We knew we were in for a wet one when heavy down pours constantly blighted Sunday morning's preparations in Fort William. After signing on and doing some very last minute checks on the bikes it was time to hand them in for scrutineering and head back to the Hotel to get dried up before the afternoon parade through Fort William high street.

At 3.00 "Team Eastern Centre" led by the SSDT veteran Mark Reason ("Daddy") and followed by the newcomers: James Yearly, Mark Kemp and myself entered park Ferme to fire up the bikes. The rain was lashing down but it was still a great experience popping a few wheelies down the high street with 270+ other bikes. The months of preparation suddenly seemed worth it. Unfortunately the hard work started the next day!

We awoke to rain on Monday morning - rain that would not stop for the whole week (except for the occasional blast of hail). I think we would all admit to being a little nervous by the time we had rode to the 1st group of the day at Leanachen Forest. Huge crowds had gathered to line the 3 sections so it was a relief to start my week with a 0,1,3 sequence. It was a great feeling to come out that 1st section with a clean recorded next to my name. We then had a tough moor crossing out to Bradileg. It was very tough going and I was pleased to get to the lunch stop in Kinlochleven for my 15 minute rest stop. One of the highlights of the afternoon was the descent from Pap of Glencoe. It was incredibly steep and at points I felt like throwing my bike down the rocky hill and collecting it at the bottom! Fortunately it wasn't only James and I who were struggling (we had got split up form "Daddy" and Mark by this stage) as John Lampkin struggled his way down with us. The final group of sections of the day was at Lagnaha. This is another group of sections popular with the spectators and at the end of a very tiring day they were very difficult sections. It was actually the 1st time I had ever seen water coming down the sections as in previous years the huge rocks have been dry. Finally after around 7 hours in the saddle we made it back to Fort William to put the bikes back into park ferme.

A classic Scottish section greeted us 1st thing on Tuesday morning - Witches Burn. Unfortunately "Team Eastern Centre" all recorded 5's and I received a lovely big graze down my arm as I came off the step backwards! Oh well - it was a good souvenir! The moor crossing from Glen Cia-Aig to Meall Choire 1 & 2 was a nightmare. I got to the sections completely exhausted and having gone over the handlebars on one occasion. Crowds greeted us at Forest Gate where after recording a nice ride on the bottom sub I have to be pulled up the big step at the end of the second by James who had just had to be pulled out himself! On the road going towards the next group disaster strikes. It's soon apparent that I have blown the head gasket on my bike so James continues alone. Meanwhile it was case of damage limitation for me and I spent the next 2 and half hours trying to hitch a lift back to Fort William in a van. Eventually I am able to throw my bike in with Gary Macdonald's dad. I get back to Fort William by mid afternoon. The Scorpa mechanics could not have been more helpful as they helped me change the head gasket, which involved dropping the whole engine out of the bike. Some 2+ hours later we had got it back together and I just manage to get it back into Park Ferme (minus the sump plate) so I could at least continue riding tomorrow. Unfortunately I am now excluded from the official results for missing all the sections after Forest Gate.

The next morning I struggle to get my sump plate back on, as you are not able to receive any outside assistance when in park ferme. I did however have John Yearley helping me along by shouting instructions through the fence (thanks John!). As a consequence I am late out of Fort William but after some fast riding along the famous Mamore Road and by riding the 1st few sections without looking at them I soon catch James and "Daddy". I was pleased with my clean ride on the bottom sub at Cameron Hill but James went one better and received a big round of applause for cleaning both sections - an excellent ride. After some big steps with lots of water coming down them at Coire Mhoiair it was then round the top of the Blackwater Dam. It was here that "Daddy" unfortunately had to end his day as the fan on his bike packed up. He got his bike back to Fort William and like myself got the bike running again so he could continue his week. The afternoon was full of tough moor work before rejoining the road and the final group of sections at Trotters Burn. This is another crowd favourite with the spectators eagerly awaiting some crashes off the big step in the last sub!

Thursday morning felt very strange - I was last but 1 man away from the start, which meant I was not leaving Fort William until 11.45. It was over 30 miles of roadwork before we got to the 1st group of the day - Chairlift. Overnight rain and strong winds had made riding conditions atrocious. The 2nd group of the day at Ba House had to be scrapped because they were too deep with water so it was then back to the road before attacking a massive hill on the way to Gorton. After riding Gorton it was yet more tough moor going. Unfortunately I managed to hit a bog which literally swallowed me up. Luckily Mark Kemp was stuck up the hill slightly further on and he helped me pull the bike out. However in doing so I suddenly realised that I myself was being sucked into the bog and was up past one of my knees! It was like quicksand and I had no option but to lie down and drag myself out with my arms! Later on in the day I realised just how high up we were when I saw traces of snow next to one of the forestry tracks. I got split up from the others on the approach to the infamous Ranoch moor crossing so had to challenge it on my own. By this stage of the day I was getting very tired and to make matters worse horizontal hail was soon lashing my face. I must have fallen off 4 or 5 times across here and it suddenly dawned on me that this was not the place to get injured. You are quite literally in the middle of nowhere! It was a big relief to get to the next group of sections where I was able to rejoin "Daddy" and James once more. After 8 challenging sections at Fersit it was then a road ride back to Fort William. Approaching 8.00 I eventually get back to Park Ferme.

Friday is referred to as "road race" day but there is still plenty of moor work to face. After crossing the Chorran Ferry we receive delay to stop a large group of riders getting to the 1st section at the same time. James Nobel (Bobble) (a very good rider riding with Amos Bilbao, Wayne Braybrook and James Lampkin) made me laugh when he hailed down a passing cement mixing lorry. The lorry pulled over and the driver wound down his window. Bobble proceeded to ask the driver if he could "dump that lot on 1st section like"!! After our lunch stop I pushed on fast across the moor because I knew we were soon to face the daunting Coire Dubh. I had observed these sections in previous years and knew that there was no way round the side of these sections and you simply have to get up the huge gully. Fortunately I rode well recording some nice cleans on the way up and was somewhat surprised when I made it to the top so quickly. To get to Doire Dhamh later in the day we had a short but tough moor crossing which also had a couple of very deep rivers to cross, one of which had a huge step simply to get out of it. Luckily I was riding with some French riders at this point that included the young world round rider Jerome Bethune and we all helped pull each other out! After these sections I rode back down to the road where Ken Davis was just about to head back to Fort William. Ken tells me that he has been watching at the last group of the day - Pipers Burn. "Lovely big step there" Ken informs me… "Mind you, I've just seen a girl go up it so it's not beyond your capabilities." Trouble was the girl Ken referred to was the number 2 ranked woman in the world; Iris Kramer from Germany! Unfortunately after getting right on top of the step I came off backwards and laid in the water in front of a lot of spectators!

After a tiring start to Saturday it was great to make it to Pipeline for one of the highlights of the week. I was pleased with my ride up here but congratulations have to go to "Daddy" who for the 1st time in 12 years cleaned all 4 subs to the very top. On the way from Loch Chairain to Ghuanach Gorge we pass a Spanish rider who had fallen off badly on the moor. His face was gushing blood and he looked in a bad way. Fortunately he had all his friends around him trying to look after him but it was clear he was soon going to be unconscious. The final stretch of moor to the Ben Nevis sections were not what I needed by this stage in the week. As I walked these sections I saw the Helicopter taking off from Fort William and I guessed it must have been for the Spaniard I had seen earlier. It was only later that night that we learned about the sad news with the Eastern Centres very own Keith Nicholas who also had to be rescued off the moor after falling off badly on the way back from observing his section (get well soon Keith). The observers had endured a torrid time all week out on the sections for hours on end in atrocious weather (Thanks all those observers from the Eastern Centre!). It was then a ride into Fort William with James and "Daddy" before completing Town Hall Brae and getting interviewed on the stage erected in the high street. As we waited our turn to go up on stage John Lampkin shook our hands and congratulated us for making the finish - he had seen us struggling round all week! It was a great end to an incredible week. I think we can all be pretty proud of finishing one of the toughest Scottish's for years.

Wes Butcher
#132

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