An attempt at the 200

Any of you reading this who have read the rest of this blog will know that it is my goal this year to ride 200 miles in one day. And not any old 200 miles, but a long slog over two of Scotland's climbs with a good bit of riding before and after. After some deliberation I have now made an attempt. Here's what happened.

Just a few days after the year's longest day allowed enough daylight for me to consider doing the ride. And with that in mind I got up just before 4a.m. and was organised enough to leave the house just after 5. The bike computer registered my start at 5:11. Early, even for me.

A slight westerly wind slowed my progress to Abernethy and then seemed to hurt me on the way to Perth. Localised wind conditions never cease to amaze and frustrate me. I was expecting a little help up on this section. Getting away so early meant Perth was very quiet. Even so I witnessed a fantastic piece of driving when a driver changed their mind and went straight on from a right only lane, right across my path. No indication, no nothing. I was enjoying myself too much to care overly and I shared an opinion with another cyclist before getting on my way.

The section to Blairgowrie was delightful. I think the wind gave a little help here and I loved it. One downside was being passed by a female cyclist on the way back to main road from Stromontfield. I had just eased over to allow a van to pass on this barely-wide-enough road and on my way back to my usual riding position I looked back to find her coming past. I wasn't racing and I wasn't letting my inner chimp have a say. But interestingly enough a little ramp in the road allowed my spinning to catch up her out-of-the-saddle effort. Then at the junction she was a little all over the place getting her phone out to look at the map. We had a quick discussion about our respective routes and then we were off to enjoy our outings. She was one of a very few cyclists I saw on what was a lovely day.

I arrived in Blairgowrie pretty much on schedule and a little after the small supermarket I had started from the last time I was there opened. A quick stop for more water, sorting out the drinks and the food in my pockets and then I was off for a trip up Glenshee. Almost immediately there is a fairly steep climb. I didn't feel good on this and started to feel the effects of the slight cold that had begum to trouble me on the previous Thursday evening. This had left me with a tickle in the back of my throat and and my nose was blocking up a little. I knew then that I had some decisions to make.

Through Bridge of Cally (thanks for the traffic lights that only change for cars) and onward up the glen I started to plan my exit strategy. Should I try the climb up to the ski centre and then come back? Should I just turn round now? Could I ride to Spittal of Glenshee and turn there? Eventually I settled on the idea of taking the road from Glenshee to Kirriemuir and using that to explore some of the 200 mile route that I hadn't done; the bit from Edzell to Alyth.

Braemar wasn't for me, not on this trip

It was quite hard to make this choice but I felt that I really didn't have the legs to go over to Braemar and then come back over Cairn O'Mount. I might have got up the first one, but I couldn't guarantee refreshment at the cafe at ski centre and didn't want to get stuck out there or suffer due to lack of fuel. So, a turn off it was and an excuse to ride some new roads. There's something I really enjoy doing.

The ride down to Kirriemuir was great. A short little climb out of the glen and then the road dropped into, and down, Glen Isla. There were chances to shorten the route further and go straight to Alyth and I did take one before giving myself a good talking to and turning 50 yards down the road to rejoin my intended route. While mostly downhill there are also a few short, sharp climbs in this glen. Enough to keep the legs occupied. I must go and ride this road the other way round. A 17 mile road mostly uphill, but nowhere at a stupid gradient, should be good training.

The lovely road down Glen Isla

With about 2 miles to go to Kirriemuir I came across the junction I wanted for the road back to Alyth. Sadly this also meant a turn back into the westerly wind. Unfortunately this had freshened, or so it felt, and the road also dragged uphill. Not steeply, and it would have helped if I'd changed down to the small chainring, but it was enough to sap my energy and mental strength. The next challenge was a road closure and a diversion. Following my nose got me onto very small back road that took me back to the main road with a little way to go to Alyth. I have to say that I struggled here; the call of refueling with water and a sit down in Alyth was a siren in my head.

With much more time than expected I decided to take a longer stop than I would normally. A comfortable wall and convenient bike stand made for a very pleasant stop. Less so the second hand cigarette smoke from a fellow wall-sitter. Very annoying. They sat next to me; do I look like a man who wants someone else's smoke? Slightly grumpy but refreshed I set off for home.

Last time I rode this part of the route I suffered into a south easterly wind so it was with pleasure that I rode home this time with a westerly. Mostly across me it didn't really hurt and on some sections, like Riverside in Dundee and the cycle path outside St. Andrews, it was a positive boon. The climb from Newtyle was a lot easier this time round and while I didn't race up it, I didn't suffer either physically or mentally this time.

Tay Rail Bridge - home beckons

Just before home I passed the 200 km mark. Not exactly what I wanted but on a day which wasn't perfect, and on which I wasn't in perfect shape, I can live with it. What I didn't want to live with was the crowd for the circus taking place on the playing fields. It slowed me down!

I had one more surprise. I arrived home and on going into the kitchen found a bottle and a recovery drink sachet all ready for me beside the sink. What a lovely Significant Other I have!

It went down a treat

Aftermath

After I'd made my decision to cut the ride short I spent some time thinking about the attempt and what it meant for getting the 200 done. I came to these conclusions:

• it's not going to happen in 2013. Fundamentally I'm not fit enough, and I haven't done enough long rides,
• if I'm going to aim for 2014 then as well as the hill climbing training I also need to ride a few more 120-140, even 150 mile rides,
• I still need to work on my hydration and nutrition; my stomach is never entirely happy after a few hours,
• I need to make my saddlebag lighter, or me,
• I need to find a way of cooling my head down. My current helmet is too warm!

I'm sure there are other things I will take from this ride as the days go by but for now these will do.

My cold got worse once I was back home so perhaps my assessment of my own condition was spot on and despite my normal "shut up legs" attitude (thanks Jens) the decision to turn around was the correct one. When you are an amateur it is very important to enjoy the cycling and live for another day.

Ride