Jump to content

Annual Blackwood to Peebles and Back Ride - 100 miles


Dennis
 Share

Recommended Posts

An update for Sunday. The number of confirmed riders is currently 17, including 11 from the Joansin:

 

me

Chung

David

Craig

Lesley

Donald

Kenny C

Aileen

Kevin

Campbell

John

 

plus 3 from South Lanarkshire and 3 from East Lothian

 

It's not too late for more names... Oh ya dancer !

 

Dennis

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Life Members

I'll be making my way from home straight to Blackwood, and I'll need to be somewhere in Glasgow afterwards. So, I'm being selfish and cannot offer anyone a lift, sorry. :oops::oops:

 

See you all there tomorrow and hope the weather will be kind to us.

 

Regards

 

Chung

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, the weather is not going to be quite as hot as last week, but maybe that's a good thing in a way. :shock: I'm sure we will enjoy it, whatever the weather.

 

We now have a bunch of 22 - 12 from JWCC, 4 from EKRC, 3 from RACC and 3 from the far east. :grin:

 

We will be leaving at 9.30am to travel east, but don't be alarmed when we set off in a westerly direction. It's all to do with techy stuff, like road surfaces and mileage. :roll:

 

For any strays on the M74, call 07775974982 or 01555 895 616.

 

(Remember it'll take about 45 mins from Johnstone to Blackwood (as a guage) and we'll be setting off at 9.30. Best to aim for arriving at about 9 if you can. )

 

Looking forward to seeing you all and having a great day out. Oh ya dancer !

 

Dennis

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Riders were:

 

West - Chung, David, Craig, Lesley, Donald, Kenny, Aileen, Kevin, Campbell, John

 

Central - me, John C, Stephen, Alan, Darren, Brian, Grahame, Wilson

 

East - Dave

 

The bunch of 19 made its way from Blackwood to Glentress, via Lesmahagow, Coalburn, Sandilands, Carmichael, Tinto, Thankerton, Biggar, Skirling, Blyth Bridge, Meldons, Eddleston, Peebles, against a very cold north east wind. Helly Hansens, leg warmers and wind jackets were the order of the day. Two turned back at Biggar (family duties (John C, and bottom bracket problem, Alan), leaving 17 to complete the 100 miles (sorry, 99.2 according to Lesley - I always round up... 8-) ).

 

We hit some light rain as we passed Tinto, and the normal beauty of the borders countryside was somewhat dulled by the cloudy weather. By the time we reached the Hub at 56 miles, some of us were actually shivering, especially the two guys who forgot their jackets. :roll:

 

However, we were undaunted and, returning via Stobo, and following a cafe stop at Broughton at 70 miles, the sun came out and the whole tone of the day changed. Minds were set on the Wiston Big Hill at the 85 mile stage and those with legs 'were allowed' to go off and have a go, before regrouping at the top.

 

Two of the objectives of the run were to keep the bunch together the whole way, and to try to finish as fresh as we were at the start. I would say both were met, but some may not quite agree with the second one. ;-) Somehow, this 100 miles did not feel like 100 miles. (ok, it was only 99.2!)

 

Weather aside, this run was enjoyed by all and we all rode well together, taking turns at the front (including me 8-) ) and trying to ensure, with the usual fantastic banter, that the two main objectives were met.

 

Speaking as one of Aileen's pilots, one of the revelations for me was the way in which Kenny and Aileen rode this run. The first 25 miles in particular were very lumpy and they were up there all the way. Not even off the saddle! It's always hard work on a tendem keeping up with a bunch on short steep hills and rises, where the pace fluctuates, but this did not appear to be any problem. Even the Big Hill didn't phase them, and any thoughts I may have had about 'just staying with the tandem' quickly went out the window! Well done to Kenny, as he only started riding the tandem last week! Kenny, you've got the job! :lol:

 

1600 bike miles with no punctures was good and, apart from the bottom bracket problem and a couple of jumping chains, we had no techy problems either.

 

The lady running the third cafe stop says that she thoroughly enjoyed having this bunch of people for tea, soup and cakes! ;-)

 

Roll on next year...

 

Dennis

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Dennis for a well organised run and to Morag for the splendid cakes and soup. Great run, and despite being cold we didn't let the odd shower dampen our spirits! Fantastic job everyone for staying together, it made the run that much more enjoyable. See you all again soon.

 

Cheers,

Lesley

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...