I’m no Bradley Wiggins but I do enjoy the occasional leisurely bike ride.
To my shame, it’s been about six years since I last did anything remotely serious on a bike, and that ended in disaster.
My bike (pink and purchased for £20 from the defunct Paddy’s Market in Glasgow) now sits gathering dust in a shed, with two punctures.
With the 81-mile Etape Caledonia on May 8 – and with The Courier as a media partner – I hooked up with cycling columnist Scot Tares for a morning’s training.
The Etape, which raises money for Marie Curie Cancer Care, is Britain’s first mass closed-road cycling event and traverses some of the most stunning parts of Highland Perthshire.
Scot, the founder of Skinny Tyres, suggests tackling a gruelling section of the route and I silently wonder if I’m tough enough…
The first stumbling block is finding me a bike, but the wonderful folk at Escape Route in Pitlochry are only too happy to help, lending me a feather-light women’s sportive bike worth around £3K – perfect for covering long distances and designed with the female form in mind.
Safety and comfort are paramount, so I’m also kitted out with a helmet and padded shorts which hugely increase the size of my rear.
Then it’s a case of getting on the bike. More used to mountain bikes, the hunched position takes a bit of getting used to, as do the 22 gears.
As I wobble off towards the centre of Pitlochry, Scot is full of encouragement, and my confidence soars as we navigate our way up the main street and join the B8019. This section is relatively flat and allows us to warm up.
Soon, we turn over the Garry Bridge near Killiecrankie and I chance a peek down into the steep gorge while Scot recalls the time he did a bungee jump here.
The tree-lined road which hugs the River Tummel then heads downhill for a wee bit which is great, as I’m still fiddling about with the gears.
Then it’s time for the climb, which Scot described as “wee”. The road climbs gradually before steepening for around half a mile. Put it this way – my thighs are burning.
This summits before Glen Fincastle, where a sharp but short descent takes us – at considerable speed – on a couple of tight turns.
“Watch out – this is where people crash as the corners take them by surprise,” warns Scot.
Then it’s a steady but steep climb up to the Queen’s View, the road winding its way up to the cafe at the top.
My heart rate is sky high and I’m more than happy to dismount and drink in the stunning views across Loch Tummel.
From there, it’s a long descent down towards Loch Tummel. There are a few small undulations for the next six miles and eventually, we come to Tummel Bridge, built in 1730 by General Wade.
We cross over onto the B842 and climb the first part of the road that summits at Loch Kinardochy – and this is where the event climb of the shoulder of Schiehallion summits, too. It’s tough.
My face is a permanent grimace as I slog my way up without stopping, standing up in the pedals in the hope of making it easier. The views across to snow-capped Schiehallion are sensational – more than worth it.
We stray from the official Etape route, instead heading onto an unclassified road on the south side of Loch Tummel, past Foss and through Frenich Wood. It’s a quiet and stunning road, and we only see three cars over a 10-mile ride.
We follow this back to Pitlochry, joining the A9 and then heading along a cycle path before joining the last section of the Etape route back to Escape Route.
I can’t pretend I’m not glad to get off the bike, as an old knee injury has started to niggle and my backside is a little tender.
Scot – who’s been monitoring our progress with a GPS device – reveals we’ve covered 28.3 miles with a total climb of 2,0001ft.
Our top speed was 27mph and our average speed was 12mph.
Scot’s fastest time in the Etape was an impressive three hours and 53 minutes in 2007. And the record for the course was set by Evan Oliphant in 2011 in three hours, 27 minutes and 32 seconds.
But it’s not a race and rather than busting a gut, many people enjoy a laid-back day ride through the amazing landscape.
There’s certainly a competitive element to it, even if that’s just beating a personal goal, or previous time.
It’s an epic event for an amazing cause and for those brave enough to take part in the Etape, best of luck!
Info
The 2016 Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Caledonia (which takes place on May 8) is the 10th anniversary of the event.
Starting in Pitlochry, the route takes cyclists north a few miles and then heads west as to Bridge of Gaur, at the far western end of Loch Rannoch. Riders then head east and south passing through Fortingall, along the River Tay through Aberfeldy to Ballinluig, from where they head back to Pitlochry.
The Courier is one of the media partners of this year’s Etape Caledonia and has a five-person team taking part. etapecaledonia.co.uk
