Re:
Yesterday's ride revisited.
Transferred the bags to the Rourke yesterday which was just as well as this morning it was still, warm and misty, therefore Midge City. They don't usually bother me too much but my legs must have been more temptation than they could bear, so it was a very quick load up and get going.
Pretty pleasant ride down to Craignure, I didn't try and exceed yesterdays time, as I knew I was on for a 50 miler today. Stopped briefly to see the first ferry of the day setting off. THE big topic on the island is the fact that CalMac have recently reduced fares and doubled the number of crossings by adding a second ferry. Some say it's great for business, some say it is bad for the roads. My experience is that a lot of drivers are less chilled and more like I come across on the mainland, they are in a hurry to get from place to place, as the last crossing is at something O'clock and they want to see everything. This kinda misses the whole point of coming to an island, and given that 90% of the roads here are single track, it must pump up the stress levels like crazy.
Anyway, having nearly been mown down a couple of times, mostly by HUGE camper vans, I rode past Lochdon, where my grandparents lived and off towards Glen More (the long Glen). This has the first of today's l o n g climbs, not steep, it is about 5%, but it is about 15k long.
Trouble is, to get there you have to cross two cattle grids. These are not your namby pamby flat steel grid type cattle grids, ohhh no, the grids on these b'stards are round and they are spaced just right so that as your front wheel is being thrown skywards, then the back one tries to follow, pushing your front wheel back down again to contact the grid with force, only for the whole cycle to be repeated. I counted my teeth and they were all still there, so that was a bonus.
Through the long Glen I saw not a single person, and it was only once I was rolling down the other side of the climb that I came across a car, heading the opposite way. Then it was the next two cattle gridididididid's and I was now on the flat run towards Pennyghael, where my tea stop was, 30 miles in.
When I got to the tea stop, there were about a dozen cyclists, male and female, all well tanned and all of an age to make me feel quite young. " Where have you come from?" "How long did it take?" "Ohh, I love your bike". My Saltire jersey drew much admiration too, even from a local builder in his van much later on.
After tea it was back the way I had come for a few miles, then left towards Loch Na Keal. The surface of the road here is pretty dire, and lots of traffic meant a lot of stop / starts for a while, not good for cooled down legs. Not to worry as I was soon into the even longer climb from Kilfinichen to Inch Kenneth (of Mitford sisters fame).
There used to be a forestry plantation to the left of the climb, this could make the whole road feel a bit hemmed in and claustrophobic, but not any more as all the trees have been recently harvested, so instead there is now a 15k plus climb at about 4 to 7% all the way. I did have to stop at one point, but only because a German driver with a Range Rover and caravan found it somehow impossible to stop, strange that, as the locals have no issue at all stopping for cyclists.
At the very top of the climb there was thick ground level cloud which was both cool and cold, if you get my point, wonderful to be totally cut off from the world around you. Then, what goes up and all that a wanging good descent down to the shores of Loch Na Keal which I then rode along side for the next eight or so miles (sorry, mixing strava k's with milestones). The road then bears right, past some estate buildings and highly overpriced holiday cottages (ex estate workers cottages) and after another half an hour or so I was back where I started, 87k and 765m of climbing. All in perfect cycling weather i.e. dry, cool but warming the whole time and with very little wind.
Tomorrow, something a little shorter, but much more brutal. Making the best of it, as the weather is set to be very Scottish on Friday.
The Rourke complete with bags.
On the way up.
With a little way to go
The back down again.
Nice view with me tea
The next climb
Something typically Scottish waiting at the top.
Through the cloud and on my way home