simon_brooke
New Member
- Location
- Auchencairn
Thinking about this event, are we going for a serious record attempt - i.e. to set a time for an end-to-end relay which will be genuinely hard to beat, or are we pootling? I'm up for it either way, but I'd prefer the serious record attempt. What this means in practice is:
Record attempt
If we keep handovers very slick we ought to be able to maintain a continuous 20mph average speed for the whole distance, and finish inside 42 hours. Everyone will have a much better idea of when their turn will actually happen. And we'll have an event which (if someone's prepared to go out there and find sponsorship and act as press secretary) will attract good sponsorship and good press attention.
The downside of going for speed is that it isn't really a social event at all. Riders from a section might all arrange to meet up at a particular pub afterwards for a beer and a chinwag, but otherwise it becomes a pretty lonely, focussed, contre-la-montre effort.
If, on the other hand, we go for a pootle, there will be people (particularly in northern Scotland who will have to wait around for up to a day and a half not really having much idea when the baton will reach them - and that could get pretty dull and pretty frustrating.
Record attempt
- All riders try to maintain time trial pace for their ten mile leg
- Baton handovers happen rolling - the new rider starts riding when the baton holder comes in sight, gets up to speed, takes the baton as the old beton holder comes up, and then goes for it.
- Regional support crews carry a spare front wheel, and one suitable spare back wheel for each different drive-train setup that riders in their section will be using
- Each regional support crew has with them one spare rider ready to take over at any point in the section, already changed into his riding kit and with his bike in the van or on the roof of the support car, ready to go at once if needed.
- We select the most direct possible route, even if it involves roads you would not normally choose to cycle.
- Riders ride at their own pace.
- There's a certain amount of time at baton handovers to relax and chat
- There isn't necessarily a spare bike and rider for each section, and organisers don't necessarily carry a full set of spare wheels
- Where there's a choice of routes we pick the one that's most pleasant to cycle.
If we keep handovers very slick we ought to be able to maintain a continuous 20mph average speed for the whole distance, and finish inside 42 hours. Everyone will have a much better idea of when their turn will actually happen. And we'll have an event which (if someone's prepared to go out there and find sponsorship and act as press secretary) will attract good sponsorship and good press attention.
The downside of going for speed is that it isn't really a social event at all. Riders from a section might all arrange to meet up at a particular pub afterwards for a beer and a chinwag, but otherwise it becomes a pretty lonely, focussed, contre-la-montre effort.
If, on the other hand, we go for a pootle, there will be people (particularly in northern Scotland who will have to wait around for up to a day and a half not really having much idea when the baton will reach them - and that could get pretty dull and pretty frustrating.