I’d devised a few cycling ambitions for this year. Because Elly and I will be cycling in Bavaria at the time of Pedal for Scotland, it looks like I won’t achieve a 100-mile cycle (preferably a sportive) this year. Nor will I get to do a triathlon. But yesterday I achieved the third ambition – cycling to Glasgow and back.

There was a nasty headwind on the way to Glasgow – I think I turned it blue swearing at it as I struggled to maintain 10mph. As ever Uphall was nasty – why is the main street made of concrete slabs with huge expansion gaps? Despite wearing two layers of padding and copious arse-cream, I had severe arse-pain between there and the West Lothian/North Lanarkshire border. (I don’t know how entering NL cured it: maybe the nerves in my backside just gave up, maybe entering NL meant the end was in sight.) Whatever, I’m very grateful to West Lothian Council for the smooth cyclepath beside the A89 from Dechmont to Bathgate. Having cycled that stretch of road a few times, I know that that stretch of tarmac – which looks smooth – is a real bum-breaker.

My only stop on the way, except for traffic lights, was at the far side of Blackridge (so I was over halfway there) to water a farm gatepost and munch a couple of energy-chews. Here’s the cycle meter link, and here’s a screenshot of the cyclemeter map:

At Glasgow, I couldn’t cycle to Queen Street Station – there were some barriers and crowd. Has something unusual been happening there, apart from the usual partying?*

So I walked from Merchant City to Queen Street, bought some fried carbohydrate and a diet fizzy drink, had my photo taken by a random passer-by** and set off again.

This way I had a much-appreciated, which took almost an hour off the ride time (cycle meter link). Most of the way I was fearful that I’d need to drop out and take a train back to Edinburgh. Not because I couldn’t make the journey but because I had a meeting at 7:30. However, after an energy-chew stop at Bathgate, I realised that if I pushed hard enough, I would be home by 6:30. So pushing happened.

Given the cycle to and from the meeting, I did 90 miles. It might have been nice to cycle to Musselburgh and back to break 100 miles in a day. Next time – no stops! And I know this is nothing compared to racing 100 miles non-stop in the pouring rain but I’ve got 20 years on the winner and ride a hefty mid-price touring bike, not a carbon-fibre road-beast (yet!).

*yes, I know. But I’m a cyclopath – I generally plough my tarmac furrows alone.

** I was dressed something like this but with SPD shoes, swirly tights, a black long-sleeved base layer under the cycle jersey and a helmet with high-visibility cover.