Brewing up a storm
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A TWIST of fate could have made this cycle around Loch Ness a very different affair. Just hours after most of us had crossed the finish line in Inverness, the sleet, snow and hail coated the city.
Goodness knows what it was like at the top of the Glendoe climb, at 393 metres above sea level, at that point. I certainly wouldn’t have liked to have found out while riding up there and down the speedy descent to Whitebridge that follows.
Thankfully as we gathered on the start line at 6am on Sunday conditions were perfect, despite the threat of wintry showers in the forecast. Unfortunately I was dressed for the cold, so I suffered a bit of overheating, especially on the uphill sections.
This is the second year the Etape Loch Ness, a 66-mile cycle sportive, has been held and again it didn’t disappoint. The organisation was superb, with road closures being managed and an increase in the number of cyclists from around 1200 last year to more than 3000 this year.
I noticed the difference as we headed down the A82 towards Drumnadrochit, with more groups of riders to contend with compared to last year’s race. It also made it even more sociable, with a great atmosphere out on the circuit again.
I enjoyed the early morning ride down the west side of the loch, reaching Drumnadrochit 14 miles away in just under an hour – a pretty good pace for someone like me who is more used to taking his time than ticking off the miles!
I was riding my touring bike, a heavy machine with front and rear pannier racks, 28mm tyres and plenty of gadgets attached. Having felt the difference in weight between this and some of the road bikes on the market, I wonder how I might fare on one of those. Maybe next year...
Back on the road we passed Urquhart Castle and continued to Invermoriston, where I had a brief stop at one of three food stations on the route before continuing to the bottom of the loch at Fort Augustus. It wasn’t even 9am yet and I’d covered the 33 miles to here in just over two hours.
Those who know the area will know what comes next – the big climb up Glendoe, with its own King of the Mountains stage during the event. I wouldn’t be pushing for a great time in that contest but I knew what to expect again.
The climb is about five miles from bottom to top, with some respite in the middle as it dips and twists before reaching Loch Tarff and ultimately the summit. It’s very steep in a few parts but my goal was simply to keep pedalling, and in that I succeeded.
The piper at the top is a nice touch for the Etape and gives an extra boost before the fun descent that means you can eat up the next few miles at a good speed without much effort.
It could have been a very different story if fate had brought along the wintry weather earlier in the day but there were light winds and only fluffy clouds in the sky at this point. So there was a good reason to get up at 5.15am!
On a normal ride I’d get back from here in a couple of hours but now I spied a chance to beat my time from last year, so with 25 miles to go I decided to push on and try to keep my pace up.
After a few ups and downs to reach Foyers we followed the loch-side road straight up to Dores and now it was a case of counting down the miles. Having put in a few more long rides in traning this year, I still felt fit enough to keep going, even up the couple of hills between here and Inverness.
Once I reached the edge of the city at Holm the crowds helped me keep going over the last few miles.
It was a great feeling to cross the Ness Bridge and roll down to the finish line after a ride to remember – and, to make it even better, I beat last year’s time by more than 20 minutes.
But the best bit? Sitting in my kitchen after the event with a cup of tea watching the snow come down after getting home and dry.
