September Club Runs

[Don]

Apologies for the belated post - I'd normally want to get something about the runs for the month out before that month actually starts.... Anyhow, here's what to expect in September:

Sept 6th: Oop North.
Details of the exact route still to be determined, but expect to ride north before swinging to east and coming back down the coast via Cruden Bay. Andy said something about cake and a new coffee shop in Cruden Bay... It'd better be good!

13th: TBA
Desperately looking for a volunteer for this week. I'll be off on the west coast, hopefully riding the infamous Applecross loop...

20th: It's back!! Randomeur and Club BBQ
Yes, it's back in the calendar! More details to come (hardly any of which will have changed from the last time it was put on the Forum or Facebook!), but this will all be based at the salubrious accommodation of the Club's luxury container in the paddock at the Meadows sports centre. Expect a 09:00AM kick off, four hours of competitive riding and map reading, followed by burgers, sausages and lashings of ginger beer.

27th: Go West (over some big hills).
An Inverurie start, with a route heading west and taking in the excellent climb over Suie. Feel free to ride to Inverurie too, just to prove you're way harder than anyone who drives there. Expect the drivers to be laughing heartily as they pass you and get home an hour before you though.

[Don]

It's been pointed out that the Etape Royal takes place on the 27th September and the proposed route over Suie would overlap a bit with the Etape route... There seem to be two schools of thought on this issue:
1) Avoid the area completely
2) Ride the planned route anyway and possibly benefit from the road closures anyway.

Going with the 'ride it anyway' approach, we could maintain the planned Inverurie start and do this:
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/10173629
Too cheeky? Your input would be appreciated!

[Col]

I'm rather concerned about the Etape Royal organisers ability to close those roads for their own profit. Am I, for instance, banned from riding my own bike on a public road on this event route that day? Now in the past I criticised people living on the Etape Caledonia route for moaning about their local road being closed for one morning a year but I'm suddenly starting to see their point of view.

[Don]

For Sept 6th:
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/10198724

We have the option of stopping for a coffee at the Lodge in Strichen, or pressing on to Cruden Bay (if Andy has found a decent coffee shop there!).
Note that the start will be at the new academy (or Community Campus to give its proper title).


For the 27th: It looks like I'll be out of town that weekend, so a volunteer to lead the ride, or at least pick a route would be appreciated. While I might be happy to climb over a barrier or sneak past a "road closed" sign on my own to piggyback on the Etape Royale route if I were out on my own, I don't think I'd be entirely comfortable doing that with a club top on. So I think we should save the Suie / Cabrach route for another week.