Original Source Mountain Mayhem 2010

Mountain Mayhem has been an event that we've been to once before. This blog is written from a different perspective, not from a rider but perhaps the reason why the riders make it through the 24 hours......the back room support! 

OSMM is a 24 hour race, where riders can enter in teams of 4 or 5 (mixed or all male or all female) and those who are called crazy (the soloists!).    Kath was asked to join the Cyclewise team after riding for them at 'Wild Boar 24' a few years ago in the Lakes.                                                                  

The event is held at Eastnor Castle which is a beautiful location - although I have to admit I would love to have a wander around the Castle - but not sure we're allowed that close!

The event is not just about the weekend - the preparation is key! The riders are all training hard in the months and weeks leading up to the event and it is the support team who make sure the cupboards are stocked and no one goes hungry. Kath was putting in the miles on the mountain bike and the road bike (when time was permitting around work commitments) which also involved some 'lovely' hill sessions on the local fell. I of course supported this and joined in when I could ! With the thought of bring part of the Cyclewise Team being in the back of the mind, this was motivation enough to give the men a run for their money!

The Cyclewise team got to Eastnor Castle nice and early and set up camp - enabling the 2 teams of 5 riders and the solo riders the opportunity to stay together and have a communal area to discuss team tactics, eat and relax.                                                                                                                                The area was in a good location, not far from the start/finish line and more importantly close to the showers and the massage tent !                                                                                             There are lots of stalls at the event, and it is customary to have a walk around and buy things you 'may' need but will probably never use, and there is always a place for a panic buy too!

OSMM is not just for the competitive, it is a very chilled weekend with riders enjoying the challenge of the 24 hour race. As well as Scooby Doo (below) at the mass start you see plenty of riders in fancy dress! And with around 15,000 spectators there are lots of people enjoying the atmosphere.

The Cyclewise Teams, a competitive bunch both between themselves in the team and with their rival Cyclewise Team were ready and with changeover techniques discussed, everyone headed up to the mass start to give encouragement to the first riders. The riders starting, had a 'Le Mans' style start - the bikes were lined up with the riders on foot having to run to collect them. This helped to break up the field and the first tactical battles were drawn, with the runners of the teams kicking off the race. 

Kath's first lap was late afternoon with approx 12 miles to cover each time. To ensure there is no wasted time during the changeovers, the riders give an approximate time of when they will return so each team member can be warmed up and ready. 

To try and minimise cramp and help to combat muscle soreness, the turbo trainer was set up in camp, so a warm up could be done before the lactic work started on the course. This was repeated with a warm down after each lap. 

To make things harder for themselves, some riders even did the event on unicycles!!! A very hard skill and over the terrain, a lot of practice and some nasty 'offs' in previous attempts I am sure! This unicyclist making it look easy while I was waiting for the Cyclewise Teams to come into view (as official photographer!)

At around the halfway stage, the route went through the campsite, before climbing a killer hill (especially  after a few laps!). This was a good place for the riders to get some welcome encouragement from the crowds and 'resting riders'. Encouragement is often the only thing that keeps the riders going during this tough event! 

The start of the killer hill !

The campsite became quiet not long after dark - and this is where riders wonder how they managed to get involved in this crazy endurance event. Kath had a night lap at around midnight and then as the sun was coming up. With 5 in a team, there was a bit of respite and chance for a little rest - rest was perhaps the word rather than sleep as we were always waiting for the alarm to go, which signalled the time to start preparing. 

With both batteries fully charged there were no risks taken with not having enough light to get around the course! And with a headtorch as backup, we were well prepared. One of the riders had a mechanical during his night lap which meant a longer wait in the changeover area, it also cost the team a bit of time in the race for places. 

Kath's early morning lap started in pitch black and finished in the light - a very bizarre feeling; with the campsite starting to wake up, it certainly helped with the tired feeling !

Fresh as a daisy!

Coming into the changeover area

A solo rider still smiling after 18 hours in the saddle !

Team Cyclewise chilling out between laps

Throughout the weekend, the leader board shows each category and changes all the time.

With Kath's last lap at around 11am, the sight of the Cyclewise jersey in the changeover area was a welcome sight after some tough riding.

 Once the last lap was completed, it was time to pack up and wander down to the main central area to watch the prize giving. The event is a well organised show case of endurance riding with a whole range of ages and abilities taking part - they have now introduced a kids event to the weekend.

Once packed, the journey back to Cumbria was the only lap left, and this did prove to be the most difficult! With the bad traffic (it was sunny so everyone was out in their cars!) and the lack of sleep, we got as far as North Wales (due to an accident and detour off the motorway - not what we needed!) before pulling in for a well deserved chinese.

Quote of the weekend has to be from my brother, who came along to offer some moral support. When driving through the grounds to get to our camp, he was stopped by the marshall's as the riders (probably around 700) had just gone through the mass start and were crossing the road and his first words to us after waiting for around 20 minutes were "I couldn't get through for all these cyclists!!!!" It was a good job my mum and dad were there to laugh at him too - fancy there being cyclists at a cycling event..........

Mountain Biking Glen Sligachan - June 2010

Day 2 of our bank holiday 'relaxing' weekend started waking up in the Sligachan campsite raring to go for another epic day on the bikes! The weather was good and the forecast was favourable! Suncream was the order of the day - another nice change for these parts (from previous trips!)

Once again 'Scotland Mountain Biking' was the book of choice with a new map ready to accompany us on the journey. According to the book the route is usually ridden anti-clockwise; however the book has moved away from tradition and takes us clockwise to get the road riding out of the way first rather than at the end of the day! 

The route starts on the A87 - with the road being the main/only route around the Isle of Skye there was a fair bit of traffic travelling with us. The shores of Loch Sligachan was enough to keep our minds off the busy traffic. 

To minimise the amount of time on the A87, we decided to take a detour from the 'book route' and took a left just after Sconser Lodge Hotel, a much quieter singletrack road around the edge of the island. It was a little further in distance rather than the more direct 'A' road, but we thought that this was worth it - we were not the only ones, we saw a few fellow cyclists enjoying the peace along this part of the route.

We had more time to enjoy the view on the quieter road

We rode alongside Loch Ainort before rejoining the A87 for around 1.5km until Luib where the singletrack began.....

The sometimes technical singletrack took us through Strath Mor. The surface was boggy and eroded in places and didn't allow you to get into a rhythm. It was a very good test for our riding and we had to concentrate all the way along the technical trail!

The view was already spectacular and we soon reached Lochain Stratha Mhoir. The trail became a little less technical from here - a welcome relief !

We had to share the trails with plenty of cows from here and ended up weaving in and out of them as they seemed to enjoy hanging around on the track.

We kept to the west side of the river for a while until a section of the hillside had washed away, which was our cue to ford the river at this point. Getting across at the right point meant lower water and less wet feet ! (Although it has to be said that Kath continued a little further and had to cross the river at a much deeper point - of course I didn't laugh here.....not out loud anyway!!!).

It was decided that this was a good spot for a lunch stop!

We then skirted around Loch na Sguabaidh, and with the path at times very close to the edge of the loch, we got our feet a little wet again!

We then continued along the track and were soon at the head of Loch Slapin. The route then joined a tarmac road which took us away from the coast to Kirkibost. We had to keep reminding ourselves to look ahead as the views of Bla Bheinn and some of the other Cuillins were taking our attention.

A steady climb on the road took us to a parking area, which was pretty busy, not surprising considering that it was a gorgeous day ! The hot weather had taken its toll with water levels running low - and with nowhere to fill up our packs, it was a good job we had extra provisions in our bottle cages!

The signpost showed the way towards Camasunary and Sligachan - it looked like quite a rocky track and with lots of people around, it was going to be a challenge to get to the top without dabbing! 

As the track climbed over the Am Mam pass it became steeper and rockier.

Even at the top of the pass we were dwarfed by the Cuillins

Once at the top, we were rewarded with some spectacular views over to the Cuillins and Loch Scavaig. It was very strange to see the loch from such a different perspective, having been paddling on it just a month previous. 

Here we had a quick bar break and were joined by a couple of mountain bikers who had come up from Sligachan by the route we were taking on the return. They had pedaled up and were retracing their steps on the way back.

Descending with Loch Scavaig behind

We then had a great descent on a steep rocky trail - this was fairly busy with walkers which meant we kept the speed low (not great considering we were getting knocked about by the boulders) and had to alter our route choice more than if we could have chosen the line on a free trail! 

One of the ladies walking up seemed very worried for us and shouted at us to be careful, but we were enjoying the descent too much to take it easy! 

We then crossed the river and headed towards the abandoned buildings at Camasunary.

We didn't need to check the map to decide where to go next !!

According to the book, the next part is the toughest and most challenging part of the ride. This made us a  little apprehensive as we set off, but having completed the ride - this was most definitely our favourite part! 

There were some boggy sections, but other than me almost falling in one with the front wheel stuck - it was a very enjoyable ride back! The singletrack was awesome and meant we had to concentrate all the way home.

There were lots of small lochs to pedal past and once we got to Lochan Dubha we entered Glen Sligachan which meant we were around 5km of singletrack before the end.

This is when we came across drainage ditches with some of them being fairly wide.                                             

With the downhill momentum we were able to hop or jump most of them. I got a little bit cocky and went for one a little wider than I should have meaning my back wheel hit a little too hard, this was quickly followed by a blast of air. A quick pit stop to swap the inner tube and we were back on the descent in no time.

We eventually arrived at the Sligachan Hotel, which marked our finish point - we were a little disappointed as the singletrack was awesome and we didn't want it to end! A quick drink in the bar with a few snacks gave us the energy to cross the road to the campsite and sort out our kit. 

A quick shower and we were back across the road (this time on foot) to enjoy a well deserved meal - a cracking end to a cracking day ! When looking back over the ride, we knew we were fortunate to get excellent weather - no wind, rain or snow and we even got plenty of sun. This is definitely a route to choose when the weather is favourable !!

Stats: Distance - 46km / Total ascent 1000m / A great route - well worth a visit! 

Mountain Biking Torridon - May 2010

The final descent into Loch Torridon

Taking advantage of the bank holiday weekend, we took a trip up to Scotland leaving the boat at home but taking the bikes.
We did the journey in one go, after leaving from Cumbria and arrived at Kinlochewe Caravan Park pretty late. Having brought the 'Scotland Mountain Biking Book' we were all ready to go with two routes in mind.

The first route was the Torridon Circuit and according to the book "This stunning route takes in some of the best wilderness singletrack Scotland has to offer in some of the most spectacular landscapes you are likely to encounter anywhere." With a tough and committing route also quoted, we knew we were in for a day to remember!

We parked at the car park at Glen Torridon - this was the only place where we encountered midgies on the entire route - not bad for Scotland in May!

Once ready, we headed back along the road we had just travelled towards Kinlochewe, a good warm up with lots of lovely views.

The initial road warm up

After around 5km we then took a right turn onto a track towards Coulin Lodge - the start of the wilderness feeling! A quick bar stop - saw us passed by a man and a woman on their bikes. The man stopped to ask us our route - which Kath gave him a comprehensive route plan to which he replied 'we're planning on that - but I don't have a map, never use them and we always get lost!'. We'll see you later, we thought!

Checking the map with Loch Clair behind

The next part of the ride got onto Singletrack and was steady

The climb up the Coulin Pass was gentle and on nice tracks so it still felt like a warm up and knowing that this was 'a tough and committing route, suitable for well prepared and experienced riders' we made sure we were not lulled into a false sense of security!
We passed a number of walkers on here - now that is a wilderness walk! So glad we were on the bikes!!

Looking towards Loch Dughaill

A quick bite to eat at the top of the pass and then it was a descent towards Achnashellach. The route took us through some forestry tracks - and with diversion signs trying to take us off the route we had a decision to make. As it was a bank holiday weekend we decided that they wouldn't be working, so we made a bandit run and ignored the signs - very glad too as the diversion would have been a steep and very technical path which would have dropped us a long way off the route!

We were rewarded with great views down Strathcarron, and a quick descent.

Once down to Achnashellach, we crossed the railway line just before a train came along - very good timing!! We then jumped on the road and headed West along Loch Dughaill to Coulags. We then took a right turn just after the village back onto singletrack.

The start of the singletrack climb after turning right at Coulags

The singletrack was technical, narrow and boggy in places with plenty of scenery to keep our minds off the climb!

Glad we didn't have to get our feet wet crossing this river!

It was a great feeling when we got to Coire Fionnaraich (photo right) - but there was still the tough climb to Bealach na Lice to remind us how small we are compared to the mountains!

The last slog up to the top was very narrow in places with the track eroded (not surprising considering the weather in these parts!)

Once over the top - it was a gentle undulating track to the large boulders and the view was well worth the effort - and also knowing it was downhill all the way to the camper!

Just before the start of the descent we had a little time to take it all in and get ready for the descent - which according to the book 'The descent to Annat is one of the best you'll find anywhere'. True to its word - it did not disappoint!










The descent was gravelly singletrack and included riding over rock slabs, getting feet wet through burns while in some of the best scenery we have ever ridden in!!

Drainage ditches on the route down meant we had to keep our speed steady, ready to hop over the gaps in the track. But this didn't dampen the spirits as it meant more time to take in the spectacular view......



By the time we got to the bottom, the smiles couldn't be taken off our faces - and from Annat it was a steady road ride back to the camper - a great warm down to end a great day!

Stats: Distance 46km / Total ascent: 1100m 

Once back at the camper - it was a quick depart to Skye for round 2 tomorrow!!

Sea Kayaking Loch Scavaig

The Cuillins from Elgol (Picture from a previous trip)

It was the third and final trip of the weekend and after a proper scottish breakfast it was time to head to Elgol. I always think you judge the beauty of a place by the weather.......if you are still in awe in bad weather the this is a special place! You can definitely say this about Elgol.

When we launched the Loch was looking mean with chop and wind everywhere. The call of the Cuillins was too much to cower in the van! Destination was Loch Coruisk (Britain's Favourite View). It was Catherine's birthday and we planned to celebrate in style! Neil had the candles and we had the cake! As we made slow progress across the Loch enjoying the excitement that the waves provided. 

Neil and Dad overshadowed by the Cuillins

As we neared the end of the Loch the weather was improving and we made headway much quicker. We passed the seal colony quietly and made our way around the coast to our landing point. With our trusty pocket rocket and birthday surprise we made our way to Loch Coruisk. 

Loch Coruisk (not the best pic!)

Celebrating Catherine's Birthday in Style !

Having sheltered from the wind and eaten too much cake it was time to make our way back to the boats. The landing had not been as simple as we would have liked with slippery sea weed to contend with. I also had to contend with a dead crab that Neil had put on my seat! I seemed to be the only one not laughing !!

The paddle back was great with little wind and stunning scenery! We were sad to be heading back as it marked the end of a fantastic weekend!

The Cuillins provide a spectacular amphitheatre in which to paddle and it is easy to see why the Isle of Skye has such a pull! We will definitely be coming back. 

Team Pic at the end of a great weekend 

Footnote: If you find yourself without a kayak then take the Misty Isle! I have previously experienced this boat trip and it is first class!