Holiday Cycle Epic – Part II

(This is a follow on to the first part of my holiday adventure – Holiday Cycle Epic – Part I )

It was currently 10am and I had now firmly set upon continuing from Tyndrum to Inverness – 110 miles away. Still being so early in the day meant I had lots of time left, even allowing for regular stops along the way. Also, I now didn’t need to worry about ferry schedules and didn’t really have any deadlines. The best way to ride, just spin and enjoy.

The first chunk of my new route was to reach Fort William, another 45 miles away. With a belly full of finest Scot’s breakfast I topped up my water and set off cheerfully into the sunny morning.

The next 23 miles would have most of the climbing left in the day, with a couple of peaks over 1,000ft. Travelling through these mountains was breathtaking. Despite the busyness of the road I couldn’t help but feel enthralled at the scenery I was passing through. Having seen many pictures of Glen Coe and even driving through in the past, I was still not prepared for the feeling and connection you feel when cycling through it. I guess walkers would feel similar, but it really was special.

The many viewpoints left me lots of opportunity to get photos, although the countless tourists made getting those photos quite a challenge. I’d have just framed a nice photo when another Chinese man would pop up in my view! I suppose the popularity of the route has its own drawbacks.

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Although the road was busy, the driving was all of a good standard. I think people are generally more patient on a route like this and gave me plenty of room when passing. There was one tricky spot near the top of one of the climbs where a set of temporary traffic lights had been set up. This left quite a long queue of traffic to get past and with coaches in the mix it didn’t leave much room. I also didn’t want to stop as getting going again on the 8% incline would have been a challenge!

Approaching Fort William the road levelled out, but I was really starting to get tired now. For about 20 miles I could think of nothing else other than a nice juicy burger and chips. I rolled into Fort William, got myself onto Google maps, and let out a cry of joy when I saw there was a McDonald’s less than a mile away!

It’s very rare that I actually enjoy fast food burgers, but this one tasted like a finest steak and I devoured it in seconds. Topping up my calories I had a strawberry milkshake and finished it all off with a Mcflurry ice cream.

After spending some time relaxing on the shore front watching the world go by I found a supermarket and topped up my water supplies again.

The Last Leg

Deciding I’d waited long enough and should get moving again I began on the final part of my journey. Fort William to Inverness would add another 65 miles. The route takes you along Loch Ness and I had heard the southern side was a great cycle with a cracking climb taking you up over 1,000ft. However, this would have been 150 miles into my day and I felt my legs could probably do without it! The road along the North it would be then.

Having looked at the elevation profile before I set off it didn’t look like there would be anything too taxing ahead. Fort William is at the cursor in the picture above. However, that little bump about 10 miles away was a bit of a shock to me! Perhaps it was my legs getting tired but it felt like the climb was never going to end! Another viewpoint at the top gave me a chance to recharge and fight with more tourists for some photos.

Carrying on, the road was just a little lumpy, but I started getting a bit of a cramp in my stomach. I think the burger was coming back to haunt me! Stopping in a bus stop gave me chance to stretch it out as well as neck and shoulders which were starting to ache a bit by now. Approaching Fort Augustus I decided one more cafe stop would be wise to push me over the finish line.

Stopping at the first place I could see, it turned out to be a beautiful hotel with restaurant out the back. The Lovat was probably a bit posh for a tired, dirty cyclist, but despite offering to sit outside the staff insisted that I take a table inside. A lovely coffee and slice of banana cake really made me feel good.

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There was now only 35 miles to go, which is exactly a day’s commuting distance. I’d felt a lot worse and cycled in much harder conditions on the commute so knew now that I was going to finish.

Feeling happy with my choice of the North road along Loch Ness, the miles passed quickly and I was soon counting down in single figures.

Despite passing through a small rain shower, my mood was euphoric now as I could see Inverness in my sights. Not knowing this part of the town I took a few wrong turns but soon found a familiar landmark and rolled into my sister in law’s house at about 8pm.

It had been a long day for sure. My body was aching and I was starving again. But I had completed my challenge and it felt amazing! The bike had handled it brilliantly and my body was in a decent state.

Training preparation for the ride had been my daily commute alone. I hadn’t done over 40 miles since 1 year previously, so it proved to me that doing this day in, day out set me up perfectly.

Stats Attack

• 190 miles.
• 11 hours 4 minutes in the saddle.
• 10 x 700ml water bottles.
• 8,500ft climbing.
• 1,000,000 photos! ?
• 4 sausage rolls, 6 mini yumyums, fried breakfast, big mac meal, milkshake, ice cream, 3 cereal bars, 3 cake bars, 2 coffees and banana loaf.

All the above added up to one of my best days on the bike and a ride well worth repeating, even if only in sections! Now I have another week of holiday before deciding on my travel arrangements for the return trip home…

Any suggestions?