Ride To The Sun

by Sasha Baggely

Sasha and an intrepid group of club members completed this years Ride to the Sun. Here's Sasha to tell us all about it.

ERC riders Penny Rother, Lorraine Masterton, Anna Lieberman, Joanne Campbell, Angela Kidd, Sue O’Neill Berest, Sasha Baggaley, Stevie Roy and David Morrice took on this year’s RTTS from Carlisle to Crammond.

We all caught the Scout bus from Davidsons Mains (bikes loaded onto Tesco trucks!), down to the Carlisle meet point, just beside the castle. We had plenty of time to sort our gear, eat some food, and faff a bit before setting g out. It was a very warm evening as we set off at a gentle rolling start amongst around 1000 riders. You choose when you want to start, roughly aiming to arrive in Crammond for the sun coming up.

There were riders of all shapes, sizes, ages and experience, and a wide variety of bikes to match. This is a ride, not a race, but inevitably there were a few groups looking to break records!! Our plan was just to ride together and enjoy the event - a first for all of us.

Setting off from Carlisle was easy to find the route - you just followed signs to The North, or the many cyclists ahead of you. As with all large cycling fields, there’s a constant jostling, over-taking, being over-taken and chasing-down or hanging-on to riders, until everyone settles into a rhythm. Our group seemed to gel well, although David could certainly have managed a far pacier ride if he’d wanted to, and we had to remember to keep it steady to avoid arriving too early.

The roads were quiet (apart from cyclists) and in relatively good condition for most of the route (worst bit was coming into Edinburgh - no surprises!). We seemed to roll along very comfortably, and the miles fell away swiftly and effortlessly. The only noticeable hill climb was a steady trudge up the Beef Tub, rewarded by a piper at the top (and a lot of hungry midgies). Just before the start of the climb, most riders (and all of our group) stopped for a fish supper in Moffat. You may think that’s the last thing you would want on a 100-mile bike ride, but it was amazingly tasty and seemed to offer the necessary fuel to get through the night.

It was incredible seeing the caterpillar stream of lights on the road ahead, a wonderful sense of all the people cycling the route. And as dusk fell, the silhouetted scenery through the borders was stunning. Our next source of entertainment and gathering point was at the Crook Inn - with a full disco experience and a man dressed as a banana (sponsored by Fyffe) in the middle of nowhere. Slightly surreal, but also too midgie to linger long. At this point it was properly dark, and the space captured by our bike lights was all we had to see for the next couple of hours. It is slightly nerve-racking whizzing along in the dark, shouting “hole” or “mud” or “toad” to the riders immediately behind you. The toads had not chosen a good night to cross the road.

It’s amazing how much faster you feel you are going when it is dark. Our first signs of city life and streetlights were when we rode through Penicuik at around 1am, as the pubs or clubs were spitting folk out - they looked bemused to see us, and I think we looked much the same way at them. It was still very warm, and we had been lucky to have dry conditions all night.

After crossing the by-pass and a wee climb up to Fairmilehead, we enjoyed a fast descent into Edinburgh, through the town and out to Crammond. It was fabulous riding these roads with no traffic - but so many traffic lights - and potholes -it ruined the flow!!!

I think we were all rather pleased to reach Crammond, with our stiff shoulders, backs and necks longing to resume an upright posture. We arrived well before dawn but agreed we didn’t fancy waiting there for a couple of hours to see the sun rise. We had lost Stevie and Sue in the darkness (it was impossible to tell who was who in the dark), but the rest of us devoured some hot food and drink before heading home for a few hours of sleep. Sue’s front light had failed at the darkest point of the night, but being super resourceful she had climbed into her bivvy bag to wait for the sky to lighten. We suspect Stevie may have been sucked in at Fairmilehead, as he passed his home and the promise of a shower and cosy bed.

I think I can speak for everyone in saying that this was a fun event, well organised, pleasing route and something we may venture out to repeat in years to come.