Cairngorm Mountain Hill Climb and ladies Road Race
Cairngorm Mountain Hill Climb and Ladies Road Race- 11th and 12th September
Words by Madeleine Bell
💙💛 The worst thing about climbing proper big hills at high altitude, is coming back down them. Over the past year I have unintentionally (at first) been notching up the highest roads and climbs in the UK- Great Dunn Fell, The Bealach na ba, The Cairnwell Pass and The Stang all come to mind when I think of eventfull and best not spoken about descents. Descending from +2000ft in anything less than hot weather, anything more than calm winds, and anything less than bone dry roads is terrifying and freezing! Why then would I want to climb the Cairngorm Mountain and do it all over again?! Cairngorm is also on the list of the 10 highest roads in the UK and when I realised it was part of the Cairngorm cycling weekend I jumped at the chance to go full gas up the hill. I would worry about coming back down later. The longer the climb the better it is for me, so this was even more appealing at 8 miles and 30 minutes of effort. As much as I love a climb some of the 4 minute events seem too short, so this was ideal. Having never been up Cairngorm before I didn't know what to expect and the usual pre-race nerves and stress were present.
Despite not starting until 2pm there still didn't seem to be enough time in the day to get prepared! Number pinned on and warm up done, I proceeded to the start and everything was calm. The organisers were friendly and chilled out and the nerves faded away. The first 4 miles of the event were relatively flat- with a few ramps and rises and some even slight downhill sections. You could really get some speed up here, but it was hard to know how much to save for the hard stuff later on. I reached the 'sugar bowl' which I had heard was the toughest part of the climb. I felt OK round here and I seemed to be going up relatively well. I think there was a bit of recovery after this as the gradient eased, before some more steep stuff and a hairpin. My inner thigh started to cramp up and I was feeling a bit sick. I started to think that my leg might actually make me have to stop but I pushed on through. I don't remember ever using my lowest gear and I don't remember ever feeling like wanting to cry. Personally, for me, climbing steep hills as fast as you can is the most painfull thing you can do on a bike, but also the most rewarding and the most fun! On reaching the summit I had the usual thoughts about whether I could have gone harder. I didn't have the cough that is evident after a real hard effort but my legs and heart had definitely worked, and my time looked good! Gilet on and time for the descent. A speed wobble or two, rain and wet roads to contend- yep, once again the hardest part of the day! I watched on as many of the other riders got into the warmth of their support cars for the descent- a tad jealous, but also proud to do it alone 🙂
I managed to finish 2nd lady and get MRCC on the podium. It was a great event and I am looking forward to going back and having another shot now I know the road much better. I fully recommend the weekend for anyone looking to do it next year- if not for the beautiful scenery and views alone as you descend the mountain. According to Strava I was 1st place or there abouts over the 2nd 4 miles of the climb, but I have more to work on on the first and flatter half. I was chuffed to finish above several ladies from high class racing teams 🙂
Unfortunately the following day these same ladies had more technical skill and bravery to perform much better in the road race- but I got round the distance at over 20mph and was pleased with my strength and performance non the less. I know what I need to do and it would be amazing to have some fellow girls to work with in future- we can protect each other, work to each others advantages and bring out the best...if you are looking on (from inside or outside) and want to get involved- come and join in - I have never once regretted entering a race, and I don't think I ever will 😁💙💛