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the hebridean way to fitness and health
i have previously made mention of the stretch of singletrack road that starts at the cattle grid adjacent to ballinaby farm and ends just before the turn down to saligo bay. with the atlantic ocean pounding at the nearby sands, sheep wandering aimlessly either on the road or at the verge, and a healthy growth of grass down the centre, there's a more than evens chance of getting on the drops into a decent, gritty headwind blowing in from the west. it reminds me of little more than several of the roads seen in those minor belgian classics, an impression that has led to it being dubbed (at least by me), the belgian road.
on the frequent occasions that i or the velo club peloton head out along this route, i feel honour bound to raise the pace a trifle and, headwind or otherwise, put it in the big ring and pedal for all i'm worth. which sadly, isn't much. i have frequently thought that, instead of heading to mallorcan or corsican shores for a pre-season training camp, teams such as landbouwkrediet, quick-step or lotto ought to head to the calmac terminal at kennacraig and bolster their hard man abilities in the rain, cold and headwinds of islay's west coast.
i have even suggested more often than once, that rapha ought to base themselves here for the autumn/winter catalogue shoot. the flaw in that part of the equation is that the brochure in question is photographed in summer, and there's every chance they'd arrive on the very week that islay was flat calm and sunny. though the island's road system could hardly be described as extensive, the annual existence of the ride of the falling rain (sunday, august 4th, since you ask) gives credence to the opportunity to ride at least 100 miles in a single sitting. all i need now is a black skoda with twmp emblazoned on the bonnet (hood, if you're across the pond), and my training camp is only minutes away.
except, someone's beaten me to it, though not on islay, but further north and west.
it would be hard to deny that i do not fulfil the ideal stature of a fitness instructor. not for me a neatly pressed tracksuit, tri-bars on the colnago and a whistle round my neck. will wright, however, is the epitome of the genre, and hebridean based to offer training camps on the isle of tiree, also stuck in the atlantic just west of mull. accessed from the calmac terminal at oban on the scottish mainland, it is pretty much pan-flat, leaving it exposed to headwinds that can frequently outrun those experienced on islay. since will is not an indigenous islander, what brought him to such a windswept location?
"I've lived on Tiree for ten years. My girlfriend and I came here on holiday having heard about how good the windsurfing was. We never left! We windsurfed during the day and worked behind the bar at night. The hotel let us stay in a spare room through the winter and we got married on Tiree the following year. Ever since then we've gradually found our own place on this far flung island that I'd previously never even heard of."
islay has a fairly respectable population of around 3,500 persons, spread throughout several villages, the balance comprised of isolated homesteads dotted here and there. tiree, by comparison, fails to even scrape sufficient individuals to equal the population of bowmore. with only around 800 on the island, has it been an uphill struggle to promote fitness and training camps on tiree?
"Seeing my own business grow has been really satisfying. I think it's worked partly because we came here with no grand plan, no agenda, no big dream. We just got involved in things and let it evolve naturally. So my business has grown around local demand, and I'm grateful that I've got a very loyal following of local fitness enthusiasts! The training camps are really a culmination of coaching experience, my own racing experience, and the ten years of living on Tiree. It brings all those things together to offer something unique, something off the beaten track, and yet something that delivers results. The struggle is probably in reaching a wider audience, getting the word out that this is happening and just how fantastic a place Tiree is to be outdoors and active."
when i was a member of islay pipe band, one of the apprentice pipers, now playing in a fairly successful contemporary ceilidh band, originated from tiree. his father spent a few years as head teacher at the local secondary school before moving onto greater things. in the sort of juvenile humour that infected the band at that time, we frequently asked if he'd been a member of tiree mountain rescue; laughable because a hump back bridge on the island would likely qualify as an hors category climb.
cycle training camps more often than not head out to the more mountainous areas of the world, so what would be the benefit of attending a training camp on the edge of the atlantic? "If it was pure road cycling, probably not a lot. Big mountains and perfect tarmac we don't have. What makes Tiree special is that you are right on the edge here; there is nothing but sea out to the West, and just distant islands to the North and South. Tiree is surrounded by gorgeous sandy beaches, it's unspoilt, the air is fresh, there's no traffic, no pollution, no crime. It feels almost like you're coming to another world. The natural beauty is so evident in a place like this. So, for a place to be out training it is stunning. And just because it's mostly flat doesn't mean it's going to be easy! I live and train full time on Tiree and I've won national mountain bike races, long distance triathlons, 10ks, half marathons, adventure races. We can make the training as hard as you like!"
you can easily envisage that endless sea, flat roads and a plethora of sandy beaches would perhaps more likely favour the triathlete than the aspirational roadie. is this the case at tiree fitness? "Personally yes. I raced mountain bikes for a few years but really enjoyed the challenge of doing three sports in one race. I think the multi-sport element makes training and racing more fun. It's a sport where everyone has strengths and weaknesses; everyone comes home after a race with a different story; every race is different. From a coaching point of view, we have a multi-sport outlook as it makes for a fuller experience and it builds a more complete athlete. We adapt our training camps to suit the group, and the abilities and interests within it."
though i'm sure by now everyone is throughly fed up to the back teeth with my tales of scraping through rapha's wonderful retreat in provence at the end of april. however, that excursion provided everything you could possibly desire: bikes, food, mechanical support, massage and guides. does tiree fitness offer a similar level of support, or is the onus placed more on the shoulders of the attendee?
"You're in good hands! As soon as you get off the ferry you're looked after. Everything is provided; transport, accommodation, meals, bike, massage, all the support you need, evening entertainment (if you have energy left!). In fact we had an evening workshop with the local Chocolatier who did a Truffle Rolling and Chocolate Tasting workshop! We try to provide as much of an island experience as we can in addition to all the fitness training."
there's little doubt that the mediterranean isles have made more inroads into the psyche and pockets of the cycling fraternity. let's face it; most of us are looking for a way to escape the british weather and find mountain roads that will be more demanding than glasgow's montrose street, or box hill near london. strangely, having experienced the continental col, we return to ride roads that demand considerably less. does will figure the western isles can provide a similar level of training camp as mallorca, the pyrenees and the french alps (other than tall mountains of course)?
"I think the Western Isles, and in particular Tiree, has a lot to offer. It's obviously different to a typical training camp abroad, but it's that difference that makes it so special. We can offer a real Hebridean experience, with pro class trainers, and at the same time retaining the personal touches and warm welcome that make it such an inspiring experience."
it is recognisably and currently, the season, with both continental and domestic racing in full swing. training camps are perhaps best left for consideration when that end of year lethargy creeps up. just maybe, one or two of you might consider eschewing lengthy queues at baggage reclaim and passport control by training closer to home. tiree, for example, before heading to islay on the way home for a distillery or two.
tuesday 2nd july 2013
