True Grit

Bottle of wine was the answer to last nights quiz! No competition!

The BIG thaw arrived as promised. Seven degree temperatures and some rain served to clear away most of the snow and ice from around Dunfermline. The result meant that Saturday Cycling was back on after a four week suspension.

The Posse was small yet perfectly formed. Only Ironman and Bigman could make the teamsheet. It was agreed we would avoid C Class roads across the high passes such as Col du Cleish and Mont Veknockhill.

Rendezvous was at Crossford with each posse member sporting items from Santa Claus. Ironman with his new sparkling Goretex Gloves and Bigman with his new waterproof jacket being appropriately tested. Ironman held back from fitting his new mud guards as he did not want to get them dirty!


And so any drafting behind Ironman should only be attempted with the mouth firmly closed to avoid swallowing mounds of grit and gallons of water.

As the pair headed out towards Culross, they were like two caged wildcats released into the wild. It felt great to crank the pedals and feel the acceleration whilst re-calibrating the effort on a gym bike with required effort to climb a hill.

The gym sessions have been excellent to build aerobic strength however you cannot replicate the drag and drone of nobbly tyres as they power up a tarmac slope.

Supporters were hanging from windows waving flags, delight to see the return of the posse, as they sped through speed cameras at 21mph. Bigman was wearing his Polar heart Rate Monitor in order that he could discipline himself to ride to the heart beat.

The Ironman looks in great condition. As the pair approached the Clackmannan climb he eased into the lead and breezed up the slope like it did not exist. He is is now in Ironman training mode with all the focus of the Hubble Space telescope.

In less than 70 minutes Stirling was conquered and the pair headed along the foothills towards Alva and onto Tillicoultry. If any blog watchers out there know anyone with influence in Clackmannshire Council, then please advise them the potholes are monumental. Whilst the Ironman has pursued stealth training before Christmas, not to the extent he disappears. However One pot hole took him out of visibility for a few moments, like sinking in the trough of a wave.......................... now you see him, now you don't.

Around Tillicoultry, Bigman's backside had an argument with his saddle. One of them was going to have to concede and give way. He is not sure which one had one but by Yetts of Mucchart the debate was over and normal comfort was restored.

At Dollar, The Ironman had to break off for a very important date. Bigman opted to continue the ride to build the miles whilst the weather permitted.

As he climbed out of Dollar, the climate changed. Much snow still lay around the road surfaces. Torrents of water tumbled onto the road and created 3 foot wide rivers down the side of the road as ditches coughed and spluttered to cope with the volume of water. The temperature plummeted. Bigman knew the rest of this ride would build character for the tough days in South Africa. At Yetts he stopped for a Mars Bar and some water, then quickly re-mounting and pacing off to Milnathort. Early thinking had been to have a coffee break however by this point his fingers and toes were beginning to ask whether they were still connected to the hands and feet.

Press on for Dunfie was the answer. The return route would be over the Kingseat Killer. A Categorie Haute Climb in the region. The road would be well gritted and would avoid the notorious Col du Cleish.

Four hours and 30 minutes later the Trek 6500 rolled up the driveway and a need to carb up after a hot shower was fast arriving.

With an average heart beat rate of 139 over the period and an average of 25kph was acceptable given the conditions for the 100k plus route.

In the Cape Epic, the posse will be doing circa 120k per day albeit with a tadge more climbing and off road. However, in summary, it was great to be back on the bike and it felt good after the ride was over.