Carcassonne 2009
Please see some pics in the gallery.

This was an early season trip organised by Steve Donnelly for the Dundee Wheelers. I’d chosen to go along as I couldn’t make the Thistle Majorca trip and was glad I did. Along on the trip was Steve Donnelley, Joe McFagan, Frazer Millar, Brian Wilson, and me Ali Chisholm.

The roads surrounding are excellent cycling, a mix of very rural and tiny villages. And as usual the French are just more patient when they come across cyclists.

In which the author does battle with hills, rain, church bells, hills, midges, sheep, pies, wind and more hills as he rides from Lands End in South West Englandshire to John O Groats in Bonnie Scotland.

The day started with some fine drizzle first thing but this soon lifted to leave a terrific sunny Sunday. And it was a great day which everyone seems to have enjoyed but this will be a fairly brief report as I was dropped by Aylth so missed all the action.

It was one of those events, like all the best ones, that you sign up for without really thinking about what was involved.

A hardy group of thistle riders headed for Wales and the
Dave Lloyd Mega Challenge the toughest sportive EVER!

Four members of our club along with one from the Dundee Wheelers and four others from the Team CMC (Perth) headed for a ten day cycling holiday to Majorca. Basing ourselves in Alcudia here are some of the runs we partook whilst over there.

All present a correct at the clubhouse for a 9am start (except for me who couldn't quite find all my cycling gear in the right place and cursed myself for not doing it the night before, and finding my bike rack wouldn't fit for some unknown reason, luckily everyone waited as I rushed in at 10 past).

In all it was Brian Sproul, Phil Morris, Andrew from Fife (Fifer!!), Billy Warden and Myself. Brian's pickup proved to be a great help again and easily took all our bikes and bags (I think the record is 7 bikes in the pickup and 2 on the towbar).

A sunday run round Schiehallion from loch tummel side stopping at Aberfeldy with profile and map

2005 fort william weekender report to come (With stats provided by phils fancy ciclosport bike brain)

Due to a bank holiday weekend Killin was fully booked so the Braemar hostel came to the rescue for a retracing of the route (in reverse) which was taken not 6 months ago at the end of last year. Run report to follow.

Allways popular!!, a jaunt up cairn o'mount on the saturday and then more climbing to the glenshee ski station on the sunday kept everyone wishing they'd stayed at home and tended the garden like most sane folk.

First things first.

If you ever get the chance to do an Etape take it, The experience is fabulous. Yes there are mass cycling events you can enter with similar types of course etc but none will have people out cheering you over the full length of the route. If there's a pilgrimage for cyclists then this has to be it.