With the Tour of East Lothian running on Sunday there was nothing else for it but to get a second 200 in for the month on the Saturday.
It took a bit of clicking on Google Maps and RWGPS to figure out how to get to Musselburgh from Dundee without being either 2km under or 20km over distance, eventually settling on what should have been an easy route...
I met Robbie in front of the RRS Discovery and within 2km we'd stopped for a rest at the roll carriage at the end of the esplanade to kill our average speed.
Not to worry the Carse of Gowrie is great for getting speed up as it's the only extensively flat bit of ground in the area, however being a vast expanse of flat in an otherwise steeply sided river valley it's also a nightmare when there's a 30kmh South Westerly blowing.
The shelter of the Balthayock was welcome for once and we were soon getting the views over Perth the climb rewards you with. Perth was largely uneventful and we took to Necessity Brae to get out of town, a stiff wee climb but at least it's sheltered from that wind. Strathearn was exposed and we struggled into Dunning where we got some shelter from the Ochils, plans for a relaxed lunch in Auchterarder were scrapped in favour of bouncing the Co-Op.
We passed another Audaxer going the other way in Gleneagles village (which isn't in Gleann na h-Eaglais at all, and someone needs to point out to the incomers that it means Glen of the Chapels, nothing to do with Iloaire before they put up their eagles). Back out in to open at the top we were back in the wind, a large slow moving group of riders from a stirling club passed us near Braco and in a change from my usual route we took the Auchinlay road to get round Dunblane rather than go through.
The ride into Doune wasn't too bad at least, and we stopped at the Spar for a quick snack and water top up before heading down the A84 which was thankfully relatively quiet to the Kippen turn off where the road ramped up, this was meant to be the "hard bit" of the ride but it didn't seem too bad in comparison to the incessant headwind.
After a bit of respite on the descent into Fintry and then it was the "Highlite" of the ride, the Climb over to Lennoxtown on the Crow where we hard our arses handed to us by:
Someone doing hill repeats on a commuter
Two mountain bikers
and a Squirrel.
The top was a major relief as we knew we "should" get a tail wind through to Musselburgh after the Gravity assistance down to Lennoxtown, right enough we got a good shove along through Kilsyth and Bonybridge before deciding that having meddled with a deil of a headwind all day we'd visit the Kelpies in Falkirk. I had thought we'd be here about 2 hours earlier than we were, but we also managed to be early for the Café opening... by a month and a half.
From there it was a boring flat route through Grangemouth and then Borrowstounness before climbing up to the back of South Queensferry.
The ride finished with a rapid ride through Edinburgh on the old railway lines with a couple of wrong turns in Drylaw (where we also went wrong on the return ECE) before the blast through Leith and onto the Portobello Prom and the ride into Musselburgh, much later than either planned or expected.
TTEL: https://www.strava.com/activities/2154034950
It took a bit of clicking on Google Maps and RWGPS to figure out how to get to Musselburgh from Dundee without being either 2km under or 20km over distance, eventually settling on what should have been an easy route...
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| Captain RF Scott's RRS Discovery |
Not to worry the Carse of Gowrie is great for getting speed up as it's the only extensively flat bit of ground in the area, however being a vast expanse of flat in an otherwise steeply sided river valley it's also a nightmare when there's a 30kmh South Westerly blowing.
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| Curious locals on the Carse of Gowrie |
We passed another Audaxer going the other way in Gleneagles village (which isn't in Gleann na h-Eaglais at all, and someone needs to point out to the incomers that it means Glen of the Chapels, nothing to do with Iloaire before they put up their eagles). Back out in to open at the top we were back in the wind, a large slow moving group of riders from a stirling club passed us near Braco and in a change from my usual route we took the Auchinlay road to get round Dunblane rather than go through.
 |
| The Water Horses in Falkirk |
After a bit of respite on the descent into Fintry and then it was the "Highlite" of the ride, the Climb over to Lennoxtown on the Crow where we hard our arses handed to us by:
Someone doing hill repeats on a commuter
Two mountain bikers
and a Squirrel.
The top was a major relief as we knew we "should" get a tail wind through to Musselburgh after the Gravity assistance down to Lennoxtown, right enough we got a good shove along through Kilsyth and Bonybridge before deciding that having meddled with a deil of a headwind all day we'd visit the Kelpies in Falkirk. I had thought we'd be here about 2 hours earlier than we were, but we also managed to be early for the Café opening... by a month and a half.
From there it was a boring flat route through Grangemouth and then Borrowstounness before climbing up to the back of South Queensferry.
The ride finished with a rapid ride through Edinburgh on the old railway lines with a couple of wrong turns in Drylaw (where we also went wrong on the return ECE) before the blast through Leith and onto the Portobello Prom and the ride into Musselburgh, much later than either planned or expected.
TTEL: https://www.strava.com/activities/2154034950
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| A warm and sunny start, but there was a nasty wind blowing |
The Tour of East Lothian is the season starter for a lot of riders in Central Scotland, a 100km ride in the surprisingly hilly area of East Lothian, from the start the route takes you up a series of small rises and descents to tease you into the harsh climb of the Red Stane Rig.
I was feeling the efforts in the wind from the previous day and I was soon dropped by Robbie and the pensioners "slow" bus that we'd been set off in. I was to tell the truth struggling with the efforts from the ride down and it was showing on the climbs.
I was feeling the efforts in the wind from the previous day and I was soon dropped by Robbie and the pensioners "slow" bus that we'd been set off in. I was to tell the truth struggling with the efforts from the ride down and it was showing on the climbs.
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| Gifford |
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| The Rig |
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| More of the Rig |
Finally determining Costa was in Tesco, and that I had just passed a junction that could take me there I turned and headed there to get my stamp.
I grabbed some sweets from Tesco as I wasn't waiting in the queue for the Empire biscuit I wanted and set off again towards the A1 overbridge, from here the route is thankfully easy with a long shallow descent to the coast road and then a blast into the wind back into Musselburgh.
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| Randonneurs au café? |
We set out through Edinburgh retracing our wheel tracks from the previous night, the Portobello Promenade was busy, and despite going carefully through the crowds pinging the bell someone had a moan at us for trying to get somewhere on a shared use, take note Sustrans, Not Fit for Purpose as set up...
I was concerned about the wind strength for crossing the bridge but as it was now coming from the SWS we got a good shove across and then into the darkness through Fife, finally rolling up Newport High Street where we set the finish control just before 10pm.
The Two long hard days had really taken it out of me and it was a few days before I felt recovered
TOEL + ECE: https://www.strava.com/activities/2156780135
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