Tour Rides - Tour of Britain

lochindaal

I'm also signed up for the Scottish event. I did Talla last week going up the hill. Are the Pro's really going to race down there? could be crashes everywhere

Alistair, do you know how many people are signed up for Scotland?

thecrofter

lochindaal wrote:

I did Talla last week going up the hill. Are the Pro's really going to race down there? could be crashes everywhere

I think the Pro's will be OK, it's us amatuers that could result in carnage. I'm usually not bothered on a fast descent, I've done the Bealach a few times at over 50mph, but I'll be extra careful on this one, it's very bumpy in parts and very narrow, I'll be watching for slower riders veering to avoid the bumps, and the sheepsh1t. . There's not a lot of grip left for braking.

Mozza1

Haven't seen it mentioned so far...........are there any timed climbs on the routes this year?
Last year we were timed on the Gun Hill climb.......would like to beat it this year.

AlistairTR

Dr U Idh wrote:

I was looking at the route of the Sportive as posted on the website. It diverts from the "Pro" route just before Dumfries, going over a small track and in to Tinwald. A quick glance at Google Streetview confirms that this track is not negotiable by road bikes.......

Hi Dr U Idh, Well spotted on the map, it looks as if the gpx file was incorrect and is going to be re-loaded asap! Thanks for spotting it and if you are riding it on Sunday have a great day. I can't make it up, but hope that the sun shines and the wind is always on your back

Cheerio
Alistair

Dr U Idh

Alistair - glad to be of service. I'm riding on Sunday and also volunteering for the "real" Tour the following weekend,

No sign of my info pack and stuff yet tho........

Thelittlesthobo

Hi guys/girls

Would anyone care to give me a piece of advice. I am a bit of a newcomer to roadcycling (April - Bad Injury recovery etc etc). Before that i have mountain biked for years all over the lake district. Taken part in many 10hr solo events etc so i know what time in the saddle feels like. This is just a basics to what i am going to ask.

I want/must complete a 100mls ride this year. I wasnt supposed to be able to do any sport untill about August in any way so to have got back on the bike was a big challenge in April. Anyhow i have built up gradually and am easily riding over 500km per month, Last month was over 700km and this month i have still managed 500+ with a weeks illness.

My riding is usually 30-40mls rides but there are a few club runs in there of between 50-70mls. I have also done a couple of charity rides between 50 and 100kms.

So am i biting off more than i can chew with the 170kms ride at the weekend? I wont take offence if the furthest i have ridden is 110km. I felt pretty good tbh and rode some big hills (Langholm monument).

Any advice appreciated.

Oh, apologies if any thing is out of place,i am just going off to read the reast of the thread now.

jackfeeder

Never mind getting timed on any climbs I think anyone who got up Caerphilly Mtn should have an additional medal - what a #### that was.

Any video footage on the web yet, checked the other day and it was just straight ahead footage from a motorbike - not v.interesting.

thecrofter

@Thelittlesthobo If you're doing those sort of distances you'll be fine, probably better than fine. Just make sure you pace yourself, even if you do feel great for the first couple of hours DON'T get carried away. Make sure you keep drinking, although it's not going to be terribly warm, it's still very important. Plan to have one reasonable stop for re-fuelling, I'll be stopping in Moffat for 15mins to cram some fuel. And take some snackage with you for topping up en route. I've gravitated to jelly beans/babies since the Trossachs Ton, I used to take granola bars but they're a bit difficult to chew when you're riding.

I've found that once I was doing over 100K anything more just takes a bit of mental strength....it's all mind over matter.

BTW my training peaked this month at 628k........I will be very close to 7hrs, hopefully just inside rather than out.

No rider pack yet either

AlistairTR

Thelittlesthobo wrote:

Hi guys/girls, Would anyone care to give me a piece of advice.

Always a difficult one without really knowing you, but I guess the best advice is to listen to your body and pace yourself, perhaps even take the hills a little slower than normal at the start by dropping a few gears to save some energy for later

Mozza1 wrote:

Haven't seen it mentioned so far...........are there any timed climbs on the routes this year?
Last year we were timed on the Gun Hill climb.......would like to beat it this year.

KoMs are not being timed this year.

jackfeeder wrote:

Never mind getting timed on any climbs I think anyone who got up Caerphilly Mtn should have an additional medal - what a #### that was.

Any video footage on the web yet, checked the other day and it was just straight ahead footage from a motorbike - not v.interesting.

Know what you mean Jackfeeder about Caerphilly Hill!!! Blimey, it was a corker! I've not seen any other vid footage yet.

Best of luck to everyone who is riding the Tour Ride in Scotland this Sunday - have a good one

All the best
Alistair

thecrofter

@Thelittlesthobo

The areas I've pinpointed for the ride on Sunday are:- the uphill from Tweedsmuir to the summit at the Devil's Beef Tub, this is 8 miles uphill all the way and there will be a head wind, I'll be taking it slow and steady, there's still a long way to go so no point in hammering into it and being knackered by the top. Once you get over the top it's seven miles downhill to the feed stop in Moffat, from then on there are not any REAL hills. Also the ten miles out the Nith estuary from Dumfries is pretty flat but it's quite open and there will be a head wind, so save a bit for there. After that you go up a bit through to Dalbeattie, but the last ten miles should be pretty easy, mostly flat with the wind helping.

Don't try to mash the hills in a high gear, it's not worth looking macho just to crash and burn with twenty to go....that's definately to be avoided.

Dr U Idh

@thelittlesthobo - I agree that you should be fine on the day. It will help if you can hook up with some other riders of a similar pace, especially where there is a headwind. Don't go too fast out of the blocks in order to keep up though or you'll crash and burn ny the time you get half-way round.

I rode the Tweedsmuir-Moffat section recently and it was absolutely fine - much less of a grind than I thought it would be. I've never approached Talla from the West though, that looks completely the "wrong" way as it'll be a long climb for a short, sharp, braking descent. :-)

Rider pack arrived (two numbers - one with attached chip) and three zip-ties......No. 264 btw.

thecrofter

Dr U Idh wrote:

@thelittlesthobo - I've never approached Talla from the West though, that looks completely the "wrong" way as it'll be a long climb for a short, sharp, braking descent. :-)

The Climb up the "wrong" side is not that bad, I deliberately went to do that last weekend, as I said though the descent is pretty scary because it's so rough. I was even wary overtaking my mate on the way down, although I know his riding style I still couldn't be sure he would not be avoiding bumps or sheepsh1t, give yourself plenty of room. Even at top speed it's so short a descent you'd be lucky to take a minute out of someone, so much better to play safe.
The climb up from Tweedsmuir is not a steep climb more of a never ending drag, especially with a headwind

Glad to hear the rider packs are arriving, I'll be looking forward to opening the post tonight when I get home

amd-sco

Hi, I'm a little confused about the start in Peebles.

There is no info in the rider pack that came today, and the web says there is no sign on, on the day, just arrive between 07.00 - 9.30 but get to the start area 20 mins before your start time.How do I find out my start time????

thecrofter

amd-sco wrote:

Hi, I'm a little confused about the start in Peebles.

There is no info in the rider pack that came today, and the web says there is no sign on, on the day, just arrive between 07.00 - 9.30 but get to the start area 20 mins before your start time.How do I find out my start time????

I'll just be turning up at around 8.30 and heading to the start. Does it say where to park other than "Go to the designated Car Park" and where exactly is the start the TOB start is in the High Street, or was last year, but the Tour Ride stuff I've seen says Glentress Lodge which is a couple of miles out of Peebles. I'm just trying to work out where I should park.

amd-sco

on the website it says

Park in the designated car park (this will be the drop off point for rides with a Sunday transfer) and walk or cycle to the start at Glentress Lodge, Peebles, EH45 8NB; your 170km ride will start here between 0700 and 0930, it’s a long hilly route so we want you to get on your way as soon as possible

There is a load of parking at Glentress Lodge - its the hotel next to the MTB place, so presumably that'll be where to park.

I'm guessing it'll just be a turn up & go I'm aiming for about 8 ish but depends on whether I can get a lift off my wife or if I'll have to ride over (20 miles).

Thelittlesthobo

Looks like this is going to fail for me. Cant get a lift that doesnt leave me with no sleep and i havent got time etc to get down on the sat.

Thanks for the comments above and it has made me more determined to get this 100ml ride off my back. I think its going to be one that i plan off my own back instead. Considering where i am based that shouldnt be too much of a problem.

Good luck to everyone taking part and if things keep going the way they are i think this will be one for next year. May come down and take some pictures instead in the afternoon.

thecrofter

Thelittlesthobo wrote:

Looks like this is going to fail for me. Cant get a lift that doesnt leave me with no sleep and i havent got time etc to get down on the sat.

Thanks for the comments above and it has made me more determined to get this 100ml ride off my back. I think its going to be one that i plan off my own back instead. Considering where i am based that shouldnt be too much of a problem.

Good luck to everyone taking part and if things keep going the way they are i think this will be one for next year. May come down and take some pictures instead in the afternoon.

Where are you coming from?

F365Eli

Does anybody know roughly how many are signed up for the Scottish rides?

Dr U Idh

At least 264 :-)

I'm a bit confused about parking at the start - and where the Ride actually starts. The GPX file has a start showing in Peebles and then the start of the route actually being at Glentress Lodge - Oh and it's actually 174km.

thecrofter

Dr U Idh wrote:

At least 264 :-)

I'm a bit confused about parking at the start - and where the Ride actually starts. The GPX file has a start showing in Peebles and then the start of the route actually being at Glentress Lodge - Oh and it's actually 174km.

I suppose we'll find out on Sunday, I'm tempted to park along by the cemetery on the Neidpath Road that's the way I'll be coming back to Peebles to pick up the car and it's a bit quieter along there, and it's only a couple of miles to the start (if it is at Glentress) :?

There's also the carpark on the south side of the Tweed, but it gets busy later in the day. The car park at the end of the High St on the way to Edinburgh could well be the official car park, I'm guessing.

thecrofter

This is getting worse!!! I've just got an email including an updated .gpx route which appears to show the start flag in Peebles but the track doesn't start until Glentress. I've just e-mailed them for some clarification

Dr U Idh

aye - that's what I was referring to above. I'm wondering if it's a question of parking at the "Flag" then an untimed run to the "Start" at Glentress Lodge.

thecrofter

to me it looks like the other way round, park at Glentress then up to the start at Peebles. We need clarification.... :?

thegibdog

Just has an email from the Tour Ride Team about getting sponsorship because "Your registration fee only covers the cost of the event and does not go towards helping fight prostate cancer". Can anyone confirm whether this is the case or not?

Was told last year that the entire entry fee went to charity (see http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16319154&sid=dfb28c866703b6818cc6dd5ad4fe978f) and that, along with AlistairTR's comments earlier in this thread, left me assuming that it would this year too. I will be pretty annoyed if none of the fee is going to charity.

Can you clear this up Alistair?

Dr U Idh

I was a bit perplexed by that too given what I'd read about it. Having already raised almost £3k for another charity earlier this summer, I'm not going around with the begging bowl again.

thecrofter

OK, got an e-mail from Sara at the organisers......the start and the parking are at Glentress

Dr U Idh

Great - that's that cleared up then.

Apparently, the Peel cafe at Glentress is going to open early on Sunday too..... That's pre-ride cake and coffee sorted.

thecrofter

Checked the weather for Sunday....the mudguards are coming off

AlistairTR

Hi All,
Sorry to be slow in getting back, I’ve been away for a few days.

Thanks for your various messages and first of all best of luck to all of you that are riding on Sunday, I hope you have a great day and that the weather is kind to you.

It is a complicated area as far as how much money goes directly to the charity and how much pays for the event, as it is subject to how many people turn up and ride. As with all of these things there are standard set up costs that have to be paid for. I’d like to say that the entire application fee goes to the charity for research and raising awareness, but it doesn’t and numbers have proved lower than hoped for and so the extra sponsorship money is a massive help.

That said if you are taking part that is great and a real support for the charity and however you help and however much is raised, to all of you I’d like to say thanks on behalf of the charity.

I’m passionate about cycling....it’s a huge part of my life, but getting the message across about prostate cancer is now also really important to me, it is the most common cancer in men in the UK. 37,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. 250,000 men are currently living with the disease.

So whatever you do this year; ride one of the Tour Rides, raise sponsorship for the charity, tell your friends to read up on the cancer (details here www.prostate-cancer.org.uk ) or encourage others to do the same – “thank you”.
After this weekend, there is still London and Stoke-on-Tent and before you know it, we’ll be talking about 2012

Cheerio for now

Alistair

thegibdog

Thanks for the reply Alistair. Obviously I'm very disappointed that none of my entry fee is going to charity but can you just clear up whether any of it ever was going to go to charity because the email implies it wasn't? Also was it the case last year that all the entry fees went to charity?

I'd assumed that the numerous ToB sponsors stumped up the cash for the running of the Tour Rides, admittedly I probably should have checked this beforehand. Part of the draw for me was the charity side of it and whilst the Prostate Cancer Charity clearly do well out the events I could just as easily do any sportive and get sponsorship myself.

I think in future I will stick to events like the Geoff Thomas Sportive where the majority of the entry fee goes to charity and they are transparent about how much of it does.