I had heard of people doing this and other MTB Events like Strathpuffer and Relentless, but I'd never thought to enter. Not long after signing up for the Selkirk double header I recieved a PM on Facebook from another friend saying "I've just signed a team up for 10 Under the Ben, but I expect one of the guys to wuss out, want to be our reserve". So not long after that there was me showing on the Solo entries list.
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That seemed so long ago as with legs in a still not totally happy with them state I set off late morning for Nevis Range, the temperature was "roasting" on the East Coast and as I headed into the central highlands it increased to "biling", but Fort William and Aonach Mohr are West Coast, surely it would cool down once I'm at Loch Laggan. It only got worse as I checked into the camping pod I had booked at Bunroy, the mercury had now passed the "not funny anymore" reading .
With plenty of time to spend before registation opened I dug out the bike and set off to find the trails, which I did reasonably sucessfully with only a couple of misreadings of the road.
This showed the route to be reasonably tough due to 500m of climbing and a few bits of single track that would be pushing me a bit, and a small bit that was basically just driven through a bit of moorland and was very rough towards the end. Oh yeah and did I mention that 500m of climbing? well the last 1/3rd of the lap involved a very loose and very long climb before plunging back to the car park.
Back at the car park I waited, sent a text message, waited, went for a wander, waited some more and then got a text message telling me the temperature in Ballater was rather warm. So I registered, got given a different board number from chip number (confusing eh?) and then I finally heard the right Diesel Ranger Rover engine approaching, followed by me running after Al as they headed for the far side car park.
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| Top of the Nevis Range Down Hill course |
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| Still snow around despite high temperatures |
Temperatures were still in the "biling" territory overnight and "race" day dawned bright, dry and exothermic, of course it started off reasonably cool at half 8 so I threw on a hot weather base layer and road jersey for the start. Although you must understand, reasonably cool is relative only to temperatures of the day and not the Scottish average. Despite that somehow on the hillsides remained patches of snow, it must have still been well above Zero up there.
The Le Mans style start was replaced with a rolling start behind the marshalls on trail bikes, I had stayed right back because really there is no rush, there's 10 hours to get the laps in after all.
Although in saying that I was soon making my way through gaps in the pack, this first lap missed out a couple of sections so made it slighty shorter but at one poiunt everyone went straight on over a bit of tape when the rest of the day loop went sharply up a bit of single track, not realising this I took the tough single track and discovered I had jumped fair few more places, oh well...
There was also a short cut avoiding a bit of more teccy single track that wouldn't have stood up to the number of people and this did come as a surprise as it involved a rapid descent on a gravel path, which is when I remembered I had intended changing my rear pads.
As I clung on down this descent and being surprised at how few people were passing me on it I started to hear the sound of a DJ, back at the car park aleady? No can't be it's further than that, as I got closer I heard it again before discovering DJ Skimbo and the Dancing woman were set up at a junction near the old road up from Torlundy! This proved to be brilliant in later laps as you plunged through the forest you would get a quick burst of sound in the distance at the end of a board walk section before being muffled by the trees, for the next couple of KM before the sound arrived again before quickly, moderately or slowly (depends how knackered you are) being muffled again by the trees.
The old road climb didn't last long before being directed into the woods, along a rooty path and then a grass track banking, I managed to hang on, on this a couple of times but either due to others approaching fast or just plain knackeredness I walked it more than I rode it, also the bombhole back onto a path I discovered on my Recce was in danger of throwing me over the bars if I didn't suddenly find some skill.
Another short blast upwards on the path then a plunging and rising blast through trees before the first river crossing, unfortuantely it's not a proper ford so there was carpet down and I wasn't comfortable riding it, onto the grass the other side I eventually realised it could be walked just as quickly as I could cycle it before the next river crossing, this had a grate down but a very steep bank in so I walked this also, in the temperatures of the day the wet feet were very welcome!
After this there was a narow tricky section before crossing the main straight and heading uphill on a loose trail before a small plunge and another path climb which turned into a fire road climb, all the way up to the "puggy line" and more climbing before a wee respite down to a fire road and... yes you guessed it more climbing. This however was the last climb, a marshals post indicated a change onto a bit of single track that became battered into the landscape throughout the day, it was bumpy, wood strewen and absolutely brilliant as the day went on and I got more comfortable with it.
This then put us on the fire roads again for a wee bump and then a rapid plunge down to the Nevis Range car park, under the downhill track and into the transition area.
An absolutely brilliant route I thought, tough climbing (and a fair bit of walking as the legs slowly ran out of energy).
Excellent event over all too, although some were going for the win, others to push themselves and see what they could do and many were just out to enjoy themselves.
No only DJ Skimbo but the marshals cheering you on, other riders almost falling of their bikes when you say how many laps you have done (assuming it's more than them of course), not being the only one wearing a Retro road jersey (I spotted Motorola, LA View Clair and a few others as well as my Team Z)
The final plunge was brilliant, I had aimed for 5 laps but I had time for a 6th, the temperatures seemed to be showing no sign of abaiting, and I had disposed of my base layer 2/3rds of the way into the first lap and had been wishing I had worn a full length Zip from somepoint in what was possibly the 3rd lap. That 6th lap was the worst, it was hot, I was hot, I was caked in the dust that stuck to suncream, I was short of energy, I was low on hydration, but I had been passing others standing at the side of the trails, heads on the bars in pain with cramp (So glad I had put the electrolyte tabs I had got in some CRC High5 packs I had got the previous day, as I had thought I would only need carbs (oh and that I can carry 2 bottles on the Zaskar)) as I went through the tunnel I wished the kids with the super soakers hadn't only been there for the first 2 laps offering a quick blast of cold water to everyone, I dismounted before the mats as required by the timing guy (oddly same guy and main chip system as Muckmedden but different approach) and walked over, absolutely shattered.
Some guy was standing there shaking my hand, asking questions, like Solo? How Many Laps? Here's your Whisky... I was too knackered to realise it was the organiser who has done the race breifing in the morning!
So... Anyone for Relentless 24 in a Quad?
MTB Traces:
To lunch: http://ridewithgps.com/trips/671993
After lunch: http://ridewithgps.com/trips/671991
Stats:
Laps: 6
Position: Midfieldish
Official Time: 10hrs 9mins 17seconds
Computer Stats:
7hrs 54mins 45seconds of front wheel rotational motion.
(You can work out how long I stopped moving for yourself!)
12.7kmh Average
100.43km
46kmh top speed
That the first 2 in the Solos did 11 laps amazes me, the winning team of 4 managed 12 laps, and they only had to do 3 laps each.
As for my friend's team, well the quads field is quite small, and they were an interesting mix of fitness levels and ability to cope with the conditions, but they entered for the fun of taking part, and most importantly of all, cooked my lunch for me, so they had better do it next year :-)
Epilogue:
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| The Meta at the top of the Laggan Lower Red |
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| High Jinx at Laggan |
It was once again Exothermic, and I headed home mid-afternoon, it's just starting to cool down now. Thank Feck.
