Tag Archives: Ride the North

Starfish on a beach

Ride the North: Day 2

Fortunately it wasn’t raining when we got up. Having had torrential rain for most of the night it was a relief to be able to get up and pack up before it started again.

The night had provided a few hours’ sleep. A combination of the strange bedding, makeshift pillow and sounds of nature had interrupted what should have been a great sleep. On the positive side, the sound of the rain had masked the sound of snoring being generated by my fellow campers.

Breakfast day 2. The high spirits of Friday evening had been replaced by tiredness and nervous anticipation of what lies in store

As we made our way to breakfast, the exertions of the previous day were still fresh in our minds and our bodies. It promised to be a slow start to the day. The rain resumed as we prepared to leave. It was an almost constant companion for the day. Clothing was a tough selection; the weather was wet and warm.

Although on paper the route was easier than the previous day, it featured two challenging climbs; Cabrach and the Suie. I was keen to operate well within myself during the morning session. I wasn’t feeling particularly special, and I was keen to make sure I had some gas in the tank for the challenges of the afternoon.

There were many forms of motivation along the way

The Cabrach however didn’t offer anywhere to hide. For me, it was a long, hard slog of almost an hour in total. I just had to keep my head down and keep plodding away. Fortunately motivation was high, partly generated by personal pride and partly by the presence of other participants. Lunch was a welcome break!

Lunch on day 2 was a slightly squelchy affair

The Suie was a different beast altogether. There was a lot of hype about the climb; it is relatively short but the sharpest we would have to contend with. I haven’t had to walk up a hill in a long time, but the thought certainly entered my mind as I trudged my way up. The fatigue of the previous 140 miles certainly made itself known.

For me, one of the satisfying aspects of Ride the North is the fact that my heart health wasn’t really a factor. Over the past year I’ve got myself fit enough that the cycling 170 miles over two days was well within my capability. The only exception to this the ascent of the Suie; my heart rate monitor was certainly a factor during the climb.

During the ascent my heart rate got high enough for me to want to reduce it a little. Walking was obviously an option, and one that my legs would have appreciated too, but it wasn’t what the ride was all about for me. Instead I dropped in behind someone who seemed to be struggling more than I was, and kept tapping away on the pedals. I was slowly able to bring my heart rate down. The climb was very slow, but I made it to the top.

The Suie on a finer day… fortunately we did have the sun on our backs as we reached the summit

With the Suie behind us, the sun came out (very briefly) and we made our way home.

I thought one of the remarkable aspects of the event was the general level of preparedness of the participants. Although the field was made up of men and women of a wide range of ages and physiques, everyone seemed to be fit and thoroughly prepared. It was an absolute pleasure to be part of such a strong, good natured field!

Particular thanks must go to the two ladies that towed us the last few miles home. Having flirted with an over-taking move, we quietly tucked in behind and took their lead to the line. After 12 hours in the saddle it was a relief to be able to sit in behind two such strong riders.

We politely dropped off to allow them to take the adulation of the crowd at the finishing line as the heavens opened once again and we rolled over the finishing line… Ride the North, done!

Before the final leg, and the final downpour… almost there!

***

The wet weather on day 2 meant my phone stayed safely in its waterproof bag for most of the day. The good news is that it still works but unfortunately I hardly took any photos!

Ride the North: Day 1

2 Replies

As we relaxed after the “all you can eat” barbeque, it was amusing to watch people gingerly rising from their seats and meandering, cowboy-style around the room. A hard day in the saddle had taken its toll and weary limbs were making their presence known. Bed was calling.

Day 1 of Ride the North had been successfully negotiated, 89.8 miles down, 81.5 miles to go.

Evening barbeque and live music at The Loft, Forres (The disco ball was a little optimistic!)

The day had begun with a clumsy walk across Inverness to the starting point at Eden Court Theatre. The decision to make the trip on foot rather than in a taxi turned out to be environmentally friendly, and cost efficient but naïve. Concerns of traffic congestion proved to be unfounded. The large volume of luggage, including a bike bag and two bicycles, was unwieldy resulting in slow progress. The walk was however mercifully short and dry.

Nerves at the start line were compounded by a late bike delivery from Aberdeen. Fortunately for us, the rogue trucks arrived around 15 minutes before our allotted start time and we were able to get away on schedule.

Supporting the British Heart Foundation… ready to roll!

Logistics and luggage concerns quickly left our minds as we meandered out of Inverness, climbing out of town towards Culloden. In fact, we should have paid more attention to thoughts of logistics and luggage as we failed to think ahead sufficiently…

A local pack of Cub Scouts had kindly agreed to erect our tents on behalf of the Ride the North participants in advance of our arrival in Elgin. Unfortunately, our tents were safely hidden in our bags, where they’d be when we arrived at the finish, adding a further minor challenge to our day; tent erection… Joy!

Refreshment Break #1: Dulshie Bridge

The ride had a tough start. It was a relief to reach the first refreshment stop. We had only done 27 miles, but they were tough miles and the variety of tasty snacks, energy boosters and drinks were extremely well received. It definitely wasn’t a time to be watching the waistline!

The route was fantastic; taking us through some of the best scenery Scotland has to offer. It was matched only by the warmness of the welcomes from the communities we visited during the trip. The applause from the small crowd in Boat of Garten as we rolled in for lunch was enough to warm the heart before the “fine” soup warmed our bellies.

By lunchtime, anyone who had underestimated the scale of the challenge they’d taken on may well have been regretting it. A cheeky headwind across the moor had ensured we earned our food.

The Coffee Man proved to be one of the more popular guys on the event (this time in Ballindalloch)

The afternoon drifted by. We were in a rhythm. I was starting to become accustomed to switching my mind off and following the wheel in front, or tracking cyclists further down the road. When separated from our group, the ride was broken up by brief conversations as people drifted passed… a major part of the experience. Variable paces meant it was common to pass / be passed by the same people on multiple occasions during the day.

We eventually arrived at the Glen Moray Distillery to, again, be greeted by a warm welcome both for ourselves and our bikes. Weary and hungry, all that stood between us and the barbeque was the small matter of pitching the tents.

Overnight accommodation… for one of us at least!

As it turned out, tents are a lot simpler than they used to be. Fortunately! The biggest threat to our wellbeing wasn’t a lack of shelter, but the bane of many a Scottish tourists existence… midges!

Tip: Insect repellent, then tent. Not the other way around!

Still dressed in my cycling kit, I have a line just above my knee where the bites start and continue to the ground.

It’s not much, but we like to call it home… for one night only!

Things could have been a lot worse… we’d safely completed the ride, we had somewhere to sleep, food was being cooked and we’d managed to stay dry all day. Definitely time for a beer!

Ride the North: The Prologue

2 Replies

I arrived in Inverness with a distinct sense of anticipation, the excitement was palpable, Ride the North weekend has finally arrived (and as an added bonus, it’s not even the weekend yet!).

The train from Aberdeen was filled with people rather like us; small groups of slightly dishevelled looking middle aged men (mostly). We were the latest in a steady stream of people to make this pilgrimage.

Having placed our precious bikes into the care of the Ride the North support team, we travelled north independently. All being well, we will be re-united tomorrow morning to start our journey back home, but for the time being each of us will carry a feint sensation that something’s missing.

Final preparations, bikes wrapped for transit

Not everyone has travelled to Inverness by the same mode of transport. A hardy few had cycled up from Aberdeen, a 120 mile prologue to the main event. I have to admit to a slight tinge of envy.

For some people, myself included, Ride the North represents a major challenge. We will push ourselves to new levels of endeavour. How I’d love to be able to do a hard days cycling in advance to prepare myself for the nice sociable cycle ahead. Next year perhaps?!

***

I suspect it’s going to be a couple days of extremes:

The weather has already been changeable: a miserable, wet morning in Aberdeen was replaced by a beautiful, warm evening in Inverness.
Tonight’s accommodation in the relative luxury of the Royal Highland Hotel will be replaced tomorrow evening with a tent in a field.
The cycle will quite literally be a series of ups and downs as we take on the undulations of the Scottish Highlands. I’m sure our ride will be accompanied by a roller coaster of emotions.
We’ll be amongst over 600 fellow cyclists, but I’m sure there will be moments when we’ll feel very alone.
We’ll all be doing something with which we’re very familiar, but at the same time heading into the unknown.

The grandeur of the Royal Highland Hotel, Inverness

***

As subsequent waves of people arrived in Inverness this evening, the city continued to fill with anticipation. The pubs are resonating to the stories of hills conquered, and those that lie ahead.

In a lot of ways, the extremes will make the event; I just hope everyone ends up in one piece and with a smile on their faces! Good Luck!

A few last minute concerns

1 Reply

It’s less than seven days until we head to Inverness for the start of Ride the North. Fort me, this is the culmination of a year of cycling; it started with a tentative 17 mile flat outing (one eye on the road and one eye on the Heart Rate monitor) and will end with a challenging 2 day, 170 mile cycle through the rolling Aberdeenshire countryside.

Overall, I’m surprisingly relaxed about the trip. I’m relatively confident that I’ve done enough preparation so the miles don’t really worry me. I’ve done a lot of solo miles recently so I’m very much looking forward to cycling in a group, and I’m excited about taking on the challenge with friends.

That said, with a week to go I have three main concerns:

Concern 1: The first hill

I’ve become increasingly comfortable on hills over the past few weeks. Given that I consciously avoided them until March I feel like I’ve come a long way. I could do with more power in my legs but I’ve learned some tricks to help me along the way:

Glasses off (to increase air flow and reduce the chances of sweat in the eyes)
Open cycling jersey / top a little (to aid cooling)
Sit up (take pressure off my chest)
Select a low gear early (don’t start by trying to fight it as there will only be one winner!)
Tap out a comfortable rhythm (I’ve found “Twisting by the pool” by Dire Straits works for me, I’ve no idea why because it annoys me, but it works. I have to save it until I hit the hills because if it gets into my mind for more than 10 mins it could drive me insane!)

So, I’m generally OK with the hills, in fact I look forward to them, but the first one out of Inverness is a concern for me.

The profile of Ride the North Day 1… and “that” hill!

If you’ve been to Inverness you’ll know there are lots of hills around. Loch Ness was carved by glaciers, and they didn’t stop with the loch. As a result, after about 5 miles we have to take on a hill. It’s difficult to really tell on a route profile, but it looks significant, not the most challenging hill of the event, but it’s so close to the start it’ll be right on us. It doesn’t really give us much time to warm up… it’ll be interesting.

I guess the good thing with being concerned about the first hill is that I’ll get it out of the way quickly. If I was concerned about the last hill I’d have the best part of 2 days to worry about it.

Concern 2: The weather

We’ll spend more than 12 hours in the saddle over the course of the event. That’s a fair amount of time in the best of circumstances. Given we’re in the North East of Scotland, it would be naïve to assume we’ll experience the best of circumstances.

This weeks weather in Inverness

Irrespective of how much you enjoy cycling, or who you’re cycling with, cycling in torrential rain when the wind is blowing a hoolie is not very much fun.

Having studied a number of different sources, I’ll predict that the weather will be “mixed”. It will inevitably have a major impact on the enjoyment factor of the overall event, so we’ll all have to keep our fingers crossed!

The BBC Weather Centre is also predicting mixed weather! (Genuinely!)

Concern 3: Sleeping in a tent

Looking for further adventure (and an easy, late accommodation option) we’ve “opted” to camp overnight while en route (just 1 night fortunately). Unfortunately glamping options were booked early so we’re in good old fashioned, on the ground, “at one with nature”, tents.

As far as I can remember this will be my second experience sleeping under “canvass”. My previous camping trip was while I was at school, in Snowdonia. On that occasion the weather was glorious and we spent the week outside. My abiding memories are of beautiful weather, swimming in rivers and lakes and a famous (if you were there) “hands on the A-Poles” wind-up by the teacher in charge.

What’s the worst thing that can happen?

I’m concerned that for this trip the tent may be one step too far. It’s a bit of a “double-down” on concern #2: the camping experience will be heavily influenced by the weather.

I suspect sleeping won’t be an issue as we’ll be tired from our day’s exertions, but the recovery from Day 1 and preparation for Day 2 could be challenging!

***

All in all, it’s going to be an short, exciting week for me and the other 600+ people participating in the ride… wish us all luck!

Warning: Hills ahead

Jersey of the day: Ride the North

1 Reply

I am delighted to be taking part in Scotland’s premier cycling event in August this year:

Ride the North is a two day, 170 mile cycle challenge through the beautiful scenery of the Grampian Highlands in the North of Scotland. The route will follow the scenic back-roads through the Grampian Highlands between the cities of Inverness and Aberdeen.

The 2014 ride will take place on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 August. Ride the North 2014 work closely with their charity partners and, as always, looks to celebrate the best of what the North-East of Scotland has to offer including hospitality, community and camaraderie (banter is guaranteed!).

It’s not a race nor a sportive, it a challenge ride which celebrates the love of cycling and the scenery in this part of Scotland. The ride welcomes everyone – whether you are fundraising for the charity partners, your own charity or simply taking part for the fun of it.

It’s is a supported ride, with mechanical support, support vehicles, route signposting, lunches provided, mobile coffee stops, refreshments, luggage transfer, transfers from finish point to local accommodation and all the encouragement you will need!

Ride the North 2014 is Sold Out, but look out for the 2015 event on http://www.ride-the-north.co.uk

I’m ready!

4 Replies

My preparations are almost complete. I’ve successfully completed my final training ride. The dirty kit is in the washing machine. The train tickets are printed. Time to put my feet up!

If I needed convincing that I am ready to start the Euro City Cycle, today’s ride was enough. A steady 60 miles, however it featured an ascent of the Suie (from the North, i.e. the hard way).

The hill has become a bit of a mythical beast over the past weeks, not helped by the fact that it’s the feature climb on the Ride the North. It’s an elevation of just over 230 metres at gradients of up to 12%. There are more challenging mountains to take on, I just haven’t cycled up them yet.

The nerves were jangling as we approached the lower slopes, but it didn’t take long for them to be wiped out by the physical exertion. In the end there weren’t any major dramas. There was a bit of huffing and puffing, but a successful climb was never in doubt!

The beast tamed. My physical preparations are complete. 🙂

The view from the top. Worth the effort in so many ways!

Logistical preparations are also complete, although a Tube Strike in London promises to make the transfer a little bit less predictable. I’m going to have to just suck it and see. Hopefully a considerate cabbie will take pity on me!

A few hours of focused packing will complete the kit preparation. Louise thinks it’s hysterical that I’ve given so much thought to the kit and associated packing. I’ve never been one to spend a lot of time preparing for travel. I’ve always taken the view that as long as I have my passport and a credit card then nothing can go wrong.

For this trip, there are so many items that could ruin (or at least significantly disrupt) the trip in so many different ways, that I’m a bit nervous. In no particular order: bike, passport, medication, rail tickets, wallet, cycling shoes, towel, laptop, helmet, etc. etc.

As I say, a few hours of focused packing is required!

That just leaves me with the small matter of “raising money and awareness”. I’m really grateful to everyone that has sponsored me. Together we’ve raised over £2,500 for the British Heart Foundation. It’s not too late contribute… just click here.

As far as awareness is concerned, I’m also very grateful for your help! I’ve been working on the basis that if my experiences help one other person than it’s been worthwhile. The more people that are aware of the risks of heart disease, or able to recognise the symptoms of a heart attack, or understand that a major medical incident doesn’t necessarily take away hope, the better.

I appreciate I’m very lucky. I’m hoping we can give other people a little bit of luck too!

Homeward bound

6 Replies

We live at the top of a hill. It’s a hill of reasonable stature that gets gradually steeper as you approach the top. As a place to live it’s good it you’re concerned about rising sea levels or floods in general. It isn’t so good however as a starting point for exercise if you’re recovering from a Heart Attack.

There are some other benefits of living at the top of a hill!

In the early days of my rehabilitation, when I first arrived home from hospital, I tried to avoid the slopes as much as possible (see An athlete’s pulse and “little” walks). It was possible to do with a 5 minute walk, but I soon had to take them on. My twice daily walks would incorporate slow, steady ascents, allowing me to gradually build my strength and confidence.

Since I’ve been riding my bike I’ve avoided the hill completely. Instead, I’ve put the bike rack on the car and driven to a flatter area to start and finish my rides. It’s been a pain, but it reduced the risk of pushing myself too hard.

Given the girls have never managed to scale the hill on their bikes either it has held fear for the whole family. I have therefore had strong support for my conservative, risk averse approach.

Over the past few months the hill seems to have grown. Like a volcanic island, it has risen a few inches every time I have driven up it. Concern over the impact the hill might have on my health has allowed in to grow into a challenge of almost biblical proportions.

Yesterday, however, I decided to take it on…

The gentle ascent to our house

I finally managed to get away from work early enough to get out for a ride before darkness descended, taking advantage of another beautiful afternoon. I did a reasonable mid-week ride (my first), but the majority of it was just a warm up for the final ascent.

As I approached the lower slopes I felt strong but a little anxious. I applied the lessons learned at the weekend; low gear, steady cadence, maintain momentum. always try to keep something in reserve.

It turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax. I made it without any distress and not even a thought of getting off to walk. An anti-climax, but another major milestone! Overcoming this hurdle will take about 30 minutes off most of my rides. It’ll make heading out in the evening more doable, and also finish them off with a cheeky little ascent.

It also served as a reminder of how far I’ve come since last June and my “little” walks!

Inverness, here I come!

An Introduction to Climbing

4 Replies

Until now, I have tried to make my cycling trips as flat as possible. I have focused on trying to get some miles into my legs without making the miles too hard. Although this is easier said than done in the North of Scotland, the distances I’ve been covering have made it possible.

This has been a good strategy in building my general strength and fitness, as well as developing my bike handling skills, but it’s only going to take me so far. In particular, I’m going to need to get used to some more challenging hills before I am ready to take on the “Ride the North” (RtN)challenge in late August.

Today was the first of my introduction to hills. To provide the education, I rode with two friends who will be joining me on the RtN. They are experienced cyclists and more than happy to share their knowledge (if only it was so easy to share strength and stamina!).

The plan was to head into the hills and attempt the most challenging climb we’d face during the RtN (The infamous Suie). Recognising that it’s not to be taken lightly, we took the hill on the “easy” way. This meant it would be less steep, but longer. A stiff and chilly wind, bordering on “brutal” at times, made the whole outing a bit more “fun”.

The top of The Suie… blowing a gale today!

The first two lessons of the day had surprisingly little to do with hills:

Be precise on your meeting instructions
It turns out that even relatively small towns can have more than one shop of the same brand. Our plan to “Meet outside the Co-Op at 07.45” was slightly flawed. Less than 100 metres apart, the two shops were not in line of sight from each other. Inevitably, therefore I waited outside one, while Mr P & Mr W waited around the corner, thinking I’d slept in.
Check your bike after it’s been to the shop
It wasn’t until we’d set off that Mr W discovered his seat had been adjusted while it had been in the (bike) shop. This resulted in an abortive start to our outing. Fortunately it was a simple fix, and we had the necessary tools. Today it was an amusing irritation, but t could easily have been something more material which would have ruined the ride.
Start slow, build momentum
I struggled on the first two significant climbs of the day. My heart rate shot up quickly, rocketing above my maximum level. Unfortunately I didn’t have the gears to allow me to change down and catch a breath. Instead, I had to experience the humiliation of completing some of the climbs on foot.
By the third climb I had a better strategy: Rather than pushing hard, I eased right off at the start of the climb, changing down into an “easy” gear. It’s much easier to avoid hitting the wall, than it is to re-cover from it (while still on the bike at least!).
Even with this approach, I may still invest in some new chainrings before the RtN to give me a little extra scope on the steeper hills.
Don’t expect to do it all in one go
When I did athletics, we’d describe a sudden and catastrophic loss of strength / energy as “dying”. This phrase has taken on different connotations for me over the past 9 months.
I now recognise that it’s important to stay within safe limits and not push myself too hard. There is absolutely no reason to risk hurting myself.
If this means getting off and walking from time to time, so be it. There’s always next time.,, next time I will be better prepared, and more able.

Maybe next year…

So, I’ve had my initial introduction. The big hills still make me nervous. We’ve confirmed that I have a long way to go before I’m ready to take them on, but I feel like I’m heading in the right direction. After all, I can only prepare one turn of the pedals at a time!