David and Goliath .....

Training weekend No 3

Saturday

In fear that Heidi may divorce me as her mummy if her third birthday party was anything less than organised, training was limited to a very quick, solo, 15 miles in misty conditions on the Black Isle.


Sunday

Looking out of my bedroom window i wonder if the weather is going to hold .....  As i drive to Beauly to meet Richard i wonder if i should suggest going a different route to the one we'd planned just in case we end up with the wintery conditions we've been forcasted, i decide to remain half full, think positively and keep quiet.

9am of we go .....

The planned route was Beauly, Inverness, along Loch Ness to Drumnadrochit, Culnakirk and back to Beauly. An estiamted 42 miles

From Beauly to Inverness the roads were nice and peaceful, it was a bit drizzly and there was quite a bit of surface water but generally ok. My new saddle seems nice and comfy but still dont have my new mud guards fitted so i have a bit of a wet bum. Once we reach Inverness we nip up through the old hospital and then stop for a quick break, heading out on our route to Drum the drizzle turns quickly to light rain, then all of a sudden we seem to bypass medium rain and go straight to really cold wet heavy rain. The next eight miles were fast and furious, it woud have been nice to take in the beautiful scenery as we passed along the side of Loch Ness but all my concentraion went on pushing and pulling the pedals.

We stopped at the Clansman Hotel, i was just so wet. When i got of my bike i felt like i'd doubled my body weight. I took of my waterproof gloves and rung them out !!! Waterproof my eye !! My feet felt like mush and made a really attractive squelching noise as i moved, anyway after a wee joke with Richard of we went again along the road to Drum. We hadnt planned to stop in Drum but after another four miles i could hardly feel my fingers, i was struggling to change gears and pull on my breaks so suggested we drop into mum and dads church to try and warm up. The timing was impecable, the service had almost finished and it was coffee time.

Rewind a couple of weeks - I had a conversation with Richard about how to keep my toes warmer. He suggested carrier bags inside my trainers, i have to say, i was thinking there must be something a bit more fashionable than that. Isn't it funny how your priorities change ????

Before leaving the church Mum managed to find me two food bags and a pair of dads old socks which he just happened to have in his car. I'd never been less bothered about fashion in my life !!  Food bags are the fashion item of the year if you ask me ! Satchel bags and skinny jeans are so 2010 ! After two black coffees and considerably drier feet i'm feeling a bit more psyched to take on the last leg of the ride. Just before we leave a lady in the church hall tells me how she was telling the story of David and Goliath in Sunday school today .....somehow it felt appropriate to tell me that.

As we approach the Goliath of a hill, Culnakirk, the heavy rain turns to sleet. In the past i have watched many cyclists struggle up  this hill and today i was no acception. I dont know what it is in terms of gradient, height or distance, all i know is its really really steep and it feels never ending. I had to get of my bike twice and walk as the sleet turned to heavy snow ........................

By this point i'm feeling a bit miserable but trying to keep smiling, the snow is falling really heavily, we're leaving tyre tracks on the roads, its slushy, i'm getting irritated by the snow in my eyes and i'm starting to feel like a right moaning minnie (sorry Richard ). Two miles from my mums, my fingers go again this time worse than before, i couldn't even bend them enough to change into a low gear to climb the last hill so for the sake of safety we cut our ride short by seven miles and finish at my mum and dads house.  After some hot soup and a defrosting in front of the fire we start to feel human again. A very cold and wintery 35 miles ................

That afternoon the so called waterproof gloves were returned to TISO and were replaced by some new seal skin ones. Finger crossed these work a bit better.