Bethany Sportive 2013 (Edinburgh)

Crofter - I'll be there. Hope to see you! You must be glad you didn't need to change your signature

Just got back from this. Was a great day, friendly, really well run and some amazing country.

Well done guys - which route did you do? I did the 102 but went via Temple both ways (so it came in at just under 105 miles). It was a lovely day. Weather was better than expected, and some nice folks I met on the way. Strava has 7,500 feet of climbing!

Here is my Strava - http://app.strava.com/activities/57494878

It was my second time riding the Bethany, and while I improved my time, I still suffered on the climbs! There's something about this ride that just disagrees with me. I put it down to really not being in sportive shape until the summer (such as it is) finally arrives. :roll:

I started off early and chatted to a rider who was a bit apprehensive about the ride ahead (she was doing the 72 miler). By the time I decided I needed to go ahead, my group was out of sight. Not a good start! A sign of how badly I was going to do on the climbs came early, on the outward ascent of the Moorfoots. I've done that climb often but I found it more of a slog than I should have. Through the relatively shallow climb in the valley towards Innerleithen, I was starting to get passed by later starters. After a very brief water top-up, I picked up the pace and skipped the second stop (Tushielaw).

Witchie Knowe punished me more than last year and amongst those who passed me was a female rider who called out encouragement. I soon passed her on the way down the other side (I love descents where you can just see round the corners enough to barely feather the brakes). From that point on, we stuck together for the next 15 miles until I got dropped on the climb to Clovenfords. I wasn't too ashamed of that though as she is a triathlete and was using the ride as a training run for an Ironman! :shock: I was disappointed that I was struggling by this point though.

From then on, it was a case of pass-and-be-passed, some never to be seen again (ahead or behind) and others I'd cross paths with regularly. I made the most of the third stop (fantastic choc chip cake!) and skipped the fourth stop. Three of us then co-operated from the return ascent of the Moorfoots to the finish, and the company was very welcome. I tried my bit of helping with the drafting (not once on the whole route did I get a tailwind), but my smaller frame was never going to be quite such a help to them as they were to me.

I'd taken the Temple route outbound but we went back via the A7 - not nearly so much fun but not so bad in a small group. At the finish, the tea and macaroni pie went down a treat. 8) If I'm going to do it a third time next year, I really need to get into endurance (and particularly climbing) shape earlier in the year!