the climbs on the 3 pistes are amazing, tough as hell but amazing,
@Fubar you would be able to do it, my biggest problem was i hadn't done a 100 mile ride all year, i reckon if i had managed to do 3 or 4 100 mile rides then i would have been ok, plus my bib shorts were starting to rub on me a wee bit so that didn't help, You start climbing straight from the start, i few folk were going for it here, but i just went at my own pace, i didn't want to suffer to early, then up was the climb up to Glenshee, that climb wasn't that hard, more of a long slog, the down hill after glenshee was amazing, and the tarmac was great, didn't have to worry about pot holes, the pain for me started at the Gairnshiel climb( am not sure if that is ******* one or ******* two) then after that climb is the Lecht and am not going to lie that is the worst i have ever felt on a bike, i was dizzy, the sweat was flowing for me, i could feel my heart racing, i actually believed i was just going to tip over and just have a wee sleep on the road, i really felt like packing it in there and then.....the climb up to the cairngorm ski centre wouldnt be that bad, if you hadn't done all that climbing before it, but again going up that climb i ended up a mess, you can manage most of the climb in the big ring then you just hit this major steep bit, at this point we had 100's of cyclist weaving all over the road, while cars and buses trying to get up and down the hill, it was some sight....what i will say i had the best feeling ever crossing the finish line, i couldn't belive i had done it, i mean it was only 2 years ago that i was 18 stone and never dreamed of riding a bike, and here was me crossing the finish line of one of the toughest rides in Scotland...the first thing my girlfriend said to me as i crossed the line was well how was it?...I said i am never putting my body through that f***ing amount of pain again.
she actually said i should do it again next year as she saw the email last week about the 2015 date, i am a maybe just now, i just like the look of maybe the Skye Sportive of the Mull sportive...we will see
