King of the mountain

At least I’m in good company -- I’m being shown the ropes by Frazer Coupland and David “Spook” Munro of No Fuss, a company specialising in mountain biking and other challenges. Munro got his nickname from Coupland after playing the role in a school play when they were growing up in Lochaber, and it has stuck to the extent that the name adorns his bright-orange mountain bike. Coupland kindly supplies me with a bacon butty and mug of coffee as we wait in the warmth of the Nevis Range café at the bottom of Aonach Mor as Mary Austin, of the Nevis Range, explains how the region has benefited by becoming one of the world’s most-famous mountain-biking spots.

Helped by the success of hosting the 2007 World Championship and the annual round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, mountain bike related tourism is estimated to be worth about £119 million and supports 3500 jobs in the area.

Coupland, a social worker, and Munro, a waste-treatment engineer, gave up their jobs to run No Fuss from a garage-cum-office at Coupland’s home near the town. Although most of the endurance mountain-biking events they offer are based in and around Fort William, the pair have also organised cycling events at Kirroughtree forest in Dumfries and Galloway and in Moray. Although neither can remember who came up with the name, No Fuss, Coupland says it sums up the company’s ethos perfectly. “The emphasis is on No Fuss [for the participants]. We organise everything,” he says.

Today we are on the Red Route, which drops over 1800 feet during its three-mile course. As we ascend on the gondola with our bikes, we pass over the impressive 5.2-mile world championship course. Looking down, I realise how tough they breed mountain bikers here. The route is described by Forestry Commission Scotland as containing some “exhilarating” descents, and it’s easy to see why as it twists, turns and drops down from Aonach Mor.

Even the names of some of its adrenaline-charged corners give a clue to the challenges: Hole in the Wall, Witches’s Brew, The Cat’s Back and Big Ben.

Coupland says: “The gondolas run right across the course and there’s special equipment that can hoist riders on to one to get them back down the hill quickly for treatment if they have a bad accident.”

Needless to say, the views are breathtaking from the top, especially on a clear day like today. However, to add to my fears before the ride ahead, energy drinks firm Red Bull is also on the mountain for a timed race between David Knight, motocross world endurance champion, and Gee Atherton, his equivalent in downhill mountain bikes.

Knight was clearly having difficulty trying to accelerate his powerful motocross bike on the route, while Atherton, I was later told, was about seven seconds quicker despite the lack of an engine.

Before we set off, Munro warns me to follow the red arrows painted at various points on the rocky outcrops to avoid coming a cropper.

I initially hang back behind my guide as I pedal over the raised wooden boardwalk that forms parts of the route and features plenty of banked corners and drops to catch out the unwary.

I try to follow Munro’s lines, but it becomes impossible almost immediately and I end up simply concentrating on staying on the bike. Suddenly the boardwalk ends and I reach a series of highly technical rocky sections, which sees me negotiate giant slabs of granite.

About half a mile in, and the feeling of exhilaration kicks in and I’m building up a rhythm for the tough course. Many of the tight corners on the boardwalk are angled, which reminds me of a carnival Wall of Death. But coming back off the boardwalk again on to another steep rocky decline, I fail to spot a red marker and, at about 20mph, plunge head-first into a huge boulder. I stick out a gloved hand to avoid smashing my head against the rock, and hurt my legs as the bike goes down. The impact knocks the breath out of me and Munro can tell straight away that I’ve suffered a bad shock.

I’m not the first to be caught out by the route, which Forestry Commission Scotland describes as being suitable for “proficient mountain bikers with good off-road riding skills and fitness”.

Munro tells me: “I recently came across a French couple who had very little experience of mountain biking and had brought their dog along and the course scared the wits out of them.”

I know how they felt. It would have been very easy to go no further, but I judge that the best thing is to get back in the saddle to put it out of my mind. After a tentative start, I get my rhythm back and begin to take in my surroundings.

It is an incredible feeling to have the whole route to ourselves as we hurtle down the side of the mountain. Some of the steep descents take my breath away, and there is no margin for error. In a matter of minutes, probably no more than seven, the exposed hillside begins to be eaten up by the pines of the Leanachan Forest and we turn left off the Red Route on to the 10 Under The Ben course that runs through burns, twists and turns and includes a descent called Nessie.

Splashing through rivers and mud and zipping past pines, I feel a little more at ease and, as we swing down into the Nevis Range car park at the end of the route, I realise that, although the bruises will fade, the memories will last forever.

Travel notes

Where to stay

John Bynorth stayed at the Moorings Hotel in Banavie. Visit www.moorings-fortwilliam.co.uk or phone 01397 772797.

Other information

No Fuss Events was set up by David Munro and Frazer Coupland in a pub in Fort William. The pair, now 46, decided to organise a series of mountain-biking challenges for amateur enthusiasts.

They were shocked when 500 people turned up to their first race in 2004 and have since expanded their portfolio to include triathlons and duathlons.

Munro says: “There was nothing for Joe Public to do in the area and it was originally meant as a one-off. It’s not just about mountain biking. It’s about being outside and having great fun. We don’t take ourselves too seriously and there’s no prizes for the top three. The ethos is something for everyone.”

About 1000 people took part in their annual 10 Under The Ben event last year -- a challenge between teams or individuals to compete as many laps of a circuit on Forestry Commission land near Fort William as possible in 10 hours.

Others include a 10-hour race at Kirroughtree in the Galloway forests near Newton Stewart, the Ten More in Moray event, in aid of Cancer Research and the Yorkhill Children’s Foundation, and the Tour de Ben Nevis, during which mountain-bikers circumnavigate Ben Nevis.

Munros says that most people taking part in their events come from Scotland, although some have travelled from Denmark and one team came from Turkey.

10 Under The Ben, a 10-hour mountain bike marathon, May 21, Nevis Range, www.nofussevents.co.uk.