Stats: Miles 97.13, time in the saddle 7 hours 1 mins, ave speed 13.9 mph, calories 5294, climbing 4413 feet.
What a difference a day makes! Argyle and Bute had her best frock on today and she looked beautiful in the sunshine! I lost count of how many times we came round a corner and I became slack jawed at the magnificent vistas all around us usually containing lochs, mountains and trees!
It all started out so differently though as we cocked about to Olympic standards getting ready for the off this morning. Despite Dec being up from sometime before 6 and me just before 7 we managed somehow not to get out on the road until after 9am. At this rate by day 10 it'll be the afternoon before we get started! I think the fact that we could here the drumming of the rain on the window and the knowledge that the rain was to stop around 10 played some part.
The hotel was as bad as we expected for breakfast but we managed to get some porridge, toast and tea down, don all the rain gear and off back into the A82 for the 48 miles to Oban. Helping me get through the early part of the day for the second day running was the seemingly inescapable ear worm that's been bothering/helping me. Why I don't know, but Automatic by the Pointer Sister once again joined me for most of the morning! I'm sure a psychologist would have a field day!
Ploughing on along a quiet busy A82 the first sign that today would be better than yesterday came at Ornich when just as we turned the corner to see the Loch and the mountains in the background, the sun came out and all seemed right with the world. We stopped just to take it all in and it would be the first of many moments throughout the course of the day.
The sun came in and out for the next hour or so as we went over the Ballachulish bridge ( more stopping for videos and photos) and joined the A828 climbing up to the viewpoint at Castle Stalker at 25 miles looked liked the perfect place to stop for mid morning munchies and a fabulous home made cheese scone with smoked salmon and cream cheese was down the hatch! Castle Stalker itself was set on a small island in the bay and looked strangely familiar and looking at the info boards it clicked into place. Castle Aaaaarrrrgh! out of Monty Python's Holy Grail! Made me think of Mizz as it's one of her (and mine!) favourite films. It wouldn't be the first or last time I thought about Mizz, Ev and Andrea today ( or Nevis!) as it's still over a week until this thing is all done and dusted.
However the sun was now out properly and the sleeves were put into the back pockets of the jersey and on to Oban. We were both feeling a lot stronger than yesterday and cracking along at 18mph my phone rung. Not wanting to disturb the rhythm I looked at the caller and it was Caroline W from work. She knew what I was doing so guessing she needed to speak to me I had a brief conversation getting the jist that Gwen the store manager and the local press wanted to know what time we would be arriving. Telling her around 20 mins the climb into Oban was dispatched on the big ring at 14mph much to my and the traffic's astonishment! A fast decent into a bustling Oban looking glorious in the sunshine and we were half way through the day.
Gwen and the guys had done a fantastic job fundraising for the ride, having a raffle with prizes they donated themselves and a table with all the info on. Gwen had also been on to the local press and we spent 20 minutes having cake and tea speaking to the Oban Times about the ride. Photos taken outside the shop meant only 1 thing left to do....pick the raffles winners! Gwen and the Oban team raised £130 for the ride a fantastic effort!
Saying our goodbyes, there was still time for more cocking about at Tescos getting something to eat and cash for tonight's B&B's and we'd managed to spent an hour and a half in Oban......
Finally rolling out at 2.20 a big climb took us out on the A816 which would be our companion until Lochgilped. And what a companion it was! The road swooped back and forth, up and down with the climbs being really enjoyable (I know!) and the descents spectacular. Coming down the descent at Kilmelford was the best 8 minutes I think I've had on a bike! We could have been in the Alps! At the bottom I said the Dec that I wanted to turn around and go back up. I believe he replied "what you talking about Willis?" ( one for the kids there...)
As we hadn't managed to load the elevation map for the day we were a bit ubsure about what else was in store climbing wise so when we reached the bottom of the climb up to Kintraw and saw the warning 12% gradient for 2 miles sign we weren't quite expecting it! Dec pointed out that we had all these videos of us cruising along with Lochs in the background but everyone would think that it has been easy-peasy so we should have some footage of us suffering. Great idea! And it was suffering we got.... With about half a mile to go Dec thought it might be fun to inject a bit of competition into the climb so he edged past. Anyone who knows us both will know what happened next.... With lots of trash talk and amateur psychology going on the lead kept changing hands as we pushed harder and harder until I just edged him at the last bend as the vision began to blur. Stage one of KOM to me! It might have set a dangerous precedent however! From were I sat I saw it as a mountain top stage victory in the Alps on the Tour De France, viewed from the roadside I'm sure the sight of 2 middle aged men sweating profusely swearing at each other riding at about 4 mph probably wasn't so heroic!
Descending down into the valley wasn't much fun however as they had recently resurfaced the road with loose chipings so it was brave pills out and try not to think if the gravel rash if we came off. Back on the Calley floor it was a lovely flat 10 miles into Lochgilped, time for more tea and scones and the final 15 mile stretch on the A83 to Tarbert following the Loch to Tarbert where the final climb of the day lay 2 miles before the finish. Bearing in mind what had gone on 25 miles previously I was out the blocks quickly leaving Dec miles behind. With that settled I eased of for the final bit of the climb, only to see a blur over my left shoulder as he tore past me and over the top first! We'll call it a draw today!
With just the decent left into beautiful Tarbert we had completed a day I kind of had in my head when I had first started thinking about the ride, which was somewhat different to what we experienced yesterday! The demons weren't really there today and although we had done 97 miles and quite a bit of climbing, the weather, the welcome at Oban and the most amazing scenery had delivered a day I don't think I'll ever forget.
Right I need to get packed and ensure there is no cocking about tomorrow as we have an 8am ferry to catch! 90 miles tomorrow, 3 ferry's 4 TOFS. Oh dear.......
So the hotel was worse than the one you stayed at in Morecombe????
ReplyDeleteBy the way it's Conleth here