Cycling Coffee and Cake

Tag: ultrabikepacking

TAW Day 1 – Cork to Bantry.

Jul 2nd, 2025

12th June

It was easy enough to roll out of bed as the ‘nerves’ got me up. I shuffled round to the kitchen/dining area and made myself some instant coffee and instant porridge. Final packing done, including discarding some of the extra ‘off bike clothes’ I thought I might take, and then lugging the bike and my rucksack downstairs and out into the courtyard. It was wet. I put my bag on the van hoping to see it again in Derry and set off to find the two working men.

Riders accumulated and milled around, front and rear lights gleaming. The Turn cycling gang managed to gather for a last picture of us all together in Ireland. Paul, Annie, Si and myself.

Then everyone gathered in front of the stage for group photos and a rousing ribald song based on Sweet Molly Malone with the chorus “Fuck it, I’ll do it, I’ll die in a tent”. Adrian had managed to inveigle a participant into singing the verses and roused everyone of us to sing along to the chorus.

And then it was time for the off.

The early start meant we missed the traffic in Cork. The first hill kicked in pretty quickly and was a taster of many to come. They say that comparison is the thief of joy but that depends on the comparison. of course I made note of all the riders who seemed to be carrying about half of what was on my bike but I also noted other riders who carried even more than I had! The first hill began to string the riders out and soon there was plenty of space between us and the other three Turn cyclists disappeared into the distance.

I was looking forward to going through Kinsale and evoking memories of our honeymoon some 36 years previously. To be honest it looked vaguely familiar but I was soon through and out the other side.

It was a misty morning and the temperature made wearing a jacket worthwhile. I was heading out to Clonakilty and a rendezvous nearby with Mike, my old school friend, who I had seen only a few weeks earlier in Plymouth walking with more of my school friends. He arrived armed with bananas which were to be a welcome change from the sweet carbs I had stuffed into my food pouches on the front of the bike.

The morning was shrouded in mist but the roads were quiet and the kilometres ticked by riding along the coast.

Checkpoint 1 was at Mizen Head at 145km. Adrian had picked this as an early CP so if anyone had tracker issues they could be sorted out which seemed eminently sensible.

Apparently there is a really good view from Mizen Head.

What there was, was some excellent seafood chowder and soda bread and a big pot of tea.

The next headland was Sheeps Head Drive and consisted on an in and out alongside Ballyroon mountain. It was steep climb up to yet another mist shrouded viewpoint.

The dead end U-turn was to feature more than once on the route and invariably involved a stiff climb. By now I had done 200km and was plotting where to stop for the night. Bantry looked about right and I used Booking.com to secure a room at the Westlodge Hotel. On arrival I had to store my bike in the ballroom and there were already a couple of other bikes there. The joy of Tailfin kit is it is so easy to detach from the bike and headed up to my room with just what was needed.

After a quick shower I headed for the bar and a plate of stir fried chicken noodles and a sticky toffee pudding. There was an American who had diverted to Bantry from Dunmanus cutting off the loop out to Sheeps Head Drive which he was planning to do the next day. He made good company while we ate and I was in awe of his account of doing the Tour Divide. I had got to the hotel about 7.30 after riding for twelve and a half hours and covering 236km. I’m not sure I had managed to replenish the 6k of calories burnt but I placed an order for a continental breakfast at 4.30am and went to bed.
Alps Divide – Day 6: the extraction

Sep 25th, 2024

Having scratched didn’t mean the challenge stopped. Now it was time to find a way to get to Thonon where our bags were and people would be congregating for the finishers (and scratchers) drinks on Saturday night.

I had access to a major asset. Alex Armstrong is another member of the Turn Cycling gang. I first met him doing the 2 Volcano Sprint and was supposed to have done Via this summer which he did and completed despite temperatures across Spain in the mid forties! Messaging Alex led me to a great app called Rome2Rio which helped me look at travel options.

Darren and I packed up and headed down to the bus stop. The bus arrived and there was no problem at all in getting our bikes into the storage in the belly.

It was stunningly cheap as well, less than 5euros). We arrived in Gap with a considerable wait for your train to Grenoble so settled down in a nearby park, after a huge pizza, to doze and watch the boules players.

Kris made me feel a little guilty when we met him at a bar opposite the station as he rode there….

The train journey had superb views and the three of us chatted and laughed and swopped stories all the way to Grenoble.

In Grenoble station I liked the little ramps they have installed to make life easier for cyclists 🙂

Kris was stopping over in Grenoble but Darren and I had decided to push onto Annecy. Darren found a two bedroom Airbnb not far from the station. what we didn’t expect was the narrow passage off the street, only just wide enough for the bikes, and the mediaeval staircase to the second floor!

It made getting the bikes up to the apartment harder than ascending an alpine col!

We had arrived late but ordered a kebab through UberEats before crashing out.
Alps Divide Day 5

Sep 24th, 2024

Someone once said to me ‘there is no such thing as a bad decision, just a decision made in the context at that moment’. As I reflect on my experience I find it difficult to recollect exactly how I felt and why I decided that when I got to Barcelonette I was going to scratch. There were probably multiple factors. There were people behind me who had already scratched. Martin having lost all his kit, Haico because he was injured, Benjamin because he was on a gravel bike and had fallen hit his head and been vomiting!

There was the nature of the terrain ahead of me. The weather. The time pressure. I remember, as I set off from the little studio I had slept in even thinking of going back to Isola and extracting myself from there. But as I cycled on, upwards, towards the Col de la Bonette I felt better. I was glad I had decided to do this in daylight. I was enchanted by the views. I was challenged by the climb which fortunately, for a good long section, was on tarmac.

Ultimately the road did become unpaved but the views did not deteriorate in any way.

I knew there was an out and back loop to the col itself and I had contemplated missing it out and going straight to the refuge and checkpoint 1. I felt so good and was enjoying the surrounds so much I decided to keep going and was so glad I did. The very last bit was on tarmac and round a corner to make the col.

The views were breathtaking.

Even better, someone came over and asked if my bike had a motor!

Then it was time to circle the summit and head back down the way I had come before turning off to Bayasse.

Once I had turned off, the path became quite rubbly and technical but I was in such high spirits I descended with little fear and threw myself down to the refuge.

I was looking forward to a coffee and some food but I had forgotten that we were warned the refuge would be closed on Wednesday.

Eating another Snicker (I must have consumed twenty to thirty since the start) I set off down the tarmac to Barcelonette alongside a tumbling river. It was downhill all the way 🙂

Darren’s story.

Coming off the Col de la Bonette I passed Darren who was on his way up.

He had experienced a mechanical early on when his hub broke and he had to go all the way back to Menton to get it fixed. He then got a lift back to the spot where he had turned round and continued to race. He arrived at the first refuge, in the rainstorm, around 10pm (I was already asleep) and set off later than the rest of us the next morning. For the last few days he had been hot on my heels, despite losing at least half a day getting his mechanical sorted. We were to get to know each other better as he had also decided to scratch at Barcelonette.

I arrived at the town and knew I was going no further when I ordered a pichet of wine and lunch.

In the adjacent bar I recognised another rider, Kris. He also had scratched, since his front suspension had collapsed. I joined him for a post prandial beer and we were soon joined by Darren.

The day before I had met Benjamin who told me he was getting a bus. “Do they take bikes?” I asked. He said he was told they did. So in Barcelonette I found the Tourist Office and the woman behind the counter rang the bus company and booked two bikes on the bus the next morning to Gap. Operation Extraction had commenced!

Darren and I booked an apartment, had dinner and retired replete and sanguine about the decision we had made. Especially when we saw this message from Katie, the organiser:

Snails and steak. A most excellent feast.

There were 6 escargot- honest!
Alps Divide – Day 3

Sep 23rd, 2024

The rustling started early and I could see Jo was packing so I hauled myself out of my sleeping bag around 4am. Previous experience of alpine huts had taught me to ask if they would leave breakfast out if we planned an early start. Sure enough there was hot water, coffee, milk, cereal bread, butter and jam to feast on. It was still dark outside when we set of just before 5am, necessitating lights to see the path but above us the stars in the sky were magnificent. I rarely get to capture them with a phone camera but this was an exception.

I started the traverse of the salt road and, as the dawn smashed the sky blue, a beautiful day enveloped me surrounded by staggering views..

I was playing tag with Haico, Jo and Martin. Jo had been bitten by an Alsatian somewhere on the trail and when we met up at the refuge Barbera we were able to have a good look at the wound. Phone calls home elicited that there was no real risk of rabies (confirmed by Niel who is well versed in getting rabies shots having been bitten on another event in Europe). I should have insisted she source some antibiotics as dog bites quickly get infected due to the bacteria inhabiting their mouths. She cleaned and dressed it and was soon ready to carry on.

The off road finally came to an end and there was a wonderfully sinuous tarmac descent to Tende (I think) where we all stopped at a Carrefour for resupplies. There were other cyclists there, including Stuart. I bought the best food I had sourced at a supermarket since starting – a glass jar of cold rice pudding. My spork was put into action! Then there was another beast of a climb – 26km. Mostly paved but petering out towards the end. Gradually the light faded as we climbed. Tail lights blinked high above me. Gabbi Winck set up camp not far below the col. Her video of the event captures the terrain and scenery brilliantly https://youtu.be/HefS1F8VtvA?si=-Xgr3i9e_AVqsw0g

I kept moving; slowly. Jo had said she had booked a cabin 80km further on which she and Martin were aiming for. I didn’t feel I could make it that far so, as I descended I started looking for places to pitch the tent.

Unbeknownst to me Martin had accidentally left his rear bag undone and was in the process of losing his tent and cold weather gear which was an utter disaster for his race!

I came across an area with the top of a ski lift and some cabins. One of them was lit up so I descended a short way off route to see if I could source some water.

Inside were half a dozen French people eating their dinner. After the initial shock of seeing this apparition appear out of the dark they made me come in, gave me water, cheese sandwiches, tomatoes and a peach! I found it hard to pack it all into my camelback but felt it would be rude to refuse.

Back on the route I shortly afterwards found a picnic area which, despite the barking dog in the nearby house, looked perfect. I put up the tent, ate and then squirrelled my way into the sleeping bag. It was nearly midnight but I was pretty pleased with my riding and looking forward to finding a town to have breakfast in tomorrow.
Alps Divide – the prelude

Sep 20th, 2024

This year has been full of change. I left permanent employment (aka retired) in May of this year. They say you need to think about 4 things when you retire. What is your purpose? Are you financially ok? What about socialisation? Finally, what about self actualisation? I sort of thought I would be ok but struggled far more than I anticipated. I found the loss of structure and interactions with people really impactful. I tried to get a couple of non-exec jobs and failed. One thing that was an anchor was cycling.

I did really enjoy doing the Solstice Sprint (1000km loop starting in Warwick and heading through Wales) even though I had to scratch around 700km in because of broken spokes and a buckled wheel. In fact I enjoyed it so much I went back and finished it in one go from where I stopped in Llandudno (320km in one day).

Not long after that I was entered into the Great British Divide but scratched after just two days mainly because of my mood. I felt low and lost. A simple puncture overwhelmed me. I returned home disconsolate and down. It prompted me to withdraw from the Alps Divide as I felt if I couldn’t do the GBD what hope did I have.

Linda asked, “So what will you do instead?”. I shrugged and replied I would do something next year. She said, “But you love doing these events and it does you so much good”. Not what I was expecting! I then spoke to Niel Copeland, my coach, and he did a brilliant analysis of my fears, expectations and options with me. I realised I was allowing my mental mood to stop me from doing what I loved. I emailed the organisers and rescued my place on the event.

Niel also lent me his Evoc bike bag; a serious bit of kit. It made packing the Scott Spark pretty easy (especially with some help from Jim). So on the 4th of September I started the transfer to Menton, on the Côte d’Azur. Trains to Gatwick, a stay in the Premier Inn and then an Easy Jet flight to Nice, a train to Menton and then a short, steep walk up the hill to the La Vallaya Apartment.

Others began to arrive, Martin, Haico, Paul and Niel by car with Darren arriving later. Jo and JoJo, and Stuart. Only Stuart was staying elsewhere in the old town so it was a very sociable location.

Niel proposed a warm up ride on the Friday. I had managed to put my bike together (with a bit of help) and was keen to find out what lay ahead.

(The Evoc bag came with a bike stand that could be taken out as shown!)

Five of us were prepped and ready by the Friday so rode through Menton, past the start of the race and up the first climb. It was a lovely day and I was soon steaming on the climb. It was sustained, steep and, although I didn’t know it at the time, we only did half of the climb. We stopped at St Agnes for lunch and had platters of meat and cheese and bread and salad – delicious!

The descent back to Menton was a whizzy delight and that evening Niel cooked dinner for us all and we drank alcohol free beer as the sun started to set over the Med.

L-R: JoB, Stuart, Me, JoJo, Paul, Niel, Martin, Haico, Darren. The Turn Cycling crew.