The Start
The alarm clock went off at 4:15. A bit early even for me. Up and onward including the bowl of cold porridge prepared the night before. It wasn't pleasant but in the end I think it did the trick. Then out and put the bike on the top of the car. All set and off I go.This was the start to the day of my first sportive. I had entered the Buchaille Mhor/Beag Sportive after my friend Vic was persuaded to do the same by two of his commuting pals. Neither of us had got the training miles we would have liked but unfortunately events don't wait for you to be ready. I picked up Vic and his other friend Mike and then we really were off. The drive across to Glencoe was uneventful and very pleasant as we drove through the southern Highlands.
By the time we got to the Glencoe mountain ski centre there were already a number of cyclists getting rready for the event. We signed in and got our numbers. Here's mine;
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| Sportive number |
This was an auspicious number as we had decided to do the short version of the sportive which is 86 miles. Of course it doesn't work if you calculate everything in km, where I'd have needed number 140!
The Event
After a little bit of faffing about (changing, bike prep and pocket stuffing) we were ready to go. Mike had been met by a mate of his (Stewart) and they were looking for a faster time than we were so although we left together we knew we wouldn't be with them for long. The organisers were letting riders off in small groups to minimise the impact on the main road through Glencoe. That being said we soon caught up the group in front and we were still with Mike and his mate when Vic's commuting pals (Ally and Steve) also caught us up. At this point I was thinking we might be able to hook up for a while at least and get a tow for the first few miles. Sadly it wasn't to be as Vic's chain popped off when we went over the top of our first hill. And this set the day's format.
Back on the road again we had a lovely descent into Glencoe. A little bit of wind meant that the speeds never got stupid but we soon caught up and overtook the stragglers of the larger group we had been in. Mike, Stewart, Ally and Steve were nowhere to be seen. My main worry about this event had been about riding with other cyclists. I needn't have worried, we didn't see many riders for the rest of the day. Those we did were either going very much more slowly or just hammered past us. Luckily for out egos there weren't so many of the latter.
Having dropped into Glencoe the ride for the next 50 odd miles rolled along without any big hills, just the occasional short sharp incline and some longer drags. The highlight of this section was the applause and encouragement we got from a family beside the road. That was great; it made me feel like a real cyclist.
Vic was suffering with a sore back so we were containing the pace and taking it easy during this middle part of the ride. This gave rise to my day's main entertainment. At around 20 miles I saw a rider in the distance with a bright yellow top on. We dragged him in ever so slowly catching him just before the first feed stop. However, he was faster in and out of the station and it took us a long time for us to spot him again. And even longer to get past. Where? Just before the 2nd feed stop where the same pattern played out.
We took a longer stop at this feed stop because I knew that from here it was mostly uphill and I wanted Vic to get a decent respite for his back. Back on the road we turned off the main road onto a small Highland B road. Granted the surface wasn't as good but it was virtually traffic free which made a nice change. This road works its way up Glen Orchy and steadily gains height in small steps, none too steep but a few steeper than I would have liked. We passed a rider who we'd met at the feed station who had instructed us to give him some encouragement. We did our duty.
For most of this beautiful glen we rode behind two girls, catching them up ever slow slowly. They had plenty of puff left to chat all the way whereas we just rode on in comparative silence. The occasional "are you ok?" or "isn't the scenery nice?". Eventually the girls went single file and we slipped by. I found it interesting to see how long it took to get past people and also then how fast they seem to drop behind. I think it is a perception thing as later in the glen we could still hear the girls despite feeling that they should be miles behind.
Rejoining the main road at Bridge of Orchy brought us to the last section of the day. A drag from the hotel, a fast descent from there and I was at Loch Tulla right beside the bottom of only true climb of the day. You may have noticed that I said I. Vic had given me clear instructions that I was to ride at my pace for this bit. While I had been keeping my eye out for him, I wasn't aware that his chain had popped off the chainring again as we came off the long drag. Otherwise I think he would have been right there with me.
The climb itself wasn't exactly hard but it wasn't easy either. Definitely a case of popping the bike in the granny gear and finding a rhythm. I managed that and worked my way up the hill. The worst thing about this part of the ride was the traffic; especially the motorbikes. I've written about this before but they really do need to give cyclists more respect. I know that I now have very little sympathy for motorcyclists who complain about their treatment by car drivers.
One more small descent to the last ramp gave me a chance to stop and look back to check on Vic. I could see him not far behind and he had some company. That gave me enough confidence to ride on. The last drag gave me the opportunity to overtake my man in the yellow jacket one more time. We'd passed him near the end of the Glen Orchy but he'd re-passed me as I looked back. It was here that I finally gave my inner chimp a little bit of free reign. There was couple out in front of me but I wasn't able to catch them on the climb. That left me working hard on the downhill to the turn off for the mountain centre. The wind was back here and not helping. A little way before the turn off I managed to overtake them.
However, we still had some work to do and I hadn't realised how much. The last 0.7 mile into the car park is still part of the course and it is uphill. It's also one of these little single track roads that looks like it was laid on the ground without any smoothing of the terrain. And closer to car park it gets very steep. This was definitely the hardest part of the day. The couple passed me on the lower slopes but I found my rhythm again and managed to get by once more. Getting to the finish I unclipped and stood astride my bike, done in for a few seconds.
By the time I'd found the car and popped the bike beside it Vic was pulling his way up to the finish himself. A great ride considering the pain he was riding through.
Afters
I'd finished in 5:37 which was well within my 6 hour goal. With 5:15 of actual cycling in that it is proabably one of my fastest long rides ever. A great result. We met the others who'd been finished for about 45 minutes by the time we got there. That was a really impressive effort. I don't think we could have got close to that even without the chain difficulties.
Coffee, chat, then some more faffing about before the journey back to our part of the country. Thanks go to Vic and Mike for keeping me awake on the way home and also keeping me fed with wine gums and savoury flapjacks. Big thanks also go to Mike for popping the bikes onto the bike racks before we left Glencoe. I'm not sure I could have managed that.
I should also say that the organisation of the ride with signage, marshals and feed stations was superb. All the people involved made us feel welcome which was great. The feed stops were superb with lots of choice of fluids and food. Very welcome in any case. The other cyclists were all friendly, even those blazing past.
A great day out and I'm sure I'll do it again. Maybe the long one next time. And as a training ride for the planned 200 it was perfect. Although slightly worrying.
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