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etape loch ness

etape loch ness 2019

cycling is often referred to as 'the beautiful sport', and in its purest form, that statement is arguably unassailable. however, cycling spreads its wheels a great deal wider than just the sporting milieu, even if the monthly magazines have a tendency to obscure that angle from view. it is also, obviously enough, one of the world's finest outdoor activities, not only because it tends to have a beneficial effect on the human cardio-vascular system, but it's every bit the ideal activity for both the individual and the larger group. each weekend, i can spend hours and hours all on my own, chasing whatever it is that might be providing the impetus on any particular week.

etape loch ness 2019

or, as in the case of the recent etape loch ness, i can ride with 5,649 other cyclists, almost none of whom i knew personally.

i like to consider myself a gregarious sort of fellow, happy to discuss the finer points of front derailleur adjustment, or point out the fallacy of electronic gear setups to any within earshot. the peloton size of the velo club's sunday morning ride is well within the grasp of my communicative abilities, though i'll admit that riding group four in hot chillee's londres-paris strained the outer fringes just a tad. but those more than five and a half thousand others entered into this year's loch ness sportive, threatened to unhinge any thoughts of velocipedinal stability. quite frankly, the portents were not good.

etape loch ness 2019

but, as i have mentioned on previous occasions, i am usually happy to suffer for someone else's art. in this modern age, to eschew an invite to ride one of the country's finest sportives, seemed tantamount to cowardice. hebridean or flandrien, that's not a self-inflicted accusation to be taken lightly. which is why i found myself spending a weekend in the truly excellent ardross glencairn guest house, a mere (long) stone's throw from inverness cathedral.

as is probably the case with pretty much any sportive you care to mention, the day prior to the commencement of battle had been set aside for registration, pre-ride mechanical checkups (shand cycles and cycle republic) and cleaning (finish line), while last minute clothing needs could be satisfied by endura, official loch ness kit, or, principal beneficiaries of the ride, macmillan cancer. should sustenance (liquid or solid) have been required after perusing the aofrementioned, singleton muir of ord were offering free drams, next door to a small tent distributing beer to the needy. carbo loading was provided by high five and fuel.

etape loch ness 2019

singleton muir of ord distillery, sponsor of both the king and queen of the mountains competitions, displayed a smart-looking jersey alongside the table of drams. i enquired of the distillery manager, looking proudly at the number of pre-orders for the jersey, why he'd decided to commission a cycle jersey in the first place? there is no shortage of cycle jerseys affiliated with islay's distilleries, but i was keen to find out why the trend was spreading farther and wider.

"we ordered two jerseys as sponsors of the k.o.m. competitions, but when they arrived at the office, they looked really impressive. so i argued the case to order more from endura and offer them for sale at an attractive price." he went on to tell me that they'd taken fourteen pre-orders in less than an hour. come the revolution etc.

etape loch ness 2019

etape loch ness takes place on closed roads, pretty much a necessity, given the size of the entry. one of those roads (the north side of the loch) is the principal tourist route into inverness from the south and west; i was told many of the entrants were keen to take advantage of riding a parcours, part of which was usually obscured by incessant traffic. closing roads in the age of the motor car is probably the result of a few hard-fought administrative and campaigning battles. the condition of so doing was doubtless getting every bicycle off the roads as quickly as possible, in order for normal civilisation to proceed at its bustling best.

for that to happen, necessitated setting off in controlled groups from 06:15 on sunday morning, itself demanding that breakfast take place at the unheard of hour of 04:30. my own start hour was 06:29, at which time it transpires some of the road surfaces were still a trifle damp from overnight dew. this led to a number of rather scary looking accidents, with early-morning speeding cyclists sliding off on the slippery centre-line paint. very much to their credit, ambulances and motorcycle marshals were in attendance almost immediately.

 etape loch ness 2019

for those of a more sedentary nature (i have my hand up at this point), a cool, slightly overcast but dry morning, offered a thoroughly stupendous ride down one side of loch ness and back along the other. mirroring the common caricature of the loch ness monster, the return trip featured three stonking climbs before half-distance. i have no idea of the gradients, for though my garmin offers such information, the black spots in front of my eyes as i breathed through my ears prevented me from taking specific note. it's as well that the roads were closed, for some of us used pretty much every centimetre available, though a surprising number dismounted and walked.

i heartily recommend having two plates of porridge for breakfast.

 etape loch ness 2019

the first rider home managed those 106 kilometres in under three hours, a fact that can only bring more tears to the eyes of those who took a tad longer. in the case of yours truly, the wrong side of four hours. the organisation was impeccable, ranging from (three) clearly signed feed stops, plenty of encouragement from the roadside marshals and no chance whatsoever of taking a wrong turning. arriving back to the shelter of eden court theatre, a cleverly styled medal, goody-bag and enough iced-buns to feed the entire population of inverness, welcomed the smilingly bedraggled. bear in mind that the total entry equated to every last person on islay going for a bike ride and inviting all their friends to join them. culture shock, and then some.

already, islay discussions are being held to plan a concerted attempt on the etape in 2020. meaning i have gone from someone who harboured serious misgivings about mixing with more than 5,500 other cyclists, to one who is eager to repeat the fun and frolics next year. if, like me, such large numbers have kept you away from inverness, i'm here to tell you that you simply don't know what you're missing.

would i lie to you?

grateful thanks to organisers, caledonia concepts and tricker pr for inviting me along for the ride, and to my friends john and angie for getting me to and from inverness safe and sound.

etape loch ness

friday 3 may 2019

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................