A Record Ride
Kerry MacPhee breaks the record for fastest cycle of the West Highland Way
ASCOTTISH mountain biker has set what she describes as an “accidental record” on an iconic long-distance trail. Kerry Macphee, 34, rode the 96-mile West Highland Way (WHW) in 11 hours 46 minutes, to better the previous fastest female time of 15 hours.
Yet her record ride had not been planned and she only decided to take on the challenge a few days before.
It was on Friday, April 16, when Covid-19 travel restrictions across Scotland were eased for the first time in 2021, that Kerry set out from Milngavie, near Glasgow, to cycle the off-road trail to Fort William in the Highlands.
She rode with her friend Stu Thomson and they completed the mountain bike journey self-supported.
Kerry, who is from the Outer Hebrides and now lives in Stirling, says, “The West Highland Way fastest time was not even on my radar.
“But when Stu phoned me, just after the Scottish Government announcement of easing restrictions, to ask if I fancied riding the route, I thought, ‘Aye, why not?’ It took me only a few moments to decide.”
Stu had been keen to complete the WHW non-stop since being involved in a successful attempt to break the supported record last year by another Scottish rider, Rab Wardell. He rode it in nine hours, 14 minutes.
Kerry says, “Stu and I ride a lot together and we were both fit enough to do a long ride such as the WHW.
“Also, I guess you could say I’m that friend who doesn’t have many responsibilities. I’m usually up for some cycling nonsense and Stu knew that.”
Kerry was a sporty child growing up as a twin and the oldest of five children on South Uist but it wasn’t until she attended the University of Stirling that she discovered a talent for competitive cycling.
She says, “At first it was a triathlon after a friend persuaded me to enter a short race in 2010. I didn’t even own a bike and I had to buy one second hand. I had no idea what I was doing but I won that race.
“This sparked something in me and within a year I was the Scottish Cross (off-road) Triathlon champion. I went on to race for Great Britain at the European Cross-tri Championships in 2012 and came fourth.”
While Kerry continued to be successful in cross triathlon, as well as duathlon, she realised it was mountain biking that was her strength. In 2013, she entered a mountain biking race and finished second, between two competitors who were Commonwealth Games hopefuls.
The following year, after wins at the Scottish Offroad Mountain Bike Championships and other races, Kerry was selected to compete at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She was the first female Hebridean athlete to achieve the honour.
She continues to race professionally in off-road events, including mountain biking XC (cross-country) and cyclocross. Kerry says, “I am very determined and competitive. Growing up with two sisters and two brothers I was always going to be competitive.”
With racing on hold throughout the pandemic, Kerry has felt fortunate to be able to ride trails in Stirlingshire.
The community liaison officer for a renewable energy company says, “I’m part of a community of riders in what is now known as Gravelfoyle, basically the gravel trails in the forest around the village of Aberfoyle. Stu has played a key part in developing Gravelfoyle as a cycling destination and we have become friends.”
On the day of the WHW ride, the pair set off at 6am from Milngavie, heading north. It was Kerry’s first attempt riding the long-distance trail in one go.
She says, “I think my longest ride before was about seven hours and I had only ridden a few sections of the WHW. I had not trained for the ride. I think doing it without any pre-conceptions was actually an advantage.”
With good weather forecast and all the food and
“I competitive” am very determined and
kit they would need for a day on their mountain bikes, the friends were keen to enjoy a “great adventure”.
Kerry says, “We set a good pace but nothing excessive. We knew there are some tough sections on the route.
“It was meant to be a challenge but also a day of two friends enjoying a great adventure.”
At the 10-hour mark, Kerry recalls checking her watch and thinking, “Wow, I feel good. How is that possible?”
She adds, “A short while later, I realised we were on for sub-12 hours. I wasn’t sure how that could be.”
While Kerry travels worldwide for racing, she believes there is nowhere more beautiful than Scotland on a good day. “I like that tiny and insignificant feeling you get on the trail,” she says, “especially in the Highlands. It really was one of those ‘wow, what a country’ type days.”
However, there were some low points. Kerry says, “I had a couple of nasty crashes coming off Conic Hill.
“When we reached the Kingshouse Hotel at Glencoe there was a toilet block with a sign saying ‘drinking water’ and I downed most of my own water only to then find the door locked. I’d forgotten that places weren’t operating as normal due to the pandemic.
“Dehydration started to set in on the last stretch. Then, after thinking that we were on for a sub-12 hour finish, we had a long ride with a headwind. That was tough and I was thinking, ‘Urgh, we just got our hopes up, too.’
“But overall, because we kept a lid on the effort early on and ate really well, there was never a point where I felt I had to dig deep. I’m amazed at how OK I found it.”
Kerry is sure she could ride a faster WHW. She says, “We had a long stop at Tyndrum because of queues for toilets and we were fairly chilled out a lot of the time.
“Setting a new fastest time was just a happy accident rather that the point of the ride.
“Also, when you do it self-supported, you’re carrying a lot of extra weight, so a supported ride would be faster.”
It is unlikely to be Kerry’s last long-distance ride. She says, “I know I have a big engine and the type of mindset that can just keep going. I rarely miss the chance to seize an opportunity to have an adventure.”
“I like that tiny and insignificant feeling you get on trail” the