Tour o' the Borders 2015

On Sunday, 9th August the Tour o’ the Borders sportive will be back, for it’s 4th edition. For 2015 this firm favourite Borders biking event has (in Tesco Bank) a new headline sponsor and a new route.

The old course was something of a challenge. I’d heard rumour that the new update was better (i.e. tougher) and wanted to find out what the event’s 2,000 participants were in for.

As usual, the route starts and finishes in Peebles, the small market town that’s become synonymous with two-wheeled pursuits. I headed south, over the Tweed, following a small back road that climbed the Manor valley, a gentle introduction to a route packed with ascents.

The scenery was already distracting, all around me that Borders tartan of purple heather, blue sky and water, silver-grey scree and vibrant-green grass.

A brief stretch on the main road and I swooped down passed Stobo before a right turn up the Dreva. My climbing was rewarded with a fast descent and jaw-dropping views along the upper Tweed valley. Like any Borders ride I could have spent my entire time gawping at the horizon, shouting (to the sheep; there was no on else): “look at the view!”

The single-track road soon delivered me onto a junction with the A701, where a sign tempted with a right turn to the Laurel Bank Tea Room. I resisted and turned left, along the valley to Moffat.

Riding solo into the wind, I tried to maintain a decent pace but was anxious of the toil to come. During the Tour, that would be a good point to join a group and share the wind-breaking effort.

I settled in to a rhythm, soaked up the sun and soon enough the rolling road delivered me to the turn to Talla. The reservoir’s vast body of dark, sparkling, water provided a heavy, calming presence off my right shoulder. And I needed a little sedation.

The Talla Wall is new to the Tour route. I could see it from miles distant, a thin scar at the head of the valley, angled unrealistically upward.  Just near its foot a motorbike roared passed, then came the sound of its engine struggling. I was out the saddle the whole way (through necessity more than choice), wrestling bike and gradient. Talla is amongst Scotland’s best climbs, better suited to the Italian Alps and a sadistic corsa rosa, one Tour veterans won’t forget in a hurry.

The Wall’s top brought oxygen debt, lactate overload, cool air, views to rival the last lot and one heck of a descent. Gilet zipped up, bidon half-emptied and I was off. Once again the Tour will be ridden on roads closed to other traffic, leaving riders free to take racing lines, providing speeds to compensate for the Wall crawl.

I turned onto the main road at St Mary’s Loch, the tailwind welcome, down time in which to eat, drink and spin out the legs. Just as well: the next climb was approaching fast.

A left over the Yarrow Water at the Gordon Arms (there’ll be a feed station there during the Tour) and onto the Berry Bush.  It’s one of those ascents where you think: the top must be round the next corner. Except it’s not; same goes for the next corner, and the one after. See that road, far in the distance, right up by the top treeline?

I got there, eventually, glad of the next descent, the turn at Crosslee and another tailwind. I raced along the Ettrick Valley and then onto the Witchyknowe, another Borders legend climb, and one that’s featured in previous Tour routes. I’d ridden it a few times before, usually fresher. With all the day’s hills and miles in my legs it matched its reputation.

Over the top and Newton’s Law of Cycling was back in play: what goes up must go down -- a descent that makes like a blast down the Seven Stanes’ Spooky Wood (minus the berms).

Back over the Yarrow, along the undulating valley road and another right at the Gordon Arms -- this time up the Paddock Slacks. I knew it would be my day’s last serious ascent and my stiffening legs were glad. Make it over and I’d be (almost) home and dry.

Make it I did, rushing down passed Traquair and onto the Cardrona road, Peebles in my sights. A touch of cramp on that little rise passed Kailzie and it was over.

74 miles covered, sufficient climbing (approaching 5000 feet) and descending for a decent Tour de France stage, plus scenery to rival any on the planet; the new Tour o’ the Borders route is even better than the last, and that’s saying something.

A link to my ride on Strava here.

Tesco Bank Tour 0’ the Borders
tourotheborders.com
Sunday 9th August 2015
Entry cost: £58

Tour o' the Borders

From stages of the Tour of Britain, the Seven Stanes mountain bike trails, to the hugely successful TweedLove festival, there's a regular reason for a two-wheeled Borders pilgrimage.

Next up is the Endura Tour o' the Borders, which starts and finishes in Peebles on Sunday 10^th of August. Heading into its third year, this cyclo-sportive is on the up (quite literally, more of which later): 2014 will be the first running on roads closed to cars.

Last year's edition was epic. Less than clement conditions resulted in semi-submerged roads and riders at risk of hypothermia. Moving from late spring to the height of summer might make heatstroke more of an issue. Whatever the weather, participants have two route options: 55 or 77 miles.

I’d headed down for a preview of the longer route, to be guided by Neil Dalgleish, Tour co-founder. Mindful of the miles and climbs to come, we settled into an easy pace, heading toward Innerleithen, before a turn through Cardrona. The undulating, rollercoaster road swooped us along the Tweed valley before another right and our first proper ascent: Paddy Slacks (a corruption of Pas des Lacs or Pass to the Lakes). After about 3 miles and 500 feet of climbing, the descent came as welcome respite. We raced downhill, rattled over the first of many cattle grids and on across the Yarrow Water.

From there we were back to climbing (the longer route packs in 4790 feet of ascent). Despite being almost 4 miles long, the Berrybush was less of an ordeal than expected, more a gradual rise, eased by a slight tailwind. By the time the Tour hits this road its 2000-strong peloton will be stretched down the verdant valley like a vast string of bunting.

Every up has it's down and the descent to Crosskeys was a cracker. We raced along at over 30mph, leaning into the sharp bends, adrenaline washing away fatigue.

Our day's first crossing of the Ettrick and we followed the Rankle Burn, heading toward Alemoor Reservoir. The latter is said to contain kelpies but all we saw were brightly coloured kayaks bobbing on the blue water. Borders country is beautiful, and full of history too: on the road to Askirk we passed a cairn built in memory of the poet Will H Ogilvie, born in nearby Kelso.

We seemed to have held onto the tailwind, were cruising well ahead of the 14kph minimum that Tour entrants will have to beat. Then came the Woll climb. Hedgerows obscured the scenery and our focus turned to the tilting tarmac. It took us a while to rise through the wooded patches and onto open farmland, the gradient around 5%, burgeoning fatigue suggesting otherwise.

Next came Ettrick Bridge, which will be home to one of the Tour's three feed zones. Entrants will be plied with food, (including wares from Glasgow’s Big Bear Bakery), fruit and energy drinks. With about half the distance to go, most will keenly take advantage.

The Witchey Knowe is one heck of a calorie cruncher, and the climb of the route: over 500 feet of ascent in just 1.5 miles of tarmac.

“Is that the road, up there?” I gasped, pointing aghast to a thin grey line slashed into the hillside.

With no spare puff for speech, the answer came as a grunt.

The views from the top were equally breathtaking, the Yarrow valley far below.

The descent was pure adrenaline: sinuous and somehow sticking to the hillside. The Tour’s closed roads will allow riders to let rip and take racing lines; we exercised a tad more caution.

At the bottom we took a right toward Selkirk, road following water, wheels spinning faster than the rapids' splash. I had twigged to the theme of the route: challenging climbs, rip-roaring descents, everything in between utterly entertaining.

We flew by the Waterwheel Café, no time to eat or watch the salmon leaping at Philiphaugh. We were now definitely riding into the wind but the hedgerows provided shelter and distraction came with the road's changes in pitch and direction.

Farewell to one river and we re-united with the Tweed, heading back along its valley. We had forsaken the busy Galashiels Road for one running parallel but high above. The native woodland to our right was green and specked with patches of silver lichen. I'd not have discovered a lane so beautiful in a hundred Sunday runs.

Yet another descent before a shortcut through the grounds of Traquair House (location for the Tour’s final feed zone). The 900-year-old building is Scotland's oldest inhabited house and given such beautiful surroundings it's easy to see why the place has remained occupied.

Shaking off thoughts of a siesta in the garden’s shade we returned to that rollercoaster road, passed Cardrona and back to Peebles.

“One more climb,” said Neil, as he's prone to when out riding in this part of the world.

“Only one more?” I sighed, tired but disappointed. I wanted at least another three, couldn't wait for the Tour o' the Borders to do it all over again.

Endura Tour o’ the Borders

http://tourotheborders.com/

10^th August 2014 (last date for entries: 3^rd August 2014)

Entry cost: £55