Etape Caledonia 2009 (Part 2)

It is now the morning after the night before. I am happy to report that I am still in one piece, although walking seems to have taken on a new level of difficulty (and in true Fawlty Towers stylie, just don't mention the stairs - imagine Herr Flick from Allo Allo and you are about there!) Suffice to say that my right knee in particular is letting me know what it thought of yesterdays antics. More on that later.

I thought I would expand a little on my short post from last night and add in some pictures. Just to truly give a flavour of the event.

REGISTRATION

I picked up my hire car on Saturday. I had booked a nice big estate car with plenty of room for one, if not two bikes. Only to arrive and be greeted with a Ford Fiesta! Not to worry. It meant I had to decide which bike I was going to use as I could only take one. I think this prevented some on the day procrastination, so was actually beneficial. I decided to take the new steed and was truly vindicated in this decision during the event. All my stuff only just fitted in, even with no other passengers. Who would have thought you needed so much stuff just for a bike ride...

One of the provisos for entry into the Etape Caledonia is that all participants must register the day before the event. I drove up for around 6pm and was greeted by the sight of cyclists everywhere. Almost every second car seemed to be carrying a bike or two. Riding, walking, chatting, shopping, it appeared everyone in the town had the same shared passion for two wheels and it was a great sight. I registered (very quick and extremely well organised) and collected my timing chip.

ACCOMMODATION

For most people this pre-race registration also means an over night stay in or around Pitlochrie. I mentioned a while ago how I struggled to get a bed for the night but by a quirk of fate, I fell right on my feet! A chance e-mail put me in touch with an old friend Ed Lindsay. He is the (self-elected?) leader of a group of cyclists calling themselves "Team Affluent" (more on these guys later). Fortunately for me the TA boys had the Etape Caledonia down as their first event of the summer. Ed very kindly offered for me to bunk in with them. I expected this to mean a night under wet canvas but nothing could have been further from the truth. I stayed in a lovely holiday home on the Faskally campsite, owned by one of the teams sister and brother in law (more on this great couple later too).

RACE DAY

I had a comfy (if short) bed and slept reasonably well considering. I awoke at about 5 am. It was damp but not raining. A good breakfast and a bit of bike prep and then it was time to get ready. It was now raining, so clothing choice was getting more difficult. I eventually chose to wear knee warmers with my shorts and to take my rain cape (horrid to ride in, very sweaty but useful while I waited around for my turn to start - and again later in the day, unbeknownst to me at the time!) I shunned the over shoes (in some way they just offend me aesthetically?) a decision I rued for the first few miles as I had really cold, wet feet! Here I am before the start.

We cycled down to the start as a team. Most of the TA boys were off early doors, so I got to watch the myriad of cyclists setting off before me. What a true celebration of two wheels the EC really is. Men, women, road bikes, mountain bikes, recumbents, tandems, you name it, they were all there. What I found particularly interesting was the true mixture of cyclists. In some groups you had true roadies with their carbon bikes and deep section carbon wheels lining up right next to a seventy year old in baggy shorts with his pannier clad touring bike. Awesome. Despite the drizzle at that stage, everyone seemed in good spirits and the organisation was again first class (as it was throughout, despite the unforeseen problems ahead).

Once I got going it was a case of trying to find a rhythm. As I suspected, at that late stage there was little in the way of group riding. I tried to find riders of similar pace but the course is quite undulating at the start, so there are lots of changes of pace and it can be tricky to ride with other riders.

Eventually I met a guy called Alex (riding a blue Trek) with whom I had a nice chat. I was trying to just stay relaxed and not worry too much about time or distance travelled. I then met another nice chap, Bruce, from Edinburgh who I road a good few miles with. We had a great chat on a range of subjects including football, rugby, cycling and work. It really helped to pass the time. By this point we had probably ridden about 25 miles. I still hadn't been in a bunch, or really drafted anyone (if you remember from previous posts, riding in another riders slipstream can save up to 33% of your energy. I would certainly vouch for this after yesterday!)

As luck would have it, I found what I was looking for. Two large blokes, riding at a good speed. Due to my size I need a larger rider to shelter behind and these guys were perfect. I didn't get their names but yellow Giant riding man and particularly Cervelo riding blue jacket man - chapeau and thank you! I proceeded to get a lovely tow for a good ten miles along the Loch side. Awesome views, sunshine and passing people all the way. It doesn't get much better than that. Once I had drained their energy I took my turn at the front and made some further headway. I was just getting psyched up for the big climb when disaster struck...

Up until now there had been a couple of minor roadside incidents. Crashes, feed stations, punctures etc. but this was a big hold up. The entire field seemed to be coming to a standstill. We all dismounted and rather demoralising, I met all the people I had ridden past already! At this point, I still thought it would be a short stoppage - maybe the feed station was busy? or another crash? so I went for a pee.

As I documented yesterday (see previous post) it was much more than that. We were held up for a long time. As I said, it was just after 10.00am when I stopped and 11.50am when I got going again. During that time we advanced about a mile down the road (I should factor this into my time, which I forgot yesterday). I won't talk too much about this period other than to say it was cold, windy but sunny and not wet. Almost all of the riders were confused, dismayed but not aggressive, despite their anger at the mindless actions of the minority. The locals of Loch Rannoch were brilliant. They provided tea, coffee and shelter (even using their own mugs!) and were very understanding.

Now, this is important. If you were to ask a non-cyclist or non-athlete whether they would like a long break in the middle of an event, they would probably say yes. Following my experiences yesterday, I would definitely say this is a hindrance rather than a help. During the stoppage I got cold, I got hungry (I had a very pre-planned eating and drinking schedule that was going very well but planned for five hours, not six!) and my legs stiffened up. Prior to the stoppage, I was going really well and was nicely warmed up for the big climb. When we re-started I was cold and there were bikes everywhere, all going at different speeds. In particular, my knee was giving me jip straight away.

I managed to get over the climb and hooked onto two guys going at a good speed. It is quite a long, stepped climb but not too steep. The main difficulty was finding the rhythm again and trying to combat the feeling of having to make up for lost time. The descent was fun, if windy. Open roads really are the way forward!

Next came my biggest stroke of luck. I was falling low on energy and knew there was still a way to go (30 miles?) I needed a group...and I got one. In this situation names are irrelevant. There is just you and the wheel infront. I decided that wheel was mine and I was staying there. The group was about six strong - Etape Caledonia jersey man, Assos jacket man, Sweden jersey man, Dave Raynor Fund man, me and our spiritual leader - Endura tights, dhb jersey, red Principa riding lady. Yep, four blokes and me all got towed for mile after mile by a very smooth pedalling young lady. To you my dear, chapeau and many thanks. For the only time in the ride, we got a bit of "through and off" going on and the pace was way, way higher than I would have manged solo. The sun was out, the scenery was stunning but to be honest, I was a long way away by now. My world had closed in to leave just the tyre two inches infront and the screaming pain coming from my thighs every time we went even slightly up hill.

We rode as a group almost to the end, where a series of truly brutal short, steep climbs really signs off with a bang. This is definitely the hardest part of the route! Then, before I knew it, I was coming in to the finish. Pitlochry was full of cheering people. I actually slowed down on purpose as I came into the barriered section. I wanted to soak up the moment. I had been thinking about this for six months and I wanted to savour the occasion. I looked around and my emotions were all over the place. I crossed the line and a lovely lady presented my with a medal and said how well I had done. It appeared so heartfelt, I almost hugged her!

My folks had come to watch and they were just after the finish. Unfortunately, I couldn't speak for about five minutes but I drank three bottles of water and then was a bit more with it. Here is me after the finish, with my medal!!!

There is much more to say but that is enough for today. As I said yesterday, I am very pleased and very proud. Thanks again to everyone who made it possible. I will continue to post over the next few days about everything and everyone involved.

Chapeau,

Col.