Central Scotland Forum TdF ride

[HJ]

Ok, so someone had to do it. Suggestions for where and when (in August)...

the 8th or 9th look good on the doodle...

 

[MrRidley]

Or how about this month, if not i am going to attempt my first ton by cycling to edinburgh and back following HLAB'S route he took on monday, just need a decent sat/sun weather wise, if anyone else wants to come and let me sit on their wheel for the first 50 all the better

 

[HJ]

Weeel, it has been just suggested that we have it on the 26th of this month (July), any other takers??

 

[scook94]

*ahem* 26th works for me... or 8/9th August....

 

[eldudino]

26th may be pushing it for me as it's the first weekend after we come back from holiday. 8/9th Aug would suit better to keep SWMBO in high spirits!

Have we got a route yet by the way?

 

[Scoosh]

26th may be pushing it for me as it's the first weekend after we come back from holiday. 8/9th Aug would suit better to keep SWMBO in high spirits!

Have we got a route yet by the way?

He wants a route AND a date ?????

Obviously new to CC Scotland ride disorganisation

Two points were made after last Saturday's ride:
1 should we just make a fixed date (eg last Sunday of each month) and those who can't make it one day can try to plan for the next one

2 make the food/social stop AFTER the ride, as a long break in the middle isn't good for the legs, stomachs and various other bits This certainly worked well after our Linlithgow ride and was the favoured option of the 5 of us in the ADSA carpark on Saturday after the ride . My suggestion is to take some foodstuffs with us, so we can have a break (like at Blackness Castle) then have a meal/drink together at the end.

 

[eldudino]

He wants a route AND a date ?????

Obviously new to CC Scotland ride disorganisation

Two points were made after last Saturday's ride:
1 should we just make a fixed date (eg last Sunday of each month) and those who can't make it one day can try to plan for the next one

2 make the food/social stop AFTER the ride....

I was going to put all that but it was easier to ask if anyone else had any ideas!

Let's fix it, route/date remain TBC!

 

[ACS]

Cannot make the 26th, the SWMBO is in hospital over 23rd and 24th for a operation so no escape chit for me.

8/9 is a definate maybe, the following weekend is out because I have signed up for Lathnot and Lunan Audax

 

[simon_brooke]

26th works for me, would prefer south of the Edinburgh/Glasgow line. The Lanark/Biggar loop proposed earlier? Or how about from Abington down the Dalveen Pass to Drumlanrig and back up the Mennock Water (warning - it's a great route, but it's an EPIC climb)

 

[Seamab]

I could put together a few route options starting from either Stirling, Dunblane, Alloa, Gleneagles , Perth. Shall i do this or are you looking for different territory?

What i would need to know is
a) How far? maximum length? - do we need an optional extension for those that want to go a wee bit further?
Does it have to start at a railway station? (i think this is a "yes") with good nearby car parking?
c) Hills. I'm assuming the avoidance of anything too steep (i.e. 15% +) and too long.
d) Does it have to start /finish at the same location? e.g. Start Perth and Stirling or whatever.
e)Must finish with a decent feed/drink stop.

In terms of dates i'm off on holiday late July until mid August so mid to late August would suit me better.

 

[HJ]

I could put together a few route options starting from either Stirling, Dunblane, Alloa, Gleneagles , Perth. Shall i do this or are you looking for different territory?

What i would need to know is
a) How far? maximum length? - do we need an optional extension for those that want to go a wee bit further?
Does it have to start at a railway station? (i think this is a "yes") with good nearby car parking?
c) Hills. I'm assuming the avoidance of anything too steep (i.e. 15% +) and too long.
d) Does it have to start /finish at the same location? e.g. Start Perth and Stirling or whatever.
e)Must finish with a decent feed/drink stop.

In terms of dates i'm off on holiday late July until mid August so mid to late August would suit me better.

Ok, the thing with these rides is to remember this is CycleChat, we are about Chat(ting) as well as Cycle(ing), so the rides need to be accessible to as many people as want to come along. There need to be access to public transport and also parking (for those who aren't up to an epic ride either side of the social one).

With hills, it's a tricky one, if it is a short ride with a steep hill this can be challenging to new comers, but with the support and help of the rest of us they can get up them and this can be a good thing as it can increase the scene of camaraderie.

Distance wise I would suggest that 70 km (43 miles) should be the longest, as this is within the ability of most new comers, so long as the terrain is not to challenging. Again for some this will be a challenge in its self, but one they can rise to with the support of those with more experience. Did I mention these rides are about camaraderie?

Starting and finishing location, well I have no objection to starting and one station and finishing at another, but those with car might not be so keen.

Must finish with be a decent feed/drink stop, somewhere on the ride, but why stop at one...

As I see it these rides are a social event which should accessible to anyone with a bike who wants to come along...

Well thats my tuppence ha'penny worth anyway, feel free to discuss further...

 

[TechMech]

I could put together a few route options starting from either Stirling, Dunblane, Alloa, Gleneagles , Perth. Shall i do this or are you looking for different territory?

What i would need to know is
a) How far? maximum length? - do we need an optional extension for those that want to go a wee bit further?
Does it have to start at a railway station? (i think this is a "yes") with good nearby car parking?
c) Hills. I'm assuming the avoidance of anything too steep (i.e. 15% +) and too long.
d) Does it have to start /finish at the same location? e.g. Start Perth and Stirling or whatever.
e)Must finish with a decent feed/drink stop.

In terms of dates i'm off on holiday late July until mid August so mid to late August would suit me better.

Seamab, i'd definitely go ahead and work out some good routes if you've got some ideas. This way you can put them forward for the inevitable route poll

I'll also take the opportunity to answer your questions:

a) The last two have been around the 40 mile mark and starting at 10 or 10:30 means a late afternoon finish. I would say that a 50 mile run would probably be maximum (but would probably need an earlier start). However, saying that I think anything over 25+ miles gives a worthwhile day out.

Yes and Yes (If possible)

c) For me personally i'm not all that bothered about hills, as the rest of you will just have to wait until I get up them However, it is felt by many that a very hilly route would deter novice riders and I think it reduces the social aspect of the ride, as the last two rides were fairly even going and allowed folks to stick together more.

d) For those that have to travel travel to the ride, it makes sense to start and finish it in the same place, so looped routes I would say are preferable. However, the Linlithgow ride was a figure 8 route, which was a bit different.

e) Not essential, but does allow everyone the opportunity to get together for a good chat F2F over a pint and some grub. After stopping half way round on the last two rides, I did find it really hard to get going again, so i'd vote for either taking grub with us and pit stopping on the way or fueling up at the end.

 

[HLaB]

I could put together a few route options starting from either Stirling, Dunblane, Alloa, Gleneagles , Perth. Shall i do this or are you looking for different territory?

What i would need to know is
a) How far? maximum length? - do we need an optional extension for those that want to go a wee bit further?
B) Does it have to start at a railway station? (i think this is a "yes") with good nearby car parking?
c) Hills. I'm assuming the avoidance of anything too steep (i.e. 15% +) and too long.
d) Does it have to start /finish at the same location? e.g. Start Perth and Stirling or whatever.
e)Must finish with a decent feed/drink stop.


In terms of dates i'm off on holiday late July until mid August so mid to late August would suit me better.

a) length probably depends upon the terrain, I think the 44 mile Perth ride went down well on a flatter route. I wouldn't mind longer ride though on an old C+ ride we done a 100km, it attracted a lot of folk (including folk from south of the border). I'm happy to go with the consensus though.
B) starting at a Railway Station or near it is good as it increase the accessibility of the ride to more members.
c) Hills I like them but in the interest of getting more people you better tread carefully there.
d) We can cover more ground if we started in one location but it isn't really handy for those who come by car.
e) I don't see why we must finish with a decent feed stop. I personally like a feed stop half way, it give people a well needed break and the energy to continue. Again personally, I'm less worried about leaving my bike outside a Pub in the middle of nowhere

 

[magnatom]

My availability isn't great at the moment. The main reason for this is I want to do a sportive in August and I need to get some hilly miles in before then. With family etc time is limited, and I am getting a day pass for the sportive so the 26th is certainly out for me and I'm not sure about August.

However, I am certainly taking part in PfS in September so I hope this will be a nice chatty ride!

 

[scook94]

I'm happy with whatever route is decided on. However I did find it a bit of a struggle to get going again after the lunch break on the Perth run, so I'd vote for having lunch at or towards the end of the next run.