Bealach Mor: 5th September 2015. 125 miles. ~9,500 feet
Strava links: Main ride |
Achnasheen to Garve
The morning had dawned clear and cold, with a crispness that hinted at the end of summer when I set off from my hotel in Kyle of Lochalsh, and it was a chilly morning that met me in Wester Ross with the wind in the west, when I disembarked the train at Achnasheen.
The week before I had solo ridden the Highland Perthshire Challenge, so I knew before I started that I had no climbing legs with me at all and with ~9500 feet of elevation gain being the order of the day, I knew that I was going to be struggling.
I headed into the wind for the event start in Kinlochewe, met up with my work colleague and some of his clubmates at the event HQ and then met
@tug benson at the start line.
Jamie (
@tug benson ) and I set off in the first group and had a good natter on the Cat 3 climb straight out of Kinlochewe, as a decent-sized peloton formed around us.
With the summit crest in sight, I gave my sprinting legs a kick, took a turn at the front, and only on looking back did I realise that I'd dropped the group.
I therefore claim my KOM points as I was the very first* person on the day over it
Hitting 44.7mph over the crest and down the other side, two other lads jumped off the front of the group and drafted me for a bit before jumping me in turn, I couldn't hold their wheels and eased up, let the pack catch up and then hopped back onto the tail of the group. I took another couple of turns at the front as I'm not very confident in group riding until the turnoff at Achnasheen but shortly after that when I fell back to recover I got dropped
just before the two escapees were reeled in.
A similar thing happened with the second big group on the road when it caught me, I couldn't hold a wheel for long enough to stay on.
I was still doing reasonably well (albeit ploughing a lonely furrow) until Lochcarron where a roadside supporter took this photo of me:
On the climb out of Lochcarron I tried to use my climbing legs and was painfuly reminded that they weren't there and I backslid badly as rider after rider spun past me.
The turnoff at Tornapress that signals the start of the infamous Bealach na Ba climb appeared before I was psychologically ready for the climb, and even in my bottom gear and on the gentler lower slopes (7%) I could scarcely turn the pedals.
I was ~4mph down when compared to April's effort on the same climb and that's before the steep part (where, yes, I had to stop a couple of times
)
I wasn't at all out of breath, I wasn't tired, my heart rate wasn't elevated, I simply couldn't put forth any effort, and I have no idea why.
I think I'm going to have to speak to someone about it, because it's a really disheartening thing to happen.
I had a horrible time on the climb, being unable to get my HR up or maintain my core temperature, the cold wind exacted a toll, to the point that when I arrived at the summit pallid and shaken, the volunteer marshals were very concerned about me and suggested that I sit in the van, drink some hot water and consider abandoning the ride rather than risking the descent while shoogly (which I didn't, because I'm an impetuous fool and a veritable God of Descending.)
Thankfully I recovered on the descent and after snaffling some food and painkillers at the food stop, I headed off onto the coast road.
The 37 (THIRTY SEVEN) climbs on the coast road didn't feel as hard as they did in April, but I think that's because I knew what was involved and could use my sprinting legs to blast up some of them before gravity realised what I was doing, although there were several that I had to crawl up in bottom gear.
From Shieldaig back to Kinlochewe was relatively easy compared to what had come before, although on the final valley drag from Torridon up to Kinlochewe there was another rider who put in a good effort to reel me in, who overtook me a couple of miles from the finish and then made it clear that he'd like nothing more than to beat me to the finish line.**
Crossing the line I encountered Jamie (who had effortlessly spun past me on the Bealach) in the food station and we swapped battle stories as I ate my way back to life, before setting off on the 9 mile climb to catch the train at Achnasheen - considerably slower than the first time I'd done the climb that morning!
Arriving at the train station an hour earlier than the train and being eaten alive by midges I decided to ride the 16 miles extra to the next station in Garve which was mostly downhill and with a tailwind I was able to get a good hoof on!
Sadly I didn't take any photos during the day because it really wasn't that kind of ride.
* and last, if you include the ride home after the event
** He failed, by about 5 seconds. Sprinting legs were all I had with me and I put them to good use!
. Might move somewhere a bit more quiet when I retire, I was walking around Croglin area yesterday and that sems just about right.
.Went with the better half on her Raleigh mtb so no Strava records today
(some 3rd bests though due to it only being the third time I'd gone along that route);was a nice afternoon for it though being sunny but not too hot.
.
