North Coast 500 Day 7 29th July 2016

Day 7
Brora to Inverness
120km, 900m ascent

SOS. It stands for Six o’clock seagulls, the birds who have provided a morning alarm call every day of the trip, without fail. That is, apart from the one morning they slept in for half an hour & became half past six o’clock seagulls, or HP SOS. I prefer Ketchup.

Both yesterday and today’s cycles involved lengthy spells of riding in single file to gain protection from the wind. Every 2 minutes the rider at the back moves from the safety of shelter to the front. It was noted (with much hilarity on my part) on several occasions during yesterday’s ride that when it was the turn of my cycling partner, Cock of the North, to come to the front, he did so at the start of a climb – thereby providing me
with the easier journey up the hills. He was spitting feathers & complaining of fowl play – but that’s just the luck of the draw.

Today we did our utmost to stay clear of the A9 and meandered our way through Golspie, Dornoch and Tain before following a quiet road running parallel with the Cromarty Firth all the way to Dingwall. It felt like familiar terrain, having spent the last 6 months regularly working in the area. The number of drill rigs in the Firth is now reaching epic proportions, I ran out of fingers counting them.

The Warriors rolled in to Inverness at the early time of 3pm. Clearly our fans had expected us to arrive much later, as the fanfare consisted of a bunch of Spanish tourists asking us to get out of the way of their photographs of the statue of Flora MacDonald outside Inverness Castle.

All in all, this was a great cycle. 862km (528 miles) and over 10,000m ascent in 7 days All that just to get back to the same place!

North Coast 500 Day 6 28th July 2016

Day 6
Thurso to Brora
134km, 1200m ascent

A bike trip around this part of Scotland would only be complete if a right good soaking featured at some stage. We avoided it for most of the day, but a torrential downpour greeted us for the final 10 miles into Brora. The hotel receptionist looked on in despair as the two dripping wet cyclists entered the lobby, probably hoping that we were staying elsewhere.

The day began in good spirits, starting with a goodbye and good riddance to Thurso and a big hello to the tailwind pushing us to John O’ Groats. The first 30km was knocked out in no time, along some very straight & quiet roads. We then pushed on down the road and reached Wick in time for lunch at Wickers World, bringing back memories of a TV show featuring Mr Alan Whicker and a catchphrase of “Hello World”.

From hello World we moved to “go away” wind, this time 3-1/2 hours worth of a headwind on our journey South. We lined up single file for most of the way, but had some pleasant distractions en route, including an extended discussion with a butcher who had just finished making a fresh batch of black puddings. They were hanging from what looked like a clothes line, ten pairs of stuffed black socks.

Thankfully, we’re now all fed & watered, and ready to sample the local dram of Brora, called Clynelish. Last day tomorrow.

North Coast 500 Day 5 27th July 2016

Day 5
Durness to Thurso
116km, 1,600m ascent

On account of wearing a cycling jersey with an image of a rooster on the back, Simon has become known as ‘Cock of the North’ on this trip. I don’t know what they put in his chicken feed for breakfast, but COTN was on a mission to tear up the terrain this morning. I simply had to fasten my seat belt & hang-on to his tail as he ripped around Loch Erribold at the start of the morning.

Once the feathers had stopped flying, we twisted our way towards Tongue for the morning coffee stop. At this stage the heavens opened, meaning we received an alternative kind of Tongue lashing as the rain bounced off our waterproof capes. The Westerly wind continued to aid our efforts along the coastline, as we wound our way past Bettyhill. After polishing off the well known local dish of tagliatelle, we powered on towards Dounreay.

At this stage the levels of road traffic picked up to an extent previously unseen on the trip. Perhaps it was shift change at the power station, or maybe the locals had heard that the warriors were in town. Either way, we’re now in Thurso, where it would appear that not much has changed in the last 40 years.

Tomorrow’s quite a big day to Brora – I suspect a tail wind is out of the question, so strong legs will be required to power through the headwinds. Extra chicken feed is on order.

North Coast 500 Day 4 26th July 2019

Day 4
Lochinver to Durness
96km, 1,800m ascent

It’s just as well we like climbing up hills. ‘Cos there’s no shortage of them here. Nothing particularly big, but today had more ups and downs than an Alton Towers roller coaster.

The first couple of hours took us along the coastal road to Kylesku. The pain of the uphill efforts was softened by the omnipresent amazing views, although I did note that Simon was particularly taken by the local sheep population. He snapped numerous pics of the fluffy fellas in a variety of poses, including one sitting on a doorstep of a house, and another nestling into a farm vehicle’s caterpillar tracks. Rather ewe than me, I thought.

Into the afternoon & the wind direction changed, providing us with a couple of hours’ worth of head wind on our journey North. Before we got the chance to bemoan our luck, we bumped into Pip, a lady from Brighton, who’s been hauling her bike & 6 bags around the UK for 8 weeks. We decided to help her by blocking the wind for about 5km up a particularly long climb.

Unfortunately for Pip, she was swiftly ditched at the top of the climb as the warriors decided to press on and hunt down a sole racing cyclist, spotted in the distance wearing a red top. We were knackered by the time we caught him, and then proceeded to accompany him up the final climb, which resulted in my heart rate going through the roof as neither him nor us were willing to show any signs of weakness!

And so here we are, in Durness, on the North coast of Scotland. Time to refuel the tanks before tomorrow’s ride to Thurso.

North Coast 500 Day 3 25th July 2016

Day 3
Gairloch to Lochinver
150km, 2,300m ascent

I didn’t quite know how to react. 30km into today’s ride, and there we were, riding side by side and having a pleasant chat when, out of nowhere, Simon says “I Love You”. I mean, Simon’s a good friend and all that, but really? Thankfully, before I had a chance to respond, he repeated “Isle of Ewe, over there, in the middle of Loch Ewe.” Ah, yes, of course, well spotted. Awkward situation averted.

The first 50km from Gairloch to Dundonnell took us past (Pushme) Poolewe and onwards to the dramatic setting of a view looking East along Little Loch Broom – truly magical. After the usual mid morning pit stop, off we went in pursuit of lunch in Ullapool, but we were made to work hard for our reward – a number of energy sapping climbs contributed to us making light work of a sizeable lunch.

The last 60km was great. Wind behind for the most part, the climbs felt much easier. Passing by Loch Assynt, I was reminded of a kayak/camping trip from a number of years ago that was cut short on account of being mauled by the midges. Not long afterwards we arrived into Lochinver, today’s final destination, for a celebratory crab sandwich. As you do. How they managed to pack that much crab into one sandwich I’ll never know, but for sure there was one very grateful recipient. Longest day done.

North Coast 500 Day 2 24th July 2016

Day 2
Applecross to Gairloch
98km, 1,300m ascent

5.30 a.m. I find myself kneeling on the floor, face positioned over the toilet bowl, into which I’m depositing last night’s curry. Thankfully, being one half of the dynamic duo of West coast warriors, it would take more than a bout of sickness to prevent the continuation of this journey. 4 hours later, and a hearty morning breakfast consumed, the warriors were back on the road.

The cycling highlight of the day was the first couple of hours, partly because the legs were fresh but mainly due to the spectacular scenery. The rolling roads, not too dissimilar to the corrugated iron sheet profile of the terrain in Cornwall, kept our legs occupied, whilst the eyes feasted on the views afforded by Raasay, Skye & across Loch Torridon.

After a welcome coffee in Shieldaig, we made the most of a tailwind & arrived at our lunch destination, the Whistle Stop cafe in Kinlochewe, in short time. The food served inside the converted scout hut was top notch, you’d have to go a long way to sample a tastier (venison) sausage sandwich.

The 2-man peloton than embarked on a team time trial for the next 40 minutes, blazing a trail on the road running alongside Loch Maree, only to be rudely interrupted by a 3km climb followed by a block head wind on the way to the day’s destination, Gairloch.

All in all a fine day, with good weather, and a relatively short distance compared to the 150km that awaits tomorrow.

North Coast 500 – Day 1 23rd July 2016

Day 1
Inverness to Applecross
134km, 1,500m ascent

I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve been on a bike this year. So after such a long lay-off, what better idea than to cycle 500 miles around Northern Scotland over 7 days. Count me in!

My friend Simon suggested we do this route only a couple of weeks ago. And here we were, at 9.40 this morning, posing for photos in front of Inverness castle, ready for the off. And what a glorious day if was too, temperatures in the high teens, sunshine and, well, a head wind – but that may be a fair trade-off, especially as we anticipate having some good tailwinds over the coming days.

The legs felt OK for the first 60km or so, but I wasn’t surprised to feel some pain in my quads thereafter. I’m hoping that I’ll get stronger with every passing day. After a stop for lunch in Achnasheen, we continued into the head wind past Loch Carron, for a final coffee before we encountered the epic climb of the day, a 600m vertical ascent up the Bealach-na-ba (translated as ‘pass of the cattle’), which started at 115km into the day’s ride.

Simon went off like an Exocet missile, I followed his wheel for the first 200m of ascent, and then the gradient pitched up to a level where we were both finding it tough. We stopped for some photos at 300m ascent, but it was the next section that almost broke us. Gradient of up to 20% with lengthy sections of 13% was tough going, especially when we’re carrying our baggage with us. After re-grouping one final time, we crested the top of the climb, delighted but exhausted.

The descent to Applecross was fast & narrow & we were only too happy to pop into the Applecross Inn for a celebratory Guinness. Day 1 done. It was tough, but I’m thrilled to be back on the bike.

VCT 1 (Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand) Day 1

Refer to Simon’s blog….

Vietnam Day 16 – All aboard the Miss Kitty Express to a border refusal.

Calais to Schio Bike Ride – Day 9 of 9

Day 9 – South of Bolzano to Schio (113km, 5hrs moving time, 1,400m vertical ascent)

The noise down the home straight was deafening.  The fans were going wild as I leapt out of the saddle to sprint towards the finish line….or, in the real version of events, El Burro came trotting into town being barked at by defensive dogs & angering drivers as he decides which way he needs to turn to reach Gavin’s house.

Today was not about the cycling.  Now that I’m finished, I can safely say that it was never in doubt that I’d cover the remaining ground.  The ride itself, whilst enjoyable, was always going to be slightly anti-climactic.  Like any great adventure, it’s about the journey rather than the end (although I do look forward to receiving my medal, t-shirt & goodie bag at the finish line).

Whilst having breakfast at the top of the Stelvio pass I became aware that, exactly one week previously, I hadn’t even turned a pedal in anger on this bike trip. It made me realise what can be achieved, especially when one has a purpose. My goal was always to reach Schio by Wednesday, not a day later. I asked a lot of myself – 100 miles a day average distance over unknown terrain, without any contingency time, and with a route planned in the space of an hour at the computer a couple of nights prior to departure.

But what it shows is that, by sheer force of will, some good fortune (e.g. no mechanical problems), and a real focus on the ultimate deadline, it is possible to extract the most from yourself.  There is no way I would have squeezed in those 3 big days between the Vosges Mountains and Stelvio without a focus on the end game.  There is a downside, of course. Had I taken a more leisurely approach and factored in a few more days cycling, I may have stopped more frequently, taken in the views etc. but I don’t feel that I have missed out as a consequence.

There’s a phrase I’ve learned through playing the piano called ‘Da Capo Al Fine’ or D.C. Al Fine.  It means repeat from the beginning to the end.  The phrase came to me in the middle of the night, leading to a cold sweat at the thought of being marooned somewhere deep in Germany’s Black Forest once again!  Whilst it’s been a most incredible journey, it is an experience that I am happy to regard as a one-off, but I’m so thrilled to have done it.

And so, thank you, merci, danke schon and grazie to all of you for being such good listeners, readers & contributors. Focusing on this daily blog has also given me a useful purpose, not only by trying to think up something to write but also by ensuring that I keep on track of my schedule, otherwise I run the risk of being pilloried for ‘failing’!

This great adventure comes to an end. It has been emotional. It’s goodnight from me, and it’s good night from El Burro.

Calais to Schio Bike Ride – Day 8 of 9

Day 8 – Top of the Stelvio Pass to South of Bolzano 135km, 4hrs 40mins moving time, 250m vertical ascent)

El burro. It’s the Spanish word for ‘donkey’. It’s a nickname I acquired on account of hauling luggage around during a recent bike trip in Australia. The set-up on this trip is virtually identical: 2 bags mounted on a pannier rack, one either side of the rear wheel.

El burro looked out of the window this morning. It was snowing. He refused to budge. Maybe last night’s revelation was also troubling him – it transpires that the quickest way to Schio involves going back down the same tortuous road he came up last night.  After some gentle persuasion, involving food and the promise of warmer weather at the bottom of the pass, El burro came around to the idea of getting off the mountain.

The descent was cold, to put it mildly.  35 minutes & 48 hairpin bends later, it was time to seek refuge inside a cafe & attempt to defrost the toes, fingers and shins. Once the terrain levelled out, the riding was enjoyable. The sunshine came out, the temperature reached the low 20s, the cycle paths were smooth, the scenery pleasant.  All was well with the world.

And then, in the distance, the sign of a massive storm.  The sound of thunderclouds clapping & echoing off the local mountains as if under a barrage of artillery fire. The race was on to duck for cover & find a room for the night.

Despite finishing a bit earlier than hoped, & unable to avoid a good soaking, El Burro managed to find a stable for the night. Tomorrow’s forecast looks more promising & the remaining distance for the final push to Schio should be similar to today’s ride, with a bit more climbing.