Coast to Coast

Begbie

Begbie

Begbie

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Has anyone done this, or like this before?

I have the chance of having it all paid for, but I have done little to no cycling since a kid. Infact I done it about a year ago for about 30k and remember being in a crazy amount of pain. I am lot fitter now mind though.

Infact I don't even own a bike, yet.

O yes link;

http://www.scotlandcoasttocoast.com/racer.html

So basically hints and tips, on training etc is it doable in 3~months.
 
Over how many days? I've not done it myself (although I've done longer distances) but several of my friends have done it with little/no preparation.
That's obviously not the suggested method of prep but definitely doable.

Get some padded shorts and some chamois butter/sudacrem/vaseline. And a bike.

Spend lots of hours in the saddle (assuming you're doing it in 2 days you'll want experience of at least 5 hours in the saddle at an average pace).

You'll be fine.
 
Done a 100 mile/2 day charity ride a couple of years ago, 0 prep, bought the bike the day before. Agony isn't the word :p Have since done quite a bit.

TBH 105 miles in a day over the Scottish highlands is mental for your average bloke, unless you are a gym rat

Is this for me?

Nokia Coast to Coast Racers are under no illusion that the challenge that faces them is stiff. 105 miles of the Highlands completed within a day is no picnic, especially with almost a marathon’s worth of running/ trekking in there, plus short sections of kayaking (no advanced skill required). This is a race, but it’s up to you whether the race is against the clock or against yourself. With cut-offs imposed though in order for you to complete the route in daylight, you won’t be hanging around. You should be a confident biker, both off road and on and be a strong runner too. The race is on.
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Just looking at that makes me feel knackered!
 
That is a serious amount of mileage! You would need some very intensive training, it is also a competition!

Oh, just reading it:

•Trek/Run - 7 miles (5 miles off-road)
•Road Cycle - 48 miles
•Mini Kayak & Run - 2 miles max
•Off-Road & Road Cycle - 33 miles (16 miles off-road)
•Trek/Run - 14 miles (12 miles off-road)
•Kayak - 1 mile
•Short run to finish line
•TOTAL JOURNEY - 105 miles

Not just cycling (AS is a 'normal' coast to coast)
 
No its all in one day, I could do the running back to back without much issue I reckon albiet at no amazing pace.

The cycling is the part that worries me, I may not do it and train for another as I have a lot of training on at the moment. I can also get a loan of a bike for training and the event itself.

Its also all done in one day, road cycling can't be that hard can it?
 
My friend is doing it again this year. It's a very very gruelling event and you need to be very fit and mentally determined. Last year his partner dropped out because she got hypothermia by the end of the first day. They are quite fit and were completely unprepared for how hard it would be.

Begbie said:
So basically hints and tips, on training etc is it doable in 3~months.
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Personal opinion is I don't think you'll do it in three months, but I don't know how fit or determined you are. You need a good light reliable bike that you'll be able to get up and down very steep hills easily, you need lots of light high-calorie food like gel packs, a very very good sleeping bag and mat. If it's raining you'll want some lightweight breathable wet weather gear. Whichever way you look at it you need a lot of expensive kit because you're going to be wet and freezing cold a lot of the time and you need to keep warm at night.
 
Jonny69 said:
My friend is doing it again this year. It's a very very gruelling event and you need to be very fit and mentally determined. Last year his partner dropped out because she got hypothermia by the end of the first day. They are quite fit and were completely unprepared for how hard it would be.


Personal opinion is I don't think you'll do it in three months, but I don't know how fit or determined you are. You need a good light reliable bike that you'll be able to get up and down very steep hills easily, you need lots of light high-calorie food like gel packs, a very very good sleeping bag and mat. If it's raining you'll want some lightweight breathable wet weather gear. Whichever way you look at it you need a lot of expensive kit because you're going to be wet and freezing cold a lot of the time and you need to keep warm at night.
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Its on one day so no sleeping bag is needed. It will all be paid for anyway, work is willing to pay for it all so no expensive needed. My fitness isn't bad, I train everyday pretty much wether its running, circuits or weight training.

Will see who else is giving a try, and will get a bike next weekend so how naturally good I am at before deciding realisticly how much training I would need.

Thanks, some very good info there.
 
I had considered doing this last year, but its too expensive :/
The cycle route is not too bad. The first road section will be the hardest i think but its fairly flat (for this area anyway).
Im pretty sure the "off road" bit is actually a canal towpath (best check this first tho). I would recommend getting some slick tyres if your going to be doing it on a mtb. They will be a huge help on the road sections and i doubt you'll need anything more for the canal path.
 
Begbie said:
Its on one day so no sleeping bag is needed. It will all be paid for anyway, work is willing to pay for it all so no expensive needed. My fitness isn't bad, I train everyday pretty much wether its running, circuits or weight training.

Will see who else is giving a try, and will get a bike next weekend so how naturally good I am at before deciding realisticly how much training I would need.

Thanks, some very good info there.
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Ah I see, they do a couple of different versions. The one my friend did was the 'challenger' which looks like the same over two days.

Think about a cyclocross bike rather than a mountain bike. Apparently the road cycle was hell on a mountain bike and a lot of the off road stuff would have been easier with the bike on your shoulder running with it or a much lighter bike.
 
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