Summary:
Cycle, 16.7 miles, 1:25, Average HR 126, Calories 650
Total 78 miles Distance to go: 127 miles
The forecast for the whole day was rain so when I awoke at 7am and the rain was off I quickly made the decision to head out quickly before the rain came on. My plantar fascia in both feet were a little tender so I headed out on the bike. Cloud base was low, engulfing even the crags but at least it was dry for now.
My route for the day goes south from Callander along the Mollands straight (A81) then east to Deanstoun along the B8032, then along the main road back to A84 towards Callander, through Buchany then off on a small back round to Keltie Bridge and Callander, a 16 mile circuit that takes in rolling farmland and hill farms.
As I headed out along the Mollands straight I tucked myself down into low profile aerodynamic position, head down, back flat, arms tucked in. Thoughts were with Bradley Wiggens and Chris Frome's big day at the Olympic Cycle Time Trials, at that point it was still four hours before the race. Now writing up the blog I now that they delivered in style, at twice the speeds I was able to attain!
In the final 5 miles the weather started looking more active, not just low cloud but now with rain storms forming and heading towards me. I snapped a photo of the looming rain and then headed up the hill, my own time trial - a race to keep dry!
Heading west it was pretty clear that low cloud and rain was where Ben Ledi should have been, and Callander likely in rain as well.
2 miles out from Callander I got to the top of the hill and then had a thundering downhill ride into Keltie Bridge. I hit 30mph on the bumpy, stony and potholed road, exhilarating and just a little terrifying - yeehaaa!!!
Watching the Time Trails later was pretty humbling - it took a steep downhill to get me and my mountain bike up to speeds that Bradley and co. were averaging on the flat over a 44km course. Pretty awesome what humans can achieve with a heap load of talent and dedication.
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