RBLR1000 16th June 2018

~Martin~

RBLR1000 Finisher
IBA Member
Well that was a blast! Waterproofs failed me and I was wet and cold thinking NEVER AGAIN, but rode home directly afterwards, (70 miles suddenly didn't seem so far) thinking - what next ;)

Saw lots of pictures being taken by that drone - any idea if they will be on line anywhere?
 
Well that was a blast! Waterproofs failed me and I was wet and cold thinking NEVER AGAIN, but rode home directly afterwards, (70 miles suddenly didn't seem so far) thinking - what next ;)

Saw lots of pictures being taken by that drone - any idea if they will be on line anywhere?
I camped at café, home today, couple hours head down while boring football on.....saw drones too, wonder if they get posted anywhere?
I went south clockwise, what rain?? (sorry)
hear a couple of riders had off's on northern routes
hope they doing ok

will I do it again? don't know that 2 down, will see another day.

thanks guys, the welcome and the butty much appreciated last night
 
Just want to say thanks to all the guys who helped run this years rather soggy RBLR1000. A cheerful face, a hot coffee and hot pork product at the end was most welcome.
I learnt a couple of good lessons from this years one. First was the old preparation and wear the right gear. One of the members of our group did not have any extra layers to add plus very leaky waterproofs. When we got to Wick he had to go and buy a jumper as he was starting to shiver. Lucky I had several back heat pads for himto help counter the chill and another rider lent him his thermal leggings.
Another was the art of balancing speed vs time between stops. We kept the speed in my group to that which the slowest rider felt safe. Unfortunately this combined with two stops to see relatives meant all our other stops had to be very short and by the time we got just south of Glasgow one of our riders stated showing serious signs of fatigue (ok, he was nodding off on the bike) so we had to pull over on the motorway to get him off the bike. A quick bite to eat and some water and he was good enough to get to the next services 3 miles away as long as we rode slowly. Got there and it was shut so down to the next one as he and another were starting to shiver and we needed a place they could get warm. 15 miles further down the motorway (at 40 mile an hour is scarey ) we found one open. We could get into the dry, a warm drink and he could grab a much needed 45 minutes sleep.
By this stage they decided they would not be able to make it in time at the pace they were capable to do so opted to stay an hour or so and recover. As I was fine having brought along extra layers, spare gloves etc (and having a bike with a huge screen, heated grips and heated rather compfy seat) plus being stupid thought I could do it with an ETA of about 04:55 so went for it. After a near miss with a large lump of wild life near the Tebay services and forgetting about the M62 road works (had a local copper sat on my tale through the diversion) I just made it 23 hours and 58 ish minutes from leaving to a nice welcome, a hot coffee and warm food.

I think our groups problem was that we never could gain time so when we need that extra 1/2 hour of so to have that quick nap or get some hot food etc, it just was not there. We were riding just too slow, most of the time riding 5-10 mph under the speed limit so it was a literal slog.
 

Crezz

Well-Known Member
Well done to everyone.

The first year I rode the RBLR1000, we did it has a group. Only just managed to complete it in under 24 hours. Vowed never to do it again in a group and didn't. Every time since then completed it ion 18 hours two up with ease. And did a BBG1500 in 2012 just to up the anti. Again two up, that was also successful. I am no longer able to take part due to the job I do (this sort of riding is frowned upon), so the best I can do is set up the team Just Giving page. Would love to do it again one day.

On the plus side the team page is nearly up to £4000, so well done all those on it.
 

Ian M

Well-Known Member
Thank you to the organisers I really enjoyed the event.
Back just before midnight doing clockwise north.
Avoided the blocked road by going through Glen Loth and then back down the A897 following a local.

lessons learnt
My jacket and trousers may well work in Scandinavia but not in a wet Scotland in June – they’re in the bin.
Take heated clothing.
Tortoise and hare; I passed the same rider a number of times only to find when I finished they were only 25/30 minutes later, i did stop and have a break at Inverness, Edinburgh and Berwick but even so, steady high average is probbaly better than fast rides between fuel stops
Don’t fill the form in on route – it ends up as Papier Mache make notes instead, leave the form somewhere dry but not in a Halvarsson suit
 

GraemeandSally

RBLR 1000
Premier Member
Thank you to all that entered and raised money for the poppy appeal
Thanks to those who helped out over the weekend
Now it’s over planning time for next years don’t panic it’s less than a year to go lol
 
A few bits and pieces from my RBLR 1000 2018 .......




Not quite sure why the tracking on the video stopped just after I passed Manchester, I did make it back to Squires

I really should admit just how close I was to missing the 24 hour deadline. I knew it would be tight right from the start and pushed hard, quick fuel stops with just a bite to eat, drinking on the fly from my camelback and trying to keep a decent pace on the road.

It was going well until I got delayed as a result of the A9 being closed following an accident on the way to Wick. The police let a load of bikes through heading north but the road remained closed - not knowing whether or not it was worth turning around at Wick and ending up in a traffic queue as a result of the accident I decided to carry on all the way to John o’groats and hopefully find the road clear when I headed south. The plan worked and I had a clear run south albeit some way behind schedule.

As I headed up through Glen Coe the mental arithmetic was working overtime, how fast was I going, what was my average speed and how much time did I have in hand. All looking good with about a 15 minute cushion until I came across a closed section of the M60 around Manchester - ok there was a signposted diversion but it was taking time ! Got back on track, dived into Birch Services for a last fuel stop and then it was out on the motorway stretching the throttle cable as far as it would go. Again the mental maths said I was doing ok and I still had about 15 minutes in hand - until I saw the signs saying a section of the M62 was closed - a quick look at a map and I spotted an alternative route, stuck it in the gps and off I went. Down to 10 minutes cushion. Until I hit more closed roads...... panic mode ensued and gut instinct took over. Ignore the posted diversion, take a short cut through a car park and possibly the wrong way down a one way street and I was back on track for Squires.......... I got in with just 5 minutes spare.......

Some numbers :

Mileage on the bike when I left home on Thursday evening was 752. By the time I got back home on Monday morning it was up to 2445 - making it a 1693 mile weekend.

I set out at 5am on Saturday morning and got back to the start point at Squires Cafe at 4.55 on Sunday morning. Total distance was 1091 on the speedo but only 1054 on the GPS - not unusual as speedos do typically read a little high.

During the 23 hours and 55 minutes on the ride the GPS said I was actually moving for 21 hours and 50 minutes. The 2 hours or so I was stationary covered fuel stops, the odd quick snack, comfort stops behind a bush, and being stopped at traffic lights etc. Average moving speed was about 48 mph. Maximum speed was an eyewatering 67 mph according to the GPS !

Over the total trip I used 71.6 litres (15.6 UK gallons) of fuel giving an average fuel consumption of 109 mpg. The bike has quite a small tank (about 5 litres) and on the Saturday/Sunday morning I stopped for fuel 12 times,

And perhaps the maddest number - 113 - the cc of the bike ......

Finally can I just say thank you to the organisers and the team running the event at Squires. In particular the guys and girls there waiting and clapping us late 'just on 5am' finishers. Your support as I rolled in really made a difference !














 
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The good thing about this ride is that you can be in bed by 9 p.m. on the Friday so should be able to get 7 hours kip before getting up at 4 a.m ready for the off. Although you can't technically bank sleep, a week before any big ride or rally I do I always get to be bed early each night to make me as rested as possible :)
Wishful thinking there what with the train line so close, bikers (not with the RBLR1000) screaming up and down the road and the car park. I can understand the noise from the scooter testing, that was a huge shame.
Still managed to get about 4 hours sleep before getting up to get ready for the off and have to say that I didn't feel tired at all on the ride, only when I got home and slept solid for 12 hours HAHAHAHAHA
 
Well

Watched the video envious you had such a great run I took the northern route clockwise and can confess it was some of the worst riding conditions I have ever risen in rain mud fog like you would never believe all my planning went south.

Still I used this as a training exercise for next year where I will get back in under 24 I could add more comments like some of the atrocious riding I witnessed overtaking on blind bends in the wet etc let's hope next year the weather is better.
 
We too made it around.
I was a bit worried we were going to loose alot of time to fuel stops as my pals gsxr only has a 100 mile range but it actually worked well. Stopping every 100 gave us a 5 minute stretch, chat and reset.
Following day I felt good after 6 hrs sleep (pretty normal night for me) I suspect if I had used my full range (200-250) I would have been much stiffer.
Best bit was we remember to pick up a couple of beer each at the last fuel stop so we could have a little celebration!
Weather on the south anticlockwise loop was pretty grim for the first 600 miles.
My main advice for anyone else would be- rain suit. They're horrible things but if you riding in the rain that long you don't want you textiles getting wet. Wet textiles don't breath, get heavy and get cold.
Doesn't matter what you've spent on gortex etc when it comes down to it get a rain suit.
 
We too made it around.
I was a bit worried we were going to loose alot of time to fuel stops as my pals gsxr only has a 100 mile range but it actually worked well. Stopping every 100 gave us a 5 minute stretch, chat and reset.
Following day I felt good after 6 hrs sleep (pretty normal night for me) I suspect if I had used my full range (200-250) I would have been much stiffer.
Best bit was we remember to pick up a couple of beer each at the last fuel stop so we could have a little celebration!
Weather on the south anticlockwise loop was pretty grim for the first 600 miles.
My main advice for anyone else would be- rain suit. They're horrible things but if you riding in the rain that long you don't want you textiles getting wet. Wet textiles don't breath, get heavy and get cold.
Doesn't matter what you've spent on gortex etc when it comes down to it get a rain suit.
Didn't have any stiffness apart from in my hands but that soon got better. What I did have was, Sunday evening, I woke up for a while and started jumping around with cramp in my upper thighs. So painful but luckily it didn't last too long, took some painkillers too and Monday I was fine.
We also had a guy that had to stop every 100-120 miles but in general we spent far too long on the stops, drinking coffee (I like coffee but that night I drank tap water from a bottle that I refill, coffee doesn't work for a ride like that and I felt absolutely fine.
I'd like to do it again next year and get a better time but I have to convince my wife that it's a good idea!
 
Wishful thinking there what with the train line so close, bikers (not with the RBLR1000) screaming up and down the road and the car park. I can understand the noise from the scooter testing, that was a huge shame.
Still managed to get about 4 hours sleep before getting up to get ready for the off and have to say that I didn't feel tired at all on the ride, only when I got home and slept solid for 12 hours HAHAHAHAHA
Sorry about the scooter, was either try to sort it or jack in before it even started. That wasnt going to happen tbh lol
 
Didn't have any stiffness apart from in my hands but that soon got better. What I did have was, Sunday evening, I woke up for a while and started jumping around with cramp in my upper thighs. So painful but luckily it didn't last too long, took some painkillers too and Monday I was fine.
We also had a guy that had to stop every 100-120 miles but in general we spent far too long on the stops, drinking coffee (I like coffee but that night I drank tap water from a bottle that I refill, coffee doesn't work for a ride like that and I felt absolutely fine.
I'd like to do it again next year and get a better time but I have to convince my wife that it's a good idea!
I had to refuel every 45 mile, the scooter was guzzling it for the short time it ran before nipping up