Alston and Back 300km / Dick McT's Century Classic Saturday 13th April

[megajoulesexpenditure]

Final call for last entries before I get on with making up my startlists ahead of next Saturday.

Looks like being a busy but enjoyable day.

The 300k route goes via the beautiful Ettrick valley out and back to Alston with good café stops including the amazing hub café at Eskdalemuir which is staying open until the last rider passes on the return route. Full HQ facilities at the start finish including showers.

More info and entries here: for the 300k http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/19-789/

and for it's companion Dick McT's 160km which takes in Dick's favourite Borders loop over quite a hilly route but with some fantastic views and very quiet roads  http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/19-650/


So anyone fancying a last minute getaway to some of the finest UK cycling roads now is your chance. Direct train connection to Galashiels for the HQ and plenty of local good accommodation

[bairn again]

I'm looking forward to my first Galashiels event in a number of years (far too many years given how close it is to home and how grand it is cycling in the Borders).

Its the 300 for me, my PBP qualifier. 

By way of getting my retaliation in first - I fully intend to be full value on this one as Im still in recovery mode from a knee injury. 

maybe see a few of you there.
   

 
 

[L CC]

We'll be there.

Mr "Sunshine" Smith threatens - 3C at the Depart. He better be wrong.

[FifeingEejit]

Looking like a bracing start but maybe not as Baltic as forecast yesterday and then warming up to be positively tropical*.

Looking forward to it, I might even stop at the shop in Royston Vasey**

* By Scottish standards.
** Hallbankgate (sadly Google Street view pre-dates the "Local Shop" sign) https://hallbankgatehub.org

[bairn again]

Hasnt it been proved that there is a direct correlation between A.  Volume of pre audax event weather speculation & B.  Likelihood of a last minute and very sudden deterioration in Weather?   

so I will say nowt, other than see you Saturday!

[Chris S]

Mr "Sunshine" Smith threatens - 3C at the Depart. He better be wrong.

He also predicts -1C by the time the likes of him finish.

[FifeingEejit]

GFS and GEM models both currently showing sub-zero at the start and end
ICON reckons just above freezing at the start but model doesn't look far enough ahead for the finish (will have that tomorrow morning)
EpicRideWeather (Darksky) reckons  0 start and finish having touched 9 degrees, wind chill making this around 3c cooler.
All forecasting moderate South Easterly

These are of course likely to change as plenty could change before Saturday and usually does.

Normal Scottish spring weather really.

[Chris S]

Dew points are really low - so the roads should be dry. My recollection of the Moffat Toffee is that the roads were mostly white from the liberal coating of salt they still have.

Low dew points mean it could be sunny. May need to bring the sunblock.

[basset]

I will be on Domestique duties for the boss , could someone please turn the heating up for the start ⛄️

[aidan.f]

Dew points are really low - so the roads should be dry. My recollection of the Moffat Toffee is that the roads were mostly white from the liberal coating of salt they still have.

Two days of -2 C early doors here in Newcastleton, and as far as Peebles. They seem to have given up salting - Perhaps something to do with the financial year rollover and a new road treatment budget?

[Chris S]

Dew points are really low - so the roads should be dry. My recollection of the Moffat Toffee is that the roads were mostly white from the liberal coating of salt they still have.

Two days of -2 C early doors here in Newcastleton, and as far as Peebles. They seem to have given up salting - Perhaps something to do with the financial year rollover and a new road treatment budget?

Warning: OT Nerdgasm alert.

(click to show/hide)

Or because the roads are so dry, it's ineffectual? Road salt works when the road is damp/wet. Although road salt is deliquescent, so kind of self-enabling, it only works with RH above a certain level. If the air is too dry, it just sits on the road like bits of gravel so you may as well not apply it.

Daytime humidities today were in the 50s. Not sure about nighttime, but we barely had any hoar frost last night, despite a low of -2c.

[Revolution9]

The gritters have been out the last two nights in the central Borders... quite a surprise on last nights TT

[basset]

Two hats then with my hair cut 

[bairn again]

I'm going to stick to my winter bike for this one given the gritters will have been out. 

Swapped over my hub front light set up this morning. 

Plenty time left tonight for further faffing and deliberation.   
 

[FifeingEejit]

Not much change to the forecast, just above zero at 6am and dropping back there for 2am with a visit up to around 8c early afternoon.

Even MWIS are forecasting no rain though 

[Chris S]

Early DNF for us. It was about me, I'm sorry to say.

1. It was FUCKING cold. Passing Coldstream [sic] on the way to the start, the van showed -5C in the freezing fog.
2. No sooner had we left Gala, I just wanted to go home.
3. We went the wrong way at Selkirk.
4. My beard froze.
5. The rear rack fell off (Borders' road surfaces seemed to have effectively removed the bolts, possibly not re-tightened enough by a previous LBS visit).

I think we're witnessing the dying throes of my time playing at Audax; it's a process littered with Good Intentions, DNFs and DNSs. It's been fun, but now sadly, it isn't any more.

[bairn again]

That was a proper 300km audax.  Sub zero temperatures start and finish, a cracking route, wonderful scenery, one brutal 50k section offset by the glorious return leg. 

It warmed up enough to remove my jacket only for the bit between Brampton and Langholm.  But the clear sky allowed glorious views that just kept coming.  It felt criminal not to linger.

 Some of the roads were a bit iffy (Langholm - twinned with the moon) but i got enough done in the daylight that only the final run into Selkirk was in the dark where i was fuelled by a top dinner from the final control and it wasnt totally dark.

 I got in just before 2230 which i was delighted with.  The cold really took its toll on speed and made longer more frequent stops essential so it wasnt about a finish time yesterday. 

Thanks to Lucy, Dick and their helpers (including a guest appearance from Mrs BA hotfoot from the Melrose 7s) who kindly drove me home.  I guess it would have been near enough a 24 hr stint for Lucy and co.

Hope the later finishers weren't too cold and got back safely. 

Nice to see a few familiar faces again too. 

Two PBP qualifiers down, two to go.   

[FifeingEejit]

Much colder than expected, I went for mitts with undergloves and was regretting it not long after Ettrickbridge, I've recorded -8C at Gilmanscleugh....
Fingers were white from the chill at Eskdalemuir and it was rather sore, I'll learn some day...

Last time I rode the Ettrick Valley road there was enough water at one point that I was worrying about the connections on my dynamo shorting so the dry conditions were very welcome.
Wasn't feeling particularly great, poor nights sleep and something I ate so happy to get round only slightly slower than on the Turra Coo.

Could have been back sooner if it wasn't for some extended stops due to the "something I ate" issue.
Stopped at Hallbankgate as I said I would, had planned to use the café but messed up and only bought some sweets and remembered I'd planned to lunch there on the way up to Alston.  Looks rather nice, reasonable selection both on the shelves and in the café and some seats to sit in too.

[basset]

Twaz a tad cold till the Eskdalemuir fingers then toes went missing , we stopped to warm up and have some very quick service beans on toast 😋.
A7 was not busy either way which we were thankful for but the wind was nearly at LEL fens I want my mum levels on the way out to Alston .
Was lovely on the return being blown back and other than a few minor stops we pressed on back to Eskdalemuir and some excellent tea before the lovely ride back.
Hope everyone got back in within time.
Thanks to the organisers