Scottish Mountain Road Climb

[ianrauk]

on a road that was never built up Aonach Mòr, near Fort William
14 Switchbacks. It would have become a great road cyclist destination if it was actually built back in the day

BBC Report HERE

 

[AndyRM]

Could always give Bealach na Bà a shot...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bealach_na_Bà

Fewer switchbacks, but absolutely brutal and vaguely terrifying especially on two wheels!

 

[Donger]

Could always give Bealach na Bà a shot...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bealach_na_Bà

Fewer switchbacks, but absolutely brutal and vaguely terrifying especially on two wheels!

Did that in 2014. Drove it two weeks ago and couldn't imagine ever riding it again. Epic climb.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Bealach Na Ba is on my list because I have a friend who lives not far away. I've visited but not with a bike.

 

[Donger]

Bealach Na Ba is on my list because I have a friend who lives not far away. I've visited but not with a bike.

I had dipped out twice before I finally did it. Wet weather and rim brakes frightened me off because of the long descent. I had the stopping distance of an oil tanker before I changed to disc brakes.

 

[ColinJ]

I had the stopping distance of an oil tanker before I changed to disc brakes.

I have had some scary experiences of that. Once was descending a very steep lane directly onto a busy A-road... I finally stopped with my front wheel sticking out into the traffic!!!

The solution to that issue was to scrub off the oily film which had built up on the rims' braking surfaces.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I had dipped out twice before I finally did it. Wet weather and rim brakes frightened me off because of the long descent. I had the stopping distance of an oil tanker before I changed to disc brakes.

My big climb challenge this year was the Grand Colombier. Took me a while to get down as I had to keep stopping to uncramp my hands from braking and let the rims cool off a bit. My stopping power wasn't that great either.

 

[Donger]

The "Convoi Exceptionnel" tag on my avatar is no exaggeration, as I have always been double the size of the average cyclist. Before I changed to disc brakes (and then upgraded the front one to a 180 rotor) I seriously had to think ahead on some steep descents and plan which hedge to ride into if I met an oncoming car. I do much less climbing these days, and certainly avoid the steep hills, so it is no longer an issue. But descending the Bealach na Ba at speed takes a leap of faith as you see that big ledge below you and the road disappears ahead of you at the same point.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Well if I do ever manage to organise getting both me and my bike up there my plan would be to ride up Bealach na Ba and descend the other side towards Applecross. I've already planned the ride but the rest of the logistics has always defeated me. You can't take bikes on the sleeper train, you can't hire cars with bike racks, I can find MTB hire up there but no road bike hire, its too far to drive all the way there, and I don't have that much holiday.

 

[Donger]

Well if I do ever manage to organise getting both me and my bike up there my plan would be to ride up Bealach na Ba and descend the other side towards Applecross. I've already planned the ride but the rest of the logistics has always defeated me. You can't take bikes on the sleeper train, you can't hire cars with bike racks, I can find MTB hire up there but no road bike hire, its too far to drive all the way there, and I don't have that much holiday.

I'm guessing your best option would be to take a train to Inverness then ride over via Achnasheen to Lochcarron for a B&B. You could then ride over to Applecross and either do a straight retrace to Inverness (riding the Bealach in the opposite direction) or follow the coast around to Torridon, Kinlochewe and Achnasheen for a stop on the way back. Lochcarron and Applecross definitely have accommodation. Don't know about the other places I mentioned. You'd have to research that.

 

[toffee]

You can't take bikes on the sleeper train

If you mean the Caledonian Sleeper to Inverness you certainly can.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I'm guessing your best option would be to take a train to Inverness then ride over via Achnasheen to Lochcarron for a B&B. You could then ride over to Applecross and either do a straight retrace to Inverness (riding the Bealach in the opposite direction) or follow the coast around to Torridon, Kinlochewe and Achnasheen for a stop on the way back. Lochcarron and Applecross definitely have accommodation. Don't know about the other places I mentioned. You'd have to research that.

That would be nice if I was off on a solo tour but I'd be travelling with my wife, who doesn't cycle and visiting my friends who live up there. A car with bike carrying capacity would be needed. And that would take me several days to arrive at my friend's place I just don't have many days free to spare unfortunately. Basically I need a helicopter to pick me, wife and bike up in SE London and drop me off on the W coast (and take me back). Another plan is I take tools/spares and get my friend's bike on the road (it's a bit small for me but hey ho).

If you mean the Caledonian Sleeper to Inverness you certainly can.

So you can! I don't know where I got that idea from.

 

[AndyRM]

That would be nice if I was off on a solo tour but I'd be travelling with my wife, who doesn't cycle and visiting my friends who live up there. A car with bike carrying capacity would be needed. And that would take me several days to arrive at my friend's place I just don't have many days free to spare unfortunately. Basically I need a helicopter to pick me, wife and bike up in SE London and drop me off on the W coast (and take me back). Another plan is I take tools/spares and get my friend's bike on the road (it's a bit small for me but hey ho).


So you can! I don't know where I got that idea from.

If you ever do win the lottery and get your helicopter I can thoroughly recommend Applecross. The paid for campsite is lovely but busy and pricey, and why bother when you can wild camp just around the corner on the beach for free.

 

[Aravis]

Amazing! Not a single reply so far on topic. I think the Cow Pass must have had enough threads of its own over the years.

The BBC report sounds like ancient history, but then I realised the last time I rode a bike nearby (1983) the Aonach Mòr road had yet to be proposed . If such a project were being promoted nowadays I imagine the value to cyclists would be high on the list of potential benefits.