Cairngorms Loop 2015

Entries open today.

http://www.cairngormsloop.net/groupride.html

Might as well bump this for the evening crowd.

It’s a really good ride, some great terrain and it’s properly tough going. However, you’ve got 56hrs to do it so three long days will get you round it with a decent sleep each night.

Just put my name down.

Just put my name down.

Nice one.

terrahawk is a shit name.

Don’t think I’ll do the event itself as I think I have family commitments that weekend, but mad keen to do it at some stage, either event or independently.
What’s the feedback from folk, is it good?

terrahawk is a shit name.

Wonder if he’s a shit rider as well…….?

Right! Form an orderly queue all those who can burn off Terrahawk on this one….

Very good 😉
It is a shit name but it feels like I’m sort of stuck with it nowadays.

oh my.. Have done the leisurely single loop in an equally leisurely three days. Enjoyable.
As an endurance event? Less convinced I’d enjoy it!!

Good luck all.

chickenman – Member
Right! Form an orderly queue all those who can burn off Terrahawk on this one….

No problem.

But in view of my age, I expect a 2 week start. 🙂

If you’re thinking of that, then think of this

http://riderscyclecentre.com/?page_id=2568

Fatmax – feedback from me is that it’s a very good ride. I’ve done it fully twice plus the inner loop once. Depending on ground conditions, there’s a little or a lot of pushing or walking, but it’s overall a great route. The only negative is the last twenty miles or so with the big climb to Fealar Lodge right when you’re expecting to finish. However, both times I’ve done it I was finishing in the dark so didn’t see how bad it was. Coincidentally I got slightly lost both times towards the end due to finishing in the dark…

I did it with about 25hrs moving over 37 to 40 hrs, so it could be stretched out into a three day ride and still make the 56hr cut.

fatmax –
What’s the feedback from folk, is it good?

Its a great route to test your mettle on. I enjoyed most of it last year up till about the last 20 or 30 miles, where I was spent and the terrain wasn’t giving up the miles easily. I was lucky enough to be in reasonable shape and felt good the first day, and went for a PB of 102 miles and 16 hrs, stopping to camp about 10 miles ahead of everyone else, who kipped in the bothy.

Next day, I got up early (about 4 hrs sleep) and set off. I had suspected that I have got the jump on everyone, confirmed some miles in with no tyre tracks on a sand road. I kept going but was slowing down, and sure at any moment that the field would catch me and leave me in the dust in last place.

Worst nightmare came to fruition as I was filling bladder from a stream a few hundred meters from the Culardoch summit, when I looked round to see Alan, Chris, and Phil chugging up the climb. Something clicked in me, and I went into ‘flight’ mode, racing to the summit then doing the descent faster than I would usually have done it.

Reaching the road, I felt I had got a slow flat on the back tyre. Nightmare! I stopped quickly to pump it up, hoping it would seal. Just after Braemar, it was very soft again and I had to stop and put a tube in.

Doing a race pitstop at mile 135 with heart racing and expecting to see them come round the corner after me was fun! They didn’t (found out later on they had stopped at Braemar for pie).

I was eventually caught and passed by another rider (who was eventually disqualified for a couple of rule infringements) but I was spent and struggling by that point. About 10 miles from the end, Alan, Chris, and Phil caught me, and very sportingly we all rode in together (they could have left me sobbing into the heather by that point).

I was utterly spent by the end, and for days afterwards.

I had been doing a lot of training for the Highland Trail race, so was in reasonable form (for me the best form I have ever been in). I couldn’t imagine doing it without that TBH, although maybe 3 days would be easier.

It’s a good race to do to figure out if you want to do more of that kind of thing, since it is only a weekend you lose if it all goes pear shaped.

Thanks for taking the time to give feedback.
I had my mountain bikes nicked a couple of years ago and only got a new one last month. Been more of a roadie and triathlete for the last couple of years (did the Outlaw Ironman-distance this year) but keen to get back into this sort of adventure. Sounds fab.

Hmmm…can’t think of a reason not to go.