Trans Alba 2022
So here we are, two years later than planned because of the Pandemic but back in beautiful Scotland to race the Trans Alba 2.
We were unsure if the race would go ahead this year due to race director Chris Greenan having sponsors pull out, but along with Jack Driver and a few handy helpers they managed to outdo themselves again and this year even booked us in some sun! Thank you to all those involved.
Caven O’Hara and I had decided to do the TA again for a second time as a pair as it went clockwise this time with a change to the Scottish boarder areas of the route. Billed as 1080 miles with +75500 feet of climbing was going to be a challenge in anyone’s book and we wanted to complete in a shorter time than the inaugural attempt at 6 days and 20 hours. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/30978547
This year’s race started at the Scottish Parliament Building, Edinburgh (2019’s finish) with a 05:30 meet for a sharp 06:00 start. 25 hardy riders turned up for their adventure, numbers dropping rapidly leading up to the race from 120 due to covid and other issues/reasons. Chris led us out of Edinburgh and let us loose around 20 miles later.
We headed out along the coast and then East towards Dans where the route looped back towards Edinburgh and then down to Eskdalemuir via Innerleithen. We had arranged to meet a mate of ours, Maciek, for lunch but due to a slip of the back wheel going over a ford, Cav had come off and we were a little bit behind schedule. After food it was slow going with the terrain and wind and at 156 miles we decided to book into a hostel at Moffat and rest up for the day, around 50 miles short of the end goal of Livingston. It was a lumpy day with 10,974 feet of climbing and it would be good to get some hot food and a decent night’s sleep ahead of a bigger day tomorrow.
Day 2 we managed to get going just before 7am but it was tough from the off with the bumpy roads, a strong headwind and a 6-mile climb at the beginning. We reached Livingston 5 hours later covering just 56 miles when Cav said he couldn’t ride anymore due to the pain in his wrist and being able to hold the handlebars.
This was a devastating blow! What with us being a pair, so we had a discussion about whether I should carry on as this wasn’t the plan, but we were down the latter end of the field now (in 18/19th position) and if we were carrying on after lunch, we’d be having this same conversation later that night. Cav was happy for me to continue (gutted, although positive) and we said our goodbyes and I left him at the side of the road. He was going to get the train back to Edinburgh. That day ended with me covering off 145 miles and 9,810 feet of climbing.
Day 3 and with new invigoration I got my head into race mode and pushed hard. I’d had many (many!) thoughts on whether what I was doing was right and after a hotel stop it seemed right that I should at least have a crack at it now that I was here. I was on the road by 05:30 and covered off 161 miles, 10,745 feet of climbing and moved up into 9th overall. This included the first ferry crossing at Oban and the ride across Mull to Tobermory for the nights stop at the hostel. It was a hard wet 20-mile ride at the end of the day.
On Day 4 the first ferry crossing was 07:20 so this denoted what time I was starting and although I knew there were other riders on the island, like Simon and Gary who were staying in the same hostel, there were five of us at the ferry port to get the first one over to Kilchoan. Riders I had past the previous day had caught up. It was blowing a hooley and raining nicely. The crossing was rough, and I felt it once we had landed the other side.
It was 57 lumpy wet miles to the next ferry at Mallaig and I wanted to see if I could get the midday ferry and leave the other four riders waiting for the next one, giving me 4 hours to get there. I pushed hard and but unfortunately missed it by 3 minutes so had a forced rest for an hour where I was trying to keep warm whilst the others battled their way across. I got the 13:00 ferry alone with one rider narrowly missing out, . I was pleased with that. I was now technically in 6th. On the move again, this time it was up through Skye, over the bridge and onto Bealach Na Bae, the race’s highest (and my favourite) climb.
I have ridden this before but not in this weather like this. I was excited to be going there and a big meal beforehand helped me drag myself up. Nothing comparable to the standards of the Alpes or Pyrenees, but for the UK at 11.1 miles for the whole pass across the Applecross Peninsula in the highlands of Scotland, it was always going to be epic! No PB’s were set that day but I crested via the Devils elbow into a thick fog with the rain hammering down. There was no other traffic, and, on the descent, I wondered if I would ever be able to get warm again. Luckily my hostel was in Applecross and I made it to the end point around 20:00. 122miles, 2 ferry crossing and another 10,358 feet of climbing done!
Looking at the tracker on Day 5 I could see that a couple of riders had continued past me so I was back to 7th, this was annoying so I decided to have a big push today to see if I could get a gap again and secure a top 5 with the leading riders being just out of reach. I left at 05:30am and rode strong out to the NC500 loop towards Durness, the most northern point of the race via Ullapool.
I passed both riders and set my sights on the 60 mile long uphill drag of the coast to Durness. There was a slight tailwind at times and when the rain abetted, I went ‘full gas’. I reached the hostel just after 19:00 and crashed for the night covering 186 miles and 14,131 feet of climbing. Believe or not later that night the two riders turned up at the same hostel, so it was mind games from then on as to when we were getting up to start the next day.
We got up at the same time and day 6 started at 04:20am with a savage headwind for 65 miles down to the Creag Riabhach Wind Farm via Tongue. I had put a concerted effort in at the beginning and this would be the last I’d see of both riders. Heading South via Dingwall and Inverness it started to feel like the end was within reach and I headed for Tomintoul, a hostel in the Cairngorms National Park and the highest village in the Scottish Highlands, where I had a bed booked. I arrived feeling somewhat tired at around 19:30 with 177 miles ridden and another 10k,459 feet day of climbing.
I knew that I only had another 120 miles to go to the finish but the thought of covering this off with a through the night ride wasn’t worth the pain. I had put over 25 miles into the other pair and they were slowing so I got an early night and set my alarm for a 03:00 wake up.
This was not the case, due to a large gathering in the village and some type of motorbike rally it was busier than usual and a commotion in the YH woke me at around 01.45. I was awake so thought I might as well get up after seeing where the other two were (only 10 miles behind!) They both had bivvies so I presumed they had crashed where they could so I needed to get on. I started the day in the dark at 02.50 and headed up and over The Lecht, the first ski resort climb and then towards Braemer to the Glenshee Ski Resort and apparently the coldest place in Scotland! It was certainly chilly at that time of the morning, and I rode for over 5 hours before I saw my first moving vehicle.
I was now certain with the run down the climbs and the speed I had done, I was safely going to keep my position as I pushed onto Perth, Cowdenbeath and then the finish located just over the Forth Road Bridge at South Queensferry in Edinburgh.
I eventually came in on 6 Days 8 hours, in 5th, covering 1069 miles and 75,017ft of climbing.
Job done and officially the only nutter to complete this race twice!