Cycled down to Partick and took the bike through on the train to Haymarket, where I wheeled it up to the Lochrin Basin and set off along the Union Canal towpath. Heading out of Edinburgh there were a couple of aqueducts where the towpath narrowed significantly and cyclists had to dismount. There were quite a few runners and cyclists until I got further out into the countryside and the quality of the towpath became steadily worse. Although it had been dry for a couple of days, I struggled through a very muddy mile or so approaching Linlithgow, and it was very stony for long stretches.
I was planning to stop at the Falkirk Wheel for lunch but the headwind was starting to sap my energy. The tunnel offered a brief respite, and there was nobody around so I was able to cycle its full length even though it was very dark, but I finally had to stop about a mile further on and drank an entire bottle of Gatorade in a few seconds. I was already behind schedule when I stopped at the Wheel to eat a couple of sandwiches and buy more drinks. It got harder to pedal after Falkirk and the stretch between Bonnybridge and Kilsyth was particularly exposed to the wind, so much so that it felt like it would have been quicker to run. Dropping to a lower gear made it slightly easier but seemed too slow. I ended up stopping in Kirkintilloch to buy some emergency Skittles, and it was there that my Garmin ran out. The last 10 miles or so was familiar territory and was more sheltered, so I managed to pick it up slightly. It took me 4:29:22 to cycle 46.74 miles to Kirkintilloch, speed 10.4mph, HR 139, plus about an hour for the final 10 miles. Fastest mile was 4:17 just after the Edinburgh Bypass.
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