Coast 2 Coast hArdGay Off Road - Sat 25th/Sun26th September

[kaiser]

Wee bit sore around the neck(musta been the swimming ) but apart from that right as rain. First instalment of AIFITEIRMOATH to follow this afternoon........

 

[RobMac]

Its feels like a horrible nightmare but I'm home now
Naa! It was brilliant and I don't have a single ache or pain
but I feel like Ive had a good work out and its a nice feeling.
Thanks for the banter guys

The Ken your welcome mate

.

 

[zigzag]

Home safe and sound, got back to Glesga about 11, then back tae Falkirk about 11.45.

Legs a bit stiff this morning, I blame the ferocious (well it was for me) pace I set on the tarmac car park dash as I attempted to break Kaiser and Radek's will. Bugger this roadie nonsense, it certainly buggered me.

What a laugh, my jaws were aching after TKs fall at the bothy and the ensuing comments on the first day. Radek, thanks for doing all the driving and even letting me listen to some of my shite music

 

[The Ken]

I must have been out of earshot for those

And for once you got to laugh at someone falling off

 

[Radoslaw]

No problem mate, music wasn't so bad at all. I'm fine today as well apart that I can't bend my back and feel like a man made of wood. Thanks all for a good company.

 

[Arhythmia rules]

hoping to do the Ullapool Croik trip

Hi Guys
read your stuff with interest and I am looking for some advice on the route. I am hoping to do the trip from Ullapool as a sponsored cycle - there is a sponsored walk, cycle, horse ride each year for Macmillan Cancer Support ( organiser: MAY GILCHRIST wont allow me to post her email but can send details if anyone wants) on 14/ 15 May this year. I will be doing a short tour before from Brora, Altnaharra, Loch Shin, and coast road to Ullapool, then a day to Brora after. So I will be using my ribble road bike, reasonably sturdy wheels but 700c x 28mm tires, reasonable gears down to 24 front 28 rear. Used to do reasonable rough stuff years ago on a road bike. Would expect to walk bits of this route but my question is can it go with care on a road bike like mine?
Comments and suggestions welcome.
Thanks for any help.
John Picken

 

[The Ken]

don't see why not, it is mainly landrover track, with a large stretch of tarmac at the ardgay side. Kaiser is the CX expert though.

I don't think you'll need to walk much, stick to the route past the bothy, we met a few guys that had to walk for a mile or 2 through a bog having gone the other route.

 

[therealkw15]

As long as there is capacity for the 150m of rope for the fearsome river crossing it should be OK

The section between the river crossing and Ullapool was pretty rough though, and I think you'll be walking a lot there to save your bike.

I've got a Ribble road bike and have toured on it, but found it whippy enough on the road when carrying panniers. I wouldn't fancy my carbon forks and integrated headset taking the pasting of the rocky track past the bothy.

 

[Mr Panda]

Some of that track was quite rough/rocky around Knockdamph Bothy and west from there. 700 wheels/tyres will certainly be challenged and punctures quite likely I think.

Took my Bianchi with 700x23s offroad near Loch Rannoch once on similar terrain. Had one puncture an ended up pushing quite a bit to save further damage. Brakes took a pounding too.

If I was doing your route I think I'd take a lightweight mountainbike with big slicks and puncture protection

 

[therealkw15]

... and I just remembered the long steep descent on that track west of the bothy that completely wiped out a set of new brake blocks between the top of it and the bottom...