Borders 350 Attempt

[pushbikemike]

I am setting off on the Borders 350 route either tomorrow night or Wednesday morning. Ray suggested I post up a link for dot watching. I have had a go at setting this up but not sure if I have done it correctly.

https://spotwalla.com/publicTrips.php?un=pushbikemike

Perhaps those in the know could advise me if I need to do anything differently.

Anyway, this route has had a few stories about it so far with only one completion. I tried it on the first group start and failed spectacularly. The infamous first day with the Dollar Law Double was too much for me. Went back last year and did the middle section over a couple of days and had a great time. Aiming to get round it all this time.

Cheers
Mike

[Mike]

good luck enjoy!

[Ray Young]

Good luck Mike, I'll be watching, .

[ianfitz]

Good luck mike. The dollar law double was a bit of a tougie!

[Mark E]

Good luck Mike. I rode most of the route to Moffatt last weekend, the first time I'd been up there since the first group start. The new bit from Broughton is definitely easier. I'd forgotten how rough the first section to St Mary's Loch is. Have a good time, it's certainly a cracking route, what was the second day originally from the Devils Beeftub to Byrness is a fantastic day out!

[pushbikemike]

Cheers lads.

looking forward to doing Ray's route justice.

Bike is all packed.

[pushbikemike]

That's a scratch for me. Dodgy stomach for most of today. Hard to keep food down. A few "moments" due to bib shorts. Made it top of Devils beeftub then turned right and headed home on the road.

Mike

[restlessshawn]

Unlucky Mike

The rate of attrition on this route is getting legendary...wondering if I should give it a crack next year I know a fair amount of it

What happened to cause the straight line on your spotwalla between Capercluch and Drumelzier?

[Ray Young]

Sorry to here that Mike, that's real bad luck, I know you've been planning this for a while.

[pushbikemike]

Unlucky Mike

The rate of attrition on this route is getting legendary...wondering if I should give it a crack next year I know a fair amount of it

What happened to cause the straight line on your spotwalla between Capercluch and Drumelzier?

My spot batteries ran out didn't notice till broughton.

[pushbikemike]

Sorry to here that Mike, that's real bad luck, I know you've been planning this for a while.

Cheers Ray. A little gutted to scratch for second time. Perhaps third time lucky?

[fatbikephil]

Sorry to here that Mike, that's real bad luck, I know you've been planning this for a while.

Cheers Ray. A little gutted to scratch for second time. Perhaps third time lucky?

Thats what I'm hoping....
Karl B scratched at the same point, also with a dodgy stomach - must be something in the bogs up from Megget!

[Karl]

Yep tough route. I had a fever. Couldn't eat all day. Must be something in the air. Third time lucky Mike. You'll do it next time!

[ianfitz]

It's a tough outing no doubt!

Bad luck mike.

[pushbikemike]

A summing up of my brief Borders350 attempt.
I'd had a bout of food poisoning 10 days or so before I set off. I wasn't quite back to 100% but thought I'd take it at a nice easy pace. But it's not a route that lets you take it easy. Ive done most of this route in sections and knew it quite well. Therefore, I thought I'd set off at night to get to Tibbie shiels and bivi there to then get to Greensykes both on day 2. That plan did not work out.
I set of from Peebles around 9 pm and got to Tibbie shiels around 1.30am Some heather tussocky grass and boggy ground at night made for slow going but I was feeling good. Think I may have woken up some other campers in the woods at St Mary's loch with my hope freehub noise. Ate some food (only a small bowl of pasta and a cereal bar) drank some water and turned in for the night. On the go next morning by about 7.30. After a bowl of porridge and a cereal bar. Felt ok till about half way up dollar law. Drank about a litre of water and filled up with more in the bottles and felt good going over dollar law, only eating chocolate. It was pretty wet up there but views were cracking. The new route down to Drumeliezer is brilliant. Always enjoyed the Broughton hills but was slowing up going up Hammer head. I found eating and drinking hard in broughton and sat there for about an hour or more. Managed a pie and bowl of soup. Drank tea, pint of milk and water. I found the hike a bike up to the wind farm tough but at least it was short. By the time I got to the hike a bike past fruid I'd stopped for the loo about five times. But I sat down drank plenty ate a little, an apple and mars bar and felt ok. I've done this section a few times and knew what to expect. It went fine until the climb up to the beeftub. More loo stops and vomited by the time I was at the road. Left was more of the off road route or on road to moffat and Right was 30 mile road cycle home. Decided to head home.
Possibilities:
I wasn't 100% after recent illness.
I am not yet fit enough for this kind of route
My eating and drinking is not sufficient to fuel me
I should know by now what a route by Ray entails and I should cycle easier routes in the future

Anyway, think I'll look at the maps for some easier routes and enjoy some food today. I wonder if anyone else will manage this route? Or will Ray remain the only finisher? Hats off to you Ray. Your completion was an excellent achievement.

[Ray Young]

1)I wasn't 100% after recent illness.
2)I am not yet fit enough for this kind of route
3)My eating and drinking is not sufficient to fuel me.
4)Hats off to you Ray. Your completion was an excellent achievement.

Hi Mike, thanks for the write up. In response to the above I'll say this.
1) I'm sure that this was your downfall, you were most definitely not 100% fit after the food poisoning and the return of diahroea/vomiting was the nail in the coffin.
2)After seeing how strongly you rode on last year's CT I think you are fit enough. It took me four attempts to complete this in one go. The biggest things I have learnt are pacing, food/water intake and lastly psychology, don't view the route as a whole as it can be overwhelming, have a rough daily plan but break it down into small sections and tick them off one at a time. Sections for me were over the the next climb or to the next supply point.
3)See number 1.
4)As I put the route together I was highly motivated to complete it before anyone else and again, it was my fourth attempt.

[pushbikemike]

Cheers Ray. Wise words about pacing fueling and keeping your head in the right place.

Maybe Next year and third time lucky.

[Borderer]

Whereabouts (roughly) in the Borders are you Mike?
Did you filter your water at all or just take it straight from the burn?

[pushbikemike]

Whereabouts (roughly) in the Borders are you Mike?
Did you filter your water at all or just take it straight from the burn?

I'm based in Peebles.
Unfiltered water from fast flowing source heading up Dollar law climb. Drank about a litre and carried another litre to drink on the move. Drank from there before and been fine.

[Borderer]

I always used to just drink from the streams in the Borders and was fine, til one day I just stopped myself in time to see a rotting lamb jammed into the burn a short way upstream.
We now carry a MSR trailshot and use that if we can't find springs. I know there is a spring near the Blackhouse which you will have passed (just where you turned right onto the SUW), but I don't know much of the route to Moffat after that.