The first thing that pierced Guy’s ears this morning was the voice of James singing ‘I want to be forever young’ in the shower. Well, all we can say to James is that those days have passed. Admittedly we were all a bit apprehensive about the day’s ride, 107 miles, unchartered territory for us all. Firstly none of us had cycled three days on the trot and secondly none of us had cycled more than 100 miles! Reason to be worried I think...
To Fort William and Steve ....
James and Steve flew off at the beginning of the day as though they had not cycled 152 miles in the last two days. The only way Guy was going to catch up was through default, after around 20 minutes on the bike Steve pulled up in a lay-by. The wheel was jamming against the frame and with our lack of bicycle repair knowledge, we were stumped, although we had noted that there was a broken spoke. The picture illustrates the problem! Again the ultra reliable support team were able to come to the rescue, pick Steve up and take him to the nearest bike shop in Fort William while James and Guy plodded on. The
spoke turned out to be the cause of the problem so Steve had that replaced and he was back on the road. A big problem solved with relative ease. In fact, while Guy and James were admiring the spectacular views from the loch side, Steve decided to cycle back towards them in order to make up the miles he had lost.
James and Steve flew off at the beginning of the day as though they had not cycled 152 miles in the last two days. The only way Guy was going to catch up was through default, after around 20 minutes on the bike Steve pulled up in a lay-by. The wheel was jamming against the frame and with our lack of bicycle repair knowledge, we were stumped, although we had noted that there was a broken spoke. The picture illustrates the problem! Again the ultra reliable support team were able to come to the rescue, pick Steve up and take him to the nearest bike shop in Fort William while James and Guy plodded on. The
spoke turned out to be the cause of the problem so Steve had that replaced and he was back on the road. A big problem solved with relative ease. In fact, while Guy and James were admiring the spectacular views from the loch side, Steve decided to cycle back towards them in order to make up the miles he had lost. 
Loch Linnhe and the highland struggleHaving met up, we battled on at a good speed stopping for lunch after 37 miles at Loch Linnhe where Pippa and Robin had found a fabulous spot overlooking the loch. After our first lunch stop, we got back onto the A82, a road renowned for its fast moving lorries and rash drivers. We headed back into the highlands where we were soon confronted by a 5 mile and 400m climb. To put our altitude in perspective, we cycled alongside a ski lift!! The scenery was breathtaking and it was this that gave us the enthusiasm to crack on.
Reality check...and more lunch
After around 60 miles we realised that actually we had more miles to do than initially thought, 117 miles, 10 more than anticipated. We had a second much needed food break after 84 miles at around 4:30pm leaving us with around 33 miles, a daunting task considering our condition! We powered on though with the sun emerging as we reached Loch Lomond. This gave us a brilliant excuse for regular photo stops. It was by far the most beautiful loch we have come across to date and we would urge everyone to make a visit (or check our photos)! The pleasure was not short lived as the glassy water stretched on and on and on!! Eventually, Loch Lomond came to an end
but tired legs were definitely showing; however with the number of miles left falling quickly, our thoughts turned to more food, a take away and a well deserved beer!! Both the take away and beer provided a great incentive to get to the B&B, for the last 10 miles we cracked on at around 17-18 mph, not bad after 107 miles!!
After around 60 miles we realised that actually we had more miles to do than initially thought, 117 miles, 10 more than anticipated. We had a second much needed food break after 84 miles at around 4:30pm leaving us with around 33 miles, a daunting task considering our condition! We powered on though with the sun emerging as we reached Loch Lomond. This gave us a brilliant excuse for regular photo stops. It was by far the most beautiful loch we have come across to date and we would urge everyone to make a visit (or check our photos)! The pleasure was not short lived as the glassy water stretched on and on and on!! Eventually, Loch Lomond came to an end
but tired legs were definitely showing; however with the number of miles left falling quickly, our thoughts turned to more food, a take away and a well deserved beer!! Both the take away and beer provided a great incentive to get to the B&B, for the last 10 miles we cracked on at around 17-18 mph, not bad after 107 miles!! Stats of the day
Distance – 117.15 miles
Average speed – 15.1 mph
Top speed – 41.2 mph
Fighter Jets flown within 300m – 1
Distance – 117.15 miles
Average speed – 15.1 mph
Top speed – 41.2 mph
Fighter Jets flown within 300m – 1
Sore backsides - 3
Seriously impressed guys! Keep it up. Loving the singing in the shower - perhaps there could be a 'best of' cd put together afterwards...
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