Team Seven racer Mary McConneloug recounts her and team mate Mike Broderick’s trip to Scotland for the second stop of the mountain bike World Cup.
Mike and I made it back safe and sound. After a 20-hour journey each way, we are recovering from an awesome week in Scotland. The weather was fair…not too much rain, or sun. Mostly overcast and green. We raced at the only ski mountain in Scotland…Ben Nevis, near Fort William. The course was really built up: lots of gravel and bridges to get around the wet terrain. It was pretty technical with steep rocky and rooty descents, tight single track and plenty of climbing.
When we got there, we were pretty tired from travel—not only from Boston to Scotland, but from the drive across the U.S. the week before. I was combating a small cold and scratchy throat.
We were lucky to have scored the perfect accommodations for the week…a small cabin 15 miles outside of Fort William. Our place was across the street from Loch Eil, with views of the surrounding mountains, situated in a beautiful garden by a stream. It was the perfect place to recover from our travels and get ready to charge the second World Cup of the season. We were glad to have our own kitchen, since Scottish cuisine is a bit of a challenge for our strict diets.
By Saturday, I was rarin’ to race. I started 59th out of 104 pro women…mid-to-back of pack. The race started on a wide fire road climb; everyone was going so hard (I saw many crashes), it was difficult to move up. I just sat in for most of the climb and then gave it some gas right before the top, moving into 17th position. The descents were pretty sketchy, but I was riding them well (many were walking). I felt really calm and strong, moving up the field slowly. I would catch another and ride in the draft until I was ready to out-climb them. On the last lap I caught Annabella Stropparo on the descent. Crissy Redden was just up ahead. We bridged up to her; we were all going for the 10th spot. Crissy attacked and I got on her wheel; we dropped Stropparo. Crissy squeaked in front for the last single track section and I couldn’t get around her. We sprinted for the line, but she already had a few feet on me. Oh, well. She fell to the ground after the race. I guess I gave her a run.
I had fun reading the race and felt my body was primed for the event. Fairfax, CA “training camp” paid off. I was stoked to finish 11th and be the first American (1.5 minutes ahead of Dunlap!).
After a quick warm down I was off to the feed zone for Mike. There were 152 pro men; Mike was called up 133, caught in the masses. I saw the dust cloud of the fastest men in the world pass at a frightening pace. The long fire road climb was not enough to space out the pack for the tight descents, causing a jam at the bottleneck. Mike and all but the front of the pack were walking slowly down the descents. He fought his way up to 87th position, enduring some of the worst cramping he has ever experienced. He was disappointed to have traveled all that way and not feel good for the race. Well, that is how racing can be; it didn’t let it stop him from enjoying Scotland.
We saw incredible views of the country. Driving out of busy Glasgow, through small winding roads bordering beautiful lochs into the expansive Highlands, really gave us a feel for the land. Sheep were meandering with their babies, sometimes in the middle of the road. (We were inspired to cook up some scrumptious lamb chops the night before our race.) The people were very friendly. Our rental car looked like something James Bond might have been ripping around in. Mike enjoyed the challenge of driving on the left side of the road (shifting with this left hand) reaching speeds unheard of in the Seven race van.
It was a whirlwind tour. Getting ready for the races pretty much consumed us, but we managed a bit more site seeing on Sunday morning. We drove out to the west coast—Port of Mallig—and had coffee. I was impressed by the variety of landscape: steep ridges and mountains with water pouring down into the valleys and small roads with barely enough room for on-coming traffic. Much of the land has been clear-cut, so the trees are pretty small and in perfect rows, but still there emitting oxygen. The coastline was gorgeous, surprising Bahamas-like coves with white sand and crystal clear blue water.
Later that day we went over to ride around the venue and watch the downhill race—of course all suited up in our Seven gear. We got lots of looks and compliments on our “nice bikes.” Brand awareness continues into the nooks and crannies of the world.
I am glad we made the trip. And I’m glad to be back home on the Vineyard. We’ll be here this week, catching up with life, continuing training, and getting ready to move into the van again. Our plan is to leave for Snowshoe, WV on Tues. June 10.
