April Fool’s Day saw me over in Dunfermline with John, Susan and Fiona Walker for the Dunfermline Sportive. There was something of a ground frost when we started out but the day got progressively warmer and not just because of Cleish Hill. The route was 45miles of the Fife countryside with a nice mix of flat stretches and hills. And a bloody great mountain too, or so it seemed. Cleish Hill is a big ‘un but definitely cycleable. I just wish it had appeared at the beginning of the ride instead of the end. I will go back one day and try it again but I must admit to having done a wee bit of pushing up the early stretch of it. I allowed myself to use the “recovering from surgery” excuse too. Shameless.

pushing those miles

There is the small fact that although the activities of the moron minority did mar my day a little, I still was able to complete the ride without incident. I felt pretty good the whole way round and the hills I struggled on last year seemed fine this year. I was a bit surprised to see that I had done the distance in about 25 minutes longer than last year, but I put this down to having stuck over the first ten miles with a group of friends who were uncertain of the route. The bit between the outskirts of Coatbridge and the approach to Cramond was excellent but then it was slow again through Edinburgh. Ah well – good photos to show for the day at least.

Home stretch

look at me!

Today’s cycling challenge was the Fresh ‘n’ Lo Pedal for Scotland ride from Glasgow Green to Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. Although I had put down for the full century ride, Sky Ride had called their city ride for the same day and I felt that showing face was required. So the 48 mile route it was again – with its slight modification of the last mile from 2010’s route.

It was a bit drizzly when we set out from the Green but nothing too daunting considering the rain we’d had in the past two days. Neither was there much sign at this point of the forecast strong winds. I had met Laura and Yvonne who go to the Walkers Thursday ride plus some friends of theirs at the start line so we agreed to stick together over the first part of the course as they were not certain of it. The ride out of Glasgow took us through Easterhouse and over to Drumpellier Park. The first of only three real “hills” was already causing chaos as many of the less than seasoned riders found the sudden presence of some Up (only about 100 metres but an 11%) a challenge too far. Those of us who could make it up found our way blocked by riders stoppping dead in the middle of the (narrow) road while others didn’t have the sense to all walk up on the same side.

My progress to the outside of Airdrie was somewhat slower than I’d wanted but as agreed with the girls I left them there and picked up speed over to Avonbridge. There I encountered the second of the climbs -a shortish (half mile) pull out of the village. Now this time last year I found this challenging. This year I was encouraged to feel that it was fairly easy. Once over the brow of the hill, it was a long flattish stretch over to Linlithgow and a short food stop. The third climb over a two mile stretch takes one up out of Linlithgow. Frm there it is a good fast haul over to Kirliston, made less easy this time by a constant headwind. i quite unashamedly took draft from three big powerful lads and as a result averaged about 20mph over this stretch. The route then dropped into Edinburgh and we made a triumphal entry through the stadium itself. Time 3hrs 35mins which is ahlf an hour slower thn last year despite me feeling so much stronger.

It was an okay ride but marred slightly by the amount of idiotic cycling I saw. Trouble is that these mass participation rides attract less able cyclists many of whom have little bike handling and roadcraft skills. Running red lights was the least of it and I’m sure cycling lost much goodwill from several motorists who encountered idiots on the wrong side of the road etc. Next year I will go for the Sportive I think as it tends to be the “real” cyclists. And at least we didn’t get the rain and strong winds I encountered on returning to Glasgow. Sheesh!

Start line

Finish

Spoils

Now while I have owned a mountain bike for some twenty years, I most certainly don’t consider myself to be a mountain biker. I do enjoy going out on the MTB but in my lengthy career as an MTB phony, the extent of my adventurousness has been tootling around some forest tracks on the flat.  I did have one moment of excitement once when a corner inexpertly turned led to a downhill descent of a lengthy grassy knoll.  And while the bunny hop across the muddy ditch at the bottom was perfectly executed and really fairly spectacular even if I say so myself, I would have to admit that this was more a case of luck over any sort of skill or technique.  Add to that the fact that I don’t really think triple salchows (with pike) are meant to be a feature of MTBing – real or phony.

It was quite ironic then that so much of my 5000 mile tally of 2010 was achieved on an MTB, and I would have to say that a quantity of that was doing actual MTB rides – even if these were fairly untechnical and, I suspect,  of a level of tameness that real MTBers would kick sand in the face of.  Or maybe it would be mud as that seems to be a recurring theme in my MTB experience.

Even more ironic, then, that this MTB feartie was asked to go and recce a possible MTB route on behalf of Field Marshall Montwoodison.  The route in question was round Ladymuir Plantation, just off the back road from Lochwinnoch to Kilmacolm.  The key questions were, (a) was there actually a bike route in the first place as it is better known as a walking route?  and (b) does it link up with the Muirshiel trail?   So off I set astride the Cape Wrath, complete with my new disc brakes and therefore confident in the knowledge that I would at least be able to stop properly before I fell off when faced with the inevitable mortal danger such as those presented by loose bits of tiny pebble, an errant piece of grass, or a basking field mouse that was stupid enough to stop to admire the scenery.

The early section of the route was promising – dirt track followed by a decent enough grass track. Then the grass track suddenly came to a halt and was replaced by a precipice. Well okay – a slightly rocky gentle slope criss-crossed with tree roots leading down to a stream with an idyllic stone slab for a bridge across it.  Hurdle 1 duly coped with, the paths then reverted to grass with the odd bridge to cope with.  The path into the forest was less well-defined and considerably narrower. Though seldom actually wet, it was also fairly spongy underwheel as in essence I was on peat moorland.  Going through the  forest itself was a mixture of stony path and grass on peat.  With lots of tree roots protruding, the narrow paths and loose stones this was verging on being a technical ride. Well at least it was for me – no doubt the MTB black belts would have flown along like things possessed, but it was just on the outer edge of my comfort zone.  Nevertheless, the sun was shining and the quietness of the forest was rather wonderful. 

The forest section eventually came out into a large clearing before heading off up to the main forest access road.  Had I gone straight ahead here I would have linked into the Muirshiel trail (and thereby have I answered the second of my key questions).  Instead I opted to turn left on to the forest road.  The relative ease of the broad, metalled section was short-lived as it reverted after half a mile or so to grass path again, this time along some of the old forest rides.  This was about the only mucky section of the route as felling work had left the ground somewhat churned up. But it was passable and eventually the path brought me back to the same point as I had entered the forest section. A quick huckle back up the hill and on to the main path soon brought me back to the car park.

All in all, this was a nice MTB route.  Easy-ish I should think  for those who know what they’re doing, but still achievable for big Jessie Sunday MTBers like me.  As long as you’re prepared to go at Big Jessie speed.  Or as we know it more technically – ruddy slowly.

The precipice

The stone slab bridge. Cycle across this and I'd give you my last Tunnock's Teacake

the broader path up to the forest

peaty paths

Rocky roads

the way through the woods

Ladymuir map

One of the benefits of your cycling buddy being a shit hot newspaper editor is that you can get to be a media celebrity.  That was an ironic comment by the way, but I must admit I have had not just one but two warholian 15 minutes of fame in the Paisley Daily Express.   Not to mention the other stuff in that lion of the British press, the Kilmarnock Standard.  Need to do something spectacular this year so I can start commanding a decent fee for my press utterings.  Very appropriate as I consider myself to be a decent Fi.

11_01_2011 PAIS – PDE Tuesday 11th Main 11 Paisley Daily Express

… well cycle 5000 actually but The Proclaimers didn’t sing about that particular feat.

So. 2010 has but a day to go and I have achieved my target of cycling 5000 miles. Not all at the one go you understand but over the course of those 364 days. In getting there I have used for the most part my Dolan Mythos road bike, notching up around 2500 miles on it. The Cape Wrath MTB made a signficant contribution too, providing 1000 of the miles, and the new Surly even managed a mention at 150 miles. The rest, for reasons I shall explain later, were done on a Taxc turbo trainer. And depite the weather misery which was December, I did manage to do the last 100 or so miles on real roads. Appropriately, the deed was done while cycling with Alan and Matthew my two trusty soigneurs (their word, not mine – I prefer to refer to them as coffee and cake bearers) on a 30 mile voyage around Ayrshire. The last 15 miles was done in the pich dark and a dense fog – equally appropriate in light of my weather misery comment – and if you’ve ever encountered an Ayrshire fog then you will truly understand the meaning of the expression “pea souper”. Or, as my dear friend referred to it on her Faceook wall the other week – a “pee souper”. Doesn’t bear thinking about really!

Anyway, from that thought of pish back to the blog post, and I’d prefer if you thought of that as a non-sequitur please. Now that my milestone achivement has been realised after but a year and three months as a “real” cyclist, how do I feel? I have a quiet sense of being pleased at the achievement, tempered sightly by the knowledge that far too many of the miles were done on the Tacx turbo trainer. However, if it hadn’t been there as an option I doubt I’d have got out at all in the months of January, February and latterly December when the snaw’n’ice hit us with a vengeance, and snaw nice was rather somewhat of an understatement. As excuses go, it’s accurate if cliched so I’m sticking to it. Which at one point I almost literally was it, such was the ice.

The highlights of 2010 probably are:
* achieving 2 metric centuries (Ardbeg committee ride in June, “3 Lochs” ride with Colin Doyle from Walkers CC in September) and 1 full century (Pedal for Scotland – September) in which I “cheated” slightly and instead of doing the proper ton route, I just went there and back on the 50 mile route.
* successfully completing the longer Braveheart route, having done the shorter one as my only formal “race” in 2009.
* 3 distance rides with Charity Adventure – Hadrian’s Wall (175 miles) Coasts & Castles (173 miles) and Amsterdame (245 miles).
* Becoming a Sky Ride Leader which allowed me to share cycling with others and perhaps give encouragement to those swithering with taking the sport up more seriously
* Raising c £1K for charities
* and last but far from least, meeting loads of new people with a common interest/passion many of whom I am still in touch with and indeed enjoying cycling with. Why I even met Scottish cycling celebs Graeme Obree and Chris Hoy and being pleasantly struck by how normal they were rather than up themselves with their own importance. That seems to be reserved for soccer “stars”.

Regrets? missing out on Etape Caledonia thru illness and the fact that as already mentioned re the use of the turbo trainer.

My 2011 targets are not going to be driven by the simple attainment of a mileage total to avoid the issue over the turbo trainer usage. In the coming year I will be concentrating on specific rides – including 3 centuries and a number of other Sportive events. In these I will be concentrating on improving times and so forth. Booked to date are:
* Perth & Kinross
* Etape Caledonia
* Trossachs Ton
* Pedal for Scotland (proper century route this time)
* Velo Club d’Ardbeg Ride of the Falling Rain (century)

But once more, the key point is not losing sight of having fun on the bike in the quest for achieving targets. Altho’ I am fiercely competitive, I have come to realise that targets are not the be all and end all. Gaining new skills, discovering new and interesting parts of the countryside and enjoying the company of cycling buddies while meeting new friends are all as important if not more so. I hope I never lose sight of that.

Now, I’ve just cycled 5000 miles. Soigneurs! Where’s my bloody CAKE!!!!