Bealach Mor - Race Report

The Bealach Mor – 3rd September 2011

I entered this event because of its reputation of having tough hill climbs – this is part of my preparation for Lanzarote Ironman in May next year. Well it didn’t disappoint.

I travelled up the day before as it’s 1.5 hours north west of Inverness. Over dinner my pals regaled stories of accidents on the Bealach including the poor guy who ended up in a wheel chair 4 years ago. It’s fair to say by the morning I was dreading it and the rain didn’t look like it was going off but they reassured me this was good conditions for the Bealach as there was no wind and one of them had been blown off the top on his bike the day before – very reassuring.

The start is unusual in that you can leave when you want after 9am. The key is that the road to the Bealach Mor isn’t closed to cars till 11am and you won’t get access before then. Believe me that single track road wouldn’t be possible if there were cars on it. Also you need to avoid a train at an unmanned crossing at 10.30! So the start is a 3.5 mile climb rising 700 ft which gets the heart rate going but isn’t too bad. Then it’s a fast ride to the bottom of the Bealach with the exception of one wee tester of a hill just to remind you where you are.

I was looking forward to the views on the Bealach Mor but as cloud base was around your ankles with the constant rain which made it very difficult to judge how far you had to go. It starts with a gentle slope then the gradient starts to get much harder. I had been warned about the 4 hairpin bends at the top and how steep they were so before I got there I was getting really worried as I was starting to really struggle. For the first time ever in my short cycling career I had to step off the bike on the hill or else I would have fallen off. I was dizzy so took 2 minutes to get my breath back. I tried to get started but the gradient was too steep so I had to walk 100 yards before I could get back on – very disappointed with that. Almost immediately I came across the 4 hairpin bends and they were fine. The real challenge had been the steep section before them. Perhaps if I could have seen ahead I may have stayed on the bike but I really felt like I was going to collapse. In total the climb took me 51 minutes and 42 seconds.

I put on a wind cheater at the top as I was told by the bottom I’d be frozen – they were right. The scariest descent of my life with the wet, steep single track road with tight hairpin bends. It wasn’t long before the accidents started to appear and the odd ambulance. Twice the same cyclist in front of me went side-ways at a corner and on the second occasion managed to knock someone over. Getting down in one piece was all that mattered and I’m glad I had put on fresh brake blocks. When you reach the bottom you are only half way and the second half is a lot harder than the first due to the constant hills and the distance.

You always had to concentrate to make sure in the wet conditions you didn’t run out of road on a tight corner. I kept my max speed down to 35 mph not willing to chance anything faster although the opportunity was there is you were daft enough. At 68.8 miles (yes that’s how hard I felt it) there was a climb that my legs really didn’t want to know about as they screamed stop and walk but once was more than enough for that nonsense – rule 5 I kept repeating to myself, MTFU.

The last 3 miles are downhill and very welcome. I arrived back completely (5hrs 58 mins) soaked through and once again needed help off my bike as the legs were protesting. The locals put on a great spread but coffee and cake was sufficient for me as I had to cycle another mile to get the car – by then I was a shivering wreck with the cold. A shower followed by a hot tub, beer, wine, whiskey, fantastic food and excellent company and all the pain vanished.

I had managed the steepest climb I’d ever attempted, the hardest course I’ve ever taken on and exceeded my average speed target (I had set 14 mph but managed 15 mph). Cycling isn’t my strongest discipline but I’ve come away feeling my training is paying off and I’ll be ready for Lanzarote next year.