First big day on a solo bike, 53 miles Inverness to Lairg. This should be interesting. The morning looks like - copious amounts of coffee, breakfast, pedal the tandem to Ticket to Ride bike rentals to drop off the luggage and test out the rental bikes, wheel all the bikes to Highland Bicycles to drop off the tandem for its repair and get on the road. Debate about what to do about my pedals as I’m pretty new to clip ins and it’s just one more thing to deal with. Luckily navigation is on the simpler end of the spectrum up here, Steve’s now going to do it. 2600 feet of climbing. Question of the day (and an ongoing question we’ve been asked many times) is it easier on a tandem or a solo bike?
Pictures may be fewer today, as I have to focus on driving…
It was a very long day! Answering the question, it is different on a tandem. We got the solo bikes, just around the corner from the B&B. All set up for us, spares, seem to be good bikes. Got on mine to try it out - promptly crashed into a tennis court fence. I haven’t ridden a solo bike for years. I was wobbly, no control and not ready for the roads.
We headed out from our lovely place by the river, the rental bikes were delivered to the bike shop where we picked them up, dropped off the tandem and headed (wobbled) off into the hills. One of the things we love about the tandem is the chatter, never ending socialising as we ride. It was a role-reversal today with Steve navigating and taking pictures, I was focused on pedalling. No chatting, just periodic shouts back and forth.
Our first part of the solo trip was to come across the bridge over the Moray Firth, it’s just barely a cycle way and non-stop big traffic going by. Once we were over that it got quieter and a LOT more pleasant.
It took me a while to get used to the solo bike. Very shakey to start. The tandem is stately, smooth and no wriggling. This bike headed for the ditch every time I glanced off the road. It got better over the course of the day.
Plenty of climbing up to 2875 ft overall. I may smack the next smart guy who says, ‘She’s not pedalling’, a ‘joke’ I’ve heard in at least 6 languages now.
Overall a good, but hard day. Three more to finish…
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| End of the day… |
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| Start of the day |
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| Climbing up over the Black Isles |
Yep, on solo bikes
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| Very autumnal |
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| Up on the top |
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| Both of us on the trip |
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| Waiting for the picture |
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| We made it! |
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| The bridge, Steve had to carry the bikes down these steps! Couldn’t have done this on the tandem! |
I’ve fallen asleep writing this 20 times now (don’t know why!) so will pick it up again tomorrow!
If you read Facebook you will have seen my comments on the day. All I will say is “she has got some bottle that Katherine ” quite a tough day. Steady resolute determination and a fantastic improvement through the day. Brilliant. Cycling Gods dealt us a crap hand yesterday but we will get there. Three days to go and just about 120 miles. Think we will get wet. Happy as a pig in s__t. 😁
ReplyDeleteWay to overcome the challenges! I’m so impressed! And the scenery looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIt’s so gorgeous and I was to take a picture every mile!
DeleteSo LEJOG wasn't enough adventure by itself that you needed to add relearning how to ride a bike? Sounds like you met it head-on! You'll be fine and will have added a new chapter to the journey. Ride safe!
ReplyDeleteIf the tandem can’t make it, this is a decent alternative!
ReplyDeleteOh wow! What a day. Everyone crashes when learning to use clip on pedals. 🫨 They are lovely in the end. Sounds like you mastered it soon enough. And still plenty of photos. Good job to you both!
ReplyDeleteI like the clip on pedals in the tandem, not skilled enough to use them on the solo. Can’t imagine what those two falls would have been like with clip ons 😬
ReplyDeleteOh, I didn’t realize you didn’t use the clip ons on the solo. Interested to hear if you would ride solo again.
DeleteI could ride solo again, certainly got my feet wet with the 4 days up here, but it wouldn’t be my (our) first preference. As good as Steve was about checking in with me, I found it quite lonely pedalling along by myself. Tandeming for us, is constant socialising and there are things that I can do on the back that I couldn’t do on a solo. I (we) never realised how much I do on the back, in addition to the pedalling. The majority of pictures on the blog were taken as we were moving along and I was gutted about the number of great shots I missed on the solo. Very glad we finished the trip though!!!
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