Anyone having doubts about the Etape Caledonia?

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Comments

  • Spender
    Spender Posts: 87
    Boleynboy wrote:
    ...there were guys panning for gold in the stream!

    Shhhh, you're not supposed to tell anyone - It's the big secret of how Alex Salmond's paying for independence. :wink:


    Colin - Wave K - 6.50am (There are two 6.50s in the same day apparently, who knew :? ) I really hope my new SS Evo doesn't dissolve in the rain. It might have been a mistake putting that white handlebar tape on though :roll:
  • Boleynboy
    Boleynboy Posts: 83
    Omar Little wrote:
    Well thats the chain and cassette cleaned and a tweaking to the brakes. Up to Pitlochry tomorrow morning and then head out for a spin if the weather isnt too bad. Excited now :D
    Boleynboy wrote:
    Just got to Pitlochry, staying at the Faskally campsite. Stayed in Dumfries for the last two nights after driving up from Sussex, decided to ride the Mennock Pass climb featured in Simon Warren's 100 greatest climbs as a warm up for Sunday. 27 miles along the A76 into a 20mph headwind with sideways rain, followed by the 10k Mennock climb upto Leadhills, with snow at the top, was an interesting warm up for Sunday!


    Was up that last week during the Drumlanrig tearfund nice conditions for the climb, dry, cool and a slight tailwind...there were guys panning for gold in the stream!

    Dry, cool and a tailwind was everything it wasn't today! Awesome scenery though, what I could see of it through the rain and hail!
  • Full Merckx
    Full Merckx Posts: 143
    FFS. It's Scotland, the weathers pish, accept it. :D There is nothing like the excitement of riding closed roads with thousands of other cyclists. Yes it would be better in the sun, but this adds to to the experience of the day. You will enjoy it. I did it first time in awful weather, snapped my chain at 75 miles another year and didn't finish in the blazing sun and had a blast last year in a fast group. I've never done a big european sportive (8 weeks to go) but I really enjoyed this event. Hope you decide to do it as come hail, rain or shine what makes it special is in a small part the route but in the main the day itself.
    Enjoy, the weather only adds to events it's a super day.
  • Edward H
    Edward H Posts: 38
    Oh boo hoo, it's might rain. That's fine, I think we are used to that. Makes it a bit crappy draughting. Sounds like a good time to just set off with your mate, don't ride through puddles etc. :D
  • Cool4catz
    Cool4catz Posts: 76
    About 900 others had doubts by the looks of it!
  • d4evr
    d4evr Posts: 293
    Cool4catz wrote:
    About 900 others had doubts by the looks of it!

    Yip, and they missed out IMO. Some would have had genuine reasons, but those who skipped it because of the weather missed a great day/event, sense of achievement perhaps and someone else could have had the entry.
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    Yup a waste of £72,000 by my reckoning
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • navrig
    navrig Posts: 1,352
    Whilst the weather could have been better it wasn't unbearable. The challenge was working out which weather website was going to be right. Metcheck said it would feel like minus one whilst the BBC said 5 degrees!!

    I ended up wearing a long sleeve jersey with a merino will base. It was the right choice and with a litepac waterproof I didn't feel the cold at all.

    As for the wind south of the hill, that was hard work until we turned east when a steady 22-24mph was relatively easy.

    To cap it all my carbon frame didn't dissolve.
  • Garryboy
    Garryboy Posts: 344
    Photos are up.

    Why do some people just naturally look cool on a bike, I look like a sack of spuds!
  • crescent
    crescent Posts: 1,201
    d4evr wrote:
    Cool4catz wrote:
    About 900 others had doubts by the looks of it!

    Yip, and they missed out IMO. Some would have had genuine reasons, but those who skipped it because of the weather missed a great day/event, sense of achievement perhaps and someone else could have had the entry.

    Agree 100%. Glad I didn't succumb to the doubts. I'm generally a fair weather cyclist but, another lesson learned, found myself surprisingly unbothered by the rain and cold (I was too warm tbh), just the wind when heading west. Great heading east though :D

    Cheers
    Bianchi ImpulsoBMC Teammachine SLR02 01Trek Domane AL3“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. “ ~H.G. Wells Edit - "Unless it's a BMX"
  • nweststeyn
    nweststeyn Posts: 1,574
    Indeed. I would have gladly taken someones spot, regardless of weather, and I know a fair few others who were the same.
  • nweststeyn
    nweststeyn Posts: 1,574
    (Moan, whinge, moan) ;)

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