The Highlands, West Coast & Glens July 2016,

[Bus Shelter Bertie]

Has an info email gone out for the event? If so can someone forward it to me? I sent a message to the blacksheep email but no response.

my username @gmail.com

thanks!

Email received 23rd December, on its way now..

[Spoony]

Need as much info as possible really as I ve only ever cycled 100 miles once never mind the 188 miles a day for 4 days epic monster that I've signed up for in July.
Tips,stories,places to put my hallucinating head,experiences,do's and don'ts,survival techniques,supplies etc,the plan that's roughly in place is this; a mate and I will travel to the start in his campervan,accompanied by his wife and eldest son,we head out as soon as its light and get 60ish miles in,eat,60ish miles more,eat then the final 60ish miles to collapse all the while eating/resting/blubbing uncontrollably in the van,sleeping bag in the awning,hopefully,then repeat.
Now as summer is fast approaching I'm getting fractious so any and all comments/help/stories would be much appreciated,cheers

[jamesld8]

I`d strongly suggest you sign up for and ride several 200, 300 km Audax asap and see what your average speed is . eating requirements, schedule by checkpoint controls and then make a plan for HGW.

[Phil W]

I will travel to the start in his campervan,accompanied by his wife and eldest son,we head out as soon as its light and get 60ish miles in,eat,60ish miles more,eat then the final 60ish miles to collapse all the while eating/resting/blubbing uncontrollably in the van,sleeping bag in the awning,hopefully,then repeat.

Audax is unsupported, you can't have your personal campervan and driver in support. So you need to plan your ride unsupported other than what the organiser arranges, and commercial shops and establishments along the way.

[jamesld8]

I will travel to the start in his campervan,accompanied by his wife and eldest son,we head out as soon as its light and get 60ish miles in,eat,60ish miles more,eat then the final 60ish miles to collapse all the while eating/resting/blubbing uncontrollably in the van,sleeping bag in the awning,hopefully,then repeat.

Audax is unsupported, you can't have your personal campervan and driver in support. So you need to plan your ride unsupported other than what the organiser arranges, and commercial shops and establishments along the way.

 +1, this is not a `challenge` ride but an AUK organised ride with specific rules / regs.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Support is allowed at controls during AUK brevet, with the organiser's approval.

Bit of a bullshit rule really. Ostensibly, it was brought in for LEL alone. Every other Audaxing country allows individual support at controls, unless specifically banned.

[Exit Stage Left]

It's a beautiful route, and supporters will tend to stop and take in the scenery on the way round. They're likely to find that they are constantly passed by other riders, and that it's difficult to overtake on the single-track roads.

If a number of riders adopt the same approach, then a rolling road-block occurs. This is controllable if there is an alternative route for motorised support, but that's not the case in North West Scotland. I'd look at where the controls are, and then look for alternative routes to those points. It's easy to underestimate how fast cyclists go, and your support team will soon be out of synch with you. It's not the same as an End to End, where support can just blast up the motorway to make up time.

It's not easy to shadow riders on single-track roads. I wouldn't attempt to do it, other than on a motorbike, and then sleep is a problem.

[mattc]

Support is allowed at controls during AUK brevet, with the organiser's approval.

Bit of a bullshit rule really. Ostensibly, it was brought in for LEL alone. Every other Audaxing country allows individual support at controls, unless specifically banned.

Is my BOLD bit documented? Or is it just the "general understanding"?

@spoony: I don't expect you'll have a problem, as the organiser was completely OK  with the Swedes doing this last time. (as seen on TV!)

X-post with ESL, who makes an excellent point. And it's reminded me that I *think* the Swedes only had support at each sleep-stop, which removes a lot of the "rolling road-block" problem.

[jamesld8]

will Spoony`s support be available to carry other riders` kit too  ? There are riders who will be doing this as a self sufficient trip enjoying (weather permitting) the wonderful quiet Scottish scenery and roads, but it would be so nice to be able ride my 8 kg Ti bike if someone would carry my kit for me 

[iddu]

Support is allowed at controls during AUK brevet, with the organiser's approval.

Bit of a bullshit rule really. Ostensibly, it was brought in for LEL alone. Every other Audaxing country allows individual support at controls, unless specifically banned.

Is my BOLD bit documented? Or is it just the "general understanding"?

@spoony: I don't expect you'll have a problem, as the organiser was completely OK  with the Swedes doing this last time. (as seen on TV!)

X-post with ESL, who makes an excellent point. And it's reminded me that I *think* the Swedes only had support at each sleep-stop, which removes a lot of the "rolling road-block" problem.

Reg 9.9.2.

9.9.2 Riders must be self-sufficient. Personal support is only permitted at the discretion of the organiser, with the agreement of AUK.
Organisers may provide support such as food and rest facilities at controls and route guidance. Riders remain responsible for their own welfare and may stop for food and rest at any place.

So the latter half permits riders to stop anywhere, but the facilities used should be available to all (my bold)(*)

Which leads into

9.9.4 Where riders’ personal support is permitted, the rider and their helpers agree:
(a) Personal support is only allowed at controls
(b) Not to drive a motor vehicle on a section of route in use by riders, except within 1km of a control or in the case of an accident or emergency.
(c) The rider will be held responsible for the behaviour of their personal helpers.


(*) Edit: Of course, taken to sillyness levels this could mean random collection of sweaty bodies in your bedroom if a 600 passes home and you stop off...

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Still a shit rule.

[iddu]

Maybeso, but they are what they are, and what we sign up to.  If (sufficient) people don't like, AGM proposal...

[Whitedown Man]

Mrs W M will be thrilled when I tell her that the rules allow her to sit waiting for several hours in the middle of the night outside an all night petrol station in order to provide me with a flask of hot tea (providing she offers said tea to any other passing cycling waifs and strays) 

[jamesld8]

Mrs W M will be thrilled when I tell her that the rules allow her to sit waiting for several hours in the middle of the night outside an all night petrol station in order to provide me with a flask of hot tea (providing she offers said tea to any other passing cycling waifs and strays) 

I can foresee a `cunning plan` developing  here; if we all persuade / bribe OHs to support, and agree to support other riders too, then we could arrange a convoy of support vehicles and stops every 20km or so, thus removing any need to carry much more than a pump and inner tube   

[Smeth]

Within the rules we choose our level of support and get whatever satisfaction we seek. Often the real heroics happen at the "full value" end of the field and if (without affecting others) you can achieve something extraordinary in life you might not have done - great. Look at the fantastic achievement by admittedly fully supported riders scraping in just in time, or even out of time, in international events. Chapeau to them. I'll be grovelling in a mozzy net somewhere because I'm choosing to.

My only advice is to have a word with Blacksheep.

[doctorafternoon]

Not to scare anyone, but the fastest finishers in 2014 took about 99hrs, with very little wind in blazing sunshine. The same folk who were doing PBP in 50 odd hrs. This time we have 90hrs for 100km less.

Not starting on the mainland saves maybe 8 hours, but still.

I recommend getting in a couple of 600km rides beforehand, get the body set for fast recovery. 

[marcusjb]

Don't panic Mr Mainwaring!  Don't panic!*

I really wouldn't worry.  I am sure some of those fast riders could have got around the ride much, much quicker than they did, even with the ferries.  But, I think most people, including the fast riders, were treating it as a fast tour.  Some of those faster riders I was sharing dorms with at hostels were getting a fair chunk of sleep each night!

I don't recall anyone being in a particular rush that week.  I am sure blacksheep can confirm, but the actual spread of times from finishers was probably fairly short.

*we had a big advantage in it being a 1300 - namely we only had to cover 288km a day, whereas on a 1200km, one needs to cover 319km a day.  So maybe panic a little!

[BlackSheep]

Not to scare anyone, but the fastest finishers in 2014 took about 99hrs, with very little wind in blazing sunshine. The same folk who were doing PBP in 50 odd hrs. This time we have 90hrs for 100km less.

Not starting on the mainland saves maybe 8 hours, but still.

I recommend getting in a couple of 600km rides beforehand, get the body set for fast recovery.

That's sound advice,

But unless you were actually there, you wouldn't believe how hot it was. The wind did nothing to cool riders in fact it probably made matters worse.  Even at the coolest part of the night it was at least 16 degrees Celsius.

Hopefully the weather ordered will be a little less hostile this time.

But you're correct, the riders were all compressed into the last  6 or so hours of the event.

As those that might have seen the TV programme, finishing in a JDW was very handy - the ride finished as the hostelry closed, and I was off - following advice that Saltcoats market was setting-up  in the car park. And would be unable to leave for another 24 hours if I stayed any longer.

As Marcus ( ) has stated, riders did seem to cover the same distance every day, but the potential faster riders were invariably at their chosen night stops earlier. Team Rimas may have been on the road shortly after breakfast, but they were usually in their bunks by 10pm.

This time the relentless West coast section has been split into 2 sections, with a visit to the east coast in between. This should help with rider progress. There's a start that off the mainland, and should riders be a little close on time for the last 2 ferries, there is the chance to save time by devouring around them. This is not a compulsory route event - so no issues there.

[Spoony]

will Spoony`s support be available to carry other riders` kit too  ? There are riders who will be doing this as a self sufficient trip enjoying (weather permitting) the wonderful quiet Scottish scenery and roads, but it would be so nice to be able ride my 8 kg Ti bike if someone would carry my kit for me 

Probably not,sorry, my mates camper is cramped at best and what with all our gear,his families stuff for four days and mine too plus he can be a bit nippy at times, hey if it was mine,different story

[jamesld8]

will Spoony`s support be available to carry other riders` kit too  ? There are riders who will be doing this as a self sufficient trip enjoying (weather permitting) the wonderful quiet Scottish scenery and roads, but it would be so nice to be able ride my 8 kg Ti bike if someone would carry my kit for me 

Probably not,sorry, my mates camper is cramped at best and what with all our gear,his families stuff for four days and mine too plus he can be a bit nippy at times, hey if it was mine,different story

ah well, worth asking  good luck with your preparation for HGW,  some good advice in the posts about getting some long rides done as preparation

[Grampa]

On a positive note, Spoony, while I can see why your arrangements as originally envisaged might not be quite Audax compliant, I think that camper van support, without time-limits other than the length of time you could be away on holiday, would be absolutely the best way to tour the west and north.  It would let you carry all the types and changes of clothing you might need as well as stuff like camera, binoculars, ropes if you use them and towels for after bathing (w.p.) and give you give you a secure base from which you could go walks and climb (on foot) any of the stunning big (e.g. Torridon) and small (e.g. Inverpolly) hills in the area or take any boat excursions you fancied.  It would also let you detour to points that you would probably decide to miss if you were on a tight schedule.  Other advantages would be as a midge and weather shelter and just as accommodation in an area where, in season, you can have to go many miles to find a vacancy unless you're booked in.  You've got me thinking about possibilities for when my wife finally retires this summer!

[IanDG]

9.9.4 Where riders’ personal support is permitted, the rider and their helpers agree:
(a) Personal support is only allowed at controls
(b) Not to drive a motor vehicle on a section of route in use by riders, except within 1km of a control or in the case of an accident or emergency.
(c) The rider will be held responsible for the behaviour of their personal helpers.

Section b would be difficult to achieve in the remote north

[LittleWheelsandBig]

As I said, a shit rule brought in for LEL as part of a significant rule revamp that had to be rejected or accepted in total.

[jamesld8]

On a positive note, Spoony, while I can see why your arrangements as originally envisaged might not be quite Audax compliant, I think that camper van support, without time-limits other than the length of time you could be away on holiday, would be absolutely the best way to tour the west and north.  It would let you carry all the types and changes of clothing you might need as well as stuff like camera, binoculars, ropes if you use them and towels for after bathing (w.p.) and give you give you a secure base from which you could go walks and climb (on foot) any of the stunning big (e.g. Torridon) and small (e.g. Inverpolly) hills in the area or take any boat excursions you fancied.  It would also let you detour to points that you would probably decide to miss if you were on a tight schedule.  Other advantages would be as a midge and weather shelter and just as accommodation in an area where, in season, you can have to go many miles to find a vacancy unless you're booked in.  You've got me thinking about possibilities for when my wife finally retires this summer!

You`ve got a whole retirement time then booked up  what too about a spot of trout fishing on the hundreds of lochs / lochans which bedeck the landscape like silver jewels (when it`s not raining  )  ?

[IanDG]

As I said, a shit rule brought in for LEL as part of a significant rule revamp that had to be rejected or accepted in total.

Completely agree. An ill thought out rule that may be easily applied (with some careful planning on the helpers part) in rural Englandshire, but not so easily in more remote regions.