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cycling climbs of scotland - a road cyclist's guide. simon warren. frances lincoln publishing softback 142pp illus. £8.99

cycling climbs of scotland

in my immediate circle of velocisti, i am considered a reasonable climber or, as i prefer to be known, grimpeur. in the grand scheme of things, i barely qualify on either account. however, a bit like jan ullrich, the intervention of the winter months seem specifically designed to eat away at my fitness level, despite taking not one weekend off in the face of cold, wet, adverse weather conditions. perhaps unlike herr ullrich, ploughing into galeforce headwinds does not directly lessen my ability as a domestique, but it sure as heck slows my ascending skills.

for no apparent reason, so far as i can fathom.

thus, taking my lessons from the reality that appends itself to ageing bones, i have noted that an improvement in climbing prowess signifies that i am once more on course for at least a semiproductive season. and note my belief that i still have such a thing as a season.

i cannot deny that i'm beginning to enjoy the daily slog on all but level ground, almost as much as i used to enjoy riding uphill, though in certain quarters that may be the sort of admission that has one's grimpeur membership revoked. but i'm sure that, if we keep this between ourselves, i may manage a year or two more before gravity takes precedence.

though i have had grateful possession of a specialized roubaix comp for a month or so, the edition which i requested did not feature the triangular plastic case moulded to fit in the nook created by the juncture of the down tube and seat tube, always assuming that in these days of carbon monocoques, we still refer to them as tubes. those further up the food chain, however, offer this as an added extra, providing a neat and secure little crevice in which the owner might conceal an inner tube, multi-tool and perchance, a small energy bar.

cycling climbs of scotland

as i have discovered much to my betterment and enjoyment, a bicycle named after one of the season's flattest and hardest races, is no slouch when it comes to heading upwards, particularly now that my season has begun to kick in. and were my blue and black review model to have featured the small receptacle described above, i would currently be devising a strategy which would allow the safe carrying of simon warren's latest climbing publication, the cycling climbs of scotland.

though i'm sure, like me, you're all wondering why such a geographically important tome was not first in the series, some things are undoubtedly worth waiting for, this compact and bijou edition being top of that hypothetical list.

first off, i am willing to forgive mr warren the obvious error of his ways by failing to venture far enough in a south westerly direction to visit the 14% climb that would have greeted him on disembarking the afternoon ferry at port askaig. this omission is more than offset by his inclusion of the 'rest and be thankful', a hill that features prominently on any car or bus journey to or from islay and glasgow. i have long wanted to climb both the old military road (now reconstituted as an alternative route when the modern edition is frequently blocked in winter by frequent landslides) and its modern equivalent.

cycling climbs of scotland

but unlike simon warren, i'm pretty much all talk and no action.

the grimpeurs amongst you will, by now, be well-acquainted with the plethora of books available in this series (aside from my obvious affiliations with the volume under review, i would still contend that the 'road climbs of hellingen' should be in the centre back pocket of every cycle jersey sold. this one ought to be in one of the adjacent others).

i have frequently made it known that my grasp of geography scarcely reaches even a rudimentary standard, so i was quite surprised to learn that there is a categorisable climb on the isle of rothesay, the very holiday destination on which i learned not only to swim, but to play the tortoiseshell ludwig drumset in the hotel ballroom (just like ringo's). sadly, at that age, i was innocently unaware of road bicycles and any propensity to ride up hills. and having spent over twenty years of my life in ayrshire, i am almost embarrassed to discover that there's also a pretty decent ascent at fairlie.

who knew?

cycling climbs of scotland

though i am constitutionally constrained from discussing anything that might take place on the east coast of the country, let me assure you that it is covered with the same attention to detail as the atlantic side of the nation. but in similar manner to those who immediately turn to the last page of a whodunnit to discover if the butler was indeed responsible, i will save you having to unnecessarily peruse the contents and inform you that the climb you really, really want is on page 25. confirming its legendary status ahead of the ventoux, alpe d'huez and the angliru, mr warren awards this humdinger of a climb (a a seldom used technical term applicable to very steep climbs) a score of 11/10. yes, i refer to the bealach na ba.

at which point there really is little else to be said. one more jersey pocket has been filled.

100 climbs

wednesday 3 may 2017

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................