Well, after some recommendations I went to Golspie today and went around the big loop (scary statue- must have loved himself!) a couple of times – dry but quite blowy at the top.
I enjoyed it- but got quite frustrated with myself. The stone grips like anything – so refreshing after southern muck and roots. I only saw 2 other pairs of riders- and one of those was in the car park. Very nice for me, but I hope more people are turning up at other times to make it worthwhile for the community.
Lactic ladder – how the hell do you clean that? I recon I walked 40% of it. I could clean most of it as single features but it is the unrelenting nature of some sections. I wish there had been more people there so I could have watched and learnt from someone who knew what they were doing!
The Black descents – first lap I rolled up to about 10 features and realised I’d need more speed or a different line to clean them so ended up walking around. Second time around I still chickened out of a few of them. Not keen to hurt myself whilst riding solo, but maybe I’m just not black material yet. There are a few drop-offs that look like they need to be ridden at quite some speed.
The Red – fast swoopy stuff. Easily taken full bore first time unseen. It’s amazing the difference in comparison to the black. Perhaps I’m a maroon level rider, but that doesn’t seem to be catered for!
Tomorrow I think I’ll see if I can find something natural to ride in the Cairngorms – anyone got any ideas?