Etape Caledonia 2009
Comments
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Sadly I am going to have to pull out from the Etape this year. If anybody is after accomodation ( I have a room booked in Pitlochry for the Saturday night) or train tickets (I have an early train from London --> Pitlochry + a sleeper return on Sunday booked), PM me and I'll do this on a first come, first serve basis.
Thanks
Paul0 -
The weather for every sportive I've done this year has looked crap until a few days before and it's been glorious on the day. Let's hope we have the same on Sunday. I'm driving up tomorrow and will be packing everything!
I'm on red felt, white helmet, pony tail and who knows what else?
EDIT: I was looking at the wrong chart when I said it was looking a bit warmer. It's still wet and cold.0 -
Being Scotland in May you can count on the full panoply that the Met Office can throw at you. Last Sunday, in and around central Scotland, we experienced frost, mist, headwind, tailwind, nowind, sun, showers, rain and hailstones. By the end of the ride we were both accomplished veterans of the quick mobile change and had exhausted, several times, every item of clothing we carried and used most of the sunblock too.
To use the immortal phrase of a wise man – “there’s no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothes”
Character building I think they call it...0 -
Hi All - first post & first Etape.
Reading this and trawling thro all weather sites this week has forced me to splash out 50 quid on new lightweight waterproof from ribble which I'll pick up on way just to add to suitcase full of gear - just hope I get selection right on day.
Whatever happens really looking forward to it, see you all then.0 -
from
http://www.mwis.org.uk/mountain/SH.PDF
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Showers developing
Scattered heavy showers will
develop from about midday
onwards, but perhaps heavy,
frequent and thundery late in day.
Wet snow on highest tops.
WIND: Southerly in the range 25-35mph.
Likely to give persistent
buffeting on higher areas.
____________________________
Great. Just effing great!0 -
If the showers are developing from midday onwards then that's a lot better than it might be...
Met office forecast charts for Sunday now show a bit more front activity than they did yesterday, here's the chart for midnight on Saturday:
and 1200 Sunday:
That looks like ESE winds and some showers, but there might be a window between the front coming through on Sat. night and the next one on Sun. pm.
This might sound like hopeless optimism but 25+ years of outdoor activities in Scotland has taught me that hopeless optimism is the only rational tactic:
- It will either rain or it won't
- if it doesn't, that's great
- If it does, it will either rain all day or part of it
- If it only rains for part of the day, then it will either start off fine, in which case at least you warm up and get going in the dry, or it starts wet and gets drier, and that's not so bad, is it?
- In which case the only other possibility is that it p***es all day, and then you've just got to go out there and laugh in its face, haven't you?0 -
Yes, that does sound like hopeless optimism. But I salute you!
(spoken as one with a pathetically low tolerance for inclemency...I am going to grump along every single mile...)0 -
It's got to be better than last weekend at The Bealach. Red raw legs and frozen fingers sleet and strong winds. Later on I was too warm. Typical 4 seasons in one day. This weekend has got to be nicer......hasn't it??????0
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Aberdeen_lune wrote:It's got to be better than last weekend at The Bealach. Red raw legs and frozen fingers sleet and strong winds. Later on I was too warm. Typical 4 seasons in one day. This weekend has got to be nicer......hasn't it??????
I looked at the pictures of that to get an idea of what people were wearing - it looked awful. Did the sun come out later?0 -
Just a quick heads-up. There's road works on the A9 at Bankfoot just north of Perth. Probably best avoided at busy times (Friday afternoon, Saturday, that sort of thing...) There easy to get around - either head up through Luncarty and Stanley to Dunkeld, or up through Almondbank, Pitcairngreen, Bankfoot to Birnam.
Look at a map, you'll see what I mean!0 -
The current forecast isn't looking too bad (for the moment) : http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/day ... chry&day=2
It's the wind I'm worried about — my good bike got a crack in it so I'm on single speed — without an option of an easier gear a headwind is so much more demoralising. Anyway, can't wait to get on with it what ever the weather.
(If you see some bloke on an old Langster struggling up the Shenanigans (sp?) climb with a cadence of about 12, cheer me on — and be glad you have gears :-p )0 -
edeverett wrote:The current forecast isn't looking too bad (for the moment) : http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/day ... chry&day=2
It's the wind I'm worried about — my good bike got a crack in it so I'm on single speed — without an option of an easier gear a headwind is so much more demoralising. Anyway, can't wait to get on with it what ever the weather.
(If you see some bloke on an old Langster struggling up the Shenanigans (sp?) climb with a cadence of about 12, cheer me on — and be glad you have gears :-p )
A single speed!! My goodness! You are either super fit or super brave. Good for you!0 -
Just back from registraton - some of the worst weather I have seen for months- utterly foul.
Taking all my gear!0 -
Yeah, not a lot of choice about it with my geared bike having a fail. At least I managed to force of the fixed sprocket I normally use so I'll be able to relax on the descents..
Looking a the profile, the bulk of it around the lakes should be fine on a single speed, but at the big climb and after it looks like it'll test my tiring legs a bit. I'll be awarding myself a bonus of ten minutes ;-)0 -
Weather looks set for heavy showers on Sun. Get stuck behind someone with a big arse and you should be fine.Come back with your bike or upon it.0
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Metcheck says dry and cloudy in the morning, showers in the afternoon. Met Office says heavy showers all day. We shall see!!!
Anyway good luck to all taking part. I'll maybe see some of you on the way roundFlying Scot? You must be joking!0 -
we're going to have the usual debate about mudgards again then...group riding/antisocial vs not wanting to spoil my lovely looking bike etc.
what fun. ;-)
It'll be Dunkirk spirit all round. Let's have a sing song.0 -
Errr, have you tried duct tape?edeverett wrote:my good bike got a crack in it so I'm on single speed0 -
Please excuse more numpty questions:
These "feed stations" - do they have made-up energy drinks and plain water?
Mudguards? Really? I can see the advantage from a dry arse, dry followers point of view.
Are we really expected to stand around in Pitlochry for 30 minutes before the start just wearing our cycle gear or does everyone leave it until just before their off time.
Wearing numbers - if you pin one to your jersey and then put on a rain jacket, do you have to move it. And what to use? I don't fancy sticking pins in a waterproof jacket.
I'm sure I'll think of more!0 -
bompington wrote:Errr, have you tried duct tape?
It's more the problem of getting it unstuck from Russian customs where it's been sent for repairs. I thought old inner tubes were the new duct tape these days anyway :-p
More than the rain itself, what makes it bad is people's inexplicable reluctance to get a group going when drafting involves getting a face full of Scotland's finest road dirt. (Personally I don't understand why all bikes can't have mudguards, but that's a whole other discussion - they'd have been more use than deep section wheels on the Giro today!)0 -
Dr U Idh
Yes, the feed stations have energy drinks, water and food (usually bananas, cake, sweets etc). Maybe even ham rolls!
Mudgards are a contentious issue for roadies. (See CW almost every week in the winter) It breaks up families ;-)
Standing around...um yes. Fraid so. Last year at the Etape (the real one) it took ages in the dark and rain. Not enormous fun, but you soon warm up once you get going.
Numbers, I wouldn't worry about that. You'll have one on your bars too. The one on your back is no big deal usually. In any case, you'll be wearing a transponder on your foot for timing.0 -
Cool - so if I die, someone will amputate my foot and finish the course for me?0
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popette wrote:Aberdeen_lune wrote:It's got to be better than last weekend at The Bealach. Red raw legs and frozen fingers sleet and strong winds. Later on I was too warm. Typical 4 seasons in one day. This weekend has got to be nicer......hasn't it??????
I looked at the pictures of that to get an idea of what people were wearing - it looked awful. Did the sun come out later?
Yes, the sun did indeed come out later. Once over the top it was like entering another world, you could feel the air temp rise as you descended and after a while I had to lose the outer layer. Ended up a beautiful day. Character building as bhickey called it.
Good luck to all taking part. Wish I could be there...
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Well, the weather's been lousy round here but Sunday's forecasts look quite consistent:
Definitely not raining all morning, but not warm (maybe a fraction warmer than first feared, say 10-11°) and a bit breezy (again, looking better than it did). Optimism rocks!
I'll see you all there, look out for the old maroon raleigh with the old maroon faced rider. Wearing... well, could be anything or everything!
All the best to all of you, let us know how you get on.0 -
Woke up yesterday morning and had a sore throat. Woke up this morning and I seem to have inexplicably pulled a muscle in my left calf whilst asleep! My body's trying to tell me something, but I can't think what...
Anyway, see you all at the start (unless I go blind tonight, in which case I'll be the coughing, limping bloke facing the wrong direction,
)
Good luck to you all.0 -
Pict wrote:Weather looks set for heavy showers on Sun. Get stuck behind someone with a big ars* and you should be fine.
I've got one of them.
:oops:
You are all welcome to tuck in behind it, as long as you let me win (and don't mind taking 5 hours to get round, including walking up Shiehallion! (My training this year has not been all it was meant to be!) 0 -
Well it's been chucking it down in Pitlochry most of the afternoon. But I am registered, equipped, and I'm here. So I'm bloody doing it.
Once you're wet, you can't really get any wetter...0 -
"organised bands of showers" ??!!
Never heard anything so ridiculous.
Organised by whom?0 -
MegaCycle wrote:Dr U Idh
Yes, the feed stations have energy drinks, water and food (usually bananas, cake, sweets etc). Maybe even ham rolls!
Mudgards are a contentious issue for roadies. (See CW almost every week in the winter) It breaks up families ;-)
Standing around...um yes. Fraid so. Last year at the Etape (the real one) it took ages in the dark and rain. Not enormous fun, but you soon warm up once you get going.
Numbers, I wouldn't worry about that. You'll have one on your bars too. The one on your back is no big deal usually. In any case, you'll be wearing a transponder on your foot for timing.
From the last 2 years at the Etape C.
There's only been water and bananas at the feedstations.
The start process is pretty quick. They've gone off in waves and the high st in Pitlochry is wide enough to move OK.
Certainly the numbers on the helmet and bike have been plenty last 2 years, but I do hear that they're planning to be strick this year on groupings.0 -
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Eta ... 82719.html
I hope plod try and get some DNA off the tacks that were strewn across the road, what a disgusting and selfish thing to do. These people are lucky their roads are closed on one day a year to let a group of law abiding cyclists pass in safety, and not every fortnight while the area is swarming with football fans.0
