Kinross sportive 2011

[AuldAl]

You're not from Cupar by any chance are you?

No a foreigner from East Lothian, foreigner as in 'Not Frae Fife'

 

[fimm]

Hi Fimm, Yes that would have been me in the top with black arm warmers. You definitely should have said hello! I saw a few ladies on the Black and I wondered if it was you!

Sorry. I was talking to some people that my boyfriend knows but I hadn't met before, and was slightly reluctant to go "excuse me while I go and talk to somebody I think I know from the internet!!!".

(Boyfriend clocked 5h26 total time, 5h15ish garmin time - he'd have liked to be 10 - 15 minutes quicker than that, but was happy enough. I managed to be faster than he expected, again... he'd had his shower and was wandereing back to the car, and said hi to the guys doing the timing, one of whom he knows slightly, and he said something along the lines of "Isn't this weather awful? Poor F is still out in it..." "No," said the timing man, "She's finished...")

My official time was 5 hours 39mins. I had to wait in a queue for a wee at the first feed stop!

I saw the queue and decided I didn't need to join it. I watered a tree somewhere on Dunning Common instead - even with the faff of getting off the road, I think that was quicker than queuing!

Really pleased. So I've been given the ok for another sportive this year. What should I go for? My thoughts are the Ken Laidlaw at the moment. What do you think?

The only other Sportive I've done was the Skye Beag organised by Hands On Events:
http://www.handsonevents.co.uk/
Skye's great, but might be a bit too short notice for you now? How about the Bealach Mor? That would be a challenge!

 

[ACS]

Thought I would join in. Yes I am blowing that hard and its only minutes into the ride

 

[Scoosh]

I saw two men wearing CycleChat tops - one was an older man with red sleeves under the top, not in the queue at the start,......... I should perhaps have gone and said hello.

Indeed it was -

- my disguise wasn't adequate, then

?

I was keeping back for a later start but hadn't planned on being even later

.

For me, it was much more like an audax - riding alone, with an occasional other rider around; sadly, most of them were actually slower than I was, so no group riding/tow round for me

.

Time became not-an-issue, as I had my saddle-bolt incident, then stopped to assist a jammed chain, then had a flat, then began not to enjoy it ... and I knew about the short-cut past Duchally - but resisted the temptation

, so 6.35 total.

Too late to have my photo took, too

Maybe fimm is right ....... an old man .......




So who is coming to join MrRidley and I on the Snow Roads

???

 

[Halfmanhalfbike]

Since some of you have posted pics of yourselves in action Here's mine, don't laugh too much at the stomach. It's all muscle honest. And this was only a few miles in!. Bloody steep hill tho'

 

[fimm]

Maybe fimm is right ....... an old man .......

Oh, Scoosh I only said you were older than Magnatom!

I think most of us, who were not with someone who we'd agreed to ride together with, ended up on our own during the second part of the ride, when the three routes split. My boyfriend was eventually caught up by someone he knew and they worked together for the last stretch which he said was a good thing.

 

[ferret fur]

if there was one thing i would change on this sportive apart from the weather it is this ^. When the Red & Black routes split I was left on my own as the other 5-6 guys took a left It would be nice to get everyone on the same route riding together so we all didn't end up doing the last half of the event solo. Dunno how you achieve this: Staring in route batches perhaps?

 

[Scoosh]

The other would have been Scoosh I imagine

. I didn't see anyone else in CycleChat tops.


Really pleased. So I've been given the ok for another sportive this year. What should I go for? My thoughts are the Ken Laidlaw at the moment. What do you think?

There are a couple of others I've seen which have caught the eye.

• Saturday 27 August - Highland Perthshire Challenge - 100 miles, 1255 m of climbing (and descending
  
  )
• Saturday 3 September - Tour of Tweedale - 50, 70 90 mile routes and some nice hills

KL is tougher than either of these (105 miles, 2422 metres) but perfectly doable - albeit it's being done in the reverse direction this year, so I can't speak for this year's route.



Missed the ToT last year, might be tempted this ...

 

[ACS]

I think those of us who did not have a riding partner or could keep pace with some of the faster moving groups ended up riding solo. I know I did after the first food stop. Not that it bothered me a great deal, but I have to admit it would have been nice to share the suffering with another sole.

I always intended to ride the event in a audax style as I was using route as a fitness test for the Snow Roads a pleasure I am going to forgo this year I am really sad to say.

The only answer is to grade riders by their expected ride time, giving the slowest the earliest start time. But this would be an organisational nightmare and give the directing staff more headaches than they have already.

Having had a day or two to think about the entire experience I would like to see the black route extended to 100 miles with more climbing making it real hard riders route, the red route staying as is so non climbers can have testing day in the saddle and the appeal of the blue promoted as great taster event.

IMO Kinross CC have created a 'must ride' event which based on the feedback from this years event will be over subscribed next year.

 

[Halfmanhalfbike]

IMO Kinross CC have created a 'must ride' event which based on the feedback from this years event will be over subscribed next year.

Couldn't agree more. This and the Etape could become Scotlands two premier events. Once again well done Kinross Cycling Club

 

[MrRidley]

I think those of us who did not have a riding partner or could keep pace with some of the faster moving groups ended up riding solo. I know I did after the first food stop. Not that it bothered me a great deal, but I have to admit it would have been nice to share the suffering with another sole.

I always intended to ride the event in a audax style as I was using route as a fitness test for the Snow Roads a pleasure I am going to forgo this year I am really sad to say.

The only answer is to grade riders by their expected ride time, giving the slowest the earliest start time. But this would an organisational nightmare and give the directing staff more headaches than they have already.

Having had a day or two to think about the entire experience I would like to see the black route extended to 100 miles with more climbing making it real hard riders route, the red route staying as is so non climbers can have testing day in the saddle and the appeal of the blue promoted as great taster event.

IMO Kinross CC have created a 'must ride' event which based on the feedback from this years event will be over subscribed next year.

Must try and get to it next year, seems i missed a good event.

 

[gmac190]

Since some of you have posted pics of yourselves in action Here's mine, don't laugh too much at the stomach. It's all muscle honest. And this was only a few miles in!. Bloody steep hill tho'

Attached thumbnail(s)

• 

Halfmanhalfbike....................That's me in the background

 

[Gravity Assisted]

This is me - well my left leg!! I'm told they're my best feature anyway, so don't mind that the photographer missed the rest of me. (sorry if that's you in the centre).

Had a great time despite the weather.
4:56 on the Red Route.

Looking forward to the Etape - closed roads should make me braver on the descents.

Simon

 

[Halfmanhalfbike]

Since some of you have posted pics of yourselves in action Here's mine, don't laugh too much at the stomach. It's all muscle honest. And this was only a few miles in!. Bloody steep hill tho'

Attached thumbnail(s)

• 

Halfmanhalfbike....................That's me in the background

 

[kfinlay]

Here's me (I was quite upbeat at this point so imagine how I looked feeling miserable at the end lol). It was one of those days that started badly and just got worse but now I can look back and say I was there for the first Kinross Sportive. And hope there's many more to come