Holiday at the Hydro - Part 2 - Innerleithen

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Black, blue, green, orange and red. Mix them all together and what do you get? A tailor made trip round Glentress.

 

Summary
Highlight: Going off-trail from Jenny's Brae back to the Hydro.
Lowlight: The 'groundhog day' pedal up Shieldgreen Kipps in the rain.
Ride Rating: 7/10

Stats
Date: 16/10/10
Pedaling time: ? hours ? minutes
Distance: ? kilometres
Max speed: ? miles/hour
Total ascent: ? metres
Puncture count: 1
Bike shop: The Hub, right at the trail head
Cafe: The Hub, next to the bike shop
Riders: DH, DI, RI, AS, FS and AW

Driving from Glasgow
Distance: 54 miles
Travel time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Directions: Google Maps

Holiday at the Hydro - Part 1 - Innerleithen

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This weekend saw a wee holiday from work on the Friday with the plan set for heading down to Peebles for a couple of days. A couple of days biking is good but add in the palatial surroundings of staying at the Hydro and we were all set for a cracking last weekend away for 2010.



All we had to do on the Friday was pedal our way up the cross country trail at Innerleithen. As soon as we left the car park in the rain we started going up and about two hours later we reached the wind-swept summit of Minch Moor. A lot of up, with some more up added for good measure, but at least the rain had stopped.



The climb does give you a great view over the Tweed Valley but it was a tad cold to hand around so it was on to the fun part of the ride which was grin-inducing from the off.

The twisting bermed descent across the moorland with some small drop-offs, all on a pretty much perfect surface, was over all too quickly. It's a few minutes of what mountain biking should be.

The remainder of the ride down was nice but not spectacular until you get the the last part of the ride at Cadon Bank. This is the Alton Towers of cycling. With one rollercoasting table top and bombhole after another, the sense of speed on this steep section is incredible. At two kilometres long, and taking you right to the car park, its the perfect end to a ride even if you are a bit numb at the bottom.

Tomorrow it's Glentress.

Summary

Highlight: The rollercoaster ride of Cadon Bank - the laat bit of the ride, but worth the wait.
Lowlight: The seemingly never-ending 2 hour climb in the drizzle to the summit of Minch Moor.
Summary: A lot of up but two really nice and distinctive pieces of down on the way back.
Ride Rating: 7/10

Stats
Date: 12/09/10
Pedaling time: 3 hours 30 minutes-ish
Distance: 18 kilometres
Max speed: ? miles/hour
Total ascent: 440 metres
Puncture count: 0
Bike shop: i-Cycles and Alpine Bikes in Innerleithen village
Cafe: Shops in Innerleithen village
Riders: DH and AS

Driving from Glasgow
Distance: 59 miles
Travel time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Directions: Google Maps

Pedal for Scotland 2010

Well that's the Pedal for Scotland finishing line been roled across for another year. Taking about 4 hours to complete yesterday (including a few food stops along the way) we managed to raise almost £1,300 for Maggie's so a big 'thank you' to all that sponsored us.

Scotland's biggest charity bike ride attracted over 9,000 riders this year and the weather was perfect so why not join us to do it all again in 2011?

There's talk already of doing the 100 mile challenge next year. Just talk, mind you.

Summary
Highlight: Raising money for charity.
Lowlight: The climb after tucking in at the home baking tent.
Summary: A nice ride across the country in the sun raising money for charity.
Ride Rating: 10/10

Stats
Date: 12/09/10
Pedaling time: 3 hours 10 minutes
Distance: 51 miles
Max speed: 32 miles/hour
Total ascent: 570 metres
Puncture count: 0
Bike shop: Support teams at the reststops
Cafe: Food tents at the reststops
Massage: Maggie's tent at the finish line
Riders: DH, AS, FS and AW
Sponsorship Manager: SS