Author Topic: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018  (Read 49960 times)

Bairn Again

West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« on: 18 September, 2017, 02:31:41 pm »
I thought it only polite to create a new subject for this event, its got a couple of references in the Mille Cymru one. 

Draft route here -> https://ridewithgps.com/routes/24929253 still subject to modest refinement. 

Its based on a combination of the Mull of Kintyre 600 from 2011 with the loop of Ardnamurchan used on the Daylight 600 thrown in too.  First and last 50km along the Forth estuary. 

Evening start, circa 20-00, with a suggestion that Oban is used as a sleep stop (at 450km and again at 720km).  The A85 isnt my idea of dream cycling but overnight Thu/Fri and again early doors Sunday should avoid seeing it at its worst. 

Great views of our new bridge.  And it goes to Comrie.   :D

Basic event, the only provision is a possible bag drop / collection at Oban over the weekend.  All controls including start/finish will be either commercial or info controls. 

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
    • Didcot Audaxes
Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #1 on: 18 September, 2017, 04:21:51 pm »
Very much interested :)  I was hoping to ride in Scotland next year, so this is perfect.

Evening start, circa 20-00, with a suggestion that Oban is used as a sleep stop (at 450km and again at 720km).

As Steve said elsewhere, an evening city-centre start is quite cool, as folk can get trains in, and could be very sociable. (what time is the last sleeper on a Sunday night??? Actually I'm not brave enough to book that, but I expect some will )

( I hope the start time doesn't slip later than 8pm - a 75h ride ends at 11pm, and I really hate finishing in proper night.)

Could be a tough week - the tinat.cymru rides are the following weekend  :o EDIT: no Matt, it's the same weekend you idiot  :facepalm: Shame ...
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #2 on: 18 September, 2017, 04:39:41 pm »
This is one i'll be paying close attention too.

Having never finished a 1000k event before, it looks to have just the right amount of climbing to keep in interesting, without killing my knees

The ferry times will create natural  sleep stops too  :thumbsup:
@CorbieLinnRider

rob

Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #3 on: 18 September, 2017, 04:59:41 pm »
Hmmm.   Half day at work Thursday, train about 2pm out of KX to get to Edinburgh for 6:30.   Sleeper back Sunday night.

Slots in the middle of some of my planned targets for next year as well.

Bairn Again

Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #4 on: 18 September, 2017, 07:42:45 pm »
Hadnt thought about the time of the Sunday sleeper south but i suppose its a consideration for some. 

From memory and my owm use it leaves Edinburgh 2340 so im happy to arrange a start time that allows finishers to catch it.  Ive still to find some extra distance from the draft route anyway so the start could yet be Edinburgh Waverley. 

Bairn Again

Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #5 on: 18 September, 2017, 07:57:11 pm »
The ferry times will create natural  sleep stops too  :thumbsup:

The ferry times are pretty much a non issue.  The Corran Ferry runs approx 0645 - 2139 and when its not running the alternative using the  A82 via Ft William is within 1km for distance. 

αdαmsκι

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Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #6 on: 18 September, 2017, 08:35:21 pm »
The sleeper from Edinburgh woud get into Euston too late in the morning to allow me to get into work on time. I'm wondering if I could get a train late Sunday afternoon, say 5pm or 6pm.
What on earth am I doing here on this beautiful day?! This is the only life I've got!!

https://tyredandhungry.wordpress.com/

billyam998

  • LEL rider C6 2013 / B11 2017 / B4 2022
Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #7 on: 18 September, 2017, 09:24:44 pm »
mmm, not showing on the calendar yet??

rob

Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #8 on: 18 September, 2017, 09:33:08 pm »
The sleeper from Edinburgh woud get into Euston too late in the morning to allow me to get into work on time. I'm wondering if I could get a train late Sunday afternoon, say 5pm or 6pm.

I have been known to sidle in a tad late looking rough on a Monday morning.   It's become accepted.

I've just noticed it's half term running up to the event so not sure if clearing off Thu lunchtime will work.

αdαmsκι

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Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #9 on: 18 September, 2017, 09:38:46 pm »
i have been known to sidle in a tad late looking rough on a Monday morning.   It's become accepted.

However being late doesn't work if there's a room full of kids waiting for you to babysit them for 50 minutes.
What on earth am I doing here on this beautiful day?! This is the only life I've got!!

https://tyredandhungry.wordpress.com/

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #10 on: 18 September, 2017, 09:54:26 pm »
What about flying?

Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #11 on: 18 September, 2017, 10:03:50 pm »
What about flying?

Bike transport becomes distinctly more of a faff.

rob

Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #12 on: 18 September, 2017, 10:05:20 pm »
i have been known to sidle in a tad late looking rough on a Monday morning.   It's become accepted.

However being late doesn't work if there's a room full of kids waiting for you to babysit them for 50 minutes.

Pros and Cons to different careers.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #13 on: 18 September, 2017, 11:47:44 pm »
What about flying?

Bike transport becomes distinctly more of a faff.

Indeed it does but timings might make Monday morning work feasible.

Bairn Again

Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #14 on: 19 September, 2017, 07:11:51 am »
The ferry times will create natural  sleep stops too  :thumbsup:

The ferry times are pretty much a non issue.  The Corran Ferry runs approx 0645 - 2139 and when its not running the alternative using the  A82 via Ft William is within 1km for distance.
just in case you thought id lost my marbles this is in reference to the way back afyer Locahilort -where my concern is that slower riders dont get stuck. Therefore the use of the CorranFerry on the way back is optional and the alternative adds less than 1km. 

Of course on the way north the corran ferry is very much the shortest distance, though im not sure how many riders would get there before the first one on Saturday. 

However in order to give riders some more scope for "time in hand" i plan to tweak the route so that the loop round Loch Leven comes before the Corran Ferry rather than after. 

A force rest at Oban, or at least before the Corran Ferry wont do anybody any harm and i reckon that the ferry times will fit in with the plans of the vast majority pretty well.  Corrran ferry runs from around 0630 to 2130.

Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #15 on: 19 September, 2017, 09:03:20 am »
The ferry times will create natural  sleep stops too  :thumbsup:

The ferry times are pretty much a non issue.  The Corran Ferry runs approx 0645 - 2139 and when its not running the alternative using the  A82 via Ft William is within 1km for distance.
just in case you thought id lost my marbles this is in reference to the way back afyer Locahilort -where my concern is that slower riders dont get stuck. Therefore the use of the CorranFerry on the way back is optional and the alternative adds less than 1km. 

Of course on the way north the corran ferry is very much the shortest distance, though im not sure how many riders would get there before the first one on Saturday. 

However in order to give riders some more scope for "time in hand" i plan to tweak the route so that the loop round Loch Leven comes before the Corran Ferry rather than after. 

A force rest at Oban, or at least before the Corran Ferry wont do anybody any harm and i reckon that the ferry times will fit in with the plans of the vast majority pretty well.  Corrran ferry runs from around 0630 to 2130.

Makes perfect sense now
@CorbieLinnRider

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #16 on: 19 September, 2017, 09:23:58 am »
I'm liking the sound of this very much. The Mille Pennines/Mille Cymru are probably beyond my capabilities but the route for this one looks just as spectacular in its own way. Dates work for me as well, and I might even be able to tempt my wife to join me for a long weekend in Edinburgh... Hmmmm.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #17 on: 19 September, 2017, 09:37:18 am »
The route looks suspiciously flat. Is that just because it's largely near the coast and there are lots of short sharp hills rather than big ones?

whosatthewheel

Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #18 on: 19 September, 2017, 09:46:39 am »
I'm liking the sound of this very much. The Mille Pennines/Mille Cymru are probably beyond my capabilities but the route for this one looks just as spectacular in its own way. Dates work for me as well, and I might even be able to tempt my wife to join me for a long weekend in Edinburgh... Hmmmm.

The weather will probably make up for the "lack of vertical challenge". My only adventure in Western Scotland was 2 weather warnings in 4 days in early August... one for a storm with 60 mph winds and the other for 100 mm of rain in 24 hours. May could be worse than August

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #19 on: 19 September, 2017, 10:02:55 am »
The weather will probably make up for the "lack of vertical challenge".

I expect you're right but that doesn't worry me so much - I've yet to do a 600 that didn't include weather. The last WCW featured headwinds and rain for a lot of the time but I mostly enjoyed it, and got round ok. It's the ones that feature both weather and hills that I find really challenging - the Brimstone 600 had enough weather for a whole year when I attempted it.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

whosatthewheel

Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #20 on: 19 September, 2017, 10:15:49 am »
The weather will probably make up for the "lack of vertical challenge".

I expect you're right but that doesn't worry me so much - I've yet to do a 600 that didn't include weather. The last WCW featured headwinds and rain for a lot of the time but I mostly enjoyed it, and got round ok. It's the ones that feature both weather and hills that I find really challenging - the Brimstone 600 had enough weather for a whole year when I attempted it.

Dunno, doesn't look so flat to me, you've still got a lot of lumps there. It's not the rain per se... it's the volume of rain... and it's not the wind per se, it's the strength of the wind. That said, you might find 3 decent days

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
    • Didcot Audaxes
Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #21 on: 19 September, 2017, 10:25:57 am »
The route looks suspiciously flat. Is that just because it's largely near the coast and there are lots of short sharp hills rather than big ones?
Very much so - the east coast of Kintyre particulary so.

It's still about 10km climbing, so in some discussions that would be "hilly" - but it's flat compared to the Pennine or Cymru routes!

And you could make a tougher ride in Scotland, that's for sure. But why bother? The scenery will be fantastic, and 1000k is never easy - especially if there is "weather".
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #22 on: 19 September, 2017, 10:33:14 am »
Dunno, doesn't look so flat to me, you've still got a lot of lumps there. It's not the rain per se... it's the volume of rain... and it's not the wind per se, it's the strength of the wind.

You're absolutely right not to underestimate the challenge of this ride. I also imagine that late May in Scotland will be pretty chilly at night, even if the weather is favourable.

It definitely appeals to me though, and in relative terms will probably be easier than the Pennines or Cymru.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #23 on: 19 September, 2017, 11:31:19 am »
Interested - could be good prep for my LEJOG ( 7 x200) in August

Re: West Highland 1000km. Thu 31 May 2018
« Reply #24 on: 19 September, 2017, 11:43:38 am »
Keeeeen, I think.

Same amount of climbing as Borders of Belgium by my reckoning, just less Ardennes-y and more bastard choppy.