Riding the wave at Loch Ness sportive
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Being one of hundreds of cyclists streaming down the side of Loch Ness on a road most of us normally steer clear of was a superb and somewhat surreal feeling, only added to by the very early start.
The competitive riders set off at 6.30am while those of us – like myself – aiming for a more modest time set off a little nearer to 7am. I was surprised how quickly the field of riders spread out, considering there were almost 100 riders setting off at two-minute intervals.
My brother Iain had come up to Inverness to join me on the ride – one of many visitors the Etape Loch Ness attracted to the area for an event which has really captured the imagination.
For those of us who live not far from the world-famous loch I think the attraction lies in having closed roads that are normally all but out of bounds to the leisure cyclist due to the narrow, twisting nature of the busy trunk road between Inverness and Fort Augustus. For visitors, I suspect the lure of Loch Ness is probably the big appeal.
The atmosphere out on the course was fantastic, with riders chatting and encouraging each other as we went. This was particularly noticeable on the King of the Mountain stage where the route climbed from the south end of Loch Ness at Fort Augustus to the top of the Glendoe hill.
It’s a serious climb and had plenty of people out of the saddle and some walking. The locals definitely had an advantage here because it’s one of those climbs that seems to go on forever, but those who have cycled it before know it does relent in the middle before a final push to the top.
My 38-minute ascent seems slow compared to the 20 minutes or so the King of the Mountain winner did it in, but I was delighted that I made it to the top without resorting to the “granny gears” – and without stopping.
I wondered at one point if that was going to be possible, because after we stopped for five minutes at the first food station at Invermoriston my hamstring was so tight I could barely pedal. Perhaps I pushed it a little too much at the start, so I decided to take it easy for the five miles into Fort Augustus and see how it fared.
Thankfully the pain eased and I felt better as I slowly but surely made my way up the familiar climb.
Regrouping with Iain at the top, we enjoyed the speedy downhill section that follows through Whitebridge towards Foyers. There are a couple of steep rises before the South Loch Ness village but they seemed straightforward to me today. I was definitely feeling better now and on roads I know well on two wheels.
We chatted away as we headed along the beautiful road past Inverfarigaig and on to Dores, hugging the shore closely in places. A good crowd was out in Dores cheering us on – earlier in the morning there had been plenty of folk out in all the communities along the route too, and it was really appreciated by the riders.
The adrenaline was kicking in now as I got closer to home and it carried me up the Aldourie brae with relative ease. From Kenny Riddle’s route profile in the run-up to the event, I knew the small rise at Scaniport was the last of the hills, so after that it would be plain sailing.
We pushed along past Holm and into Inverness, cheered on by the crowds again, to the Ness Bridge – where I almost overcooked the corner in my haste to reach the finish – and round the final bend to cross the line outside Eden Court.
It was a great feeling to complete the first Etape Loch Ness, having enjoyed cycling the A82 and the glorious South Loch Ness roads. The event was superbly organised and seemed to go without a hitch from a rider’s point of view. It was also good to see the support in all the communities and enjoy the atmosphere from the saddle.
Roll on next year when we can do it all again!
