Unfortunately I had to pack after 250k because I was out of time, with no prospect of finishing within the limit.
I enjoyed the first half of the ride. I had teamed up with another rider, we were the back markers. He got a rear flat 30k in, I helped so we lost 20 odd minutes there. Great cafe controls and a deluxe start with fresh coffee, good orange juice, and toast on offer. We diverted from the official route between Meigle and Pitlochry, taking the A924 which was relatively quiet and a great surface.
All was going well until the climb at around 150k from Loch Tummel up the Shiehallion hill as locals refer to it (Shiehallion just next door and visible from the crest of the hill). I really struggled, overheated in the sunshine, had to stop to de-layer, and lost my riding companion. I was hoping to catch up at the next cafe control, but my legs were protesting as I tried to up the pace along Glen Lyon. By the time I arrived at the control I was on the cusp of being out of time, and the other rider was gone. I spoke to the organiser on the phone, and was still optimistic I could finish. However over the next 70k my speed gradually dropped, I began to feel tired, the rain started and then it got dark. My mental arithmetic demonstrated that by Comrie the situation was hopeless. I phoned the arrivée so they wouldn't wait for me.
In one sense the pressure was now off, but I had another problem: how to get back to my digs in Fife, some 70k away. Nearest train station Perth, all services would cease by the time I got there. No taxis in sight. I headed to Crieff but nothing doing there, so I had to ride back, essentially completing the event, but rather slowly. It rained almost constantly all the way, with the easterly wind making life interesting. I was pretty tired by now, and stopped for a micro snooze in a handy bus shelter before climbing to Glen Devon.
Clearly my snooze had not been enough, as while freewheeling in Glen Devon village I fell asleep on the bike. The bump of the bike rolling into the (thankfully very shallow) roadside ditch jolted me awake, and I managed to brake and get a foot down. Luckily I did not come off, I was not hurt, and the bike seemed fine too. I needed another micro snooze but there was no obvious spot: eventually I found a wooden hut to lean against, giving some shelter from the rain. Never slept standing up before, but it was just enough to stop my eyes from closing again on the road.
The rest of the journey back went well, if slow and rather wet. A coffee at the services in Kinross helped me finish the last 20k. It was light again when I got back: more than 24 hours on the road.
Overall I was disappointed by my performance, and I am now reconsidering my whole approach to audax. Clearly my current fitness is not up to scratch. I'm withdrawing from the Snow Roads as on yesterday's evidence I have little chance of completing it. It seems I have not prepared sufficiently for the move up from 200k to 300k. Either I will need to actually do some regular training, or alternatively rein in my level of ambition to match my fitness. While I'm pondering this I will take a break from audax riding, and see how I feel in July.
Sorry, bit of a long post but it's a bit of a defining moment for me and I felt the need to 'share' my experience.
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