The bike course took us from Edinburgh to Glen Coe, essentially a coast to coast bike ride of 110 miles.  The first part of the course took us across cobble stones for a couple of hundred metres, my respect instantly went through the roof for the Paris-Roubaix riders.  I felt like parts of my bike were going to fall off.

Then over the iconic Forth Road Bridge, it was a little windy going across but it was amazing, the views were fantastic as the weather was being kind.  The ride then took us past Glen Eagles golf club, it looked stunning and I made a pledge to myself to play there when my skill with a club resembles golf rather than hockey.

As I rode past I got talking to a couple of other riders and told them my plans, they said they couldn't think of anything more boring.  Yet here they were staring at their front wheels for the next 5 hours without looking up to see the views around them.  I was there to 'enjoy' the experience rather than miss it all for the sake of going 10 minutes quicker.

The first rest stop was only a couple of miles down the road in the Glen Eagles Riding School, the toilet block was very plush but about 300m away from the bike parking.  I'll be missing that stop out this year.  The next 30 miles took me past a beautiful loch, that seemed to go on forever.  

We forget the immensity of Scotland when we live in the Midlands.  I was glad of the view though and it provided the only flat part of the course really.  Up hill is a major part of the route profile.

Due to the issues I described yesterday, I really hadn't put enough time in on the bike and coming up to the 60 mile mark I was really in need of a break and some support.  I got to the check point and could see my truck but couldn't find my support team, they had forgot it was all about me and had gone to get some food :)

My bottom lip was quivering when I found them chilling out next to the waterfront with a bacon sandwich, to be fair they had been up for over 8 hours and it wasn't even 1pm.  I had apparently gone much quicker on that section than expected.  The girls hadn't got there early enough to see Colin so I told them to head straight to the Run transition because he was a much faster cyclist than me and would need some friendly faces.  They drove past the 80 mile mark where he was taking a much needed rest (oooppps).

I topped up my fluids and grabbed some more snacks, had a few minutes rest then headed off.  The next 20 miles included the first steep climbing section.  The hills up to this point were just long drags of a few miles long but nothing major.

The longest I had ridden was 76 miles and I was about to top this going up hill :)

So far the weather had been kind, just a light breeze and some warmth from the sun.  On the hill up to the 80 mile rest stop, the heavens opened, I had to stop my bike to get my waterproof jacket out.  The wind also picked up making it more difficult to keep moving forward and handle the bike.  

I got to the 80 mile check point and grabbed some more food and topped up my water and got chatting to a couple of other riders; apparently the last 30 miles was the toughest on any course but this one had some massive long and steep climbs on.  I didn't actually feel as bad as I thought I would so headed off, straight out of the rest stop was a ridiculous hill.  I regretted not taking more of a break.

I put my head down and got on with it and actually overtook a few riders.  The weather eased off as I started the descent down the other side, I caught up with another rider and had a chat about they hill we could see in the distance.  He reminded me that it was a race and I shouldn't really be on the brakes to hold his pace for a chat.  I still hadn't got the hint :)

The hills were horrid, the pain you have in your legs is immense but numbed by the pain you have from sitting on a saddle for 7 hours.  Just not pleasant. 

The ride headed across Rannoch Moor and the sun came back out, unfortunately the wind picked up and it made what I thought was going to be an easier section one of the hardest, a couple of flash hail storms that stung my face and legs made the experience even more enjoyable.

I had kept my jacket on and realised the difference between an expensive jacket and a cheap one pretending to be technical.  Puddles of my sweat had built up in my sleeves, it obviously wasn't as breathable as the manufacturers had claimed.

The final part of the ride was downhill for 12 miles, a point at which Colin and I had discussed the nice cruise down into Glen Coe and how beautiful it would be.  We discussed how we would be able to eat and take on fluids as the gradients rolled us on to our destination.

It was nothing like that at all.  I was riding in to a strong headwind and whenever I stopped pedalling I slowed down about 5 mies per hour.  Remember that is going downhill and slowing down because of the wind.

Riding in to transition I felt tired and a bit nauseous, speaking to Fran as I got changed I realised that I hadn't taken on any energy or fluids for nearly 2 hours because the wind was so strong I just didn't think about it.

My legs and bum were killing me and I still had a trail marathon to run.

I'll write about that tomorrow with details of my dark thoughts and the Sylvester moment.

Darren 'considering intimate waxing' Checkley