600KM BORDERLANDS ROC TREVEZAL ROUTE 12 & 13TH JULY 2014

[Ironman]

600KM BORDERLANDS ROC TREVEZAL ROUTE 12^TH JULY 2014

 

ALL A WEE REPOT OF MY 600KM RIDE

 

AFTER ALAN AND I DOING THE 300 LAST WEEK ON LEWIS & HARRIS & THE HALF A 200 ON THE SUNDAY IT WAS OF TO DO A 600 THIS WEEK END. THAT WAS 381 MILES AS IT WAS JUST LONGER

.

STARTING GALASHIELS AND CONTROLLING SAMYE LINGS TIBETAN CAFÉ, ALSTON, BARNARD CASTLE BACK TO ALSTON, JOHNSTONEBRIDGE SERVICES ON THE M74, MOFFAT BACK TO GALASHIELS THEN OUT TO BERWICK AND BACK VIA MOREBATTLE & WOOLER TO TRYPS IN & OUT OF ENGLAND.

 

SO IT WAS UP AT 04:00 TO DRIVE TO GALASHIELS FOR THE 07:00 START THE TALK WAS WHEN WILL THE RAIN START, IT WAS A COOL START BUT WARMED UP NICELY AS THE MORNING WENT ON. VISITING THE PEASE OF THE CAFÉ IN THE TIBETAN MONASTERY. THEN OF TO ALSTON VIA LONGTOWN WE STOP FOR FOOD AT THE SPA THEN OF TO ALSTON YOU GO VIA BRAMPTON WHICH IS FLAT THEN IT’S A GENTILE RISE TO ALTON THE HIGHEST MARKET TOWN IN ENGLAND. FROM THEIR, THERE IS A PRETTY SEVER CLIMB UP COBLES TROUGH THE TOWN THEN CONTINUING ON TO THE TOP OF YARD MOSS HERE IT WAS A HEAD WIND HERE BUT YOU JUST WORK AWAY AT IT. THE DESCENT TO BARNARD CASTLE WAS GOOD BUT ALL THIS DOWN MEANS YOU HAVE TO BACK UP IT ON THE WAY BACK TO ALSTON. FOOD OUT THE COOP WAS GOOD SITTING IN THE SUN IT WASNIECE 124 MILES DONE ONLY 257 MILES TO GO.

 

THE CLIMB UP TO THE TOP OF YARD MOSS WAS GRADUAL SO YOU COULD KEEP A FARE SPEED UP ON IT. THE DESCENT TO ALSTON WAS FAST & OVER TO QUICKLY. IT’S THE SPA SHOP 19:00 IT WAS LOOKING GREY TO THE WEST & NORTH BY THE TIME I CAME OUT THE SHOP THE LIGHT RAIN HAD STARTED. SO I PUT THE OVER SHOES ON BUT BY THE TIME I SET OFF IT WAS OF SO JUST PUT THE RAIN JACKET IN THE POCKET FOR EASY ACCESS. THE RUN TO DOWN TO LONG TOWN WAS GOOD NO RAIN BUT THERE WERE SOME REAL WET ROADS, IT WAS ONLY A MATER OF TIME. I HAD MY HART ON A FISH SUPPER IN LONGTOWN BUT IT WAS SHUT A SATURDAY NIGHT SO ROUND THE CORNER FOR A MEAL DEAL IN THE SPA, WHAT WOULD WE DO WITH OUT SPA. 186 MILES DOWN WERE NEARLY HALF WAY.

 

IT WAS DARK NOW WITH THE HEAVY CLOUD SO LIGHTS ON & OFF WE GO TO JOHNSTONEBRIDGE SERVICES THIS ROUTE USED IN QUIT A FEW AUDAXS SO I NEW THE ROAD TO IT, JUST BEFORE KILPATRICK FLEMING THE RAIN STARTED IT WAS HEAVY TILL I GOT TO THE SERVICES. ITS TIME TO HAVE A DESCANT BRAKE SAY 45 MINUTES SO IT WAS AN ALL DAY BREAKFAST LARGE COFFEE, PINT OF MILK, CAN OF JUICE. DEW TO BEING SO WET I WAS QUIT COLD SO THE EXTRA JACKET, LEGGINGS AND HAT WENT ON AND IT WAS OF INTO THE NIGHT TO MOFFAT WERE IT WAS A QUICK CALL AT A BANK FOR A BALANCE TO PROVE TIME OF BEING THERE. THEN UP THE A708 BY THE GRY MARRS TAIL AND SAINT MARYS LOCH TO SELKIRK AND GALASHIELS THERE FOR 05:00 IN THAT STRETCH OF 40 MILES ONLY 3 CARS PASSED.

 

IN GALASHIELS ITS CHANGE OF CLOTH TO DRY ONES MORE FOOD, THAT I HAD IN THE CAR & I HEAD OF EAST O MOREBATTLE NO NEED TO STOP AS IT’S A INFORMATION CONTROL WHICH WAS WHAT THE NAME OF THE SHOP(MOREBATTLE VILLAGE SHOP) GOING IS HARD AS ITS VERY LUMPY YOUR IN BORDER COUNTY, ITS IN ITS NATURE. MOREBATTLE TO WOOLER & MORE HILLS I WAS GLAD TO REACH WOOLER COOP WAS OPEN SO WENT FOR TOP UP OF FOOD 76 MILES TO GO. THEN OF TO BERWICK NIECE ROLLING HILLS, BERWICK IS REACHED IN NICE SUNSHINE BY THE SEA AND GUESS WHAT MORE FOOD THEN THE RETURN JOURNEY TO GALASHIELS. JUST AFTER WOOLER I START TO SEE THE OTHER RIDER ON THE WAY OUT THIS IS ALWAYS A BOOST TO YOU AS YOU’RE ON THE WAY HOME FROM WOOLER TO GALASHIELS THEIRS A HEAD WIND PLUS THE HILLS BUT YOU JUST GET ON WITH IT. PINT OF CIDER AT THE TEMPLE HALL HOTEL IN MOREBATTLE THE PENULTIMATE CHECK POINT. GALASHIELS IS REACHED AT 17:00. SO SOME FOOD, SHOWER & A SLEEP BEFORE DRIVING HOME TO WHAT THE FOOTBALL. 35 HOUR FOR 381 MILE, GOOD DAY & NIGHT RIDE PARIS BREST PARIS 2115 HERE WE COME ALL BEING WELL.

 

CAMPBELL

[Guest EPCC]

Fantastic effort Campbell don't know how you can stay on a bike for so long think my threshold is about 125 after which the pain is too much

[ginty001]

Breathtaking ... must have been a right pain in the a**e

[Richie Cross]

OMG!!!!

 

Well done indeed!!

[charlie p]

Chapeau

[LenMcD]

Once again..........nuts...........completely nuts.

Well done!

[Alan Fox]

Great effort Campbell.

No sleep involved during the 600?

[Ironman]

ALAN

I DID NOT SLEEP WAS A BIT SLEEPY ON THE MOREBATTLE TO WOOLER STAGE IN THE MORNING BUT IT WAS NOT WARM ENOUGH TO LIE DOWN FOR A CATNAP AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, BUT I GOT THROUGH THAT AND WITH FOOD & LIQUID YOU WAKE UP.

ON RIDES LONGER THAN 600KM I WOULD RIDE THE FIRST 2 DAYS THEN SLEEP THE SECOND NIGHT FOR NO LONGER THAN 4 HOUR SAY 11 TO 3 IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHEN YOU HIT THE CHECK POINT MY PRINCIPAL IS YOU ONLY SLEEP WHEN IT’S DARK. YOU JUST REPEAT THAT FROM THEN ON WITHER IT 1200KM OR 1400KM I WOULD NORMALLY THEN AVERAGE 300KM EVER 24 HOURS FITTING IN SLEEP, EATING & CHECKPOINT

CAMPBELL

PS YOU THINKING OF THE PBP NEXT YEAR THIS WILL BE MY LAST PBP LOOKING AT SOME OTHER LONGER ONES.

[Alan Fox]

Campbell,

PBP a stretch too far...was considering a 400 on 9th Aug from Galashiels - "over the hill and back."

[LenMcD]

8 hours minimum kip for me. In a comfy bed, then look forward to pedaling again........maybe in a week or so..........for a few hours.....tops.

See you Saturday Campbell. Might nip in to the Spar for some Ginsters pasties seeing as its my turn to cook!

[al yuille]

Al, also keen to do 400 but will be in London that weekend.

[AlanT]

Outstanding effort.