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NC500 for seniors

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Bombtrack Beyond

Bombtrack Beyond

Where: Northern Scotland

Start/finish: Thurso to Glasgow Distance: 490 miles Photos: Maggie Fallon

Day one, not far from Thurso. Maggie (left), Jane (right)

MAGGIE FALLON

Cycling UK member Maggie says she and Jane are “two ordinary women in our 70s who are really proud of what we have achieved”

Great Rides NC500 FOR SENIORS

The North Coast 500 is a spectacular journey through Scotland, as 74-year-old Maggie Fallon and her 70-year-old friend Jane discovered

We were at Bristol Airport with our bikes in boxes: the day we’d been looking forward to and dreading in equal measure had arrived. We were off to Thurso via Inverness to ride the North Coast 500. From Thurso we would be heading west along the coast, our route and overnight stops taking into account the hills we would encounter. Most days we’d ride about 40 miles. Each evening, Jane would update our blog so that friends and family could follow our progress and our children (and grandchildren!) could be reassured we were alive. Looking at the blog now, we were clearly running out of superlatives to describe the scenery after the first couple of days. There’s also a sense of relief there, because we were finally embarking on our much-anticipated adventure. We know, however, that we are fortunate to be fit and optimistic enough to tackle such a trip at our ages.

HILL REPEATS

We did do some preparation. Jane insisted that instead of our usual twice-weekly rides we should concentrate on cycling up our local hills, sometimes several times in a morning. In the weeks before we set off, we were doing the hills with 3kg of stones in our panniers. That was Jane’s idea too! I was grateful for this extra training when we were cycling through Borgie, Durness, Scourie and then down to Ullapool. I was able to stay on my bike throughout instead of dismounting to ‘admire the scenery’. The weather was mostly good and the bothersome traffic we’d heard about seldom materialised. There were many campervans waiting in the passing places, but the occupants were patient and often cheered when they realised how old we were. The motorcyclists were also friendly. Only the high-performance sports cars roaring past made me mutter dark thoughts.

Do it yourself Logistics

We flew to Inverness then took a train to Thurso. The bikes were in boxes for the flight so my son took us to the airport. Without his help, we’d have hired a van. Coming home, we took the train all the way from Glasgow to Keynsham, changing at Preston, Birmingham New Street, and Bristol Temple Meads. The bikes were booked on the first three legs with no trouble. At Bristol we managed to cram our bikes on with many others. Total cost of the trip was £1,040 each, including all accommodation, travelling, food, etc. We used senior railcards and shared twin rooms. APPLECROSS PENINSULA

After we passed Ullapool and Loch Broom, the weather deteriorated for a few days. We still enjoyed cycling past the mountains, despite the wind and rain. Yet we were daunted by the thought of riding around the Applecross Peninsula and over the summit of Bealach na Ba in the face of what the forecast said would be 40mph southerly winds. The prevailing wind direction is why most cyclists ride the NC500 clockwise: the wind will be at their backs up the west coast. We, on the other hand, were heading straight into it. As soon as we reached the peninsula, the wind strengthened. Mostly a headwind, there were also gusts from the side. At one point Jane was blown right across the road. While Jane felt safe cycling, I preferred to walk for a while; I’d reach Applecross eventually. ‘Breathtaking scenery’ took on a whole new meaning that day. We limited ourselves to one glass of wine that night, thinking of the next day’s climb over Bealach na Ba. By tackling ‘the Ba’ from the north instead of the south, we were taking the easier route.

This photo: Three Lochs Viewpoint on the Isle of Mull Below: near Achfary

Drizzle and low cloud greeted us as we left our accommodation, and it continued throughout the day. We winched our way up, managing the gradient and grateful for our training. As we had started out so early, there was little traffic on the singletrack road. Gradually Jane pulled away. I lost sight of her as we ascended into the cloud. I checked my elevation when I first stopped and was pleased to see 400 metres. Only 200 to go! Visibility became very limited and I was grateful we had invested in highly visible and expensive waterproof jackets, and had as many lights on our bikes as we could muster. Eventually I saw Jane standing at the top, jumping up and down with excitement. I had carried a can of fizzy Pinot Grigio to celebrate the moment but my hands were so cold it was impossible to open. We toasted our success with a mouthful of coffee. We then started the long descent through the hairpins, which was wonderful but led us to become so cold we could hardly hold onto the handlebars. By the time we reached the café at the junction of the main road, we were both close to hypothermic. It took an hour plus hot chocolate and soup for us to stop shivering. But we had big smiles on our faces. We’d done it!

GLENCOE, GLASGOW, AND HOME

There was a danger that the rest of the holiday could be an anticlimax. We were leaving the NC500 and working our way south to Glasgow to catch a train home. As route planner, however, I was able to arrange to visit one of my favourite places: Glencoe. So that’s where we headed next, enjoying the route past the Five Sisters of Kintail where the road is engulfed by the surrounding Munros. We were also able to revisit the haunting Commando Memorial near Spean Bridge. Our progress through Glencoe was as steady as the drizzle, which became heavier through the morning. Along with an increase in traffic, this made our progress to Crianlarich slow and hard. The Green Welly Stop at Tyndrum was a beacon of light in a dark afternoon. That evening was the first time either of us was willing to admit we were tired. Maybe it was the thought of only one more day of cycling. Maybe it was the cans of gin and tonic we had bought at the Green Welly Stop and had drunk. More likely it was both of these plus the soak in the bath that our hosts always offered to cyclists. We decided to catch a train to Glasgow the following day instead of cycling there – a decision we were grateful for when we saw the rain at breakfast. Our last night’s accommodation was in Dumbarton so we backtracked after disembarking in Glasgow. Next morning we made the 14-mile trip along the cycle path in the other direction, reaching the station for the first of four trains home. It was the most wonderful cycling tour we could have done. We worried about it, trained for it, and applied all our organising skills in preparing for it. Most of all we wanted to show that women of our ages can set challenges – in fact, must set challenges – and with advice and careful thought can see them through.

More info

Cycling UK’s Julie Rand rode half of the NC500 – from Strathcarron to Dingwall – as she didn’t have time to do the whole thing.

Fact File: NC500 for seniors

Distance: 490 miles approx, riding 35-40 most days.

Route: NC500 route from Thurso, travelling west through Durness, Scourie, Ullapool, Laide, Torridon, Applecross, and Lochcarron. Then we left the NC500 and rode through Glenmorriston, Spean Bridge, Ballachulish, Crianlarich, Dumbarton and Glasgow. Conditions: Great weather along the north coast, deteriorating as we came south on the west coast. Strong winds on Applecross Peninsula. Roads and traffic were easily manageable.

Accommodation: B&Bs, hotels, SYHA hostels, private hostel.

Equipment: Dawes Galaxy circa 1990 (Maggie), Cannondale road bike (Jane). Ortileb panniers – I used front ones on the back to prevent taking too much.

Maps & guides: Cicerone Cycle Touring in Northern Scotland, pages out of a road atlas, OS map of Glasgow for the cycle path.

I’m glad I had… Extra tea and coffee, powdered milk, and good insulated travel mugs.

Next time I would… Look at the best time of year to visit the area. September, when we went, has double the rainfall of May in NW Scotland…

Website: northcoast500.com

Advice CYCLOPEDIA

Questions answered, subjects explained – Cyclopedia is your bimonthly cycling reference guide

E-bike batteries can last longer if they're not regularly run flat Alamy Right: Covid’s effects can linger for months

Q& A

Technical

E-bike battery care

QI have a Specialized Vado e-bike. Do you have any advice on battery care? Should I recharge it when it’s partially discharged or wait until it’s empty? Apart from an ambitious quoted range figure, the bike is otherwise going well.

Eric Malcolm

ARechargeable lithium-ion batteries are standard technology used in everything from mobile phones to e-bikes. They are lightweight and can be recharged many hundreds of times while retaining acceptable performance. The ideal recharging regime differs significantly from that preferred for old-school lead acid batteries, which benefit from being charged to 100% capacity. Instead, Li-ion batteries are best recharged to around 90% of capacity and recharged when around 30% full. This partial recharging strategy keeps the battery voltage close to the optimal level. Preventing it getting too hot also helps maximise battery life; a storage temperature of Coronavirus between 25°C and 40°C is considered

For up-to-date optimal, and should allow the cyclists’ advice battery to retain around 90% of regarding Covid-19, its performance after a year of visit: cyclinguk.org/ regular usage.

coronavirus Richard Hallett

Your Experts

DR KATE BRODIE

Retired GP {Health}

RICHARD HALLETT

Cycle’s Technical Editor {Technical}

RICHARD GAFFNEY

Principal Lawyer, Slater + Gordon Lawyers {Legal}

Health

Cycling after Covid

QSince having Covid back in August 2021 my energy levels have been decimated. Even riding for a couple of gentle miles finishes me off. I love being out on the bike and I know that the more I ride the easier it will get, but knowing how rough I will feel is really putting me off. Can you offer any advice for overcoming the psychological barrier to getting back riding after illness?

Richard Clarkson

ARecovering from any illness or injury takes time and patience, and Covid is no different. If you read the recent article in Cycle magazine you will know that starting with just a few minutes of gentle exercise and building up is the way to go. Monitoring your heart rate may be useful if you have a gadget to do this. Don’t be too ambitious or you will suffer and put yourself off trying again. Have faith in your recovery and trust your body. When you go out, try to find a level route and just ride a short distance. You may be exhausted and aching afterwards but if you do the same route for several days it should become gradually easier. Is there an incentive you can give yourself? The local café or cake shop perhaps? Once you see an improvement, your confidence will return and you will soon be enjoying your cycling again. See: bit.ly/cycle-NHS-getmoving.

Dr Kate Brodie

Technical

The SON 28 suits demanding usage

Take charge on tour

QI am planning a long cyclecamping trip this summer and was wondering if there is a good system that will charge on the go? Is there a good front hub dynamo wheel that could supply enough charge to maintain a phone or Garmin, and also stand the rigours of some roughish roads? My bike is an Enigma Etape with rim brakes and 25mm tyres.

Julian Alston

AThe subject was covered in Cycle April/May 17 (cyclinguk.org/ cycle/take-charge-tour-cyclists-guideelectric-power-generation). There are many systems that will charge a device such as a Garmin or mobile phone while riding, almost all based on a front hub dynamo and therefore suitable, laced up with the right rim, for use with rim brakes. The best-known is probably the SON 28 hub, which is well-proven and suitable for the most demanding usage; similar hubs are available from manufacturers including Supernova and Shimano. The key point is that they produce 3W at 6V, which is turned by a power converter into the 5V required by the device to be powered. Power converters are available as stand-alone units, such as the Sinewave Reactor, or can be incorporated into a front light such as the AXA Luxx 70 Plus Steady or Busch and Müller Lumotec IQ2 Luxos. They have a USB port for the device charger cable. Ready-built wheels with dynamo hubs are available from specialist outlets such as Spa Cycles and St John Street Cycles; a custom wheelbuilder will, of course, be able to assemble a wheel to your requirements.

Richard Hallett

Legal

Club ride threat?

QAre club rides under threat from the Highway Code changes? I saw an article about cyclists having to stop to let drivers pass. Could Rule 66 give drivers the belief that cyclists must do so?

sore thumb, via the Cycling UK Forum

AThe short answer is no: club rides are not under threat. But it seems that since the introduction of the new Highway Code rules, there has been an increase in anti-cyclist behaviour on social media. This may be due to an equivocated interpretation of the new rules, when in fact the rules have just clarified the existing position. Rule 66, for instance, states that cyclists should be considerate of the needs of other road users when riding in groups – motor vehicles included. The new rules should be interpreted in accordance with the Highway Code objective, which is to promote safety on the road while supporting a ‘hierarchy of road users’. Under the new rules it’s now clear that you can ride two abreast and it can be safer to do so, particularly in larger groups or when accompanying children. Safety is the key when deciding if it’s better to ride two abreast or single line, including on narrow, busy roads or round bends. Large groups riding in line will take a longer distance to overtake, so it makes sense to ride two abreast. Cyclists must also be aware of drivers behind and allow them to overtake (for example, by moving into single file or stopping). The rule of thumb is: you must be assured that it’s safe for you to do so.

Richard Gaffney

Two abreast is better for larger groups Road cleats wear relatively quickly

Technical

Worn out cleats

QWhen should I replace the cleats on my road bike shoes? I've never done it. Now I am finding my left foot is becoming more difficult to click out when stopping. I’d be interested in hearing about cleat protectors too.

David Wood

AThe simple answer is ‘when they are worn’, but there does not appear to be any industry-specified degree of wear at which cleats should be replaced. Doing so when the cleat begins to stick in the pedal is one solution, but is leaving it too late if the rider is injured as a result of being unable to clip out. Unlike recessed metal cleats, protruding plastic cleats wear quickly if their shoes are used for walking on hard, rough ground. The cleat surface that wears is, of course, the surface that rests on the pedal. As soon as the cleat wears enough to rock around appreciably on the pedal once clipped in, it will affect the stability of the foot while pedalling, and this is arguably the point at which it should be replaced, regardless of the ease of pedal exit. Cleat protectors are (usually) rubber caps designed to be pulled over the cleat to protect it from abrasion when off the bike at, say, a café. They’re a bit of a faff to fit, carry and even remember, but are worth a try.

Richard Hallett

Get in touch

EMAIL your technical, health, or legal questions to editor@cyclinguk.org or write to Cyclopedia, Cycle, PO Box 313, Scarborough, YO12 6WZ. We regret that Cycle magazine cannot answer unpublished queries. But don’t forget that Cycling UK operates a free-to-members advice line for personal injury claims, TEL: 0330 107 1789.

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