Tour of East Lothian 106km 17th feb 2013

[Cyclops]

I could give you a different gpx file with all the shortcuts on it.

[sbarlster]

I have a friend who is entered.
Do you think they would mind if I came and rode along with him - but did not touch the food etc?
I did not get entry in time. :-(

Cyclings getting too popular!

[BrianI]

Couple of last minute queries.
Not familiar with Musselburgh, so where's best to park the car?
Also, lights needed?  I am off in the 10am group, so should be back before sundown...

[MercuryKev]

I have a friend who is entered.
Do you think they would mind if I came and rode along with him - but did not touch the food etc?
I did not get entry in time. :-(

Cyclings getting too popular!

Can't stop him riding on public roads and the charge for food on this ride anyway.  Not that I'm condoning stealing an audax or anything.

[Cyclops]

Not familiar with Musselburgh, so where's best to park the car?
Also, lights needed?  I am off in the 10am group, so should be back before sundown...

There's plenty of parking on the High Street to the east of the town hall, ie. towards the racecourse. There's also a couple of car parks up Newbigging and round the back of the High Street in Millhill.
If you can get round in 7 hours you won't need lights. The weather's looking fairly benign for Sunday so it should be a fairly gentle run back from Dunbar.

[BrianI]

Not familiar with Musselburgh, so where's best to park the car?
Also, lights needed?  I am off in the 10am group, so should be back before sundown...

There's plenty of parking on the High Street to the east of the town hall, ie. towards the racecourse. There's also a couple of car parks up Newbigging and round the back of the High Street in Millhill.
If you can get round in 7 hours you won't need lights. The weather's looking fairly benign for Sunday so it should be a fairly gentle run back from Dunbar.

Cheers Cyclops!
Will stick a back up light on the front & a red blinker on the rear just in case.  Will probably aim to arrive in musselburgh early doors to get a parking space! 

[recumbentim]

       so it should be a fairly gentle run back from Dunbar.

                   Race?

[Revolution9]

Bugger,  I've wrongly assumed i'd get full allocation of time even with a 10.25 start time

With my current level of fitness and Redstone Rig, i may struggle to get to the first control by 12.41.

#Hopingforastrongtailwind :/

[Cyclops]

Bugger,  I've wrongly assumed i'd get full allocation of time even with a 10.25 start time

I'd imagine you probably do but they've just produced one routesheet for a 10am start rather than nine different routesheets they'd need for each group.

[MercuryKev]

Bugger,  I've wrongly assumed i'd get full allocation of time even with a 10.25 start time

With my current level of fitness and Redstone Rig, i may struggle to get to the first control by 12.41.

#Hopingforastrongtailwind :/

What are you talking about Mr SR/RRTY - it isn't that tough a ride and Red Stone rigg is just one short steep bit followed by a down hill.  2 hours for 20 miles shouldn't be too difficult for you especially as about half of those miles are flat fast sections.

[Revolution9]

cheers Kev, i've only ridden it in that direction once,and remember it as being a long slog.
probably be ok

[Revolution9]

Bugger,  I've wrongly assumed i'd get full allocation of time even with a 10.25 start time

I'd imagine you probably do but they've just produced one routesheet for a 10am start rather than nine different routesheets they'd need for each group.

Yes, thinking about it that would make sense.

See you all there

[bodach]

  Well done to Andy and the team for this one. Great weather. I liked the snow banks on the high parts of the route. Just like the Alps. Rode with Dawn for a while before the Rigg. I got up the Rigg without walking this time. A first for me. Must be the walking miles I've been doing. Now up to 250k this year on foot. Also doubled my bike mileage for the year to date today to the grand total of 220k. Leapfrogged Tim a few times and had no chance to jump on as he sped by. Spent some time with Alan admiring his showroom condition Tony Oliver. I'm sure he has some secret dirt repellant. Got a lovely tow into Dunbar behind some speedy racers doing 50kph. Then a bit of a slog to Haddington behind young Garry. All went pear shaped when I found myself at the front going thro' Seaton so had to put on a bit of a show and got up to 30ks for a milliesecond. Legs sore and looking forward to the cramp in the middle of the night.

[recumbentim]

Great day , weather , organisation , company and route.    But who stole my fittness --where did it go?
It was good to get up the Rig for the first time like Bodach and as one rider said thats a PB.

BUT weird I tell you 170 riders and all these CHAPS with the same colour jersey on flying past controls . Did they not have a card or did they just not want it stamped in case they lost thier group.

I got quite a few coments being the only recumbent like "how did you get up the Rig on that." my answers were "slowly" or "ney bother mate you need to try the Snow Roads"

The best comment of the day was  from a CHAP as I was being lazy on an uphill bit "can you do a bunny hop"------  said nothing but it did spur me on a bit to pass the CHAPS at 35 mph a few miles later before Dunbar.

Anyhow well done to the first timers and members who brought friends etc ---- we just need to get the miles in?

[BrianI]

Just like to say thanks to Andy and the team for organising a marvellous audax!   
Made it round the course in 6hr 58 minutes.  112.87km on the puter (including added lap of Dunbar as I missed the sign for

It was rather fun doing Redstone Rig on a touring bike with a front mech which wouldn't shift to the inner granny ring on the triple....... 

Great weather for it!

I do think I packed way to much stuff though, and ate too much cake in the control at Dunbar - danish pastry, chocolate brownie and chunky kitkat.....

All in all, a great day out for popping my audax cherry!   
I can now proudly apply my audax UK mudguard stickers to my mudguards!   

[MercuryKev]

  Well done to Andy and the team for this one. Great weather. I liked the snow banks on the high parts of the route. Just like the Alps. Rode with Dawn for a while before the Rigg. I got up the Rigg without walking this time. A first for me. Must be the walking miles I've been doing. Now up to 250k this year on foot. Also doubled my bike mileage for the year to date today to the grand total of 220k. Leapfrogged Tim a few times and had no chance to jump on as he sped by. Spent some time with Alan admiring his showroom condition Tony Oliver. I'm sure he has some secret dirt repellant. Got a lovely tow into Dunbar behind some speedy racers doing 50kph. Then a bit of a slog to Haddington behind young Garry. All went pear shaped when I found myself at the front going thro' Seaton so had to put on a bit of a show and got up to 30ks for a milliesecond. Legs sore and looking forward to the cramp in the middle of the night.

I didn't see you or I'd have said hello.

[jm2010]

Really enjoyed the ride today, got round in 7h dead. Not helped by my clip on mud guards deciding to clog up my brake area with mud and stopping my wheels from spinning. Took one off, but couldn't do the other, so that was 20min wasted.

The rig was as hard as it had been made out to be, but I did it without getting off (standing up in my lowest gear and almost unable to breath). Got into a roadie group for a bit, but otherwise I was on my own, or occasionally another cyclist.

A great first Audax! Thanks to all the organisers!

[Revolution9]

I really enjoyed today, although a broken chain just after Gifford meant i couldn't use the big ring for the rest of the day,not that it was really needed on a heavy winter bike.

MercuryKev suffered a similar issue at the top of the Rig, meaning i caught him and Cyclops, and we rode together from then on, until i got dropped after Haddington.

Great weather for February too

A good start to the season

[edindave]

My first Audax today - really enjoyable. Thanks to the organisers. I hope to be back for many more.

Last night I laid out my gear several times and finally went with bib shorts, arm warmers and a windproof gilet. It worked out well, I ditched the arm warmers after Garvald. Nice to get some vitamin D albeit a low dose. There was definitely some heat in that sunshine! I was chilly after Dunbar until we got inland but soon warmed up again.

xrtim - I saw you nearing the top of the steep section of the Rigg - were you upside down at that point? I was impressed. You seem to have mastered the laws of gravity!

Cheers folks

[crowriver]

Hello again to MercuryKev, bodach and (I think) Revolution9. I was the guy in the Audax Ecosse top (one of only two riders I think).

What a fantastic day for a ride! I managed to get lost on the first leg before Pencaitland (Doh!): took a left turn too early and had a pleasant, if slightly longer ride through Coulston and Ormiston, an extra 2k. By the time I reached the main road again the fast boys were in evidence, and left me in their wake. I do believe I was leapfrogging Revolution9 a fair bit on the return leg. What larks we had.

I managed 6 hours 30, better than last time and my official target. Had it not been for a) getting a bit lost b) chain slipping off the granny ring a dozen times on hills (tedious)* c) having just recovered from a foul cold, I could possibly have been a bit quicker (then again I might have just wasted lots of time at controls instead). As it was, I found the hills hard work and walked a few of the steeper ones, including of course the Rigg.

A grand day though. Well done Musselburgh RCC for appeasing the weather gods and organising beautiful sunshine.

* - also got chain oil on my gloves, which produced mucky fingerprints around the jersey zip: I hope it will come out! 

[Revolution9]

I do believe I was leapfrogging Revolution9 a fair bit on the return leg. What larks we had.

not sure if it was me, i was round in 5.5hrs

[crowriver]

Maybe not then! Now I remember though it was the leg to Haddington, I probably stayed too long in the cafe. Either that or you were not the only one afflicted by an inoperative big chainwheel...

[Bairn Again]

Maybe not then! Now I remember though it was the leg to Haddington, I probably stayed too long in the cafe. Either that or you were not the only one afflicted by an inoperative big chainwheel...

Claiming an inability to shift chainrings is a standard club run excuse among members of Edinburgh Road Club onna Saturday.  It just sounds so much better than "Im breathing out my arse and need to slow down".

So todays ToEL would have probably seen it reach epedemic proportions. 

[crowriver]

Claiming an inability to shift chainrings is a standard club run excuse among members of Edinburgh Road Club onna Saturday.  It just sounds so much better than "Im breathing out my arse and need to slow down".

So todays ToEL would have probably seen it reach epedemic proportions.

 

[crowriver]

I got quite a few coments being the only recumbent

I saw you power past, I think my comment was "Good morning."

I got a few remarks, I presume because of the jersey, but possibly also the steel framed bike, presence of full mudguards, toeclips/straps, overly generous proportioned Carradice slung from the saddle, and maybe the beard...
(Heard behind me, an aside to another club rider) "Aye, but these audax guys are not about riding fast." 
(En passant, from another club rider) "Oh look! A proper audax rider, unlike us!" I replied (philosophically) "I'm not sure if I know what that means." 
(From a temporary riding companion after hearing I'm relatively new to audax) "Oh, sorry but I thought you were one of those grizzled old audax veterans."