Glasgow to Edinburgh: Pedal for Scotland

popette

Hiya,

Is this ride suitable for road bikes with skinny tyres. I saw a bit of the route today which was on quite a narrow path with lots of dogs and mud. Has anyone ridden this event on a road bike and is it ok?

many thanks

nwallace

Last year it wasn't
The year before it was

not doing it this year.

ellieb

If it is the same as last year there is a short section (about 3-400m) on grass as well as quite a bit on normal cycle path. They have taken out a section of cobbles this year. Overall it should be fine for a road bike, I did it last year on 700x23 and it was OK, but I'd make sure your tyres had some puncture protection.

pneumatic

The good thing about PFS is that it is a proper mass participation ride; that means you get kids, shopper bikes, folders and people puffing away on MTB's that they pulled out of the garden shed the day before.. Also lots of food stops and a party atmosphere. Nobody is put off entering.

The bad thing about it, if you want a challenging ride, is all of the above, especially when you get to the country lanes and cycle paths which can be somewhat congested. I'm afraid we cheated last time we did it (two years ago) by not taking the urban cycle paths into the centre of Edinburgh, but just using the main road. After a bit of lunch we then rode back to Fife (another 50 miles) and, frankly, that was the more enjoyable ride.

No disrespect to organisers or participants; it's a great idea, just not such a great ride for the more experienced rider.

To answer the question, I've done it twice on 700x23's. Got a puncture on a disused railway the first time and was fine the second time. However, I didn't do it last year and apparently the routing was a bit eccentric!

BigG67

A gang of us did it last year on road bikes and it was fine. There was one bit on grass and the cobbles but other than that it's all tarmac.

saf4254201

have done it last 3 years on 23's - last year's route after linlithgow was pretty dire due to a combination of dirt track, dangerously wet cobbles on SQF high street then dodging numerous dog walkers between crewe toll and newhaven. wasn't too enamoured with the country park section at Coatbridge either again because of dog walkers/pedestrians

whether they'll take notice of the complaints is another matter.

i'll be doing it again this year but will be making my own route between linlithgow and crewe toll (will probably have to resort to footpath at crewe toll as it is impossible to get back onto the path again to be able to cross the finish line which is right at an under pass into the park). The finish should have remained at murrayfield or somewhere on the west side of edinburgh - newhaven is a joke for getting back to trains or for getting in and out from west lothian by car.

Also watch the food stop at linlithgow - my work colleague turned in there last year and when he came out the steward sent him up the hill towards beecraigs and he ended up in Bathgate and had to cycle back into edinburgh via A89/A8 (he got plenty of climbing in his legs getting to bathgate !!!!)

LorneC

Got the route through the door for this years PFS - seems to be the same route as last year... IIRC last year required a minor route change across that grass track because another event was being held at Hopetoun House that day. Hopefully there is no such party on this year, or at very least it is not as wet on the day, as it was last year.

saf4254201

Given they are busy posting route maps out - i'm somewhat surprised that the web page still doesn't have a route map on it for downloading.

(so the Happy sheets were totally ignored then !!!)

gavintc

I will play it by ear and decide whether to follow the route or to do my own thing. I am not madly impressed by a route taking in rough paths.

Crapaud

I'll be doing the PFS again this year with Team GB (that's team Go Bike, the local campaigning group). The last time the route was Edinburgh - Glasgow and I spent the first half of the ride looking for my team. I discovered later that they'd all DNS'd because the weather was a bit naff. :roll:

Do they still have the cake stop at the wee church at the halfway point? 'Cos if they do I'm taking an empty pannier - the best homemade scones I've had in ages. So if you see a short baldy bloke making a, "Gnom nom nom" noise say hello. If you get a reply of, "Grnumfle" and sprayed with scone crumbs, it'll probably be me.

Last time I did it on 700 x 25s, this time it'll be 700 x 28s.

nwallace

Avonbridge Church stop was moved to the soggy playingfield at the school this year.

popette

cheers for all your replies guys

If I do go (have a heart thing done on the Tuesday before so I'll have to see what the cardiologist says) I'm going to give it a whirl on my 23s. If not, I'm going to be driving friends to the start and I'll be there at the finish too.

Good luck

shawlandsjt

Hi All
Would you recommend Pedal for Scotland on a road bike with cleats? Or should I dig the MTB out for this ride?
Thanks

Crapaud

shawlandsjt wrote:

Hi All
Would you recommend Pedal for Scotland on a road bike with cleats? Or should I dig the MTB out for this ride?
Thanks

Really anything will do. On the last PFS I did there was everything from £50 cheapos to high-end road bikes.Personally, I'd recommend 28mm tyres or more, but others have done it quite happily on 23s. Last time I went clipless without any probs - I'll be clipless again this time.

The choice is yours.

On another note, has anyone received their info packs yet?

popette

I can't do the ride after all
So, I will be driving husband and friends to the start and waiting for them at the finish.
My MIL tells me that they have been cleaning all the paths towards the end of the route.
Good luck to you all - I hope it's a nice sunny day

Steve_F

We have emailed them to check the exact route and there are only a few changes from last year.

There is an alternative route planned through Hopetoun House if it's wet/muddy and the grass track cuts up.

There is a different section outside South Queensferry which avoids Dalmeny Hill as too many people cried about how steep it was last year including one of our team! This will probably also avoid the cobbled section (which I nearly cried over, no idea how I stayed upright).

Overall I wouldn't do this on anything except a road bike and can't see a problem with 23s or clipless.

See you all there!

Crapaud

Sorry to read that you're a bit greener around the gills, Popette. I hope you'll be taking your camera and getting some great shots of all the Adonis-like BR forumites like you did on the Etape. (hint: You'll need a polarizing filter to reduce the glare from my shiney pate)

nwallace

Crapaud wrote:

Really anything will do. On the last PFS I did there was everything from £50 cheapos to high-end road bikes.

Crapaud

Received my info pack this morning. In it, it says,"...at Avonbridge there will be a local community group selling a tempting range of home-baked cakes and other delights." Yaaayyyy!

lochindaal

Last year when cold and wet stopping at Avonbridge was a really bad decision. We were all freezing by the time we got back on our bikes as the queue took so long. Linlithgow is so close this year I will keep going. Glad to see soup on the menu at linlithgow rather than cold pasta as well

timbo123

Ive never done the Pedal for scotland ride before , but am doing it this Sunday.

Does anyone know if I would be better riding the Canal path from Glasgow to Linlithgow and then joining the ride at Linlithgow?

I have cycled the canal path from glasgow to edinburgh before and I think I may prefer it over the route planned (i.e. no cars , traffic lights, hills etc)

I just dont know how many cars will be on the route they have planned

pneumatic

There will be cars, but there will also be loads and loads of cyclists. If I were you, I'd go on the route recommended. If you are worried about cars, stay on the left and let the daredevils fly past you up the middle of the road. Motorists will be more concerned about them than you, believe me.

It is good fun, and a good way to build confidence for road riding.

Barbes

Anyone know if you can turn up on the day and pay and ride?

saf4254201

per the PFS website

You may still register on the day of the event at the late entries desk at the Winter Gardens in Glasgow Green.

THE ENTRY FEE FOR ENTERING ON THE DAY IS £20 (£10 Concessions) AND TRANSPORT TICKETS AT £15 (Subject to availability). Payment must be by cash or cheque (payable to Pedal for Scotland) only.

Crapaud

Well, a nice wee day's cycle - no rain and even some sunlight. :shock: No probs finding my team this time, instead I lost them shortly after Avonbridge and haven't seen them since. Rumour had it that 6000 riders were out today, there were certainly plenty.

It showed the limitations of cycle paths as there were a few hold-ups at the entrances and exits.



The downside, for me, was the size of the queues at Avonbridge for the scones and the Hopetoun Estate (I think) for soup. So I ignored both and fueled up with bananas, Lion bars and a Toblerone.


Avonbridge rest stop

Highlight of the day was seeing Mark Beaumont. He was only 5 feet away when one of my teammates pointed him out, but try as I might I couldn't find him - he's a tall lad and I was looking for someone smaller. :oops:



All in all, a good day out.

gavintc

Crapaud wrote:

Well, a nice wee day's cycle - no rain and even some sunlight. :shock: No probs finding my team this time, instead I lost them shortly after Avonbridge and haven't seen them since. Rumour had it that 6000 riders were out today, there were certainly plenty.

It showed the limitations of cycle paths as there were a few hold-ups at the entrances and exits.



The downside, for me, was the size of the queues at Avonbridge for the scones and the Hopetoun Estate (I think) for soup. So I ignored both and fueled up with bananas, Lion bars and a Toblerone.


Avonbridge rest stop

Highlight of the day was seeing Mark Beaumont. He was only 5 feet away when one of my teammates pointed him out, but try as I might I couldn't find him - he's a tall lad and I was looking for someone smaller. :oops:



All in all, a good day out.

The picture you posted is a perfect example of why that footpath is not suitable for this many people. I also felt that the 'peleton' descending on the mixed use paths in suburban Edinburgh was unacceptable and dangerous. Dog walkers, pedestrians and kids on bikes were to a large extent terrorised by the run in to home. I do not think I would want to ride it again unliess there were some changes to the route.

Crapaud

gavintc wrote:

The picture you posted is a perfect example of why that footpath is not suitable for this many people. I also felt that the 'peloton' descending on the mixed use paths in suburban Edinburgh was unacceptable and dangerous. Dog walkers, pedestrians and kids on bikes were to a large extent terrorised by the run in to home. I do not think I would want to ride it again unliess there were some changes to the route.

I can't disagree with that.

There was a point where a woman was coming head on and I didn't have anywhere to go to get out of the way. I must've startled the people round about me as I squeezed into a space that wasn't really big enough. It could've been nasty as everyone were all squashed up.

Dispol

First time for me today, Pedal for Scotland that is and i thouroughly enjoyed it only dangerous bit was when young yins chucked half a can of Red Bull off a bridge on the finishing straight in Edinburgh just missed me. Could have been worse i suppose it could have been a slab :shock:

SparkyP

I went up through Avonbridge today and came across the Pedal for Scotland run sprawled across the road not letting anything past.... I went up the road to Longrigg and thought the road discipline of some cyclists was P*** poor.I was waiting to turn right to head to Slamannan and there was one cyclist on a flat bar bike coming round the corner with no helmet and on his MOBILE PHONE just as a Police car had gone up the road in the opposite direction.....

FYB

First time on PfS and overall enjoyed. But then I was away early and avoided the congestion i'm sure was coming later.

Points which might improve it:
- waymarking - a bit random with some sections where wee arrow every mile or two, others where none for ages and people getting 'lost' all over the place
- glass - crazy amounts up by Caldercruix with punctures all over place. Not sure what can be done for it. Avoid that section altogether??
- Hopetoun diversion - avoided the mud but gained a pitted road with invisible sleeping polis instead
- run in to edinburgh - awful and dangerous. the dog walker's, family day outer's path for the lst few miles was a horror story waiting to happen. Crazy idea sending people down there
- 'serious' riders need to chill a bit - and this applies to the ones not on it who come accross it. No excuses for riding while on the mobile but that aside it's a charity fun day. If it interupts your usual route - too bad. Also, if you're on the run, it's not the Tour de anything. Chatting to passers by or fellow riders isn't forbidden. Sitting with the head down and blanking is.

All that said, a successful day out. Same again (without the glass, dogs etc) next year

Harrid

my first time doing something like this yesterday

really enjoyed it

the mechanics at livingston were dreading the early afternoon rush but were helping lots of people (helped my mate finish), so big thanks to them

i agree about the bit into edinburgh.. by that stage I was knacked and I'm sure other less experienced riders like me would have been too.. a bit dangerous