The atmosphere was very subdued this morning as we queued at the start line in the early morning mist at the foot of Ben Nevis after Proud - Heather Small woke us up.
The Lloyds team rode out first to a round of applause as it was one of their riders who crashed yesterday. At this point all we knew was that her condition was critical.
The route wound it's way up past Loch Ness where Nessie was chilling out of sight. We reached Inverness, again in the glorious sunshine, and decided a coffee was in order. I got a bit excited at this prospect and high fived Liz right off her bike and onto the floor! Fortunately no major damage to Liz or her new bike.
I ordered a cappucino only to leave our Italian friend Luca exclaiming 'you can't have a cappuccino before lunch'! Not sure why but it reminded me of when I gave my 4 year old daughter sausages and beans for breakfast at an all inclusive hotel and she said 'you can't have sausages for breakfast'! Life is full of firsts and I like to live it on the edge...
Once everyone had knocked back their espressos and got back on their bikes, I gulped my cappuccino down (was looking forward to relaxing in the sun for 10 mins) and we rode off for the remainder of the day towards the Kyle if Sutherland. I was feeling super strong at the last climb and with Andy and Francesco (Italian with a heavy bike and lots of stuff on his rack) we surged up it for 30 minutes to the top. It's true, you definitely ride yourself fit on an event like this.
We arrived into Bonar Bridge after something like 115 miles to another gorgeous green field camp on the shores of the inlet. I had time for marmite on toast before tea which was a welcome change and since it was our last night together we celebrated with a wine and a beer. Difficult to remember not to get too excited as the following day was dealing another 105 miles or so.
Sadly that evening's briefing included the tragic news of Sally Preece's passing away following her accident on the way to Fort William. Such a shame. RIP Sally. Threshold dealt with this impeccably, choosing a respectfully positive tone and reminding everyone of the money being raised for charities and all the benefit that that brings.
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