Amazing effort Zlod. Good luck for the rest of the season. TMB included, IIRC?
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Amazing effort Zlod. Good luck for the rest of the season. TMB included, IIRC?
And again for 2009....................
What is the terrain like for the bike from Whitehaven along the cycle track to when you come off before Kirkland (and on the track to the YH). Will a road bike with Campag Zondas and maybe Conti Gatorskins cut it or would a chunkier tyre/wheel be better suited?
Yes, we need to know this, could this be a new "what bike" thread?
Perhaps a recce is on the cards????
I often used the cycle track on my way for a ride down Buttermere on my road bike, its tarmaced and is really fast to move on even though its uphill. I could often keep on the big ring all the way.
The forest road down Ennerdale is totally different, its rough and stoney, before mountain bikes I would go up there on a tourer I think the tyres were 32? and would get knocked about a bit by the stones.
I think you could get by on a road bike with touring style tyres but not racing tyres.
Thanks Baggins. Am I correct in saying entry onto the cycle path is from the B5345 just south of the Old Quay - is it an obvious entry onto it and then obvious end to the route on back road 1.25K west of Kirkland? Will be going up for a recce but just gathering info...........ta.Quote:
Originally Posted by Baggins
I would say its not too obvious, it's marked as it's the start of the c2c cycle route, here's a simple map showing the way. (don't use the quieter route at the start, total waste of time :()Quote:
Originally Posted by Ady In Accy
When you end the route on the cycle path near Kirkland you turn left at the road, after about 300m you come to a crossroads by Kirkland school, turn right here up the hill after 800m you'll come to another crossroads in Kirkland.
Turn right here to drop down to Ennerdale village or straight across then follow the road to a T juction at Cauda Brow where you turn right and drop down to Croasdale.
AIA,
I did it last year and used a mountian bike with semi-slick tyres but to be honest if I were to do it again I'd use a cross bike.
From the start to the track at Ennerdale it's all tarmac and would be very quick on a road bike or crosser. The track at Ennerdale is not that long but it is quite stony - I think you'd get pretty shook up on a roadie but it's definitely doable.
Having said all that we made a real mess of the run on that leg so I reckon if we'd done it on unicycles it wouldn't have made much difference.
If you're serious about your time and want the best possible machine for the job it's got to be a cross bike (with a fairly low gear for the climb back out the valley!!!)
Will prob get some Askiums with some suitably thick rubber on for the road bike - bit of an expense to get a crosser just for this stretch. Anyway, good feedback so I can ditch the Michellin pro sports!Quote:
Originally Posted by Norfolk & Goode
Like the quip re unicycles! Will be doing at least 2 recces for this leg - there are some nice shorter route options from the YH which join up to Black Sail pass but I think we are expected to go via Black Sail hut. Might make for a good bivvi recce as per the one earlier on in this thread.
Lots of good info, thanks guys. The rate limiting step for me will be bone healing time and the ability to run once healed. Time will tell. A little ride on the bike to recce the route shouldn't be beyond me though!
Addy, does this mean you are doing it??
As long as nothing breaks in the meantime!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Toffer
I can definitely recommend the bivvy recce - my avatar is taken on the summit of Sca Fell just before I got into my bag.
Parking in Whitehaven for anything longer than a 2 hour shopping trip is a bit of a nightmare (not that you'd want to spend 2 hours shopping in Whitehaven.....) but if you speak nicely to the harbour master he might let you park right under his look out tower like we did.
Good luck with the training and the race - hope your sea legs are sturdier than mine........
Careful nowt wrong with Whitehaven :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Norfolk & Goode
Don't try and park in the town centre, of course there's a two hour limit. :rolleyes: :)
Our team used Cyclocross bikes
Does anyone have details of the exact route that needs to be taken for the Snowdon leg please?
Cheers
...indeed, all three would be useful as I'm hoping to recce this year and get our entry together for next year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pinchy
Are maps provided with the routes on? They seem to be quite proscriptive so I'm guessing it's best to have the routes wired in advance.
The route up Snowdon is basically from the wharf in Caernarfon (which is near a Morrissons as I recall), then up the A road that goes to the south of Snowdon, up the Snowdon Ranger path to the summit (where there is the only checkpoint), down the railway path to Llanberis and then back along the A road to Caernarfon. There isn't much route choice.
The Scafell Pike leg is a bike ride to the youth hostel at the head of Ennerdale Water (not Black Sail), run up the valley and then over Black Sail Pass to Wasdale Head (checkpoint), then up a diagonal path that leads to the main path to Hollow Stones. You then go left a bit to the col between Lingmell Fell (??) and Scafell Pike, then straight up to Scafell Pike (this last bit is how you would finally ascend Scafell Pike if you'd done the Corridor Route from Styhead). The bike ride is along the West Cumbria cycleway (I think).
The race is a defined course route, but I think you need to do the sensible thing on the ground (like the route that is marked up the last bit of Scafell Pike might be a right of way - green dashes on the map, but it's not a path).
Thanks for that, Zlod. They seemed the most logical routes but I didn't want to start recce'ing the wrong lines...that would be a distinct waste of calories :-)
Thanks Zlod
So you use different paths for the ascent & descent on Snowdon... Up the south side on the Ranger path from the YH & down the railway path to Llanberis?
Yes thats correct. We figured it was to split the field up a bit more as you are usually doing this in the dark so you don't know where the lead or the chasing runners are. By Scafell you are so split up any way the lead runners are probably close to a day in front of the back markers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pinchy
Watch out for Mr Howard:rolleyes: springing out with his camera when you least expect it.
Yep: you've got it!Quote:
Originally Posted by Pinchy
It's the A4085 on the way to Snowdon Ranger and the A4086 on the way back from Llanberis.
Note that there is only one checkpoint on this leg (at the top of the Snowdon summit cairn), so you don't actually have to go to Snowdon Ranger YH. Also note that you don't have to go to Black Sail YH on the Scafell Pike leg (you pass beneath it).
The run from Llanberis back to Caernarfon can be pretty hard work, especially when your skipper has given you a schedule to get back to the boat!
The Ben Nevis leg is like this:
You dock at Corpach lock, run along the "coast path" by Caol (Great Glen Way) in a SE direction. You cross the river on a footbridge by the Mallaig railway line bridge (I think it is the same bridge, but may be wrong there). Run through Inverlochy, then up the north / east bank of the Nevis river along the minor road. Pass Achintee House, then up the main Ben Nevis path. You're not meant to take the Red Burn path shortcut (I think that's what it's called), but can cut the zig zags after that (according to choice). The checkpoint is on top of that big cylindrical cairn on top. The way back is the same as the way up. The finish line is by the lock in Corpach.
There is only one checkpoint on this leg: at the top.
[Note: the 2008 route is described above. The 2007 route started off / finished along the A830].
On the Scafell leg there is a defined route given but as you say you can make a shorther line than going to the YH. What is the protocol amongst the other runners in doing this?Quote:
Originally Posted by Zlod
Did this event 3 times although the last time we did it the sailors managed to sink the boat going in to Caernarfon (I am that is spelt wrong) and we had to be taken off by the lifeboat, not a pleasant experience !
That would make it a short race for you then! :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Norman Bates
so you were that boat. We went out with local fisherman who was a lifeboat man to recce the 'bar' and he told us the story. on my last race we bounced the keel over the bar very scarey esp since I had the tiller at the time. I got a crackin bruise on my chest.Quote:
Originally Posted by Norman Bates
On the run in after the 'bar' you have roughly the equivalant of the width of a motor way in the channel, the tide comes across this pushing you one way or the other. It's usually the middle of the night.
mind you the swellies are even worse;)
Excellent. We hit the bar as well, very scary indeed. The whole world seemed to go upside down for a moment, then somehow we managed to sail off, close call. Snowdon was easy after that!:D
The thing was the boat we had had a lifting keel but someone forgot to lift it. Excellent event though but all of that road running is tough, its always great to get off the tarmac and onto the fell. The great thing is that any places gained on the Ben means places gained overall and the first time we did it and my mate spotted anyone in front (headtorches as it was pitch black) he was like a man on fire. A good man he was too as he persuaded me that the way off which I had selected would take me over the North Face.
Yeah, when we hit the bar I had my trousers half off (:eek:) as I changed into my running gear. There was a crash, a curse and then a sensation akin to being in the tumble washer with a face full of a fellow competitors nether regions as well smashed into each other!. According to the yachties, we got off because we 'backed off the mainsail' but all I know is that it was a hell of a way to prepare for the run to Snowdon after a day of being VERY seasick!
Oh, and for afters, skipper made us row up the Menai Straits!!:mad::rolleyes::D
:eek:My nether regions have never been the same again:eek:;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Wheeze
we also ended up on our side going into Whitehaven, we arrive 5 minutes after the harbour master closed the lock on a falling tide and persuaded him to let us try and creep over the bar on there:rolleyes: DohQuote:
Originally Posted by Toffer
If we'd got in we would have a minimum 8 hour lead instead we slept on our side until the next tide came to lift us off, at that point there were two other yachts moored nearby:(:D
I thought the whole idea of Whitehaven was that it was not tide-gated. Methinks you mean Ravenglass outside of which many a cold and damp night has been spent by runners cooped up in a fibreglass torture chamber...except the marines, who memorably picked up their catamaran one year and walked it into the harbour!!!:cool:
No it was definately whitehaven if you want a laugh you can read about this misfortune hereQuote:
Originally Posted by Wheeze
Possibly almost forgotten in the annals of time is the epic one crew had at Ravenglass on the first race - it was a real shame because they were well up and probably had the best runners by far but they got swamped and had a really nasty time getting ashore in the dinghy which effectively put an end to their interest in the proceedings...... I was just 18 at the time and crewing on another boat, none of us were proper fell runners and we took it in turns to run - I was lucky enough to do the Ben Nevis leg, it was an experience I'll never forget, and I'll always be grateful to the guy who owned the boat for including me in the crew.
It is one of those life changing events!
Lots of very happy memories that stay with you forever.
My partner at the time was the late great Eddie Thurrell one of the finest human beings I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and the master of understatement, as the boat was sinking he turned to me and said " Doesnt look like we are going to get our run up Snowdon today"
There is a defined route and I don't think it goes to the Black Sail youth hostel in any case: it goes below it. I think that some people go to the YH, but they're off route if they do.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ady In Accy
Wheeze> Whitehaven has a tidal issue. I know: painfully. We ran up and down Scafell Pike on the tide, got out of the lock and grounded in the harbour last year (on the way out). I think we'd have won if that hadn't happened (and a few other issues). The only good think about our grounding was that it was in the deep water channel, so all those boats that got out on the next lock and tried to get round us grounded too!
When you say below it, do you mean leaving the forest path and going over Pillar rock, Pillar Cove, Hind Cove and Cloven stone and picking up Black Sail pass there?Quote:
Originally Posted by Zlod
So I wonder why they stopped using Ravenglass then? At least when you came ashore there, you did not have to buggar about with bikes! Plus it is a pretty little place. Mindyou the road leg out and back is Looooooonnnnnngggggggggggggg!;)
You are only about 100m away from Black Sail YH. It's just that you don't need to go to the front door of the YH. You're pretty close to Black Sail YH, you just don't actually go to it. The line isn't over Pillar Rock way.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ady In Accy
Wheeze> I think the problem with Ravenglass was that it was a total stopper on the race. It didn't matter how fast you ran: you'd still be leaving with the fleet on the next high tide. I think that there is less of an issue at Whitehaven. Personally, I think it is a bit of a shame that bikes are allowed from Whitehaven. I think the rules actually state that you may cycle from Whitehaven (rather than you have to). It would be a long way to run, but possibly more stylish. I'll be on the bike in 09! From a purity of line perspective, I'd rather go to Ravenglass.
Anyone doing this ends up short of a runner give me a buzz, am keen and have done lots of long distance stuff so should stand up to the test!
;)