Monthly Archives: August 2010

In and Out quicker than thought

Matt and I decided to go for a walk into the hills.  Matt has recently come around to the idea that ‘fast and light’ is the way forward.  After melting his bank card on the Internet h has a load of new equipment that he wanted to try.  We rode from the Linn of Dee and in the hills.

 

We rode up to the Derry Lodge and a little further and hid the bikes in the heather and then continued by foot for the rest.  We got up to the Luibeg Burn and turned North to take us up to Ben Macdui below is the route up the valley then

up the Sron Riach ridge and onto the Plateau.  But that is where it all went a bit wrong.  Something I had eaten had made my stomach very unhappy with me and made its annoyance well known.  I will spare you the details but it was more than a simple case of the shits.  We decided that carrying on and staying out over night far from the car would not be a wise idea.  So we retreated back.

Me on the way out.  I rode my cyclocross bike in.  Quite enjoyed it as it was very fast on the access road and I evilly enjoyed listeneing to Matt huff and puff keeping up with me on his big wide mtb tyres!  Although he got his own back when it rough and went whizzing past me.

The day was not lost though, like any true explorers we went home and Matt put up his tent for the first time in the back garden, and used his new stove in the kitchen to make himself a brew!  Who said our adventure was dead!

Baby Brain?

So it has started.  Lara tried to swipe her credt card in the gym entry system yesterday…..

I will make sure I keep you all updated future baby brain moments! tee hee hee I am a bad husband!

Climbing at the Graip

Lara wanted to go out and do some climbing on Sunday.  Fair enough, and my legs were sore from the previous days race/cramp.  We decided with Matt and Emma that we would meet and climb at the Graip which is half an hour North of Aberdeen.  We met up with them and Scott and Anna and her two dogs at the car park and walked along the coast.

The crag is the right hand side bit of rock jutting out into the sea.  We got there and set up the abseil rope playing the normal ‘paper scissor stones’ with Matt to see who went first.  Matt did.  Once at the bottom (at a controlled speed) we got our stuff sorted and laughed at Anna’s mental dogs running around everywhere.  This is Diesel

He is lovely and was great fun to have around, Anna’s other dog ‘Isla’ is mental and was too quick to photograph!  It started to rain so we set about bouldering on the sheltered rocks and waited for the shower to pass – which it did and Chris led Elbow Groove.  The clouds were forming a rather dark ominous dark shade and we all though it was best to try and get up this route before the heavens opened.

Above is Lara seconding Chris.  As Matt went up it the heavens opened.  Climbing was over for the day.  Even though we did not climb much (which suited me as I was knackered) it was still a lovely day next to the sea laughing at Anna’s dogs!  We all got a good soaking on the way back to the cars.

MTB racing with demons

Saturday was destined to be a lovely day.  The weather forecast was good with sunshine and little wind.  I had entered “Ten more at Moray”.  A ten hour mountain bike endurance race.  I had entered the solo category.  Basically in a nutshell, ride around a course as many times as you can and as fast as you can in ten hours.

My loving supportive wife had come along to support me, she set up her mat on the floor next to the transition area with her books and my boxes of food and spares.  The course was roughly 17km long with around 350m of climbing per lap.  At 9:30 it was off time, around 300 bikers all huddled up sprinted for the single track at the bottom of the field leaving a large bottle neck.  I was in no rush as I was solo.  A lot of the people do it as a team of 2/3/4 and do it in a relay style.  So go for hell for leather for a lap then rest while their team mates go and do a lap then repeat.

The first few laps went past no issues, the track was great, fast, flowing and fun.  This was going to be great fun – but it was rather hot!  Most of the track was in the forest sheltered from any wind and the thermometer was tipping over 20’s.  My thoughts started to think towards keeping hydrated.  Knowing how much I sweat, I thought I had better take precaution.  Every lap I made sure I drank my entire water bottle which was filled each lap with different liquids for interest.

Lap 3 and 4 went past no issues.  Laps were taking me in the region of just over an hour.  Lap five was where things started to get interesting. 

 

I was so hung up on drinking loads that I had neglected my eating.  Then came a sugar low.  Now those of you who have had it will know what it is like – not very nice!  it becomes a mental game, the demons start to appear in the mind.  “you are done”  “there is nothing left” “it hurts, it really hurts”  SHUT UP SHUT UP ALL OF YOU!!!  I pulled over and rummaged in my rear jersey pockets for food.  I inhaled all I had which was a zip tie bag of cheese and dried meats ( how very french of me I thought), a load of jelly babies, a cheese and ham sandwich and two power gels.  I climbed back onto the bike and carried on, still had about 1/2 the lap to go.  It was hard, head hung low, mind is only thinking negative thoughts.  It is really hard to not just stop there and sit down for a bit.

I managed to finish the lap and got back to the transition period where Lara was peacefully reading and lounging in the sun.  Demons again started up ” give up, go join the wife”  “you are empty nothing left”  refusing to listen as I know this race is a lot about mental ability rather than physical, I though if i can just get myself outside the timing area then I am committed, off I went.

The food I had eaten was about thirty minutes inside and my sugar levels were starting to rise and so were my spirits.  But it was to be one of those days, next came the cramp.  I was so preoccupied with beating the demons that I had forgotten to drink and had become dehydrated in the heat.  I have had a lot of experience with some pretty horrendous cramping incidents racing (Sabah in Malaysia in particular) and knew that the situation can escalate into something really painful if I was not careful.  I had been on the go for six hours now and was desperate to carry on but knew that in an hour or so I would not be able to ride my bike due to cramping.  So reluctantly on completing my 6th lap I admitted defeat.  Head hung low, I walked back over to the timing tent and handed back my timing chip prematurely.  The guy said ” good effort lad, you were 9th out of the 80 odd solo entrants”  twist the knife why don’t you mate!!!

It was just going to be one of those days, a good learning experience,  I really enjoyed the 100km I did, had some good chat with other racers, saw some old friends and learnt from it.  Another learning that I really perform best in the cold on the longer distances.

Bitten Belay Bitch

Mt Inglis needed an idiot to go and help him work a route he is trying at Cambus O’May quarry.  I had nothing better to do.  He failed to add a few bits of vital information……  IT IS FULL OF MIDGES!!!!!!!!

thank god I for some reason packed a midgy net in my bag last week and had not taken it out.  Thankfully the nidges were biting Andy as he climbed – so we didn’t last too long.  God bless the “Scottish Air Force”

Afterthought arete – Stag Rocks

With our successful climb on fingers ridge under our belts, Lara and I were both keen to try and get another mountain route in before the baby bump is too big and climbing comes a no go zone.  So looking for more classic easy mountain lines we chose ‘Afterthought Arete’ A 150m Mod on Stag Rock next to Loch Avon in the Cairngorms.  Matt and Emma were keen as well so we headed off to Aviemore on Saturday night.  Poor Scott looked sad to be left behind but ‘sicknote’ (as he is now called until he is fixed) was in no state to come climbing.

We met M&E for a few pints in Aviemore before we drove up to the ski station to sleep in the car park and hit the sleeping bags for a good day the next day – and it was to be a good day!

So up and out, managed a fast walk in to Sneachda and up goat track gully we went.  I had never been up on the Cairngorm platform properly in the summer, I had only been up there in winter when it was white outs after climbing or on skies in awesome blue bird days.  Was great to see what was under the snow.

As we walked down into The Loch Avon basin, I was amazed at how pretty it was, have ski’ed past it a few times in the winter, but in the summer it was very impressive lovely to be in.  We traversed around the bottom of the Crag and got to the bottom of the route. 

 Lara and I were to climb first and M&E after us,  It was to be Emma’s first trad multi pitch route so there were a few demons in her head to contend with at the bottom. 

The lower climbing was a Little stiff i thought for the grade, it is supposed to be a complete walk, but the guide book does warn the direct start is harder and I think i went up this unknowingly.  Emma followed up after me confirming that it was not just me!  Thank god!

Lara at the First belay.  From here the arete was brilliant climbing, nothing hard, but enough exposure to focus the mind

From here on up the climbing was easy and was again lovely to be climbing in the mountains in great weather.  I even think I got a bit of a watch tan!  We had another 3 pitches to the top which pasted with no difficulty and some lovely climbing,  a few moments of self dialogue to keep me going when I was unsure and my mind started the ‘What if’s’.

Once at the top it was time to don the mighty rucksack once again (remember Lara is pregnant so is not allowed to carry anything – a very lucky thing for her!).  We walked back across the plateau and down the Coire Cas ridge back to the van.  A great day out, lovely weather and climbing.  Emma did great for her first multi pitch trad route and is eager for more!

Westside!

Sitting at work on Friday morning, I decided I wanted to have a go at what I call real mountain biking.  The hint is in the title.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the man made centres, they give awesome bang for the buck and they do exactly what it says on the tin.  But, they do lack a certain raw feeling of proper mountain biking in the mountains.

I had recently read a bike forum of a guy who had been up Ben Lomond.  It is the most southerly Munro and is 974m (3196ft in old money) tall and lies in the Trussachs National Park.  Wondering who I could convince to come riding with me than no other than Scott rings me saying he is back from offshore.  Told him to pack his bags and come and pick me up from work as we have some biking to do!

Three and a half hours later we are in the car park of Ben Lomond, it was 6pm and we got changed and started to make our way up quick smart.  The route was up and down the main walkers route,  we had arrived late on purpose as this path can be very busy with walkers and it is best to ride it early or late to miss scary the  bejesus out of walkers and have them wave their walking sticks and throwing their map carriers at you as you hurtle past them.

The cloud level was slightly rising as we climbed up, but I think we were climbing too fast (yeah right) and by the time we got to the top we were well in the cloud. 

 It was a true Scottish summit, IE couldn’t see jack!  But still managed to get the now classic ‘hero mtber on top of moutnain bike over head’ picture.

Soon the stupid rain came.  Oh well, what can one do – apart from slip slide down the hill.

The descent is mental!  Up there with some of the best I have done in the UK, Big rock fest made that little bit more interesting with the wet rock.

The inevitable happened and one of us got a puncture.  Thankfully it was Scott (nasty friend I am).  A little further down I think Scott was starting to get tired.  The poor sod had been offshore for 3 weeks, and he had been on night shift for the last week!  He had a momentary lack of concentration and got thrown over his handle bars.  Made a small yelp and got up straight away and swore loudly in a way only a true Scotsman in pain could.  It was obvious it was more than a small knock.  Poor bugger then limped his way down the hill, he did it 3/4 of the way down so wasn’t too bad.

He braved on through some pretty miserable weather to get down. 

 I was still having a great time and loving the route, but a little conscious of poor sick note behind so didn’t go too far in front so that I couldn’t see him.  We got down alright.  Got changed quickly as it was a midge fest and drove to find the nearest pub that would feed us.  We found one that even did pizza.  Three weeks offshore, night shift, biking a Munro form sea level and having a huge crash meant that Scott was going cross eyed after half a pint and was looking at me in a way that made me feel unconfortable.  Time for bed – alone!

Woke up the next morning and it was clear that scott was not going to ride today and that he probably should go to hospital and get it check out.  Back to aberdeen A&E and straight through!  he came out with a nurse looking at him like he was glue sniffer ” biking up a Munro at 8pm on a Friday night?!?!?!?!?”and a diagnose of just deep tissue bruising.  a couple of days of icing and anti inflammatories and he should be fixed to come out biking again!  He can’t wait!