Graeme Obree, aka The Flying Scotsman, has confirmed he will open this year’s Macmillan Cancer Support Etape Caledonia cycle challenge – immediately after bearing formal witness to the start line nuptials of fundraisers Rick Millin & Jo Louden who will tie the knot in front of 5000 participants in the UK’s biggest closed road cycling event.
Happy news for for two cyclists, Rick Millin (48) and Jo Louden (33) from Guildford, Surrey as they prepare to tie the knot at 6am on Sunday 15th May in front of 5000 participants at this year’s Etape Caledonia, in Pitlochry. The event is run by IMG Challenger World for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Few British cyclists should need to be told what the Etape Caledonia is. Many more will be familiar with Hands on Events rides that include the Bealach Beag and Mor, Skye Sportive and Cairngorm 100.
An event that might be less well known, but would be worth considering for your 2011 calendar is the Ken Laidlaw, run out of Hawick. The Sportive Kinross in Perthshire, another new event, is already sold out.
The Ken Laidlaw, named after the first Scot to ride the Tour, is a 100 mile ride that takes in several stiff climbs. It has been run by Hawick Cycling Club for the past three years and will take place on the 21st August in 2011.
Sportive Kinross, now in its second year, was run as an informal unsupported event in 2010 but has stepped up to include three routes of varying difficulty, event photographs, a charity partner, timing and event sponsorship. A twitter account is a nice touch.
Sportive Kinross
The Ken Laidlaw (cyclosport.org)
Etape Caledonia
Hands on Events
This shot was taken by Ian Bell as part of the 2010 Ken Laidlaw sportive. The event was honoured by Ken Laidlaw himself, returning to Hawick, the town of his birth, from the USA to lead off around 400 riders. A nice touch was the photos taken by Ian and one other photographer, that were made available to the riders free of charge.
More on that event to come.
edit – added a few more pics from the great gallery of the 2010 ride.
Today’s pic is a view of the Bealach-na-Ba, a monster climb in Wester Ross that I have written about several times before. Although the pic is a standard view back down the valley, it is the accompanying text that I think provides more interest (see below).
A clubmate has been training for la Marmotte sportive in the alps and my jaw dropped slightly when I saw his latest facebook update:
Last minute preparation for the Alps. 5 ascents of Bealach-na-ba. 3 from Applecross, 2 from Tournapress; sea level to 640m each time and max gradient over 20%. Felt good; now having Pizza in Aviemore with the family. Excellent!
Once up the Bealach is more than enough for most people but five times in one day, back-to-back is something else. Chapeau to my clubmate Paul Harradine, who is a climbing beast and devours the toughest sportives around (e.g the Dave Lloyd Mega Challenge). He recently did the Dragon Ride on a heavy steel cyclocross bike, after his Lightspeed Ti frame gave out on him. I hope you’ve got something lighter for July!
At first glance you might be forgiven for thinking The Devil’s Beeftub is a cruel name for a road – a way of goading the non-climbers with poor physique.
And described as a 5 mile long, steady climb, it might also seem The Devil’s Beeftub is a only worth blogging for the name. However, the scenery is reportedly pretty spectacular, and I’m told there is normally a tailwind, so it can probably be tackled in the big ring. Legal note: weather may vary and The Drum-Up cannot be held responsible for soul-destroying headwinds!
Above: @jez_hastings riding with the West Lothian Clarion on The Devil’s Beeftub
It’s also part of a Southern Uplands sportive that was suggested to me by @gear_ratio, which was recommended for a series of good climbs and great scenery.
Graeme Obree was seen at last weekend’s Etape Caledonia by @macluskie, who grabbed this great shot of him in Fullarton Wheelers kit, surrounded by pleased-looking VC Glasgow South riders.
He chatted for a while to people about how good the event was and being at Lance Armstrong’s first Twitter ride in Paisley.
Obree told Tayside & Fife newspaper The Courier:
“It’s been a fantastic day and the whole town has turned out to make the atmosphere really special.
“It’s not like a real race because the cyclists can work together on the closed roads and provide each other with the support they need.”
Full article here, with additional photos from rider @b_cran
The image is of me with around 10 miles remaining of the 43 on the rolling lumpy headlands on the north side of the Applecross peninsula. I have blogged it from the website of highly accomplished photographer Steve Carter, who has kindly posted several other excellent photos of the Bealach Beag 2010.
This is some of the hardest sections of the route- the Bealach has already sapped your legs, and you will probably have overcooked it a little on the beginning of the flattish return section. Then comes a series of short but very steep inclines, followed by descents that prevent you from getting any momentum up. In total the ride covers 6500 feet of climbing.
It was sunny and clear but there was also a chill wind in the air- hence my decision to wear the gilet and armwarmers. My head was overheating up the climb and I had to take my cap off and roll down the armwarmers on the climb (that’s why they are all over the place). I could probably have done without them, but then coming down off a 2000 foot climb is a bit chilly.
The fetching yellow bib was issued to all riders for safety reasons, allowing participants’ numbers to be viewed from the front and rear. This was to allay the safety concerns of the Applecross community council, who on the 2009 event, when emergency access to an ill competitor was less than swift due to riders being too focused on their times and not clearing the road for an ambulance. Everyone wore the bibs and just got on with it though, and I was not aware of any bad vibes whatsoever from the locals.
You can buy photos of the Bealach Beag at Northsport Photography’s website. Unfortunately though the galleries aren’t searchable by race number like last year, so the riders might not browse the gallery to find their own photos.
The ride itself went fantastically well – it was sunny and clear and I was too hot at several moments. I overdressed after last year’s windy, wet and cold day. My friend Ian Wallace and I gave our other companion Chris a head start before setting off along the first section, reaching the bottom of the Bealach several minutes ahead on last year. There is the inevitable jostling as fast riders pick their way through the traffic and chancers jump onto strong wheels.
We charged up the mountain, choosing some strong people to follow and picking up an entourage of our own, but before the hairpins I lost Ian’s wheel, and that was the last I saw of him until the finish. I was overheating and struggled to unzip my jacket, unclip my helmet and take off my cap on the steep gradients. I rode in in 37:47, five minutes faster than 2009.
Coming off the mountain is hairy stuff, with some well-placed marshalls keeping riders speed down on the precipitous bends. At the bottom, I thanked the feed station volunteers but didn’t stop, instead scoffing a banana as about a dozen riders massed on my wheel into the headwind. Eventually a bit of wheeling about got going, largely due to some vociferous gesturing by a Kiwi guy called Brad. For the next 10 miles this group worked together until the climbs started, and after only a couple of lumps the ones working were reduced to three or four.
There’s a bit of debate as to whether it’s cool to sit in a group in a sportive, but I wasn’t bothered by the hangers-on: I got an big boost of adrenaline knowing that all these people were following me, and to their cost perhaps, it propelled me up the series of short punchy climbs that come thick and fast along the north side of the Applecross peninsula. I felt really good but probably overcooked it. Kiwi Brad stayed with me but was playing it cautious, and when he came through I was too tired to go with him. I still had plenty of strength left to finish though, and was well pleased with my time of 2:35:53.
The scenery on this ride is absolutely stunning, and on more than one occasion I wondered how much I was missing as I looked over to Skye and north to Torridon, all the while pushing on for a good time. I already mentioned the Appelcross community council’s concerns that Hands On Events even publish the finishing times, but we all know that cyclists tend to be competitive beasts by nature, at the very least wanting to compete with their selves if not their fellow participants.
So I have edited an xcel file of the Bealach Beag 2010 finish times, with Autofilters so you can sort by name, number, finish time and hill time. I was 19th fastest and 17th up the Bealach-na-ba: pretty proud of that. You’ll notice that the 2nd, 3rd and 4th riders did not clock in at the bottom and top of the hill- some of these people are really going for it and take it quite seriously. Quickest participant Tom Owens did ‘dib’ though, and still finished with 4 minutes to spare.
The Bealach Beag is a 43-mile mini cyclosportive run by Hands On Events in Wester Ross.
It takes in the Bealach-na-ba road, (gaelic: Pass of the Cattle), which rises to 626m (2053 feet). It’s one of the highest roads in the UK, and a great place for a sportive. It has a great feel to it when you ride it on a bike- like an Alpine or Pyrenéen Tour de France climb.
The sportive starts and finishes in Shieldaig (route below)
I entered the ride with a Mr Ian Wallace, who is training for the Étape de Tour in July, and four of his friends. Having ridden with him recently, I was aware of his strength on the climbs, and wanted to hold his wheel for as long as possible up the Bealach-na-ba.
We set off promising to take it easy until the climb but as we warmed up, the pace kicked up as the excitement built. It was clear and sunny, with a brisk wind, but the top of the Bealach was clouded in mist. Rain began to fall after 30 minutes, and the bealach loomed nearer. I began to lose touch with Ian in the crowds of cyclists, but jumped on the wheel of a couple of fast riders who pulled me up the road, and I was safely with my mate for the start of the six mile climb.
We ‘dibbed’ at the bottom of the climb, so our times would be recorded, and set off at as high a pace was sensible. By this point the original group of 6 had become 3. Ian and I took turns to pace up the climb, passing other riders all the way, and getting the occasional word of encouragement.
As the road got steeper, and we passed more and more riders, I started to feel tired but I pictured Andy Schleck in the 2008 Tour de France on the Alpe d’Huez, with his head up, arms lightly on the bars, and the pedals rhythmically turning, and I pushed on, leading Ian and a couple of others who had tagged on behind us.
My enthusiastic imagination perhaps did me a disservice as I faded further up the climb, and lost touch with Ian and the others we were riding with. But I ground the gears as the gradient got steeper, the rain heavier, and the mist thicker.
I dibbed at the top of the climb and had got to the top, at it in 42:52, a minute or so behind Ian. The rain seemed to stop immediately and the sun came out as I began the descent. But my fingers numbed as my soaking gloves dried, and I was worried I would not be able to operate the brakes at speeds nearing 40mph. I wiggled the fingers to keep some circulation going, and sped downhill, passing cautious riders as I went. I was keen to catch Ian, and took in some fast corners without taking too many risks.
The descent to Applecross was exhilirating, but a further rush of adrenaline helped me to prepare for the road back to Shieldaig as I swept through the village to a clapping crowd. As I got settled down, I could see the orange jacket of my buddy up the road and pushed the gears hard to try to catch him. Luckily it did not take me too long and we were able to spend several miles working together in a group in fine conditions.
After around 10 miles our group was caught by two very fast riders whose presence upped the pace considerably. We sped along the rolling terrain until people began to be dropped from the back of the group. Ian worked hard to keep in touch but gradually lost them, and should maybe have dropped back to get the benefit of a mini-bunch, but he persevered on.
I ground my way over the incessant rolling road to Shieldaig, spurred on by the anticipation of a good time. I knew Ian was only a minute ahead of me at most, and was keen to catch him. At one point I had him in my sights, at maybe only 10 seconds, but a car waiting at a ‘passing place’ on the single track road (ubiquitous in the Scottish Highlands) thwarted me and suddenly the gap was 30 seconds or more again.
We pushed on to the finish and I was pretty chuffed when I saw the results – Ian and I finished 37th and 38th out of 458 riders. My overall time was 2:48:00, with Ian finishing in 2:47:34.
On Sunday 10th, I drove up the Bealach-na-ba road to show my wife. The conditions were clear and warm- a shame we did not enjoy that on the Saturday!
Next up, a century… maybe the Bealach Mor or the Cairngorm Century, also run by Hands On.
