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Chief Sub Emma completes the Macmillan Cancer Support Etape Caledonia cycle ride
By slhaf | May 28, 2010
It’s Monday morning and I’m at my desk. But I’m feeling elated. That doesn’t often happen, I have to admit, but yesterday I cycled 81 miles in the Macmillan Cancer Support Etape Caledonia – Britain’s only closed-road mass-participation cycling event – so I’m feeling quite proud of myself.
I’d never cycled that far in one day before, and was terrified I might not make it (producing a rather sleepless night in start and end point Pitlochry the night before), but not only did I make it, I really enjoyed it. The weather was wonderful (not a hint of rain, not much wind) and the scenery absolutely stunning.
You may have heard of this ride because last year a local, disgruntled that the roads would be closed for a while, scattered carpet tacks on the tarmac, causing lots of punctures and some injuries to cyclists. However, there wasn’t a hint of local grumpiness this year – in fact there were lots of people around cheering us on and even one ringing a cowbell! The atmosphere in general was great and not too intimidating, and the course was much less hilly than expected (a big part of it involves cycling round a large loch). There were plenty of willing people to help sort out bike issues before and during the ride, too, thankfully.
The only thing to put a slight dampner on my elation is the thought I could have done the ride faster, had I not queued for 15 minutes or so for the loo (‘You wouldn’t catch Lance Armstrong queueing for the loo’, a male friend felt the need to tell me after the ride – good point), had I known the course and had I known I could have paced myself a little faster and still made it round (my competitive spirit’s kicking in!). I’m just itching to go back and do it faster next year, and I’d love to pop over to Ireland to do the brand new Sky Ride Etape Hibernia (82 miles in Ireland’s stunning County Clare on August 22, 2010), organised by the same company.
To sign up for next year’s Macmillan Cancer Support Etape Caledonia on May 15, go to www.etapecaledonia.co.uk, or for the Sky Ride Etape Hibernia, see www.etapehibernia.com.
PS: I’ve got a few tips for anyone considering a similar event. I can’t recommend my Gore Xenon Lady Tights Short, £94.99, highly enough – they have amazing padding that kept me comfy for the whole five hours of riding (www.gorebikewear.co.uk). I’m also really glad I got my bike fitted to me at London’s CycleFit (www.cyclefit.co.uk) – it made my riding more efficient and much more comfortable than it would otherwise have been.
For my next long ride, I’ve got my eye on a Profile Design Top Tube bag, £17.99 from www.triandrun.com to keep my snacks to hand in so I don’t need to keep stopping. And I need to practise drinking from my water bottle while on the go so I can ditch my Camelbak.
Oh, and I can see the merits of ‘drafting’ (where you tuck in behind someone else’s bike and get drawn along in their wake, saving energy). It may look a little scary, but when a sympathetic middle-aged man tried to coach me to do it in the last 15 miles, I could feel a big difference. I’ll have to try practising this!
And there I was, content to just make it round in one piece beforehand…
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Topics: Events, Fitness, Home | 1 Comment »
May 31st, 2010 at 2:30 am
I really had fun reading the article above. I’ve always wanted to go biking ever since, but unfortunately, I don’t know how. I can still remember practicing how to ride a bike with all the help from my friends but to no avail.
SO for now, I’m just contented with reading posts on people who are into fitness especially through cycling/biking.