of Fame. Fantastic, and many congrats to SA Rookies Sam McGrath, Colin Sales and Alan Hendry, who were joined by seasoned SA vets Jan McTavish, Mark Kelly, Andy Gumley and myself. So 7 started as a team and 7 finished as a team. Also took all the rankings from 2nd to 6th or something on the Strava segment.
This was a rarer anti clockwise assault due to the predicted wind, however there was near zero wind all day. Very smooth paceline with much encouragement in evidence. Lots of resurfaced roads helped and I reckon this could be a year for records. Still some pretty grisly bits mind you.
Weather was probably the best I have ever seen on Arran and I have been there a lot! Truly heaven on earth.
So now you have a taste guys, set your sights on the Grand Daddy of them all - the DA in August. As I may have said somewhere before, this is a monumental and life changing experience that you will regale your grandchildren with, you will have it engraved on your gravestone, you will forever remember the single biggest day of your life. You will feel immortal.
To round it all off me and Jan rode over the Ross to meet my two girls at the Velo café, then clung on to their wheels to get back for the 1.55pm ferry as we were both tank empty status. 86 miles and 2,000m of ascent made for a fantastic day out.

 
 
 
 

Since it's Easter I think it's time I rise again!
Remember me? I used to be well fast....
Due to my three year sabbatical I have become way too short for my weight! The only training I have been doing is cycling from Houston to Kilmalcolm with the kids and getting a fry up!
So here are my chain gang and weight goals for this season,
Weeks 1-2 Get to the end of the Georgetown
Weight - The same as a Billy and Geo lovechild.
Weeks 2-4 Get to Bishopton
Weight - Greg Balden with a pair of heavy boots on.
Weeks 4-6 Get over the Cote du Bishy (I named it after my famous dropping on it during the Bogs)
Weight - Charlie giving Gummers a piggy back
Weeks 6-8 Hang on to the bottom of the Clune
Weight - Gunson/Archibald wet through
Weeks 8+ Give everyone a pumping!!
Weight - My right leg weighing the same as P McDonald!
See you tomorrow night if my kit fits!!!
 

Just been too busy at work. I will join you guys but just not sure of how long for. May only do Thur to Sun/Mon.
I am away on holiday next week and will sort when I am back
 
J

Will check it out.

Aye good day to be out. Would agree with Colin that the bunch riding of the 930 was real smooth. Jumped ship to get the 900 bunch up the haylie and that also functioned as a good unit. Was planning to cut off at kilbirnie but was lured back to try Gerards cakes and have to say they were brillant as were the energy bars. Sorry Alan, still can't stand parsnips.
Worked off some of the calories by returning on the back roads to kilbirnie in spring like conditions ..fab day.

Great to see so many JWCC for different parts of the run today. Darryl, Galeb, James, Andy and Alan were all present at sections on the route. We had singled up through Wemyss Bay due to line of traffic, I rolled through and suddenly me Andy and Alan were way off the front. Andy and Alan were up for putting the hammer down, I was a bit more conservative thinking we might not want to poke the bears behind. However the bears were indeed poked, Gregg and Richie came flying past a km later and all hell let loose for the first balls out habble from Wemyss Bay to Largs of the winter. A similar performance on the W Kilbride - Ardrossan road in the cross tail wind. My day finished with a very civilised ride and chat with Doc Alan from Beith to Lochwinnoch.