The Cogals
Cogals (pronounce it correctly: kog-al) are meetings of like-minded misfits brought together by the promise of beer, preceded by a bike ride. Cogals are free, open to all, organized by our fellow Velominati and are always followed by consumption of post-ride recovery ales and merriment. These are gatherings of unbridled observance of Rule #4.
Cogals differ themselves from other group rides by the meeting the following criteria:
- First, Cogals are free, organized and supported through Velominati, though not necessarily a Keeper. Anyone is welcome to join a Cogal. Legally speaking, however, we have no involvement, so if you crash or die, it’s your own problem. Please be careful to study the route previously and take precautionary measures to stay safe.
- Second, a Cogal is a day-long undertaking that focuses 100% on the bike. The rides are categorized (Casually Deliberate, Rule #5, Rule #10, for example) but are long. This is what you’re doing today, nothing else; see Rule #4. Rides can be any length, but a minimum distance of 130km should be expected.
- Third, Cogals always include a session of Malted Recovery Beverage Consumption after the ride. Whenever possible, it should also include a pre-ride espresso.
Not all the events in The Cogals are actual Cogals. We also post rides and events that are of interest to the community, as well as Keepers Tours, which are Velominati-hosted, paid cycling Tours tailored to the tastes of a velominatus.
Any member of the community is welcomed to organize a Cogal. If interested, either post your interest below or email us with the following information:
- Date of Cogal
- Starting Address (ideally somewhere neutral, like a café or park)
- Route (MapMyRide, Bikely, or Strava)
- Ride Classification (Casually Deliberate, Rule V, Rule VV, or suggest another)
- A paragraph describing the Cogal
Upcoming Cogals
[events_list limit=”5″]
CONTENTS
[separator break=”true”/]
Submit Your Own Cogal:
[event_form]
[separator break=”true”/]
The rest of us are back safe. Heal up fast @xyverz!
Strava of the ride: http://app.strava.com/activities/68603108
Can’t thank @xyverz and Velomilurker Dave for putting together an awesome and V-ful route.
@starclimber I moved left to avoid some gravel. Guy in the RV didn’t know where his backend was and clocked me. I bit the dust at about 30kph.
@xyxax, @LA Dave, @gaswepass Thanks all! I hope to be back on the bike by the end of the week.
@Nate Good to hear. Dave said you guys motored on and hammered through the rest of the ride to make up for my shenanigans. =)
@Xyverz
Awesome. Hoogerland award material.
@Nate Thanks!
You realize that I’m going to have to complete this ride in the coming months? I need my revenge on Highway 1.
@Xyverz
The V is strong in this one.
@Xyverz
Bummer! Hope you heal fast!! Must be in the air as Mrs. Scaler got rear ended Friday (long story, but the douchebag did it on purpose).
Be safe out there!!
So, I was able to walk away, but thought my thumb might have been busted. Here’s me smiling before hopping in the ambulance. Nate was giving his report to the officer while I was preparing to go for a 4-wheeled ride.
And the thumb…
My doctor (who also happens to be a Sports Medicine Specialist) has told me that everything is in relatively good shape and will heal. I’m hoping to be back on Bike #2 by the end of the week.
And this is the last I hope to be playing up Rule #81. =)
Quite some time after the event but was there ever a write up of the Bristol Cogal?
@Xyverz
Your thumb looks fucked, completely.
But you look like you’re proudly taking your first real crash in major V style. Strong work, pedalwan.
And, as I expressed to you via email, I am so glad you’re OK and get well soon, mate. Hopefully your thumb won’t keep you typing, your community needs you!
@Xyverz solid work on the hip grazing, just a heads up, you may want to sit down when you change the bandage over. First time I did that I very nearly succumbed to gravity sans control, that shit hurts!
@Xyverz All in all you came out remarkably unscathed, praise be to Merckx. I suspect that RV suffered from some serious but hard to detect damage, to balance everything else out.
@scaler911
what you and mrs scaler do behind closed doors is none of our business.
in all seriousness hope everyone heals quickly.
@frank – That photo was taken just after my MD looked at it. It’s actually looking better every day. I’m more and more able to use it, but still no pinching motions for very long (or with very much pressure) before I start screaming in pain (in my head – not out loud).
@Mikael Liddy – Actually, I didn’t get a bandage for the hip, knee, shoulder, or lower leg. Shoulder stings the most, but everything else is fine. Most of the rash has already healed and fallen off, much to my surprise. The bruise looks pretty wicked though. =)
@Nate – Totally! Sadly, my left brifter has sustained at least cosmetic damage. We’ll see after the check. I’m really feeling bad for you to have witnessed the thing first hand.
@roger – Thanks mate!
@Xyverz
That bastard Mountain Charlie beat any lingering upsetness out of me.
@Nate
I would have to call that cause for celebration! =)
dammit – this still looks good, I’m a sprinter at heart and this will kill me… not to mention take me a while…hmm
@Xyverz ouch -heal soon!
@Xyverz
Damn, glad you’re OK! For all the riding everyone (except me) does on this site, it seems reports of injury are few and far between.
@JohnB @snoov Do you think it would be worth e-mailing the Keepers to get a page up for the CX ride? Given the lack of provision of malted recovery beverages after the ride I was tempted to keep it unofficial…
@campbellrae1
I’m back from France and catching up – the 31st is in my diary and the MTB has been fettled – where’s the start? I assume we go at 08.05.
As this is Scotland isotonic hoppy recovery beverages are always available somewhere even if it is from the back of the support vehicle.
@the Engine I thought we could start at the car park in Drymen next to the Spar? It’s free parking if I remember correctly, and there will be a pub nearby, just no provision made for cleaning ones self after the ride! Baby wipes being an exception I suppose…
@campbellrae1 Also just back from holiday and catching up. Happy to go with pub at Drymen and baby wipes. One of us will have to drive back so not needing more than 1 recovery beverage. I’ll order some of the Brunehaut Blonde from Beautiful Beers and we can have it from the back of the car? @snoov you want a lift through?
@JohnB When is this happening? Thought I’d missed it already, oops.
Ok 31st I should be able to swing it.
How about 09:05 kick off on the 31st then?
@JohnB yes I’d like a lift.
@snoov
Be in touch. we’ll need a couple hours to get through to Drymen for the start..
Anyone planning a cogal in the Maryland area?
So, CX Cogal route planning:
Starting in Drymen, head out the road to Rowardennan, along the West Highland Way(forestry track, not the nigh on impossible lochside path) for roughly 9km, then turn right at the cottage(Cailness) and up over the insanely steep climb and into Gleann Gaoithe. Ride the full length of the Glen before dropping into Gleann Dubh just east of Comer. From there, we head down the forestry track, around the north side of Bad Dearg and into Milton then Aberfoyle. From Aberfoyle we have a couple of options for getting over the hill and down to Loch Venachar. The first is to follow NCN Route 7, which is probably the easiest and my preferred option at the moment, but I can also lead us through some nice singletrack climbs & descents but they may be too much for CX bikes. From there it’s along to Brig’ O Turk and up round the Glen Finglas loop, descending into Glen Finglas after climbing up the east side of the hill. After descending back to the road, we head around and climb back over the forest drive and NCN Route 7 to descend back into Aberfoyle. Then back to Drymen via the Rob Roy Way.
How does that sound to everyone?
We do have a few other options. When we get to the climb from Loch Lomond, I think we should try to ride the first few hundred meters together and see if it is rideable on CX bikes, if it isn’t, we can always descend back down and follow the road from Inversnaid round to the head of Loch Chon before joining back up with the route near Bad Dearg & Loch Ard. Heading north from Aberfoyle, we could use the Rob Roy way over the Menteith Hills but I have heard mixed reviews on how rideable this route is up top(perhaps @ the Engine could shed some light on this one?).
Let me know your preferred options and I will try to come up with a final route, distance and rough climbing total! I’m looking forward to this one already!
Cheers,
Campbell.
Here is the MapMyRide of the route, it starts and finishes in the wrong place(at the start of the steepest climb) because it doesn’t register that there is a path for about 10m so wont route across the tiny gap! Let me know what you think.
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/266877731
@DNARD
Go for it, mate!
@campbellrae1
What the fuck country is this taking place in???
@Buck Rogers Scotland! Should maybe have either made that post @ the confirmed attendees or made that clear. My bad…
@Buck Rogers
Tea just spat all over my desk. Thanks @Buck Rogers.
@Buck Rogers
Ours
@the Engine dont you mean “England’s”?
@Marcus
Next time I’m in Melbourne you’re in serious bother…
@campbellrae1
NCN 7 around the Duke’s Pass should be ok with CX bikes on the main trails (although I’ll be puffing away on my MTB). It can be steep and muddy on the paths though.
The Rob Roy Way over the Menteith Hills is impassable on anything without tracks – I’ve tried a few times.
As I’m still some months away from peaking on the climbs I may take the odd short cut…
@the Engine I had heard the same thing about the track over the top, so will give that one a miss! I think NCN Route 7 is probably the best option on the way out, and if we fancy a bit more of a challenge on the way back there are a few singletrack descents that we can use!
I’ll be on the MTB too, it’s the closest thing I have to a cross bike without resorting to my franken-bike touring bike!
Ok chaps need to know what this route requires tyre wise? What I really mean is, I only have the rubbish tyres that came with the bike and want advice on how knobbly the new ones should be.
@snoov Most of the ride is on fire/forestry road, so you don’t need to go very knobbly. I will be on my mountain bike but running some tyres with pretty small knobs. It is quite rough in places, so as big a volume you can get on the bike could be a nice helping hand. The only sections that are liable to be really bad are on the return leg(descending into Aberfoyle) & can be avoided by sticking to fire roads instead of taking the singletrack descents.
Looking forward to this ride. The route sounds awesome and I look forward to going off track at some point. Can I seek some dispensation to wear a day pack with some off road essentials like plenty of tubes, small first aid kit, more than a small multi tool without being beaten with pumps please? Beer ordered and will be boxed in the boot. Bring your own tripel.
@snoov Provisionally get you about 0630 / 0640 at yours. Have wheels off and bagged. Both bikes and kit will fit in the back of the small car like that. I’m not looking at any special rubber for the day. I’ve done a fair bit of forest road, land rover tracks, hard pack mud, gravel with what came on the bike. 40psi rear, 35psi front worked buy may be a little vulnerable on new trails.
Just a heads up that I sent off the Cogal write up for West Point Cogal, Part Deux. It will be on Sunday, the 20th of October starting at my house at V past IX. The route will be very similar to last year with a few solicted changes from last years’ group.
I will be sucking major wasps on this as I went for my third ride this YEAR today so don’t let the fear of being too slow or not fast enough on the ascents stop you from joining. While I am still in pretty decent shape it goes without saying that I do not have my climbing legs quite yet.
Should be an awesomely fun time if it is anything like last year.
But, one caveat, if you come, you HAVE to have a photo ID as some of the riding is on a military post and they are getting VERY strict around here of late.
Hope to see you all here!
$hit!!! Make that V past X! Damn!
@Buck Rogers
Aha! Found it! Canadian drivers’ license sufficient, or is that just going to put me in a whole whack of trouble? I’d really love to come down for this, but I’m looking down the barrel of a very busy teaching semester, and I doubt I’ll be able to get away. We still need to get you up this way, too, mate (I’m running out of Canadian cycling icons to drag out on rides…)!
In case youre wondering, it is THAT west point. I failed to make the connection until after the 4th joke that bombed on the MP at the gate…
@roger
Surely: West Point, no? But that suggests a great VSP game: 10 points to get him to laugh; -10 for getting denied entry…
Buck, I am gutted that I won’t make it – well honestly, not so much because I will be swimming and riding down in Miami! My very best to you and Mrs. Buck and of course all the Bucketts!