The Posse welcomed a new member today. The Shredder had a tadge of apprehension in joining the Posse on the Saturday morning outing.
He was joined by the usual bandits, The Ironman, The Fit One, Santiago and The Bigman as they headed out on a frosty morning with ice clad cars at 08.30 in the morning as the sun climbed in the sky.
These are the kind of days where the views can be crystal clear yet the bends may hide catastrophe with small areas of black ice, enough to take out a cyclist on skinny road tyres that grip very little road at the best of times.
With a depleted Dark Knights Posse on Wednesday, there was much news to catch up on. Concerns about jobs, challenges around the volume of work to be done and limited time to do it, challenges around fitting in family responsibilities. A challenge shared is less of a burden.
John Lennon once wrote, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Saturday morning Posse outings give you the chance to live in that moment whilst sharing it with others.
The Shredder was tearing up the road as the Posse headed up and over Mont VeKnockhill towards Yetts of Muchart. The scene was like viewing the landscape through a camera filter. The bowns were very orange against a skyline that was bluer than blue. One of these dramatic landscape often captured in calendars.
The plan was then to head to Milnathort in pursuit formation maximising efficiency as the team cut through the icy cold air. As the posse cruised along the road, a buzzard glided along in front of the posse as if seeking to be part of the team. It flexed its massive wingspan puffing out its chest, proud to be leading the Posse. An amazing sight that may have lasted for only minutes however had the posse transfixed on the ease with which it moved through the air.
The Shredder had the added 'benefit' of being extra cool with his cycling shorts and fingerless mitts. A quick call to Santa Claus and Winter Longs have now been added to the Christmas List.
It may have seemed harsh on his first outing with the Posse, however it has to happen some time and so today was as a good a day as any to tackle the North Face of the iconic Col du Cleish.
And so, after refreshments in the cafe in Kinross, The North Face was the target. The steepest part is at the start of the climb. Bigman encouraged The Shredder by helping him understand that burning lungs that feel like bursting was a good sign as it acted like a barometer for his fitness. The Shredder confirmed his lungs were bursting, and on fire, his legs felt like lead, but he could still feel his fingers. The Fit One confirmed this was a good sign as it demonstrated he was still alive! The Posse belief in positive mental attitude and always seek to encourage.
With loads of encouragement and no physical aid, The Shredder arrived at the crest of the Col du Cleish. He is now truly a member of the Posse.
It has been some time since the Posse has had a road bike race at the Bus Museum sprint. The Fit One was chatting away about technical bike maintenance training and was tucked in behind Santiago. To chase down a break he would have to first move clear. The Ironman was pondering when to make his move when the peace was shattered by Bigman pummelling the pedals to build a lead on the downhill stage before the road reared up in front of him. Santiago moved down on the tri bars and kicked down eventually passing Bigman and looked good to win the sprint when, with the virtual finish line in sight, the power drained from his legs faster than the Wingman downs a pint of cider at the Seven Kings on a Friday evening!
Bigman powered passed however The Ironman continued to pursue with steel in his eye. Bigman managed to hang in there but, without question, Ironman was a new man from the Thursday evening outing. Clearly the iron lung is back!
Meanwhile, The Fit One was conducting an assessment as to why his pedals were turning so fast without pace to match? Cruising in the middle ring was the answer.
It was another fantastic day out with the Posse and 64 km nearer the Cape Epic. It will take many more Col du Cleish climbs to get prepared for stage 3 of the Cape Epic.
Showing posts with label Col du Cleish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Col du Cleish. Show all posts
Saturday, 7 November 2009
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
The Fit One's power pummels pedal
It was billed as an open event to anyone who was remotely connected with the posse to come and try 'Cycing under the stars'. Climbing Col du Cleish for those who may not be entirely confident cycling in the dark ........... except for lights, of course.
Turns out to be not a great night to launch. The Ironman was still recovering from his fantastic time in the Loch Ness Marathon. Junior II was unable to provide the engineroom for the Creepy Coupe, Santiago was otherwise engaged, The Duracell has not yet got energy back from the weekend,meaning the Ant Hill Mob would not be present on Chugga Boom and to top it all, Bigman having made a dash for the 17.00 train from Glasgow to get home in plenty time, got stuck on a train that broke down 7minutes after leaving Queen Street Station and did not get home until almost 3 hours later. Lady Luck ws not having a good evening .......... so far.
On the positive side, The Fit One led the posse well accompanied by The Marathon Man, who was trialling his inaugural journey under the stars. In addition an un-named alias joined the posse for the first time. On the basis he makes a return visit next Wednesday, an appropriate alias shall be awarded.
The night was superb with a carpet of stars showing Perth and Kinross. It was not too cold at 10 degrees and a great night was had by all.
And Lady Luck continued to be postied missing. The Fit One demonstrated his Jan Ullricht style of cycling by pushing so hard on th pedal he managed to sheer it off. Not to be discouraged, and in an Ironman sort of way, he pedalled manfully with one leg back to Dunfermline.
What a hero. It will no doubt have built even greater strength for next week when the Creepy Coupe returns.
Turns out to be not a great night to launch. The Ironman was still recovering from his fantastic time in the Loch Ness Marathon. Junior II was unable to provide the engineroom for the Creepy Coupe, Santiago was otherwise engaged, The Duracell has not yet got energy back from the weekend,meaning the Ant Hill Mob would not be present on Chugga Boom and to top it all, Bigman having made a dash for the 17.00 train from Glasgow to get home in plenty time, got stuck on a train that broke down 7minutes after leaving Queen Street Station and did not get home until almost 3 hours later. Lady Luck ws not having a good evening .......... so far.
On the positive side, The Fit One led the posse well accompanied by The Marathon Man, who was trialling his inaugural journey under the stars. In addition an un-named alias joined the posse for the first time. On the basis he makes a return visit next Wednesday, an appropriate alias shall be awarded.
The night was superb with a carpet of stars showing Perth and Kinross. It was not too cold at 10 degrees and a great night was had by all.
And Lady Luck continued to be postied missing. The Fit One demonstrated his Jan Ullricht style of cycling by pushing so hard on th pedal he managed to sheer it off. Not to be discouraged, and in an Ironman sort of way, he pedalled manfully with one leg back to Dunfermline.
What a hero. It will no doubt have built even greater strength for next week when the Creepy Coupe returns.
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
The Power of too .............. equals mour
It was billed as the race of the Autumn season and it had more thrills, yet no spills, than a Manchester football derby even without added time.
The Fit One and Junior too were wheeling out The Creepy Coupe Tandem Machine (borrowed from the Gruesome Twosome) Have they ever been seen at the same time in the same place???
It was dusk as the pair met up with Bigman on his mountain bike and they headed for a rendezvous with The Ironman just outside Dunfermline en route to race up the iconic ascent of the Col du Cleish.
Earlier in the day the Ironman had left a message to say that he was feeling under the weather with a serious bout of Ironman Flu and would give the outing a miss. Bigman, who had also been suffering from ordinary man flu and had had a 04:30 start yesterday and 05:00 start today was considering giving it a miss. Before listening to the voicemail message, he called The Ironman who was now up for the challenge. How could Bigman call off now?
Last week, Bigman had a battle of the bottle. Did he get on his bike or would sense prevail and crack open a bottle of Pouilly Fume. Sense prevailed and an outing lost. Tonight, with the support of a friend, common sense lost the day and the race was on. It is great how the power of two can spur you on to greatness.
Speaking of which the Gruesome Twosome in the Creepy Coupe were speeding ahead up through Townhill with the scent of victory in their nostrils. Well perhaps only Junior II, as The Fit One was clearing his tubes so frequently there is now a loch at the foot of Cleish.
The duo were in great form, and it is little wonder the charity is called Talking Tandems as the chatted for miles on end.
Despite operating at 60% power, The Ironman powered up and over the crest of Col du Cleish followed by The Bigman and an effortless push by the Gruesome Twosome saw the Creepy Coupe climb the crest. The lights of Kinross and Scotlandwell sparkled in the darkness on a still Perthshire evening. And then it was down the descent of the North Face with The Fit One in pilot position. Ordinarily he is a scary downhiller and Mrs junior II is expecting a little cyclist on Christmas day ( guess what the wee one is getting for Christmas if he pops out on time!)And this was no different. Have you ever seen one of those slow exposure photgraphs taken of car lights at night ..... a long streak of red light ......... this was the creepy coupy streaking down the North Face.
At the foot of the crags, the duo changed postions and Junior II moved to pilot position with The Fit One as the 'Jan Ulrich' engine on the back. Like a scene from Trawlermen, the Duo wound in the white lines, eyeing the horizon as it came closer to their grasp. The orange glow from the flaring at Mossmorran coloured the fluffy clouds brightly. Either that or the Wee Yin had got a bit excited when puting a log or two on the coal fire!
As they crested Cleish, Junior II called for maximum power and Ulrich responded and once again they were off like Dundee fans hearing there were only a few pies left at half time.
The final race point of the evening was close and The Fit One, like a rear gunner from 633 squadron, kept watch on the position of the competitors as they sped down from Cleish building momentum with every pedal stroke. Like a scene from The Descent of Shap on Lejog 2006 when The Duracell on the Dawes called for maximum warp, the creepy Coupe was calling for warp 10 'shouting the immortal words 'Scotty a cannae hold her, she's breakin up'.
The Fit One was calling the strokes from the back and when the Bigman, having tucked in the slipstream went for the win, the Duo stood up in unison and pushed for the line. They have practiced the manouevre well and Torvill and Dean would have been proud of the synchronised movement. The guys accelarated away and the Bigman was defeated and deflated for the first time in many weeks.
This was a brilliant fun evening and the banter was magnificent. A shower of rain reminded us the weather is on the turn however it did not dampen the spirits and there needs to be a revenge match. Will the Creepy Coupe Clobber Cleish next time or will the Ironman once more show his steel. You heard it first here!
The Fit One and Junior too were wheeling out The Creepy Coupe Tandem Machine (borrowed from the Gruesome Twosome) Have they ever been seen at the same time in the same place???
It was dusk as the pair met up with Bigman on his mountain bike and they headed for a rendezvous with The Ironman just outside Dunfermline en route to race up the iconic ascent of the Col du Cleish.
Earlier in the day the Ironman had left a message to say that he was feeling under the weather with a serious bout of Ironman Flu and would give the outing a miss. Bigman, who had also been suffering from ordinary man flu and had had a 04:30 start yesterday and 05:00 start today was considering giving it a miss. Before listening to the voicemail message, he called The Ironman who was now up for the challenge. How could Bigman call off now?
Last week, Bigman had a battle of the bottle. Did he get on his bike or would sense prevail and crack open a bottle of Pouilly Fume. Sense prevailed and an outing lost. Tonight, with the support of a friend, common sense lost the day and the race was on. It is great how the power of two can spur you on to greatness.
Speaking of which the Gruesome Twosome in the Creepy Coupe were speeding ahead up through Townhill with the scent of victory in their nostrils. Well perhaps only Junior II, as The Fit One was clearing his tubes so frequently there is now a loch at the foot of Cleish.
The duo were in great form, and it is little wonder the charity is called Talking Tandems as the chatted for miles on end.
Despite operating at 60% power, The Ironman powered up and over the crest of Col du Cleish followed by The Bigman and an effortless push by the Gruesome Twosome saw the Creepy Coupe climb the crest. The lights of Kinross and Scotlandwell sparkled in the darkness on a still Perthshire evening. And then it was down the descent of the North Face with The Fit One in pilot position. Ordinarily he is a scary downhiller and Mrs junior II is expecting a little cyclist on Christmas day ( guess what the wee one is getting for Christmas if he pops out on time!)And this was no different. Have you ever seen one of those slow exposure photgraphs taken of car lights at night ..... a long streak of red light ......... this was the creepy coupy streaking down the North Face.
At the foot of the crags, the duo changed postions and Junior II moved to pilot position with The Fit One as the 'Jan Ulrich' engine on the back. Like a scene from Trawlermen, the Duo wound in the white lines, eyeing the horizon as it came closer to their grasp. The orange glow from the flaring at Mossmorran coloured the fluffy clouds brightly. Either that or the Wee Yin had got a bit excited when puting a log or two on the coal fire!
As they crested Cleish, Junior II called for maximum power and Ulrich responded and once again they were off like Dundee fans hearing there were only a few pies left at half time.
The final race point of the evening was close and The Fit One, like a rear gunner from 633 squadron, kept watch on the position of the competitors as they sped down from Cleish building momentum with every pedal stroke. Like a scene from The Descent of Shap on Lejog 2006 when The Duracell on the Dawes called for maximum warp, the creepy Coupe was calling for warp 10 'shouting the immortal words 'Scotty a cannae hold her, she's breakin up'.
The Fit One was calling the strokes from the back and when the Bigman, having tucked in the slipstream went for the win, the Duo stood up in unison and pushed for the line. They have practiced the manouevre well and Torvill and Dean would have been proud of the synchronised movement. The guys accelarated away and the Bigman was defeated and deflated for the first time in many weeks.
This was a brilliant fun evening and the banter was magnificent. A shower of rain reminded us the weather is on the turn however it did not dampen the spirits and there needs to be a revenge match. Will the Creepy Coupe Clobber Cleish next time or will the Ironman once more show his steel. You heard it first here!
Saturday, 19 September 2009
Lumpy outing delivers weighty eighty plus
The forecast was set for cloudy with a slight chance of rain, followed by a spell of sunshine. Nothing unusual in that............ everything in a day without the snow.
The Ironman and Bigman met up at the usual place resplendant in full winter gear including the winter gloves. Today would be the first return to The Pass of Condie since before the summer. It has to be one of Scotland's best kept secrets, the glen from Yetts of Muchart through to Dunning. It is a gentle climb as you wind your way up to the crest of a 4 mile descent to Dunning. As you leave the Glen Devon road you are welcomed by the tumbling, overflowing waters from the Glen Devon loch which sparkles in the sunshine as you enter the enchanted glen.
A good pace was set as the pair raced up over Mont Veknockhill, with the constant chatter passing away the miles. A few buckets of perspiration leaked during the climbs to the crest of Dunning and we have not even reached the formidable Dunning Hill, a steep one in four climb that has you out of the saddle to avoid the front wheel leaving the road. As they raced down to Dunning, Bigman warned The Ironman of frequent debris that lies around the sharp corners. If only he had taken his own advice he would not have 'enjoyed' a bacck wheel slipping over the road as he passed over a stream of water before a harp bend. The grass verge sped towards the Madone and only a the last minute managed to pull away before disaster struck.
In his inimatable style, The Ironman invited Bigman to take the hill at his own pace. Back came the rejoindre, only if you wait at the top.
The pair zoomed up the Dunning Hill as if it was invisible, only the slightest pecking was discernable amongst the perfect silence of the countryside. The views over Perthshire and Tayside were superb as the sunshine painted a warm glow over the fields.
Climbing the Dunning Hill, is only the first (and worst) of a series of three sizeable climbs before the planned coffee stop at Loch Leven's Larder. The guys made plans for returning here on the tractors for night time training through the winter. Very few cars were on the road making it ideal for winter training, not to mention the bruising hill climbs.
Milnathort was shortly achieved following a welcome downhill. A carb induced carrot cake, fruit scone and two litres of water lifted the energy levels for the return over the north face of the iconic ascent, Col du Cleish. In an attempt to dampen spirits, the rain decide to apply some smur liberally across the cyclists as they crested the Col. It only served to deliver a view of the most magnificent rainbow with both ends visible however there was no gold at either end.
As the pair chased down to Dunfermline, The Ironman tucked in behind Bigman with the intention of challenging his pace at the traditional race point. Bigman shifted down the gearing in anticipation and was only just able to hold of the Attack of the Ironman ( sounds like a Star Trek movie!)
A fine 85km covered in an elapsed time of just over three hours and about 3000ft of climbing. It was certainly a lumpy ride proving a weighty eighty five Km.
The Ironman and Bigman met up at the usual place resplendant in full winter gear including the winter gloves. Today would be the first return to The Pass of Condie since before the summer. It has to be one of Scotland's best kept secrets, the glen from Yetts of Muchart through to Dunning. It is a gentle climb as you wind your way up to the crest of a 4 mile descent to Dunning. As you leave the Glen Devon road you are welcomed by the tumbling, overflowing waters from the Glen Devon loch which sparkles in the sunshine as you enter the enchanted glen.
A good pace was set as the pair raced up over Mont Veknockhill, with the constant chatter passing away the miles. A few buckets of perspiration leaked during the climbs to the crest of Dunning and we have not even reached the formidable Dunning Hill, a steep one in four climb that has you out of the saddle to avoid the front wheel leaving the road. As they raced down to Dunning, Bigman warned The Ironman of frequent debris that lies around the sharp corners. If only he had taken his own advice he would not have 'enjoyed' a bacck wheel slipping over the road as he passed over a stream of water before a harp bend. The grass verge sped towards the Madone and only a the last minute managed to pull away before disaster struck.
In his inimatable style, The Ironman invited Bigman to take the hill at his own pace. Back came the rejoindre, only if you wait at the top.
The pair zoomed up the Dunning Hill as if it was invisible, only the slightest pecking was discernable amongst the perfect silence of the countryside. The views over Perthshire and Tayside were superb as the sunshine painted a warm glow over the fields.
Climbing the Dunning Hill, is only the first (and worst) of a series of three sizeable climbs before the planned coffee stop at Loch Leven's Larder. The guys made plans for returning here on the tractors for night time training through the winter. Very few cars were on the road making it ideal for winter training, not to mention the bruising hill climbs.
Milnathort was shortly achieved following a welcome downhill. A carb induced carrot cake, fruit scone and two litres of water lifted the energy levels for the return over the north face of the iconic ascent, Col du Cleish. In an attempt to dampen spirits, the rain decide to apply some smur liberally across the cyclists as they crested the Col. It only served to deliver a view of the most magnificent rainbow with both ends visible however there was no gold at either end.
As the pair chased down to Dunfermline, The Ironman tucked in behind Bigman with the intention of challenging his pace at the traditional race point. Bigman shifted down the gearing in anticipation and was only just able to hold of the Attack of the Ironman ( sounds like a Star Trek movie!)
A fine 85km covered in an elapsed time of just over three hours and about 3000ft of climbing. It was certainly a lumpy ride proving a weighty eighty five Km.
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Entering the twilight zone ....................
Another cracker of a day and all the promise of a superb autumn evening. What better way to celebrate harvest season but with a twilight outing on the 'tractors'. The Ironman, fresh from international duty,accompanied by BIgman set out for one of Fife's most iconic ascents - Col du Cleish with its chiselled out cliff faces as you ascend the north face complete with hairpin bend (one).
The sun was beginning to rest for the day as it hesitated on the barley fields before turning the country side golden as it hid behind fields before disapperaring from view.
A role reversal took place with the pair swapping clothes. Well, not literally, The Ironman was resplendant in winter longs and full waterproof jacket and winter gloves. The Bigman, instead, went for teh summer look with shorts and fingerless mitts and no waterproof.
The plan was to kit up with full lights and do 4 climb repetitions of Clesih. This means climbing 2000ft, equivalent of 66% of Table Mountain which is day one of the Cape Epic and a distance of 40k which is twice the distance of the Table Mountain climb prologue stage on day 1.
It was great to be out on such a perfect night. The lights of Kinross sparkled as they viewed Perth and Kinross from teh crest of Cleish.
Somewhere out there, The Fit One, Santiago, and Junior II are forming a tandem posse with the Talking Tandem charity crew. It is a great night for cycling.
The sun was beginning to rest for the day as it hesitated on the barley fields before turning the country side golden as it hid behind fields before disapperaring from view.
A role reversal took place with the pair swapping clothes. Well, not literally, The Ironman was resplendant in winter longs and full waterproof jacket and winter gloves. The Bigman, instead, went for teh summer look with shorts and fingerless mitts and no waterproof.
The plan was to kit up with full lights and do 4 climb repetitions of Clesih. This means climbing 2000ft, equivalent of 66% of Table Mountain which is day one of the Cape Epic and a distance of 40k which is twice the distance of the Table Mountain climb prologue stage on day 1.
It was great to be out on such a perfect night. The lights of Kinross sparkled as they viewed Perth and Kinross from teh crest of Cleish.
Somewhere out there, The Fit One, Santiago, and Junior II are forming a tandem posse with the Talking Tandem charity crew. It is a great night for cycling.
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