River Loch & Glens 200Km 13 April 2014

[Ironman]

River Loch & Glens 200Km 13 April 2014

 

Forecast was not great for this, high winds, driving rain & cold weather. It did not disappoint.

Relaxing cycle down to Gourock for the 08.00 o’clock start got there in time for a cup of coffee before the start. There were around 35 starts. We set off with a brisk pace due to the tall wind that soon changes as we crossed the Erskine Bridge. It was up through Glen Fruin and onto Arrochar to first check point 10.55. Roll & tuna washed down with a Can of ginger bear for me. Then of to Strachur. Strachur was were the fun started rain, wind hills and more rain, I was going well so did not mind you pays your money and go for it. Strachur to Tiganabruich via Ardlamont point (15.10) at the Ardlamont check point. Tiganabruich for more food top up then over to McInroys Point for ferry to Gourock timed it niece, short run to the finish (18.00). Cup of coffee we chat with the finishers so far, the ride home with tail wind & in the house for (20.00). 161 miles in the bag gps says 10111 feet of assent. Legs felt like it.

 

Campbell

 

Ps GrahamF how did you get on?

[GrahamF]

Good to read Campbell's post, I also cycled to the start for 08:00, and set off having in mind to keep with a bunch at least for the headwind section from the Erskine Bridge to Dumbarton. I held on to Campbell's group until about Balloch when the undulations on the A82 had me thinking about the approaching Glen Fruin and the hills beyond and I decided to save some energy for later. There was a vicious cross wind when coming down from Glen Fruin on the military road, but going up Long Long to Arochar it was behind me and could cruise along with minimal effort, By 11:50 I was in a cafe in Arochar in the company of about a dozen other cyclist enjoying a coffee and a caramel slice. From there it was over the Rest And Be Thankful and on into a headwind to Strachur. I'm not sure when the rain started, but by the time I went into the cafe in Strachur (13:40) I was soaked and the cafe floor was like an ice-rink as the rain dripped off the cyclists already there. The cafe was somewhat overrun with all the extra business and ran out of soup shortly after I arrived, but I just had coffee and cake before heading off on what turned out to be the toughest section of the course to Ardlamont. This must have been at the peak of the storm with strong headwind and driving rain as far as Otter Ferry, but after that the wind eased and there was even the occasional sun! I was at the Ardlamont checkpoint at 17:10 and looked forward to a tailwind back to Dunoon, but in the way of these things after the worst of the weather the wind seemed to both drop and veer to the north so it wasn't much help through Tighnabruaich or up to Loch Tarzan, though after that it was a fast and easy run down to catch the ferry. I got to Hunter's Quay just after the 19:30 ferry had left, so had a few minutes to wait for the 20:00 one, There ended up being 5 of us on the ferry, 3 of whom had only a minute or so to spare. From the ferry there was just a couple of miles to the finish point where refreshments were waiting for us.

 

Overall it was a good run made more challenging be the weather, but it didn't rain all the time and sometimes it was a favourable wind! My GPS tells a different story from Campbell's as I recorded 143 miles and 11,832 ft, the mileage may be accounted for by different start and end points I don't think that can explain 1,700 ft difference in assent.

 

Graham.