Ultra-cyclist Matt Page has spoken of his disappointment after harsh winds ruined his chances of breaking the North Coast 500 world record.
The former courier cyclist had set his sights on breaking the world record time set by Mark Beaumont in September last year.
The time to beat was 28 hours and 35 minutes.
Despite a strong start, his condition began to deteriorate as strong crosswinds hampered his ability to progress.
At the 21-hour mark, Mr Page was forced to retire on the north coast, a short distance away from John O’Groats.
‘Savage winds’ bring world record attempt to a halt
Speaking to The P&J, he described how the harsh weather conditions sent his chances for victory in a downhill spiral.
He said: “It was all going well, well for the most part, in reaching Durness on the north coast. There were a few sections where the wind was causing problems, but it wasn’t until we got up to the north coast that things really started to get difficult. There was a section where the cross winds were really hard, and I could barely peddle.
“From there it started to spiral downhill. I wasn’t able to eat along that section because I had to keep my hands on the bars, it became very cold, I wasn’t able to get myself warm, and tiredness crept in.
“I was ahead of Mark to get to Durness. I got to Thurso in 20 hours so around midnight. At that point, I was still ahead of Mark’s time, but I wasn’t able to ride in a straight line anymore so for safety, we decided to stop a few kilometres before John O’Groats.
“Everything seemed to happen very quickly and all at the same time, but it was nothing we could plan for.”
To beat Mr Beaumont’s killer record, Mr Page had to better his average speed of 18.2mph for the 516-mile ride, which included 32,000ft of climbing.
From the moment he set off from Inverness at 6am on Tuesday, Mr Page looked to be on track for success.
The 38-year-old cycled the entire west coast in just over 15 hours, reaching Durness by 9.30pm.
By hour 16, he was nine miles ahead of Mr Beaumont’s record.
However, as he made his way east, weather conditions began to deteriorate, slowing his progress and ultimately, costing him the title.
‘I know I can do it’
He described how headwinds between Inverness and Lochcarron left him peddling constantly for more than three hours.
Despite the conditions, Mr Page says he enjoyed the challenge.
He says none of it would have been possible without his support team.
“The team I had was fantastic,” Mr Page said.
“Everyone put their whole heart into it and we were just chatting this morning saying even though it wasn’t a success, it was still a brilliant trip and everyone seemed to enjoy it.”
As to whether Mr Page will attempt the mammoth NC500 for a second time; only time will tell.
He said: “I know I can do it. When we got to Durness, I was 45 minutes up on Mark’s time, so I know I have got it in me to break the record. Whether I can get around to doing it again, we’ll see.”
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