Bealach na Ba - 4 weeks to go

24

Comments

  • Richard Burchmore
    Richard Burchmore Posts: 70
    For those of you who've done it before, will I get round this on a 39/25, or should I do some last minute shopping for a compact chainset?

    Richard
  • wakemalcolm
    wakemalcolm Posts: 946
    Richard

    Depends how expensive your cleats are. If they're cheap, that should be fine. Otherwise, recommend a trip to your local cycling retail establishment.
    ================================
    Cake is just weakness entering the body
  • rabk
    rabk Posts: 182
    wakemalcolm wrote:
    Richard

    Depends how expensive your cleats are. If they're cheap, that should be fine. Otherwise, recommend a trip to your local cycling retail establishment.


    LOL :lol:
  • wakemalcolm
    wakemalcolm Posts: 946
    Rab

    You decided on a start time yet? Can't decide between start early and have company lateron the peninsula or start late and catch an early draft from the fast guys but risk being cut adrfit later on. Either way I reckon I'll end up stuck at the level crossing...
    ================================
    Cake is just weakness entering the body
  • rabk
    rabk Posts: 182
    WakeMalcolm

    I think I've decided to set of about 9.30 and try and get a draft from the fast guys like last year. I took 1hour 45 last year to tornapress, so hopefully do a roughly similar time.

    I'm sure if we get dropped we'll still have company on the peninsula as there are so many people of varying abilities

    Interestingly, I think the start time has changed, originally the option was to start between 8.30 and 10, now it has moved to 9.00am.
  • blim
    blim Posts: 333
    Looks like the start-time is now from 10 - 10.30. Might be a bit of a crush, but it removes the logistical issues, i s'pose.
    kop van de wedstrijd
  • blim
    blim Posts: 333
    no! ignore my last post! I was looking at the Beag, not the Mor. Why don't they remove it...?
    kop van de wedstrijd
  • Noodley
    Noodley Posts: 1,725
    Richard Burchmore wrote:
    For those of you who've done it before, will I get round this on a 39/25, or should I do some last minute shopping for a compact chainset?

    Richard


    That 'swhat I rode on last year. As wakemalcolm suggests my cleats took a battering :oops:

    This year I have a triple and reckon if you have 39/25 you will see me gliding past you at 2mph as you struggle to keep your footing pushing a bike up a big hill. :wink:
  • Richard Burchmore
    Richard Burchmore Posts: 70
    It might be a bit late to change gearing at this point. The Bealach seems to be about 22% for the final km, but the rest looks OK - never above 10%:

    http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp? ... ainID=3943
    (useful site, by the way)

    But those Look cleats will take a beating if I have to walk 1 km.
    I can't think of any +20% hills near Glasgow to ride this weekend - how steep is the Tak me doon?

    cheers

    Richard
  • rabk
    rabk Posts: 182
    :oops: I walked a little bit before the hairpins last year and actually took my shoes off, found it much easier, maybe not so good though if it is raining.

    This year I have less gears, so I am worried. Last year I had a 30/25 as my lowest gear whereas this year I have a 34/27, so slightly concerned I might struggle.

    I am not good on hills :(
  • wakemalcolm
    wakemalcolm Posts: 946
    Rabcp wrote:
    This year I have less gears, so I am worried. Last year I had a 30/25 as my lowest gear whereas this year I have a 34/27, so slightly concerned I might struggle.
    Rab

    Have you gone changed your bike since January? I'm useless with faces; now that John Noodley's changed his steed, I think I'll only recognise Gazmo (if he's there).
    ================================
    Cake is just weakness entering the body
  • rendo
    rendo Posts: 194
    Richard Burchmore wrote:
    It might be a bit late to change gearing at this point. The Bealach seems to be about 22% for the final km, but the rest looks OK - never above 10%:

    http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp? ... ainID=3943
    (useful site, by the way)

    But those Look cleats will take a beating if I have to walk 1 km.
    I can't think of any +20% hills near Glasgow to ride this weekend - how steep is the Tak me doon?

    cheers

    Richard

    Richard you may well be correct, but the majority of riders, including myself, who walked on the bealach probably did so on the long straight before the hairpins. from the chart thats probably the section with the lowest gradient. (the green 1.9%)

    i don't think the bealachs difficulty is with the gradient its the length of climb. i had a triple fitted last year and still had loads of gears left. i just had to walk cause i was fecked.

    Tak me doon is good training road for this, have done it a few times myself this week.
  • Steve928
    Steve928 Posts: 314
    rendo wrote:
    .. long straight before the hairpins. from the chart thats probably the section with the lowest gradient. (the green 1.9%)

    That seems wrong?: I rode it 3 weeks ago and the c. 1km long straight (actually long LH bend) before the hairpins is definately the steepest section of the climb. Before and after that bit is relatively gentle, but you come round a RH bend and see the hairpins ahead and the gradient ramps up by a couple of gears: I had to stand in my lowest gear for that entire section.
  • rendo
    rendo Posts: 194
    SteveNcp wrote:
    rendo wrote:
    .. long straight before the hairpins. from the chart thats probably the section with the lowest gradient. (the green 1.9%)

    That seems wrong?: I rode it 3 weeks ago and the c. 1km long straight (actually long LH bend) before the hairpins is definately the steepest section of the climb. Before and after that bit is relatively gentle, but you come round a RH bend and see the hairpins ahead and the gradient ramps up by a couple of gears: I had to stand in my lowest gear for that entire section.

    your probably right steve, i think the 1.9% section on the chart seems to be the right hand bend before that straight section. i'm glad im wrong, didn't think it was right i walked on the 'easy' bit.
  • HP40
    HP40 Posts: 39
    I walked the same bit as everyone else it seems, the bit just before the hairpins. I agree with Rendo that once you get to that point it's not about the gears you have left - I had a 39/25 but I hadn't needed it on the way up.

    Once I hit the bit before the hairpins I tried using the 25 but it didn't help. Truth is, I was cooked. My plan for this year is to take it easier on the way to that point - to use the 25 earlier and give me a chance at the top.

    A 34/27 should be more than enough. I have a 39/25, which was fine, but I know that the wind was very kind last year. If it's blowing the wrong way....

    'Can't wait!
  • daowned
    daowned Posts: 414
    Depends a lot on your level of fitness on what gearing you would need, for myself I kept spinning at 65-70rmp on a 34/27 compact which I couldnt do on any other gear.
  • Jason Currie
    Jason Currie Posts: 56
    IMHO the profile you're all referring to is a bit inaccurate to say the least.

    A year or two back I made my own using the 1:50 000 map and a bit of string (yes, I know that sounds somewhat prone to errors too). That and experience of the climb suggests, like others have said, that the long straightish bit approaching the first LH at the bottom of the hairpins is the steepest section.

    Having caught a virus from my bairn this week I might struggle even more than expected. I did a route including the S side of the Cairn a Mount yesterday and found it much harder than usual. Probably will do nothing this week to try to recover.

    Jase
  • kend
    kend Posts: 13
    Was planning a ~85 miler for today but speaking to my mate Debs yesterday she said that I should do no more that ~30 miles today and then that's it. Given she is both a GP and an Ironman I reckon she knows what she's taking about so it was a shorty this morning and I think I'll leave it at that (bar a swim on tue morn - huntly std tri to worry about too!)

    Jase, seems that 42 Manor Place has seen more than its fair share of lurgy recently. Nightmare. You get better pronto, ya hear!? If you're still not 100% by Sat I'm sure the spanking new P3 will more than compensate.

    Interesting to read people's strategies for getting to the climb. I'll certainly be taking it easy down to Tornapress. Could be too easy to bomb down Strath Carron just to be then given a really good spanking by the climb. Doing the climb fresh is tough enough but after 36 miles the misery is just massive!
  • arranandy
    arranandy Posts: 688
    75 hilly and windy miles today and I'm knackered. :( Sore left knee, sore back, sore right foot - I'm falling to pieces :!: Just hope everything is back to normal by next Saturday or I'm really going to struggle, or should I say, struggle more :wink:
    Flying Scot? You must be joking!
  • Jason Currie
    Jason Currie Posts: 56
    Really hope I feel right before the big day too, KD. Going up the drumtochty glen I really wanted to get off and go to sleep, wierd. Legs had nothing to give on the climb.
    J

    PS. I feel I must correct your typing ken (or straighten out a crossed wire), its an R3. Wouldn't fancy 90 miles in a full on TT position.
  • rabk
    rabk Posts: 182
    wakemalcolm wrote:
    Rabcp wrote:
    This year I have less gears, so I am worried. Last year I had a 30/25 as my lowest gear whereas this year I have a 34/27, so slightly concerned I might struggle.
    Rab

    Have you gone changed your bike since January? I'm useless with faces; now that John Noodley's changed his steed, I think I'll only recognise Gazmo (if he's there).

    Hi Malcom

    Yeah bought a Focus Cayo in April. I am similarly useless with faces, though hopefully we will catch up at the start line. I should be in a red Cofidis team top with blue shoes.

    Incidentally, for those who do not know me, I don't look like my Avatar! :D

    Good luck everyone
  • daowned
    daowned Posts: 414
    BBC weather forecast for Achnasheen (Kinlochewe), the forecast for Saturday is meant to be sunny intervals. <---- (meaning its no gona be pelting it down I think)

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?id=2258
  • daowned
    daowned Posts: 414
    Incidentally too I look nothing like a white and blue shirt :lol:
  • rabk
    rabk Posts: 182
    Forecast on Metcheck for Wester ross is not so favourable

    Rain and wind (touching 20mph).

    Worse still the wind is a westerly which I think may blow down the hill (i.e in our face)

    Sorry to be the prophet of doom :(
  • Steve928
    Steve928 Posts: 314
    Agreed that it doesn't look good at all :-( All the forecasts are in the 20-25 knot region, so perhaps a 40 knot headwind at Bealach altitude!

    All the above gearing calculations just went straight out of the window..
  • rabk
    rabk Posts: 182
    SteveNcp wrote:
    Agreed that it doesn't look good at all :-( All the forecasts are in the 20-25 knot region, so perhaps a 40 knot headwind at Bealach altitude!All the above gearing calculations just went straight out of the window..

    Yikes, I hadn't thought of that

    I'll console myself with the fact the weather forecasters often get the weather spectacularly wrong for my part of the west of Scotland.

    Hopefully the same applies up north
  • rendo
    rendo Posts: 194
    If there is going to be any wind, a westerly would be more favourable.

    lets hope the weather folk have it wrong again
  • wakemalcolm
    wakemalcolm Posts: 946
    Have to say that the BBC are always pessimistic about wind speeds over my way. A 40 knot wind at the top of the Bealach would fairly dry my shirt out mind.

    A light south-westerly would be nice - a strong westerly and I'm going to have to change my plans for a lie-in on Saturday morning.
    ================================
    Cake is just weakness entering the body
  • Jason Currie
    Jason Currie Posts: 56
    The surface pressure chart on the met office site for fri suggest NW winds, possibly quite strong. That isn't a good direction for the climb, but it will mean a good push home from the top of the peninsular onwards.
  • rhnb
    rhnb Posts: 324
    Hmmm - this forecast doesn't look too good...

    http://www.mwis.org.uk/mountain/NW.PDF

    The bit at the bottom for Saturday about 'gales widespread on exposed higher areas' is particularly worrying. Doesn't get much more exposed than the top of the Bealach!

    Oh well - look on the bright side - it'll be character building ;-)
    ~~~
    http://www.bikeit.eclipse.co.uk
    Cycle tour reports and the home of \'Cycling Before Lycra\'

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