Hi, is anybody body else from here doing it? The forecast is looking a little wet and windy but I’m looking forward to it as it’s my first sportive.
Say hi as you pass me, I’ll be the one in a mlehworld top with my chin on the stem wearing a grimace 8)

I am doing it – will be driving up from Surrey to Plockton tomorrow and back again on Sunday 🙁

Red Genesis Equilibrium with white wheels/bars/stem/seatpost/saddlebag and brown bartape – probably with a Charlie the Bike Monger hip flask holder on it so stop me if you need a wee dram!

2nd sportive for me – first was Caledonian Classic 2 years ago.

Ooof! That’s some drive! 😯
We’ve only got a quick 2 hour or so journey from Speyside.

11 hours if the going is good – it’s a Friday though 🙁

Hopefully the rain will keep the midges at bay!

If the rain doesn’t the gales will! 😉

looking forward to having to wear that hi-vis jacket as well – hope they are breathable!

Eeek! http://www.mwis.org.uk/nw.php?fdate=120901

Considerable buffeting on even lower hills, and any mobility difficult on higher exposed areas; locally ferocious gusts to low level.

😯

damn, endura event jacket instead of gore phantom it is then.

Might phone to see if I can see what the chance of cancellation is – wouldn’t want to drive all that way for a no-show – or maybe pack the mtb as well.

My mate emailed them yesterday and got this respose,

We are keeping an eye on the weather. Should it turn out to be particularly stormy we have a number of options the most straightforward of which is to change the route to miss out the Applecross peninsular. This would take out the most exposed part of the route and shorten the whole thing by about 28 miles.

Naturally, if once we have taken advice from our medical and safety support teams it is deemed unsafe to start the event at all, then wewill make that call as soon as is practical. However, due to the fickle weather in the Highlands we are unable to be able to make this decision until the Friday night before the event at the earliest.

We will update this information on the website.

In accordance with our terms and conditions, if it becomes necessary to cancel there will be no refunds.

Kind regards

Linda Lawton
On behalf of handsonevents

ok, possible fruitless drive coming up…

I’m doing it, 2nd time after doing it back in 2010. Looking forward to it despite the terrible weather forecast!

let’s hope it is not cancelled or diverted…

I know its been run in pretty foul conditions before, so im hopeful it will carry on. Just need to be careful around corners and in groups.

done it twice….both times were interesting.2nd time i did it theyre was hail/gales,got blown off my bike….in june.met a guy at the top who seemed ready to find a new leisure pursuit….enjoy!

I don’t hink I will be allowed in any groups – I will be have mtb shoes/pedals…

I may even use a peak on my helmet, just to keep the hail out my eyes you understand 😉

Turner Guy, You can be in my grow then, mtb shoes and pedals too ! I hope the route is not changed.

I have a 6 hr drive, just going to rough it in the car at the Taagan campsite … at least the wind should keep some of the midges away.

Helmet peak for the hail a must!.. and Gatorskins for the pebbles washed into the middle of the singletrack.

They have sent a mail saying that there is significant chance that there will be a diversion away from the Bealach because of the conditions 🙁

I am thinking about not bothering now – 1200 miles and 22 hours driving within 3 days is a bit much if they are going to close the main attraction.

I know what you mean, but i’ll be going regardless, I enjoy the drive up and back. The alternative route looks fairly plain jane and misses out all the hills. 🙁

I may stay in Surrey and ride one of two routes I downloaded from bikely – either “the Surrey legbreaker” or “the Surrey massacre”.

The 2nd one is actually quite good and zig zags up and down the surrey hills trying to find as many steeps as it can – I did most of it last weekend. I think I can stretch it out a bit more as well.

front wheel for mtb is being rebuilt so I can’t use that, somebody lent their bike against it and the pedal took a spoke out 🙁

So I will spend another weekend masquerading as GenesisGuy…

If the bealach gets cut out I’ll go out and try and enjoy it anyway, plus there’s lots of good riding else where in Scotland I can do on the way home, weather forecast looks decent everywhere else. A loop around the Cairngorms or Aberfeldy might be in order. Just need to keep the fingers crossed that it clears up a bit now!

The route was cut short to miss the bealach. Too windy at the top.

Which I can beleive since at sheildaig, the wind was strong enoug to whip the spray up and off the sea. a few gusts nearly had me into the verge.

It was right dcision to cut it

118 miles round surrey for me, 7780 ft of climbing.

My mates were up there and did the 65 miles, said they got very wet.

Well, it was definetly the right decision to cut out the Bealach. The gusts coming around back to Torridon were mental. Just pootled around in about 3:40 with a friend, didnt see the point in flogging myself. Didnt really notice the rain tbh, just the wind.

Made the most of the time off anyway though, went for a wee trip up Cairngorm on the way home and a night in Aberfeldy with a couple of nice climbs around Glen Lyon, Ben Lawes and Kenmore.