Snow roads 300k

[snowgate at Glenshee]

Recovering from the snowroads today, hence the sudden influx of new posts.

My self and Mike W opted to ride the snowroads 300k audax yesterday. Neither of us having intentionally set out to do 300k before , but both having completed (and with good results) 24 hour solo mtb races.

with 28 starters and 20 hours in which to complete it. It was going to be a long day. We estimated 15 hours in the saddle (13mph ave due to the hillyness of the route) Rob a hardened Audaxer having ridden the LEL a few times had other ideas and had us zooming along at 20mph most of the first half. Somewhere between Rhynie and Dufftown on the Cabrach i dropped off the back as my legs we a bit frazzled from the midweek duathlon and just hit my own pace which was only a K or 2 slower than rob and mikes.

[the whole 9 yards ....full distance]

After Dufftown the real climbing starts over the Lecht and then over Cairnwell i rode alone from the start of the lecht climb to the finish. The climb over the lecht road is relentless. Its just up steep hill ...down steep hill ... up steep hill you see in the distance ...down steep hill ....up steep hill thats up there on the left and down steep hill. Thankfully there was a tail wind up the cairnwell as having ridden it 3 weeks ago with a headwind it is hellish and took nearly an hour. Yesterday it took 35 - 40 mins. Quick blast down glen isla and home for a bridie ... 15 mins behind Mike , Rob and some other dude that passed me when i was in a dark place at the top of a climb eating food.

[maximum speed coming down the cairnwell in the wet ! ]

Surprise of the day was a finishing time of 13.5 hours - riding time of 11.5
coming in at 7.30pm.

[average speed]