Friday 10 April 2009

The Sheildaig Effect

Today's ride (boiled down to stats and some terse ramblings because I'm too knackered to focus on a monitor)

Time: 4h 18m
Distance: 77.7 km
Average HR: 149bpm
Average speed: 18.1km/h
Height gain: 980m
Calories: 2834

Jaysus! How many calories?!


On paper this looked like an easy 5 hours over around 50 miles with little climbing. However the climbing was very deceptive. No big climbs but a murderous and seemingly never-ending series of short hills; what is known as the Sheildaig Effect, for the undulating road from Applecross to Sheildaig. The cumulative effect is physically and psychologically draining, particularly since the second half of today's ride is an out-and-back along the Great Glen Way beside Loch Lochy. The return is into the wind. Then it starts fecking raining. Again. My mood is black and I'm cursing all the extra weight I'm having to lug around to facilitate 5" of utterly superfluous suspension travel

On the upside, I did see a pine marten. And the gorse is in bloom. And the curlews are here. In fact, were it not for the awful bloody weather, you could be forgiven for thinking that Spring is here.

That'll do for today. I'm starving and must eat. So far I've had my dinner and anything else I can find that isn't nailed down; 3 cheese & onion toasties, bananas, crunchies, chocolate biscuits. If the cat's not quick it might be going to bed without its supper.

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