Folks
For those that might be interested and not on our mailing list:
100.5 mile overnight, road bike, summer solstice ride from Carlisle to Edinburgh – with a few wee things thrown into the mix to make it fun – chip shop stop in Moffat, free beer from Stewart Brewing at the end etc.
We managed to have about 500 folk ride this year despite the event itself missing the pipers at the top of the Devil’s Beef Tub, the cyclorave at the derelict Crook Inn, and hot drinks and grub at the kirk hall – all will return in 2022!
Be great if we got up to 2019 numbers of ~1500 or so folk.
http://www.ridetothesun.co.uk/
http://www.ridetothesun.co.uk/downloads/feedback-2019.pdf
And two wee film clips (7 and 4 minutes respectively) from the BBC Adventure Show https://youtu.be/nSOdzsCbIvA and from Shand Cycles https://youtu.be/vYjFOWFS7Og.
Hope some STW folk can make it.
All the best
Fraser

Great event. Will bookmark the date.

Planning on a wee return next year!.

Already in the diary!

It’s a bit of a trek from the Mystic East but I reckon this could be the year to break the duck.

*looks at recently rebuilt fixed gear and ponders…*

May have signed up

Bookmarked

*looks at recently rebuilt fixed gear and ponders…*

Go on! I’m for doing it on my 340 quid go outdoors flat barred commuter this time!

I’ll be doing it 🙂

Okay nobeer I’ll do it. But you have to carry my spare knees.

I’m trying to mentally fathom at which point it will start hurting.

Also just entered. Coming up from the Midlands so will need to have a think about logistics.
Have don’t a century for a few years so give me something to train for.

@joshvegas

A couple of miles after Moffat I’m thinking.

It’s been a wee while,I did the double last time in near perfect conditions and met that crazy dude that was training for the LEJOG – JOGLE record.
>> sticks date in calendar<<

It was a lovely run this year but bastard cold through the night, I had a down jacket and gloves on too.

I’m four pints in, in this pic there’s a bottle of rioja on my down tube and a hip flask of Bowmore on my seat tube. I had skelped these long before Embrugh.. I’m all about the Scottish stereotypes.

Midge were on another level at the stops mind.

…

@joshvegas

A couple of miles after Moffat I’m thinking.

The beeftub doesn’t bother me it’s the long drag from Broughton to loanhead I find miserable.

Aye, beeftub would be okay fixed, not steep, surely it’s the long flat sections (first 45 miles!) That are worse?.

Not rode a bike since elbow surgery in July but I’ve signed up, something to aim for!

Oh aye the flat bits will be boring but the beeftub to loanhead is pretty grim after the midgie bloodloss.

@joshvegas “midgie bloodloss” 🤣🤣🤣
Thanks for the kind words, support and enthusiasm for it, much appreciated 👍
And I think that folk are right – I find the section from the Crook Inn to the bypass the toughest – combo of bobbly undulating roads, tiredness and that middle of the night feel. Then love the spin through Edinburgh and down to the seafront.
👍

The road surface around there is grim aswell. I’ve ridden it on a carbon road bike with 23c a few times. Genuinely concerned I was getting white finger.

Roll call Bump.
#notlongnow 🙂
Who’s up for a bit of a night cycle then?
Going to do the double again ..Cramond – Carlisle – Cramond.
Crossed fingers for the same as last time —>> clear skies and a bright moon 👍😉🙃

Cant make it this year which is sad. Great event. It was my fist imperial century in 2019, aim to be back next year. Good luck to everyone taking part!

There’s three of us doing it for the first time. I’m really looking forward to it.

I had a great plan to not use the car for the weekend, train home-Carlisle, ride RTTS, train Edinburgh-home. Tickets all booked, bike reservation made, all sorted a good few weeks ago… and then RMT strike action happened.

Still hoping to be there, anyway, just in a more complicated having-to-shoogle-the-car-around manner!

Maybe next year as I have a heavy cold (could be the COVIDs but negative so far) and I’m coughing my lungs up.

I’ve had a total disaster and won’t be there now.

Had to cancel the original plan to use trains because of the strikes, had managed to get a last minute ticket on Monday for the Scouts Transport bus back to Carlisle… And then tested positive for Covid this morning.

Hope the weather’s good, the midgies are asleep, and everyone has a great time. Roll on next year!

Bad luck Pyro,the weather even looks like it is going to behave itself now 🤞
Still planning to cycle down to Edinburgh the morra,stay with family,then a 8.30 start from Cramond on Sat morning.
It would be nice to have a dry start 🙂

Fab day out,if some what ambitious in opting for the double 😀.
Thanks again to Fraser and Gary for putting it all together 👍

Yeah that was decent, did the double too, well most of it, rather than head all the way into Carlisle I just turned off and joined the route at Longtown.

Headed down from Edinburgh via Inners, Ettrick, Eskdalemuir and Langholm. 140km into a headwind wasn’t the most fun I’ve had on a bike, but was dry enough and pretty sunny at times. The RttS route was good, forked lightning in the north whilst riding up the Devil’s Beef Tub was entertaining. Broughton to Loanhead was indeed ‘character building’, even on 32mm tyres. Good turnout though, great to see so many at Moffat and along the route

Turns out two of my friends (who don’t know each other) have done it this year, one of them a regular, one doing their first century.

I need to try and get the date free next year….

What a fabulous event! First time for us (group of 6 colleagues from work) and had a great time. We really got stuck into the rave at the Crook Inn- great way to warm up the extremities after the long downhill run. Met 2 brothers one of whom had flown in from Nashville. Please pass on magnificent praise to the Scouts for logistical and moral support. Never has a bacon butty been so welcome. And thanks to Cycle Law for the beers at the front in Crammond- nicely complemented the jaeger bombs we’d enjoyed at the esso garage on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Will be back!

@fatmax – thanks Fraser, please also pass on thanks to Gary and the rest of the cast involved in making the event such an event. A pleasantly audax-y feel with that sense of shared experience and camaraderie with the other riders that’s often missing from events these days. My first time, but hope to make it back again in future.

What a brilliant night that was. Three of us rode it. There was a great tailwind to Moffat where my Sister in law and husband were ready with hot food and tea for us. Then it was the ascent of the Beeftub in the rapidly darkening skies. Just as we reached the top we had a close encounter with the biggest bolt of lightening I’ve seen. Then it was a speedy descent to the Crook Inn but we were too cold at that point to rave so we powered on. Approaching Edinburgh that was lots of support from people drinking in their gardens and even a hot tub party were cheering us on. Being sober at 2am in Edinburgh was an interesting experience as we pushed onto Crammond to finish. The Scouts had the food and drinks organised like a military operation and we were soon refreshed and warm. Then it was down to the beach for sunrise and a free beer. The whole event was superb. Its one of the best road rides I’ve done. We’re all still buzzing. I can’t wait to go back next year.

Folks
Really appreciate the kind words, they really do mean so much.
Fair to say that the thunder and lightening caught everyone out as it wasn’t forecast, but thought everyone was remarkably resilient, got dancing at the Crook Inn to get warm, and most carried on. We’re already trying to get the Crook Inn owners to open up for next year and get hot drinks served, and to be fair they are only just advertising for an operator / manager.
The clear skies from 2am onwards lifted the spirits, and the sunrise meant that everyone was in good form by Cramond.
And 2023 plans are underway, and likely to be Saturday June 24th, to avoid clashing with the Lakesman and Chase the Sun (north).
As Gary said at sunrise, we front it, but it’s a really great team effort from Linda, pipers, cyclorave, kirk hall hot grub, Scouts for transport etc – those good folk should get all the credit.
Maybe 800-1000 riders this year. We were expecting ~1200, but I think the Covid spike and trains just cut things a wee bit. 700 rolls sold, so I think Fresh Start should have had a good load of cash for their coffers.
Thanks all and hope to see you in 2023.
All the very best
Fraser

Saturday June 24th for 2023 – date has been changed on the home page but not the registration page.
https://www.ridetothesun.co.uk/register
Thanks folks 👍🏻