Now we really are off!
Neptunes Staircase 7am, Piper playing, hearts thumping, countdown 10, 9, 8..... hooter sounds and we're off. A quick wave to our support teams who are taking pictures etc and then the wacky race begins. Up 'til now we were a little in the dark as what was in front of us but it didn't take long to find out. This was no Sunday jaunt out with the good lady, this was full on macho racing along the towpath of the Caledonian Canal. Quite smooth for the first hundred yards or so then it was pothole alley, bikes swaying from side to side trying to avoid the big ones and if you were tailgating you were in for a bumpy ride! I remember back to when I sat my 'Cycling Proficiency Test' (I don't think my fell monster bikers sat theirs) you know, if you are going to change directing, have a look behind, signal, THEN manoeuvre. A little courtesy in letting us super fit cyclists pass would have been nice. But no, you had to wait for a slight gap then batter through it if you could.
This went on for about 6 miles up to Gairlochy before turning off over the canal and going inland. It should really be called UPland as this was the first of many steep climbs, can't remember it all but there was single track roads then some forest tracks with people passing you then a little later you would pass them again. this happened throughout the cycle.
Neptunes Staircase 7am, Piper playing, hearts thumping, countdown 10, 9, 8..... hooter sounds and we're off. A quick wave to our support teams who are taking pictures etc and then the wacky race begins. Up 'til now we were a little in the dark as what was in front of us but it didn't take long to find out. This was no Sunday jaunt out with the good lady, this was full on macho racing along the towpath of the Caledonian Canal. Quite smooth for the first hundred yards or so then it was pothole alley, bikes swaying from side to side trying to avoid the big ones and if you were tailgating you were in for a bumpy ride! I remember back to when I sat my 'Cycling Proficiency Test' (I don't think my fell monster bikers sat theirs) you know, if you are going to change directing, have a look behind, signal, THEN manoeuvre. A little courtesy in letting us super fit cyclists pass would have been nice. But no, you had to wait for a slight gap then batter through it if you could.
This went on for about 6 miles up to Gairlochy before turning off over the canal and going inland. It should really be called UPland as this was the first of many steep climbs, can't remember it all but there was single track roads then some forest tracks with people passing you then a little later you would pass them again. this happened throughout the cycle.
The organisation was excellent and Maggie's even had a safety boat patroling the canal just in case somebody thought they had pontoons instead of wheels!
If you can imagine the scariest thing you have ever done in your life, then multiply that by 10 then you might get to understand how some of the forest track downhill sections felt to us. there was one in particular, it was after a long slog of a climb when everybody was taking advantage of this downhill section. The track was rubble strewn, boulders sticking up everywhere and for some reason everybody thought we were professional downhill racers. Next thing a corner looms and the guy in front of me starts to brake and I find myself closing in on him at an uncomfortable rate. I decided that if I braked I would not be able to steer around the corner, Paul was just behind me at this time and I guess he was trying to stay alive just like me! This guy in front of me then changed direction right into my path and I had to swing to the left, now this was a right turn corner and I was now going straight for this concrete edge of a small bridge thing.. I am still in the first hour of the event and was convinced it was tatty byebyes. The big guy must have been watching out for me as somehow I managed to just edge past the concrete block and round the corner. I kid you not, it was the most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me and also the most thrilling. Paul saw it all from behind me and reckoned he was looking for a new team to join! Yeeha! bring it on!!! (Heard later that somebody did come off at the same spot, wrote off his bike and his hands and wrists too. Ouch!)
Paul was the more powerful of us on bikes and would pull away most of the time, stop to have a wee drink until I caught up and then we would be off again. At one of the last water stops, I need to give a big mention to the guys at the water stops, we couldn't have done it without them, they were brilliant. Always has words of encouragement and delicious goodies to sup and eat if you needed it. Anyway at the last water stop, I think it was before Invergarry, Paul had reached it before me as usual, I decided that I would just carry on and shouted to Paul that he could catch me up for a change. Immediately after this stop was a pretty long steep climb, I remember that a couple of minutes after I had passed the water stop this guy overtook me and sort of berated me for not stopping and taking on more fluids. I was fine, cheeky b****er. Never saw Paul again on the ride, I was quite chuffed that I was managing to keep up the pace. The next part of the route was so steep, zigzagging up a hillside path that was too steep to get tyre grip that everybody had to dismount and push the bike up the hill. This was after 23 miles and was a bit lung bursting. I remember thinking that all those boring hours spent in the gym were now worth it. The path was now too narrow for others to pass for the next 4 very tough miles. Came down off the hill at Oich Bridge and back onto a towpath for the final 6 miles. This was a scoosh and I found myself slowing down to let Paul catch up, but no Paul. Now it was my turn to think about getting myself another team. I guess Paul might have came a cropper or a puncture or something. When I came into Fort Augustus it was 9:45 so the 30 miles took me 2 hrs 45 mins. The street was full of people clapping and cheering and it was quite emotional, (sniff). First person I saw that I knew was...Paul. Paul who I had left in my dust 11 miles back! I reckoned he must have got a lift or something as he had never passed me, more on this later.
Orginisation was once again first class, everything was laid on for us, supplies, soup, toilets etc. Lorraine, Lynne and Pauline were also in waiting with our kit for the next leg. A quick change of shorts in the car, a hawnfy of Vaseline doon the drawers, dry shirt, socks and boots and we were off again. More cheers from the volunteers as we checked out and set off.
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