Archive for Cycling
A Weekend in the Cairngorms
September 17th, 2010 • 5 comments Cycling, Mountainbiking, Mountains
Its the first time i’ve visited the Cairngorms direct from the south – usually its via Aviemore and surrounding area, not Dundee and Kirriemuir… It makes you realise how big the Cairngorm mountain range actually is. We arrived at the Camping spot in Glen Mark late Friday night. Up with the Tipi! Saturday started with a catalogue of schoolboy errors – Whilst myself and Robin fixed a bike light, Chad and Ray went a wandering… of course we thought they’d headed off down the route so once we’d finished repairs, we boosted off to catch up. After 3km we started to wonder where they were! They caught up eventually and they brought with them news that I’d left my passenger window wide open on the car! What a muppet. So I did the extra distance back to car and arranged to meet them at Tarfside.
After the morning faff, we we’re back on track and enjoying the 52km loop from Glen Mark, north along the Fungle Road, up to glen Tanar and back down the Mounth to Glen Mark again. A mixture of forest track and fantastic single track is to be had here and its well worth the morning climb.
The Second day took us up Glen Clova to start a well recommended 25km route – after a tricky climb and bike carry, we made it to the much praised decent towards Loch Muick… Amazing! I went over the handlebars twice and i think the other 3 had similar crashes too… but it was well worth it! The track takes you round Loch Muick and back over to the Capel Mounth decent which was one of the highlights of the weekend.
This area is well worth a visit and the tracks are fantastic. Im already looking forward to getting back there as soon as possible.
SPAD
♥ An Aird
August 9th, 2010 • Cycling, Mountainbiking
Tags: An Aird, Belonging, Drumchardine, Home, Mam Mor
A trip home gave an excuse to hit the old stomping ground, the formative trails which ignited a love of woods, rocks, mud and the mountain bike. An Aird is a large tract of upland on the Northern fringes of Loch Ness, it’s highest point is only 400m or so but the roads and trails I frequented tend to head straight up and over the shallow ridge that comprises the spine, the gradients are steep in parts and provide a solid challenge.
Life has changed inexorably over the years and much has changed on the hill too. Paths that were well used by horses bike and foot have fallen faint, silent and overgrown. Despite the influx of new homes and people to the hill the interiors seem less well travelled as they once were. There are hot spots like, Reelig Glen, Abriachan and the Mam Mor walks which through convenience, car parking and way marking have become popular (with good reason), taking local feet and tyres away from the network on which I cut my teeth.
Anyone who has spent a lot of time in one piece of country – especially when growing up – will understand the affinity that builds up between the person and the land. Finding and cutting routes, following faint deer tracks, exploring and stringing together pieces of trail to create secret un-interupted loops which only you and some select others know is special. In my absence a lot of these treasured gems have been reclaimed by nature and are no longer rideable or even distinguishable.
This sense of home and belonging is something I miss in my suburban surroundings. Something I long to re-kindle later in life. I may not end up back in An Aird but it remains that where ever I settle – I will always ♥ and return to An Aird.
Roads with History
August 1st, 2010 • 1 comment Cycling
Tags: campsie, cuilt brae, roadie, tak me doon
Somhairle and myself took off for a day of pedalling to clear the heads. From Clydebank through Kilsyth and going up and over the Campsie hills only getting to the top mattered as frantic modern life disappeared to a background murmour. Road cycling is a strange and amazing undertaking – even running up mountains doesn’t seem to reduce you to exhaustion quite as quickly. Yes! a motorbike screeching by as you trundle up a hill puts question marks in your head, but then as its roar disappears over the horizon, it’s just you, the wind rustling, an open road, and a sublimely peaceful feeling as you whirr along. It’s an honourable admission – where there is life there will always be pain, accept it and reap the rewards. These roads have been ploughed by many cycling greats, and passing a number of cyclists with friendly waves you get the impression this deep routed culture lives on. Nachos at Fintry were well deserved before the descent and a tired last climb over Mugdock. We congratulated each other on our return.
Here’s the route.
Ride in to the danger zone
July 26th, 2010 • Cycling
Tags: Faslane, Glen Fruin, road climb, robert millar, tarmac
I had wanted to ride the hill over from Faslane to Loch Lomond for a while now. It’s famed as one of Robert Millars training routes before he left to race in Europe and you can see why it help breed such a champion climber. The run out to Faslane along the firth o’ Clyde is fast and mostly flat, with a decent road surface which is wide enough to let traffic past without to much bother. Myself and Misha had a good chain going and made the imposing military hotspot – that is Faslane – pretty rapidly despite a moderate head wind. Turning right at the roundabout at the Northern edge of the naval base begins the climb in earnest with a constant gradient on a beautifully smooth and wide road. Bearing right at the second roundabout at the top of the first climb the road seriously kicks up with a serious gradient, the presence of snow gates at this juncture is a sure sign of what your about to face. The road that runs along the side of the ‘DANGE AREA’ that the m.o.d have commandeered to the North of Glen Fruin is a phenomenal piece of tarmac. Flanked by high peaks – some up to 600m – you get a real sense of being in the mountains and the road reflects this. It doesn’t actually gain an enormous height but undulates across the feet of the hills to north. There are many ups and downs all fairly short but steep with several labeled as 10%. It is clear to see how Robert Millar developed his ability to attack on the alps and pyrenees here. The way the road rolls up and down encourages you to use the momentum gained from the frequent descents to attack the steeps and power to the top. It has to be said I ran out of steam on a lot of these steep ascents but Misha managed to honk to the summits with more conviction. The descent from the top down to Loch Lomond is good but punctuated with many undulations so it’s not a full on high speed freewheeling affair. Some parts of it are very steep and speeds of 40+ are easily attainable. The road remains wide, with a superb smooth but grippy surface and traffic is low. Unfortunately the day ended on a low note when I picked up a puncture on the rough cycle path around the loch. I fixed and re-fixed it to discover after much faff that the valve had a tiny split in it. So a walk back to Balloch from Duck bay to catch the train back to the city was required. I will definitely be riding this road again, it is a beautiful area despite the military presence and riding it the opposite direction would present an even greater climbing challenge. Highly recommended. Here’s the route.
A Week on Mull – SGC 2010
July 21st, 2010 • 3 comments Cycling, Gorge Walking, Hill walking, Mountainbiking
Tags: 2010, Ben, Gorge Walking, JD, john, misha, Mountainbiking, mull, scotland, SGC, spad
Well its that time of year again when the Scotstoun Gentlemen’s Club (SGC) head out to the hills for a week of outdoor pursuits – This year we went to Mull. Unfortunately we spent the week trying to predict the unpredictable weather! Nonetheless we made the best of it and got out on the bikes to Tobermory via Loch Frisa, Coastal walking on the Ross of Mull and gorge walking up in Glen Forsa and also by Loch na Keal. So much to do on this Island – definitely heading back there soon.
Spad
That’s some power of water…
July 21st, 2010 • 1 comment Cycling
Tags: Campsies, Fluich, rain, roadie, Torrential, Wetness
My broken wrist has healed now and in celebration I was determined to make it out on the road bike by hook or by crook, 1 month of sitting poking @ a computer and drawing pictures, though productive, does nothing for ones soul or mid-rift for that matter. So off I went intent on a light pootle on shallow roads and warm rain – or so I thought. Spinning through the back roads from Balloch I made it Dumgoyne, I felt good my wrist ached a bit now and then but a constant shuffle around the bars kept it at bay, it was a revelation to not have a totally ridged forearm / wrist and my legs felt fresh and up for it. I was going to make the most of this feeling in my legs and decided I was going to scale the Campsies from the steep side. So off I swung towards Kilearn and Fintry, as soon as i had changed tack the rain started dumping in heavy tirades. My expensive technical clothing had stood up well so far but this rain rendered their sought after properties meaningless and redundant. At least it wasn’t windy I muttered to myself as I glided along fresh, gloss black tarmac. It smoothness was bliss for the old wrist and I hunkered down and made progress. The rain did not relent, not for a minute, I was truly soaked now with screeds of wet tumbling down my face collecting on my tash, it tasted of dirt and diesel, tasty! I swung right onto the foot of the Crow Road and started up the Campsie. The road was a torrent and by this I mean a pretty respectable burn about 1mm deep meandering through the harl. My legs were responding and I made it to the top in fairly swift fashion considering my form. Stopping at the top I scoffed a packet of the kids malted biscuits, wiped my eyeballs clean and made for the descent. What a road this is, it is a pleasure to ride any which way and it to had been given a fresh patchwork of black tarmac and not before time. I actually overtook a car on my way down which is always good for a bit of confidence, the water in the rivers was white and torrid. I swung left down towards Lennoxtown and in predictable fashion the wind assaulted me big style, robbing me of my exhilarating pace. SHIT! I barked sending the previously docile roadside sheep scrabbling up the bank. The car i had passed trundled by with it’s cargo of elderly, they squinted at me as if to say I was mad (which at this point i was). It’s fine I thought, if it’s in my face here it’ll be on my back on the way home but once again my logical presumptions were blighted by old Mother Scotlands willingness to make even the most rational observation futile and pathetic. I was tired now and the grind home was grim, meeting the rush hour traffic at Strathblane was the final nail in the coffin and I struggled home like a collie dug trapped in a fence. Still it was a fine day out, I feel rejuvenated and ready to jump back into bed with the cruel and depraved mistress that is Scotland in July. Vive la Eccosse! Day in front of the Tour tomorrow me thinks.
Ben Lomond by Bike, Rib and Wrist.
June 26th, 2010 • 4 comments Cycling, Mountainbiking
Tags: big mountain riding, broken bone, crash
It all started with a good smattering of faff. Wrestling with spads rear axle trying to install a new freehub we hummed and hawed dismantling and re-assembling the thing, there was definitely something going a wry inside it. Never the less we pushed on chucking the bikes in the car and heading up to Rowardennan to meet Aidan who had come across from Seil – Oban. After more faff somehow missing the main path and then stopping several times to try and get spads wheel to that magic sweet spot between not spinning and flailing about haplessly behind.
The bottom part of the path is quite deceptive, very rough with huge rocks and steps, after the initial steep gnarlyness the path levels out a bit and there is a stretch that is pretty smooth and cyclable until you come onto the shoulder of the ben itself and everything gets steep and rocky again. We merrily clambered up through a combination of shouldering and pushing with passing walkers commenting on our craziness periodically. The path levels out again and cycling this part is fun, challenging trialsy coolness. We could see the summit beyond capped in cloud the wind was getting up and we were under no illusions we were on a munro in a Scottish summer. We stopped in a sheltered spot and got fuelled up, spad footered with his bike for a time and I installed the helmet camera on my bonce. Onwards and upwards. The summit was indeed shrouded in cloud when we got there although strangely sheltered from the wind, which we summised was due to some sort of thermal based aberration. There was a wily old fellow from Vancouver and we had a good yarn discussing his views on our country most of which were informed and true.
So to the descent… Seats were lowered camera turned on and off we went. Be under no illusions, this mountain is very rough; rideable (just) for the most part but very technical rocky gnar means it is seldom that you will find the line through at every juncture. I was loving it finding my stride and managing to find a path through the rocky assault. My speed was getting pretty high and I was able to straight line and hop a lot of the nasty parts, with my confidence rising I began to lay off the brakes more and more, i see a small rock drop there is a line to the left I would have to slow to make. I straight line it. The front wheel clears then the unmistakable ping of chainring alloy hitting rock, the bars fold away from my grasp and the ground rushes up to meet me. I flail around for a bit, I have definitely crashed and my right wrist does not want to support my weight. I sprachkle around until I am upright – for some reason i turn the camera off? I’m in pain, feels like a sprain, spad arrives, he has no notion I have crashed till I tell him. He helps me strap the offending wrist up, I gather myself and it feels okay but i can’t grip the bars. Badly sprained I repeat. I begin the walk down, the pain comes and goes and swinging the arm around takes the pain away. We meander down, taking a bike down ben Lomond with only your left hand can be tricky and takes a long time, we have certainly been lagging in every aspect of this trip except the ascent. The pain is less by the bottom section I rode the last few hundred metres, un weighing the injury over the bumps.
At home the swelling is noticeable i stick some ice on it. It feels better still, I have a bath feels great. Go to bed, bit uncomfortable but I fall asleep. 2 in the morning I wake up, I try to move, I scream. The agony is palpable, something is wrong, very wrong. I take some pain killers wake in the morning and decide the hospital is calling. I spend some hours in casualty, I have one broken rib on the left side and a compound fracture in my wrist. I’m in a cast for four weeks. Just goes to show you can do serious damage without being able to acknowledge it. I had sprained it badly so this probably masked the underlying break. It’s hard to say what I have learned from this, my confidence on the descent was high but I have struggled with confidence before and it is a hard won attribute, knowing your limits is important but I was no where near my edge when I crashed, a simple misjudgement of the trail is all I can put it down to. What I will take from this is that eye balls out descending on big mountains is something that is always going to be fraught with danger and should be approached with a higher modicum of respect for the terrain and exposed nature of the environment.
Strathblane woods – video
June 21st, 2010 • Cycling, Mountainbiking
Tags: glasgow, go pro, mugdock, strathblane trails
I went back up the woods on Sunday found some more classics, spent hours up there. Deserted, sunny and peaceful what a fine waste of time.
Strathblane woods
June 18th, 2010 • 1 comment Cycling, Mountainbiking
Tags: classic scottish woods, mugdock, strathblane
Me, Misha, Spad and Chae headed out to look for some trails in Strathblane woods the other night. It must have been the first time the four of us had been out cycling since we were teenagers. The weather was stunning – super hot. We had a classic rumble through the usual suspects in Mugdock then headed up Cuilt Brae woods above Strathblane. We found some real gems in here, fast rooty and dusty, heaps of traction, steep to flowing. Classic Scottish woods. There’s a multitude of options in here and you could cut around for hours.
10 Under the Ben
June 11th, 2010 • 3 comments Cycling, Mountainbiking
Tags: 10 under the ben, aonach mor, Ben nevis, JD, mountainbike, nevis range, no fuss events, spad, witches trail, xc
Well it was another great race and a great day in the sun, rain and mud! Finally I managed to put some of the footage together to make this wee vid. Our group of friends had a total of 6 teams entered! I’m already looking forward to next years race but for now, we’ve got the Tour de Ben Nevis coming up in September…
Spad
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