Posse v the Etape....

The day started cloudy. Bigman opened the curtains of our shared accommodation and in a slight depressed tone announced the overnight rain. Looking for a plus side he added at least the overcast skies will have kept the temperatures up. It still felt pretty chilly when we eventually ventured out.

Breakfast was porridge. Porridge is one of the finest starts to the day imaginable with slow energy release providing sustanance on a long ride. Tea, toast and much chat was shared with our fellow guests as we nervously prepared for the day ahead.

Bigman and Santiago were starting with the elite athletes at the front of the pack and after a hasty farewell it was the last I saw of Bigman until we bumped into each other post race. I'll leave the others to share their stories and let them tell of their own successes but this is my race.

I was nervous. I'm not keen on road races as I always fear being in a crowd of other riders who you don't know and can be unpredictable. I was starting at 7.10am. Getting to the starting pen was the biggest challenge given the numbers of riders but eventually I made it to the start line and before I could worry any further we were off. I was right at the back of the pack, in fact so far back that I thought that I was going to be left at the start.

After yesterdays tinker by Halfords my bike was a dream and I soon got up to speed. This translated into a racing heart which was bizzare because it also seemed to be in my throat at the same time.

The road out of Pitlochry is a gentle rise before turning towards the climb up to Queens View. I found I was moving well and started picking off people on the way up the hill. Before we started we were at the top greeted by the pipers at the top. It was a great incentive because you could hear them from a long way back and the noise increased as you climbed.

At this point no groups had formed and on the decent I suggested to a fellow rider that we get ourselves organised. It didn't happen but fortunately a speeding group went by and I latched on the back. It was good to get in the pack. The benefits are massive. while you might go along at 30kph on your own you can get up to 40kph in the pack.

Just before the turn around at the end of Loch Tay there was a big crash about 15 yards ahead of me. A wheel was clipped and the rider shot over his handlebars and into a wall. I hope that he is ok.

The turn meant that the wind was from behind and it was time to push on. I met another Dunfermline rider and we shared a few stories for a few miles but I couldn't hang to the pace and dropped off. This was bad news as I had to do the next few miles by myself.

The climb up Schallion wasn't too bad but I was slow. I've let my fitness drop since our trip to South Africa. Another crash on a small decent on the climb was a reminder of the dangers.

the top was a welcome sight and I certainly didn't challenge in the King of the Mountains competition. I was lucky that I had the decent all to myself. It's steep!

By the time we reached the bottom I was tiring. I joined another group and ploughed on. This was fine but they soon dropped me again. A rider in front made a mistake and a gap formed. I wasn't concentrating and when I looked again was the group was gone. Once you fall even a few metres back you're done.

The majority of the rest of the trip was a solo affair with very few riders around. I felt I was going too slowly but my legs were gone. I had the turn at Logierait to myself. It's a 90 degree turn that can be trouble because once turned the road goes straight up. The last few miles are a killer. It rolls up and up and the occasional down so I was pleased to see the one mile to go sign.

It was great to see the Fit One shouting encouragement on the finish line and I turned into the chip return. It was done.

My stats were that I finished in 4 hours 11 minutes and 24 seconds in 606th place. I was chuffed to finish so high out of 3,600 riders.

Not too bad for an old git! I soon bumped into Bigman and we shared our journey.

It's been a fantastic day!