Caledonian Carnivores and other adventures

[andygates]

And no, I don't mean the slightly weird news that one may have to apply for a sporran licence shortly. I refer instead to midges, the microscopic vampires who descended on us every time we stopped on our glorious if daft overnight ride from Dumbarton. 

We stopped quite often.  There were more hills than it was sensible to tackle on fixed - and three of us on fixed.  Still, after a soul-crushing first couple of hours we found a pub, had a drink and replanned the route, and had a fine if tough time of it - and made it to the Forth Bridge for sunrise.  Then the skies opened, my knee blew up, and we declared discretion over valour stopping at Kirkcaldy with weather reports of flooding, trauma and woez.  Should have guessed really, from the landslide that tried to block our getting to the start, or the Buckfast zombies.  Still, 85 really hard miles: the disappointment of not making it to St Andrews is offset by knowing that that was a good stiff ride. 

Comments

[andygates.livejournal.com]

Wait til you see the jelly babies...

[simoneck.livejournal.com]

your knee blew up!
I hope I'm picturing something far worse than the reality.

And yes, mad.
Fixies were made for Cambridgeshire not Scotland.

[ehutch.livejournal.com]

In awe here... Wimbleball for next year should be a breeze! Why not in the kilt on a fixy?

[ravenbait.livejournal.com]

I am doing it fixed again next year. And next year the bitch is mine.

[ravenbait.livejournal.com]

Oh, and the jellybabies:

[andygates.livejournal.com]

Haven't been shopping yet :)

Of course the lightweight wicking velcro-closure kilt is... an American invention.

[andygates.livejournal.com]

Dumb Run II: Bigger. Stupider. More Midges. And This Time, It's Personal.

Frack yeah. It's just geography.

[andygates.livejournal.com]

Yeah it just went grumpy - the last eight miles or so (Dalgety Bay to Kirkcaldy) were done with one leg idling and the other doing all the work. It's traditional. Makes for interesting hills though - I have a feeling that half out of the saddle, gurning and jumping on one pedal, looked a lot like a bear humping a pile of scrap.

[andygates.livejournal.com]

Hang on a minute... what do you mean, Wimbleball for next year?

[skean.livejournal.com]

It's been said now. You can't take it back.

[andygates.livejournal.com]

Hey, I didn't say it. I just read between the lines, dammit.

[n-decisive.livejournal.com]

I continue to enjoy the photos you guys post of what I'd rather be doing. :)