Just back from Inverness after taking part in the organised sportif over the
Bealach-na-Ba, starting from Kinlochewe, up to Achnasheen and then down to
Lochcarron, over the Bealach-na-Ba to Applecross and then back to Kinlochewe
via Torridon. (http://bealach-na-ba.co.uk/bealach-na-ba/index.htm) 90
miles and 9,600 ft of climbing. What could be more fun? ;-)
This was the first running of this event and having driven over the pass a
long time ago, it's long been in my mind to cycle over it one day. This
event gave me the perfect excuse.
Kinlochewe was heaving with cyclists and their vehicles on Saturday morning
but somehow, the organisers had found space for everyone and the main roads
were kept clear. As the start time approached we all (500 or so) packed
into the carpark of the village hall where registration took place. The
organisation was really excellent and we were swiftly ranked into groups
according to our estimated finishing time. At 9:00am sharp, the first group
set off and we were dispatched in groups of 100 at 1 minute intervals.
I was riding my touring bike as I had no illusions about my hill climbing
abilities and was certain that I'd need my triple chainset. A lot of road
bikes sported triple chainsets as well so it would seem that I wasn't the
only wimp there. ;-) One chap arrived with a single speed bike! At first I
thought it was a fixie but he admitted to having a freewheel so he was
obviously another softy. Whilst I had to admire his b*lls at even
contemplating this route on a single speed bike I strongly suspect that he
didn't make the cut-off times.
The climb out of Kinlochewe to Achnasheen wasn't too bad and I was very
conscious of not wanting to expend too much energy too early in the day but
it's had to resist the temptation to chase down packs of cyclists ahead of
you for the tow. ;-) The next challenge was to beat the 10:30 train at the
level crossing between Achnasheen and Lochcarron. Made it with a few
minutes to spare and avoided being held up, not that that would have made
much difference in the big scheme of things, but it was nice to beat it.
At the south end of Lochcarron, the road starts climbing steeply and I was
on my granny ring in an instant. ;-) After about a mile of climbing
http://tinyurl.com/n38jo I was telling myself that tough though it was, it
was at least a start up the pass. No sooner said than undone though. All
that height was lost and we plummeted back to sea level. As soon as we
turned the corner into the hill road (http://tinyurl.com/olaly) our RFD
"dibbers" were dibbed and the climb proper started.
I've never ridden any serious climbs like this so whilst my ambition was to
do it without dismounting, I wasn't going to be too heartbroken if I didn't
make it. It's a steady grind that just seems to go on forever. I just kept
winding the pedals round and was within spitting distance of the last two
hairpins (http://tinyurl.com/porlc Arrow marks my demise) when I lost the
will to live and just had to dismount (along with a lot of other cyclists).
200m later and I was able to re-mount and cycle the hairpins. So near but
so far! That was the one and only time I pushed my bike although the
temptation was pretty strong on several of the later climbs.
Anyway, the summit duly arrived and we were dibbed again before our descent
to Applecross. What a scream! (Almost literally). In no time at all I was
plummeting at horrendous speed, doing my best to balance thrill and
prudence. There was an awful lot of kinetic energy to be turned into heat
and visions of exploding tyres kept my speed down a bit. Still managed to
hit 49 mph though. ;-)
A lot of riders suffered punctures on the way down, presumably from
overheated tyres but I made it through the day innertubo-intacta.
After Applecross came the coastal road to Shiedaig
(http://tinyurl.com/rqq9l) which is anything but flat. It climbs and swoops
in a demented fashion. A moderately strong headwind sprung up as well and
we had to battle this more or less all the way home. The views across to
Skye and then across Loch Torridon were wonderful but sadly I was getting a
bit to knackered to really appreciate them. At the village of Torridon the
marshals cheerily shouted "Just 10 more miles!" but it had started raining
and I would have happily finished there. Still, the rain didn't last long
and it was only slightly lumpy from here on back to Kinlochewe and the 10
miles disappeared slowly but surely under my wheels.
It was a lovely feeling to reach the end, fall off my bike and get dibbed
for the last time. After that it was a short stagger back into the hall,
collect my coffee and buns and get my dibber removed. Amazingly they
immediately handed me my times and splits along with a certificate. (FWIW,
2:11 from Kinlochewe to the bottom of the hill (by the arrow
http://tinyurl.com/g9b8y) 1:06 for the ascent and 7:16 for the whole thing.
We were all handed a cloakroom ticket for a bowl of bean stew from the local
hotel. This was served outside and went down a treat. After that I headed
back to Inverness but there was a ceilidh in the evening for those folk with
left over energy.
All in all an excellent event. Great organisation, great scenery, great
atmosphere. Not sure I'd do it again (cycling isn't my main sport) but
really glad I did do it and would heartily recommend it assuming it's
repeated next year.
Tim