# BBC Broadcast of Scotland's toughest cycle event



## Philip Whiteman (3 Dec 2014)

Your average sportive around the UK can top the 100 mile mark and can be an all-day affair, but for those riders who aren’t content with merely seven hours in the saddle there are the more extreme ‘Audax’ events.

Next Tuesday (December 9) an Adventure Show special on BBC2 Scotland follows every pedal stroke of the Highlands, Glens and Western Isles event, where riders must cover 1,300km in just 100 hours.

There are no team cars, masseurs or spare bikes for these riders, who need to gain stamps to prove they have reached each checkpoint on the course, cycling day and night to reach their target.

As if cycling 1,300km in 100 hours wasn’t tough enough, the Scottish Highlands are no easy place to ride, with 18,000m of ascent to tackle en route.


View: http://vimeo.com/112902193


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## Fubar (3 Dec 2014)

Looks good, need to remember to tape it. Calling @Edwardoka for his next challenge!


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## mustang1 (3 Dec 2014)

"Tougher than the tour de France."

Pass the cheese grater would ya?


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## Col5632 (3 Dec 2014)

I'll make sure to watch it


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## Spinney (3 Dec 2014)

Thanks @Philip Whiteman - I've made it a featured thread for the next week so more folks will spot it - it's the kind of thing i'd be interested in watching even though I don't look in this forum often.

[edit]And hopefully that will also make _me_ remember!


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## Rooster1 (3 Dec 2014)

That is an epic event.


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## Dogtrousers (3 Dec 2014)

Looks great, but ...


Philip Whiteman said:


> Adventure Show special on BBC2 Scotland follows _*every pedal stroke*_ of the Highlands, Glens and Western Isles event, where riders must cover 1,300km in just 100 hours.


_*Every *_pedal stroke? That may get a mite tedious.

Srsly. Set recorder for that.


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## Andrew_Culture (3 Dec 2014)

Some great quotes in there - "people say cycling should be fun, but I think that's stupid".


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## jiberjaber (3 Dec 2014)

Looking forward to seeing this on Iplayer, thanks for the heads up... it'll be interesting to see the effects of fatigue on the riders...

I've been harbouring an interest for Audax but I suspect this would be at the extreme of what I would manage! LOL


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## ianrauk (3 Dec 2014)

The guy who crashed is Cycle Chat's very own @zigzag


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## Dogtrousers (3 Dec 2014)

For Sky subscribers: BBC2 Scotland is channel 970. Took me ages to find it.


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## ianrauk (3 Dec 2014)

& 930 on Virgin Cable


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## arranandy (3 Dec 2014)

Looking forward to this. Met a couple of Dutch guys on Arran the day before. They were doing a double circuit of the island as a warm-up


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## deptfordmarmoset (3 Dec 2014)

I try to keep a calendar of cycling on TV up to date and I'm now confused. I've got (I no longer remember where from) this audax down as being broadcast next Tuesday (9/12) and I can't find it listed on iPlayer. What am I missing?

EDIT: Oh, are you talking about the preview?


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## Turdus philomelos (3 Dec 2014)

Off to sett PVR in case I forget


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## Runexeter (3 Dec 2014)

Cool I will have to make sure I catch this.


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## Mike_P (4 Dec 2014)

970 on Freesat


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## deptfordmarmoset (4 Dec 2014)

And an iPlayer link to it will most likely appear on this page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04v5hhh


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## MrGrumpy (6 Dec 2014)

Our very own @Dave Crampton rode this and paid a price, you better be fitting like a glove on your bike to do this sort of mileage or love pain


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## oldfatfool (6 Dec 2014)

Sky+ set cheers


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## zigzag (7 Dec 2014)

hi, does anyone know the easy/best way to record the programme from the iplayer (so it doesn't expire after one month)? thanks!


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## StuAff (7 Dec 2014)

zigzag said:


> hi, does anyone know the easy/best way to record the programme from the iplayer (so it doesn't expire after one month)? thanks!


Get_iplayer or its variants- if you have a Mac handy, Get iPlayer Automator is good. DRM stripped off, I've downloaded stuff and watched it many months later.


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## Banjo (9 Dec 2014)

Cant find BBC 2 Scotland on Virgin .

930 is BBC1

Looks like i player for me.

200k Audaxes wipe me out. I cant imagine doing a ride like this.


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## KneesUp (9 Dec 2014)

Banjo said:


> Cant find BBC 2 Scotland on Virgin .
> 
> 930 is BBC1
> 
> ...


Channel 862 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/reception/pdfs/BBCcablechannelnumbers.pdf


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## Banjo (9 Dec 2014)

862 gets BBC1 Scotland on our tv. I dont think BBC 2 Scotland is available on Virgin cable.


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## Rasmus (9 Dec 2014)

I'm watching live by going to the tv guide page on the bbc website , and setting my location to Scotland.


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## KneesUp (9 Dec 2014)

Banjo said:


> 862 gets BBC1 Scotland on our tv. I dont think BBC 2 Scotland is available on Virgin cable.


Oops. You're right.


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## ianrauk (9 Dec 2014)

Banjo said:


> 862 gets BBC1 Scotland on our tv. I dont think BBC 2 Scotland is available on Virgin cable.




Damn you're right...Channel 930 is BBC Scotland.

No BBC2 Scotland on Virgin


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## the_mikey (9 Dec 2014)

Recorded it on Channel 970 via freesat, will look forward to watching it fully in the coming weeks.


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## Rickshaw Phil (9 Dec 2014)

It's way out of my league, but after watching that it makes me want to have a go.


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## arranandy (9 Dec 2014)

Great programme. Hats off to every rider that took part in the event. They were really lucky with the weather and it certainly showed that part of Scotland off at its best.
A 1300km audax makes my forthcoming Mallorca 312 almost pale into insignificance


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## Pro Tour Punditry (9 Dec 2014)

A very good programme, it presented audax in a very good light.


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## redfalo (9 Dec 2014)

deptfordmarmoset said:


> And an iPlayer link to it will most likely appear on this page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04v5hhh


yep, that seems to be the link- unfortunately, the website still says " This episode will be available soon." Come on, BBC!


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## Banjo (9 Dec 2014)

Anyone know how long it takes them to put it on iplayer?


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## oldfatfool (9 Dec 2014)

Very enjoyable, really looking forward to riding up there next year.


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## deptfordmarmoset (9 Dec 2014)

redfalo said:


> yep, that seems to be the link- unfortunately, the website still says " This episode will be available soon." Come on, BBC!


Not usually more than 2 hours, IME. That link didn't suggest it would be live so I missed the first 3/4 of the live transmission and ignored the ''Restart from beginning'' tab, thinking I could do that as soon as the live part finished. Well, that was a good plan..... It'll change soon. Time to refresh the page, I think....


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## Pro Tour Punditry (9 Dec 2014)

Cameron McNeish (who narrated the programme) has tweeted that it'll be available from tomorrow on iplayer


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## Dirk (9 Dec 2014)

The programme is now available on iPlayer here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04v5hhh/the-adventure-show-20142015-episode-5


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## Alun (9 Dec 2014)

Very enjoyable programme, a great effort, marvellous scenery and unbelievable weather.


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## Tigerbiten (9 Dec 2014)

Very good program.

I've ridden most of those road while on tour up there.
It's just takes me a lot longer to cover that type of distance ...........


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## mcshroom (9 Dec 2014)

My plan in April is to cover a route similar to the Arran-Lairg stretch of that ride, in the opposite direction, over at least a week


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## DCLane (9 Dec 2014)

An enjoyable programme - makes me think that in doing the PBP qualifiers I must be


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## KneesUp (9 Dec 2014)

It's been in iplayer for at least an hour - I've just watched it 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0071mxr


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## Pat "5mph" (10 Dec 2014)

Enjoyed watching that, what an effort!
Some of the roads are familiar, got fond memories of that Arran hill


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## Flick of the Elbow (10 Dec 2014)

Great programme, congratulations to all involved. However, I was a little uncomfortable hearing about one rider's experiences of falling asleep whilst riding, waking up whilst still doing 30kph. Not a good advert.


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## Pro Tour Punditry (10 Dec 2014)

Flick of the Elbow said:


> Great programme, congratulations to all involved. However, I was a little uncomfortable hearing about one rider's experiences of falling asleep whilst riding, waking up whilst still doing 30kph. Not a good advert.



It's the reality of long distance cycling. What would you think the "advert" should be? Soft pillows and a warm shower?


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## Dogtrousers (10 Dec 2014)

A great program. In another life, with different legs, I'd love to be doing something like that.

With the demise of the Friday Night Rides to the Coast, I've decided to give Audax a go next year. To this end I've been researching the weird world of Audax abbreviations and terminology (WWAAAT).

After watching and enjoying that program with my wife, I proceeded to try to explain what I've learned so far about Brevets, BPs, BRs, CEs, ECEs, SRs, RRTYs, AAA, DIYs (by GPS), AUK, ACP, LEL, and PBP. Before I'd exhausted my small but growing store of knowledge she was in fits of laughter and said "Is this a bit like jazz?" (Referring to Charlie Parker's comment about the complexity of Bebop: "If they can't play it, they can't steal it").

I'm doing my first one in January (a BP with AAA). Plenty of revision time left.


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## w00hoo_kent (10 Dec 2014)

Marmion said:


> It's the reality of long distance cycling. What would you think the "advert" should be? Soft pillows and a warm shower?


It's one of the reasons I stopped long distance motorbike rallying. At some point the safety pixies will give it a long hard look. There's also not much fun in waking up to realise that you're doing 50mph down the M8 and your 'reptile brain' has decided it needs more processing power to deal with the fast approaching car bumper. That was on my first 1000 mile 24 hour ride. The bonus is you learn to sleep anywhere.

Best story was from the Iron Butt Rally, a guy was feeling sleepy so pulled up in an underpass, put his bike on the centrestand and went to sleep on it fully kitted up (a common tactic, I've done it in a Texan truck stop at 3am (USA coast to coast in under 50 hours)) when he woke up he'd completely forgotten that he'd done this deliberately, saw the concrete wall right in front of him and promptly crashed the bike at 0mph.


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## Philip Whiteman (10 Dec 2014)

And now available as a full programme on the BBC

And audax, now on the BBC. Watch Mark Rigby's Scotland event on the hour long special edition of The Adventure Show.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04v5hhh


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## AndyRM (10 Dec 2014)

What a great programme. Made me want to try some massive distances next year, which Mrs. RM doesn't know yet.


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## Crackle (10 Dec 2014)

I enjoyed watching it and a lot of the roads were familiar which helps you realize what a tough undertaking it was, especially North of Ullapool. I'd have disqualified the Swedes though


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## Tim Hall (10 Dec 2014)

Dogtrousers said:


> After watching and enjoying that program with my wife, I proceeded to try to explain what I've learned so far about Brevets, BPs, BRs, CEs, ECEs, SRs, RRTYs, AAA, DIYs (by GPS), AUK, ACP, LEL, and PBP. Before I'd exhausted my small but growing store of knowledge she was in fits of laughter and said "Is this a bit like jazz?" (Referring to Charlie Parker's comment about the complexity of Bebop: "If they can't play it, they can't steal it").



You could have answered with a bit of Louis Armstrong: "Man, if you have to ask what it is, you’ll never know."


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## Bobby Mhor (10 Dec 2014)

I think what I may do (in stages next year), now to lose 5 st....
Fair enjoyed it.....


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## ianrauk (10 Dec 2014)

Just watched it. Fantastic programme. Scotland looks stunning in it.. but the midges... ughhh.

Well done @zigzag for getting on with it after your off...
In fact I think you will have to change your handle to 'Crashy'


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## zigzag (10 Dec 2014)

just noticed, well done in achieving the mileage @ianrauk ! (mine's nowhere near as much this year)


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## Philip Whiteman (10 Dec 2014)

.....but did anyone think that the finish point of Saltcoats may have been an anti-climax?


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## zigzag (10 Dec 2014)

Philip Whiteman said:


> .....but did anyone think that the finish point of Saltcoats may have been an anti-climax?



most audaxes are like that (with the exception of "straight outta hackney 200"). even the finish of pbp with the thousands of riders participating felt grim and empty at 4am in the morning.. i think it's an accelerated wind-down back into reality, into a very different world. the good memories from the rides, though, remain forever!


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## Banjo (10 Dec 2014)

Philip Whiteman said:


> .....but did anyone think that the finish point of Saltcoats may have been an anti-climax?


 Dunno never been there but i bet the finishers still felt on top of the world.

Great film, all the riders came across as pleasant people as well as incredibly tough and determined.


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## w00hoo_kent (10 Dec 2014)

Just watched it, really glad we found out about it, although agree about the midges.


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## StuAff (10 Dec 2014)

Dogtrousers said:


> A great program. In another life, with different legs, I'd love to be doing something like that.
> 
> With the *demise* of the Friday Night Rides to the Coast, I've decided to give Audax a go next year. To this end I've been researching the weird world of Audax abbreviations and terminology (WWAAAT).
> 
> ...


Demise? No, no, no. Rebirth. 
Intending to do at least one 200 and possibly a 300 next year.


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## Bobby Mhor (11 Dec 2014)

Philip Whiteman said:


> .....but did anyone think that the finish point of Saltcoats may have been an anti-climax?


Saltcoats is just another quaint fishing village by the Clyde..


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## DavidD (12 Dec 2014)

I know Saltcoats very well as it's not far from where I live and I must admit I laughed when I saw it named on the TV programme as the finish. Saltcoats was my childhood holiday home as my grandparents retired there when I was very young and have some great memories of the town, although I wouldn't describe it as a quaint fishing village.
One of the things that surprised me about the programme was how little the cyclists carried gear and luggage wise as I thought they would have needed to carry a lot more.
Really enjoyed the programme though and the scenery was fantastic as was the weather


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## User6179 (12 Dec 2014)

Philip Whiteman said:


> .....but did anyone think that the finish point of Saltcoats may have been an anti-climax?



I agree , I would of finished it in Ardrossan just to add a touch of glamour .


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## marcusjb (12 Dec 2014)

Eddy said:


> I agree , I would of finished it in Ardrossan just to add a touch of glamour .



Ardrossan would have made the minimum distance fall below 1300km, so wouldn't have worked.

Saltcoats was just fine - and the pub was a weatherspoons, so cheap food and drink (all most Audaxers care about at the end of a long ride). And with calorie content next to each dish on the menu, we were able to choose food based on that all important parameter (most calorific item was a huge frankfurter covered in haggis with chips).


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## marcusjb (12 Dec 2014)

Philip Whiteman said:


> .....but did anyone think that the finish point of Saltcoats may have been an anti-climax?



No other Audax has bare-chested men at the side of the road cheering you home, so on that factor alone, I would give it 11 out of 10 "would ride again".


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## w00hoo_kent (12 Dec 2014)

marcusjb said:


> No other Audax has bare-chested men at the side of the road cheering you home, so on that factor alone, I would give it 11 out of 10 "would ride again".


I did wonder if the TV crew put them up to it. It all just seemed a bit too convenient and while the TV guys seemed really nice (it's rare they appear in a show they are making) it doesn't stop them being media types.

Not that the cause takes away from what it must have felt like to have it happen...


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## Scoosh (12 Dec 2014)

More likely the locals saw the TV crew getting ready to film, asked "Wazza' aboot ?" , then 'agreed' to line the route and cheer the riders in , as even the locals would recognize the effort required. 

Disclaimer: I haven't watched the programme yet


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## DavidD (12 Dec 2014)

marcusjb said:


> Ardrossan would have made the minimum distance fall below 1300km, so wouldn't have worked.
> 
> Saltcoats was just fine - and the pub was a weatherspoons, so cheap food and drink (all most Audaxers care about at the end of a long ride). And with calorie content next to each dish on the menu, we were able to choose food based on that all important parameter (most calorific item was a huge frankfurter covered in haggis with chips).



well done on completing what looked like a very difficult bike ride, I am very curious as to what your allowed to take gear wise, is it just a matter of the absolute basics or can you take as much as you like. Some people had what looked like a lot of luggage while others such as the swedish road train seemed to be carrying next to nothing.


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## just jim (12 Dec 2014)

I really enjoyed this programme and seeing all the places I've cycled on separate tours joined up into such an epic ride.


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## albion (12 Dec 2014)

Anyone know how the guys seat broke.

I'm totally guessing at it as a weaker 2 bolt system or being a carbon.


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## mcshroom (13 Dec 2014)

DavidD said:


> well done on completing what looked like a very difficult bike ride, I am very curious as to what your allowed to take gear wise, is it just a matter of the absolute basics or can you take as much as you like. Some people had what looked like a lot of luggage while others such as the swedish road train seemed to be carrying next to nothing.


You are allowed to carry as much or as little as you like. Of course the more you carry the more you have to lug up the hills. Also, as long as it's human powered you can ride any bike you like. I've seen trikes, recumbents and even Elliptigos on rides 



albion said:


> Anyone know how the guys seat broke.
> 
> I'm totally guessing at it as a weaker 2 bolt system or being a carbon.


I don't think it broke. I think the bolts were a bit loose and it fell off. He seemed ok after the ferry, and there's no bike shop in Armadale.


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## zigzag (14 Dec 2014)

albion said:


> Anyone know how the guys seat broke.
> 
> I'm totally guessing at it as a weaker 2 bolt system or being a carbon.



the bolts were tightened without grease, so I assume that due to the friction in threads optimal clamping force was not achieved so the bolts unscrewed. tightened them on a ferry and all was fine until the finish. carbon seatposts are not only stronger and lighter than alloy, but most importantly are more comfortable as they (combined with carbon saddle rails) have a fair bit of spring and absorb vibration - which is important on long rides.


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## mark c (14 Dec 2014)

Just watched the program and i think that the BBC have done great show.


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## Pro Tour Punditry (15 Dec 2014)

Review in the Indy:
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...two-days-ago-its-been-really-fun-9924539.html


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## AndyRM (15 Dec 2014)

Marmion said:


> Review in the Indy:
> http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...two-days-ago-its-been-really-fun-9924539.html



They should have left out the first two paragraphs. WTF does someone bouncing up and down, going nowhere, have to do with anything?

Shite opening aside, that was a decent review.


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## ianrauk (16 Dec 2014)

Marmion said:


> Review in the Indy:
> http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...two-days-ago-its-been-really-fun-9924539.html




Lithuania not Latvia.


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## Col5632 (16 Dec 2014)

Watched it last night, must say it was well done, good few from fife too 

Just shows how truly beautiful Scotland really is


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## gavgav (19 Dec 2014)

Finally caught up with watching this. What a brilliant programme. Whilst I would never consider something to that extreme, it does inspire me to make sure I do my Coast to Coast in 2015. Fair play to all the riders.

Also, how amazing is the scenery in Western Scotland! I would love to take my bike up there soon and so some riding


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## Bobby Mhor (19 Dec 2014)

gavgav said:


> Finally caught up with watching this. What a brilliant programme. Whilst I would never consider something to that extreme, it does inspire me to make sure I do my Coast to Coast in 2015. Fair play to all the riders.
> 
> Also, how amazing is the scenery in Western Scotland! I would love to take my bike up there soon and so some riding


Bring a midge net...


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## gavgav (19 Dec 2014)

Bobby Mhor said:


> Bring a midge net...


They did look a bit persistent!!


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## PpPete (20 Dec 2014)

But if you fancy a trip to some of the same area, but with TLC at all the controls, this has just appeared on the calendar:
http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/15-2/


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## DiddlyDodds (26 Dec 2014)

I did a ride wound Skye a couple of years ago, and it was truly stunning.
Would love to do this Audax, but wishing and doing are two different things.


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## redfalo (26 Dec 2014)

ianrauk said:


> Lithuania not Latvia.


actually, a skinny Londoner


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## redfalo (26 Dec 2014)

gearwise, I was really puzzeld by how little the Swedes were carrying. Or did they have a forth person in a car carrying spare cloths?


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## edindave (26 Dec 2014)

redfalo said:


> gearwise, I was really puzzeld by how little the Swedes were carrying. Or did they have a forth person in a car carrying spare cloths?



Really? It happened during a heatwave.


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## redfalo (27 Dec 2014)

edindave said:


> Really? It happened during a heatwave.


still I'd fancy a pair of fresh cycling shorts on a 1300k ride once in a while


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## edindave (27 Dec 2014)

redfalo said:


> still I'd fancy a pair of fresh cycling shorts on a 1300k ride once in a while



 That's a fair point!


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## Bobby Mhor (27 Dec 2014)

redfalo said:


> still I'd fancy a pair of fresh cycling shorts on a 1300k ride once in a while


Plenty of water enroute...
skinny dip, wash yer lycra shorts...
scrunch them up,
swing them above your head a few times
put them back on...
Repeat as required


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## w00hoo_kent (27 Dec 2014)

They struck me as people who weren't overly scrimping, I imagine they bought what they needed on the way and discarded it when they didn't. Didn't they use a couple of hotels? Easy enough to wash your kit there, especially if they possessed the stereotypical Nordic casual attitude to nudity (that's presuming they even shared rooms). 

Are there rules against having a 'care package' delivered to a midway point? I assumed support cars were against the rules (plus you'd hope a support driver wouldn't let them screw up the route so badly!). Anyway, while they started quickly, they finished towards the cut off time suggesting they paused more.


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## zigzag (27 Dec 2014)

if anyone fancies to ride a part or the whole route, here is the gps track


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