Lowther Hills Snowball Sportive - UK's 3rd tallest climb

Alan Ha Ha

Hello peeps,

This October the 3 Pistes Cycle Sportive team and Lowther Hills Ski club are joining forces to create a new cycle sportive up to Scotland's highest piece of tarmac, to raise funds to buy new equipment for the LHSC.



LHSC needs to raise the best part of £100k for a clubhouse, piste basher fencing, and some form of snow taxi to transport you from the village up the hill to the tows.



The date will be confirmed next week and entries open next weekend.

This will be a unique opportunity for Scottish cyclists to climb the full height of Mennock Pass (15.2km / 611m climbing) and then the private road to Scotland's highest piece of tarmac without stopping at the normally locked gates.





This is the UK's 3rd tallest climb, only Bealach Na Ba and Great Dunn Fell have a greater altitude gain.

3 routes, 99.9miles, 99.6km and 53km.

The Big Wan is similar to the old Radar Ride, featuring Deil's Beef Tub, Talla, Dalveen and finishing with the full climb (15.2km / 611m climbing) all the way up Mennock Pass, past the usually locked gates and the new Lowther Ski Tow onto the private road to Scotland's highest piece of tarmac.





The Middle Wan will first take you down Mennock then up Crawick back to Leadhills, down Dalveen and finish with the big climb up Mennock to the very very top.

The Wee Wan will be a clockwise loop to Dalveen then up the big climb.

We just need a name... The Wanlockhead Snowball Sportive ?

Entries will open next weekend.

fenix

Cool - and not way up in the HIghlands either ! Looks a great part of the world.

Date doesnt fit for me this year and I expect a lot of people might be booked now - but next year please run it again !

htsw5

What? A circular route?

Having done the bus transfer on 3 pistes and the party boat for the Dunoon Dynamo, I was assuming we'd be having a helicopter transfer this time


Route sounds good, not an area I've cycled but easily accessible. I really like having a tough climb at the end of a ride - means the latter part of the ride is spent wondering if you've left enough in the tank.

October could be a bit hit or miss given school half terms but no reason why it won't work - as a year round cyclist I like the idea of having an organised long ride each month and they start to dry up after September, so will be checking my calendar once dates announced.

I assume you've heard of the 'fun' Tour o' the Borders had on the descent of Talla - one to give careful thought to in your prep.

DaveMoss

When fixing a date, bear in mind that October 3rd is the Moffat sportive which uses a big part of the proposed long route so anytime close to that would not be great., but the later into October you go the more iffy the weather for that climb. The old Radar ride had to cancel the final climb on the last occasion.

ajkerr73

Sounds good, assuming it wont clash with the Braveheart at Killie??

hector88

Great route, have done most of it before.

Just a quick note though, the gates to the 'Golfball' - the private road - aren't locked. It's closed off to cars but a bike can just go around it fairly easily.

Alan Ha Ha

Lowther Hills Snowball Sportive - Sunday 4th October





A great opportunity to put all your summer miles to work and make a weekend of it - Ride the Moffat Sportive on the Saturday and Lowther Hills on the Sunday.

DaveMoss

Moffat is the ideal base for both this and the Moffat Sportives, would make a great weekend and well worth the trip from far afield. It's just off the Motorway so easy to get to, has loads of accomadation options less than 3hrs from Manchester.

Alan Ha Ha

Brilliant day on Sunday. Lovely and sunny up top in the morning, but a bit claggy in the afternoon.