Ride to the Sun 2024

I really want to do this. Sounds like a great event. Just need to sort logistics 

I really, really need to make an effort to get this done. I've been promising it to myself for years but haven't made it yet.

Did it last year and it was excellent. Logistics were slick and the atmosphere really friendly. 

It's an excellent event. I'll be doing it for a second time this year. Did it in 2022, got soaked in the thunderstorm at the Devil's Beeftub and didn't quite manage to ride back to the start the next morning, but it was ace. I missed this year so must do it in '24.

Did it this year for the first time. Great fun, lovely atmosphere and a brilliant way to get a hundred miler done.

There's me (early sixties) and six 30-year olds coming as a crack East Anglian squad. We may have the logisitics sorted now but what could possibly go wrong?

How do people work the logistics? Its on my bucket list but not this year, sadly.

We're planning a two car approach with some people watching the bikes while we deliver a vehicle to Edinburgh and then fetch the Carlisle vehicle afterwards. I suspect the younger chaps will be keen to head back home on the Sunday, I may have an extra night in a Travelodge or similar before setting off home.

How do people work the logistics?

https://www.craigalmondscouts.org/ride-to-the-sun-scout-bike-transport/

How do people work the logistics?

Am fortunate enough to live about 4 miles from the finish in north Edinburgh, so a couple of years ago I did RTTS and rode down from Edinburgh, setting off late morning on Saturday, via Innerleithen and  Eskdalemuir, then picked up the return route about half 7ish just north of Carlisle.

An absolutely fantastic event, definitely on the to do list this year, thunder and lightning storm a bit further north when heading up the Devil's Beef Tub made for spectacular views, and just the amazing sense of collective belonging with the other cyclists of all ages and abilities kept you going at all hours. Highly recommended!

800 riders signed up.

I'll not know until much nearer the time but will be hoping to be on form for the double there and back. Is there a maximum capacity, when does it usually fill up?

No. There’s no maximum number.

I've missed the last few as my daughter's dance show has been this weekend, but this year is definitely now penciled into the diary.

@13thfloormonk - as people start as early as 5pm and as late as 11pm (bit of a peak of folk around 7pm) its really spread out and so there's no real big peaks of numbers. Aside from a slight queue at the Moffat chip shop!

The year after we were on The Adventure Show we had crazy high numbers, but things are more normal now.

Have done the last two - a brilliant thing indeed. 2022's thousand years stares over bacon rolls at Cramond Church Hall were #ChefsKiss. Back again next year and maybe a Ride From The Sun soon if I pull my finger out.

Logistics - driven down from the central belt for the start and then returned the next day by train.

And just to give it a bump - sign up as a New Year resolution folks 👍
And a Simon Willis of Always Another Adventure has just released a podcast that he recorded with us at this year's ride - https://open.spotify.com/episode/0TlTQi9wjTlFn2V8bkcS9L?si=-5UtR6NWTMqDebAglnCAQA

Word to the wise - there’s more than one chippy in Moffat…

Its the Best Pizza and Kebab House that we use, top end of the high street on the right. Though the other chippy does try and poach folk in as they pass!

i am gonna have a go this year.

train to carlisle,  do the ride, than meet the Mrs in the scottish capital for a couple of days.

Come and say hello at the start or finish @ton - be lovely to meet you 👍

Cramond Scout transport is now taking bookings if folk need Edinburgh to Carlisle on the Saturday, or Cramond to Carlisle on Sunday morning.

https://www.craigalmondscouts.org/ride-to-the-sun-scout-bike-transport/They take people, bikes and bags 👍

Another word to the wise. If your pals stop at the top of the beeftub to add more layers and faff about...

...leave them.

They're already dead, save yourself from the midges.

Registered.

3:30 bus booked.

Kebab to look forward to.

@scotroutes Colin - used to be a customer of you and Mark at The Bike Chain, so pop and say hello at Bitts Park

Dom and the team from Fairlight will be riding and showing off their Straels at Bitts Park and Stewart Brewing are confirmed for the free beer at Cramond seafront on the Sunday morning again 👍

I'm booked on the 4pm bus. Looking forward to it.

I've just taken a look at the route, pretty much A roads all the way...

Not for me.

Don't let that put you off. The roads are incredibly quiet once out of Carlisle. The main issue in Edinburgh is dodging the half-cut lads and lasses doing the walk of shame at 5am.

When I rode it the bulk of the traffic was cars that were supporting riders. It wasn't until  Moffat that I realised that it was the same cars passing again and again. Why these riders needed someone leapfrogging them in a car I don't know. Without these cars there would have been minimal traffic. Hoping to do it again this year.

Yeah. I noticed that. It's not LEJOG! The biggest issue on the roads up there is the forestry traffic. Obvioulsy there's very little/none about from 8pm to 5am.

Yep, genuinely surprised at how few cars there were on the road when I did it in 2022.

I'm guessing that nobody really gives a toss if you decide to detour via some B roads instead.

No traffic to mention last year, in fact I can't remember being passed by a single car between Moffat and Edinburgh.

Much to my wife's amusement I've purchased a pair of bib tights, having felt slightly out of place amongst all the roadies. There were a couple on Bromptons and the like though, and that chap on the standing contraption. Fair play to him.

Going down Friday night and having a mooch around the Solway Firth coast on Saturday, then up the road at night with the crowd. #apropercoast2coast 😉🙃

The only thing to worry about on the roads is avoiding the drunken night life tottering about in Edinburgh. 😊

And for any newbies to that distance, (IMO) it's one of the easiest 100s you can get, if the weather and wind direction play nice 😉

@intheborders - most folk set off at say 7pm, and it's a Saturday night. Very quiet roads until Moffat (B7076 is straight and flat), and only really supporting cars or vans of riders after that. It's incredibly peaceful and quiet between Moffat and the centre of Edinburgh (the climb of the Devil's Beef Tub being the highlight for many), and then dodging a few drunk folk is part of the fun. At the Cramond end it's a bit of a flash mob feel - hundreds of cyclists milling around between 2 and 5am...and at 7am you wouldn't know anyone had been there aside.

Signed up.

Just waiting for entry confirmation and details.

Looking forward to it 😊

Do you get a confirmatory email?

I assume if so, it just takes a few days for the organisers to respond, which is no problem and totally understand it's volunteers organising.

Its just that I'm starting to think I'd messed up the sign up. Wouldn't be the first time 😳

I don't think you do. I got an email confirming my place on the bus, but that's a different thing. I think registration is just so they have some idea of how many might show up on the night, plus to forewarn the chippy in Moffat how many fish suppers or whatever might be wanted.

^ ok

Thanks for that @gecko76

No worries. It's all quite informal, as in there's no sign-in in Bitts Park and you just set off whenever you feel like it.

Hi folks. There's no confirmation email as others have stated, and I think we say on the website somewhere - we just need to know rough numbers for the chippy and Fresh Start at Cramond Kirk Hall. Thanks so much for signing up 👍

What tyres for...?

Got some 28mm Continental Ultrasport, with tubes, which were ideal last year (when it was dry). In the meantime I've put some 40mm G-One Allround tubeless on following a PSA on here.

Hoping it's going to be dry again, obviously, but right now it's really not, and while it was properly dark between 1 and 3am and the fear of hitting a pothole was real, the roads were actually fine.

Question is, all else being equal, is it less hassle to swap the tyres back over, or ride 100 miles on tyres that might be bigger/draggier than necessary?

I'll likely be on 28mm GP5000s on the basis that I really don't need any impedement to a dawn finish.

Cool. How difficult/messy is it swapping back to inner tubes?

35mm Land Cruiser Plus, though it's the Alfine 8 (on a Genesis DayOne) that will make this, my first, 100 miler a decent test 🤞

Doubt I'll be the 1st to Cramond!

Does anyone cycle out to Port Carlisle (say 12 miles from Bitts Park) first to make it a sort of C2C?

I'll be starting from my mates house in Beaumont, four miles west, rivers well tidal there, hadn't thought about it but I suppose it could be a C2C. On 35mm gravelkings, i'll be leaving a wee bit early to compensate!

Yup, we are planning on making it a C2C .

Train to Carlisle Friday night ,then head down Sat morning (Maryport) for a bit of an explore along the coast.

Back up to the start and choose a group to get out of town with.

trains booked.

leeds to carlisle saturday afternoon, with time for a pint

and Auld Reekie to leeds mid morning sunday....... time for a spoons fry up.

so if you see a bloke who is the least cyclist looking bloke ever........ say hello.

I'll look out for you Tony. I plan to hit the road at 7pm, assuming my bike is unloaded by then.

@fasthaggis Ah, that's a fuller C2C and an extra 30ish miles which is probably a step to far for me. Enjoy.

@ton think there's going to be a few of us 'least looking cyclist's

I'll be on 28mm tubeless tyres at 65psi. The roads are definitely a bit bobbly and rough, especially between the Crook Inn and Edinburgh bypass - the bit where you're feeling tired. So some cushioning will be welcome.

The River Eden (?) that you cross between Carlisle and Gretna is tidal a fair bit inland, so I've always thought of it as a C2C...or enough of one to claim it!

Update eshot hopefully coming before the weekend, but basically we're all prepped and ready to go. Just been in touch with Stewart Brewing today to get everyone's sunrise free beer for the sea front 👍

The River Eden (?) that you cross between Carlisle and Gretna

You cross the Eden about two mins after you leave Bitts Park. The one you cross nearer Gretna (by Longtown) is the Esk 😊

👍

According to the OS, Neither the Eden nor Esk are tidal at the point the route crosses them, but the Sark is tidal up to the point that you cross it just before Gretna.

schwalbe g one allround 700 x 47.

fat tyres for a fat bloke.  but comfy.

Have fun.

I can't be arsed.

In my head its good fun but then i remember from crook inn to leadburn... With a big sign that basically says "home is closer than the finish" i don't think i would stick it this year.

Did my last "prep" ride for RttS today, covering 161km in 6h43m (moving time). It's a while since I cycled that far so I was happy to feel OK at the end. That makes me feel less anxious about making Cramond in time for the sunrise. I won't be able to set off until after 19:30 though, so I guess I'd best not hang around the rave too long 🤣

Someone was asking whether I'd be using my Varia light/radar; I had it on all day, plugged into a USB powerbank and it ran fine. When I got home it's still showing as fully charged. That was in Day Flash mode but I reckon I'll switch to Night Flash at some point during the RttS ride.

I reckon you'll be fine. I set off at 7 last year and hit Cramond at bang on 2am, with stops in Moffat and at the Crook Inn. I'm aiming for a better time this year, ie not arriving too early and being tempted to head home to my bed and missing the free beer and the actual sunrise.

My train back to Leeds isn't until 11.30 Sunday so I think I will be taking the leisurely approach.

Think I best set off about 6pm and hope to catch the sunrise at Cramond 🤞

Is it OK to kip on Cramond beach?

My train from Edinburgh isn't until ~1pm on Sunday, so current thinking is take a sleeping bag, bike lock, etc .. maybe even a bivvie bag.. .. not that I've ever slept in one.

@scotroutes in the end I went for the mirror option rather than the Varia. Will see how much I use 🤷‍♂️

My train last year was mid-morning, I wasn't the only one dozing in Waverley waiting rooms. Wished I'd taken a better lock with me, though, paranoia hampered my sleeping.

If you want a nicer spin up to Waverley than just hacking up the roads, head along the coast from Cramond towards Granton and Leith and pick up the old railway line near Ocean Terminal. It's a nice spin up from there and it brings you out just between Murrayfield and Haymarket.

Cheers, I’ll have a look at that route.

Is it OK to kip on Cramond beach?

I think you will find it a bit difficult to bivi on the beach. Sunday morning is likely to be very busy with kids, dog walkers et al & I wouldn’t have thought it would be easy to find a quiet spot.

If the tide is out you could head for Cramond Island. 😉

Yup,do this^^^

What could possibly go wrong 🤔 😆 🤣

There's a few folk have bivvied on the beach before, or slept on the wooden benches, before heading off riding back to Newcastle or Carlisle. You might get a couple of hours. Dog walkers will be out and about 8ish, Cramond is still deserted at about 7ish when the riders have left the kirk hall and everyone has headed home. It's got a bit of a flash mob feel - 2-5am lots of cyclists kicking about, 7am, no sign that it ever happened.

Last eshot from us coming tomorrow and weather hopefully looking OK at the moment 🙏🤞

Cheers @fatmax, bivvying for a few hours on the beach it is, followed by Waverley Waiting Room 🙈

He who hesitates 🤷‍♂️

Lots of folk seem to have a second brekkie (after the kirk hall) at the Waverley Wetherspoons before hitting the train home too.

^ 👍

Checks glue in tube repair kit .. .. dried out!

Chain links in bag are 9 speed, swopped to PC1 (Alfine 8 gears) 🙂

lol, i set off for a ride this morning on the gravel bike, which i was gonna ride.

changed gear, chain went over largest sprocket, and wedged between cassette and spokes.

tried to remove it, chain snapped and also bent dropout.

touring bike now prepped and ready.

Similarly, had to build an unholy gravel/commuter frankenbike but it might actually be alright on the night. Look out for a black Hoy Shizuoka with stupidly fat tyres.

Come and say hello tomorrow folks - look forward to meeting you 👍

Look out for the inappropriately dressed chap on the eliptigo.
That's my younger brother Alan whose doing it again this year . He's aiming for 5pm departure as he missed the sunrise last year by 30mins

Legend

What a great fun and well organised event, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Well done @fatmax and the whole team.

Thanks to Fraser at Cramond Scouts for the last minute flag that there was a space for my bike and myself back to Carlisle instead of loitering in Edinburgh for an extra 7hrs.

@fasthaggis for the idea to start in Maryport, made it a nice 135 miles.

Brilliant event. Shout out to the piper who played despite the midges. Brilliant atmosphere at the Crook Inn. Saw one poor chap go down with a pot-hole induced puncture just before the descent into Penicuik. Beer at the end was much appreciated. 135 miles? Go on then.

@ton @fasthaggis @scotroutes - brilliant to see you all 😁

Ah, I said hello to Henry/Bananaman at the start 🙂 The badges were a nice touch.

On 40mm tyres compared to the 28mm last year and the overall time was much the same, though felt better over the bumps.

Now to eat all the food.