......so I find myself among the brave south western hills......

I started my fortnight off riding the valleys of South Wales in the blazing sun and finished it riding around Dartmoor in driving wind and rain. I made a weekend of this one though taking 'er indoors and youngest child off to a quiet retreat for a couple of days. I spent most of the weekend checking weather apps in the faint hope the weather guessers were wrong but no, a fitful nights sleeps accompanied by the sound of rain and wind confirmed the forecast. Up early and off to Newton Abbot racecourse to join the assembled masses, not too bad but the clouds looked ominous. I'd registered the day before and affixed numbers etc. so it just a case of getting ready, which layers? oh yeah all of them ;).

So just before eight I set off into the unknown, with quite a mix of riders, a group of school kids, mamils of all sizes and lots of ladies. The first six or so miles is just a steady spin but its not long before you start going up which you don't seem to stop doing for the next ten miles. Once on the moors you were greeted by the wind and rain but the Tors still looked fantastic in the misty haze. I did think about stopping to take pics but I was cold and thought the best policy was to keep moving. I don't really know where I was, there was some downhill but mainly uphill, some hills quite short and steep and one bit quite rural but I managed to get up them all, slowly but surely. The drag into the headwind up to Princetown was hard work and seemed to take forever a bit like most of the first half of the ride but I finally made it to the feed station. The place was very busy, lots of people in foil blankets looking cold, I didn't hang about, flapjack, banana and fill the bottle and I was off again into the gloom.

The second half of the ride was a complete contrast to the first, the hills were a bit more rolling the wind was at your back with just a longish climb towards the end at about fifty miles. The Medio route was advertised with about 6000ft of ascent, I think that was all in the first half of the ride! A great descent down under the trees along the Teign valley and then it was pretty flat all the way to the finish. I even managed to tag myself to the back of a group for a bit and got towed along for a couple of miles. Just doing that cheered me no end as it shows I've managed to get that little bit quicker, not much but a bit. The last bit of the route went around the houses a bit but I think that was to ensure we were kept away from the traffic and the finish into the racecourse was well set out.

The second half of the ride made up for the first half but I'm sure if the weather had been better it may of been different. I don't think I've done an event so well marshaled, people on nearly every junction always with a word of encouragement. I chucked the bike in the car and went to get my goody bag, nice to get bike related stuff beats toothpaste and salt?

Here's the Strava bit.....

Dragon Ride 2013

Somewhere new to ride today with four thousand close friends in the valleys of South Wales. Up and out early and a clear A39 and a quiet motorway meant I was at Margam Park and parked up with time to spare. I went for a stroll and used the portable facilities(clean), lots of cyclists milling around, the Gran Fondo riders were already setting off on their tough 130mile ride. Being such a large event the organisers send a you a start time and mine was about 10 am so I went back to the car and pondered if to get ready or not.

Ready to roll....

 I decided to get ready and make my way down to the start and soak up the atmosphere and listen to the same PA announcements about ten times. No registering today, the organisers send you your timing chip and numbers in advance so it's just a case of turn up and ride. Good job I did really because the announcer started calling the Medio route riders to the start, in any order, anarchy! He said they only do the start times for organisational purposes, some poor IT kid probably spent hours doing that spreadsheet. So I got away in the second wave of riders at about quarter past nine which cheered me no end because I thought if I started at ten the whole place would be packed up by the time I'd finish.

Hands up if you need the loo.....

So off I headed into the sunshine, some quiet lanes to start but the route grew increasingly urban even a short stretch of dual carriageway at one point. Even the locals come out and cheer you on, one woman even had a cow bell, this happened throughout the ride, it's really nice to see. I nearly wasn't ready for the first biggish climb of the day, luckily I was stopped at some traffic lights and someone mentioned the climb around the corner. Short ish and steep but my plan for the day was to sit and spin up the hills and not push it too much. That was the only real climb in the first thirty rolling miles or so apart from the long drag to the first feed station which was very busy. Grabbed a tart and a banana and filled up the bottle, stuffed my face and cracked on, I was feeling good, apparently the salty spuds went down well but I didn't partake.

Pick a bike any bike....

After the feed stop things started to get a bit lumpier starting with the climb of Coelbren which was a mile or so straight up at a steady gradient, what goes up means a down, down to the next climb, Rhigos. The last two climbs of the day were the big ones, Rhigos and Bwlch both over three miles long. Rhigos started with a gentle gradient which I seemed to be struggling on but as the hill went on and the gradient got a little bit steeper after the bend I started to feel stronger strangely. The views were absolutely stunning and the descent was brilliant, I was enjoying myself that much I rode past the second feed station at the top of the hill.

View from Rhigos...

After Rhigos it was the last climb of the day, Bwlch, this was a bit longer but I sat there and spun up and when you think you're at the top you're not there's another bit hidden around the back. Another stunning descent but unfortunately there was an accident just after a cattle grid which stopped everyone in their tracks. The event medics were there and the Air Ambulance was looking for somewhere to land so things didn't look good. My thoughts are with those involved and everyone was a bit subdued after we set off again. A rolling eighteen miles or so to the finish, down through the Afan valley and through Port Talbot.

Final descent....

Really enjoyed today, the legs hurt on the climbs but I think they're supposed to, the locals were really friendly, the route was a good mix and the views were stunning, I like Wales :)

Here's the Strava bit....

.......and come morning I am disappeared......

So it's the Dragon Ride next Sunday, I'm not doing many Sportives this year, more quality than quantity is my aim, ride somewhere new and let someone kindly put signs up to guide me. I know Sportives aren't everyone's thing but each to their own, please don't slag people off for doing them it's their choice, their money.

Had a long week at work so I've been feeling a bit tired but I had to get a decent ride in before next weeks event. Another new route this week, I thought I'd do some of the Tour of Wessex route just to get a very very small taste of what a couple of my friends did, luckily enough the signs were still up so no chance of getting lost. Up a sunny Toll road and over the moors, the sun was out the sky was blue it was a great day to be cycling.

After the ever so brilliant descent down into a cloud covered Dulverton it was pastures newish and upwards. I've ridden down the hill but never up it and my chain decided to do it's hop and skip again just before I got to the bottom of it but thankfully I stopped in time. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but it did go a bit further than I thought. It was then through Brompton Regis and a short steep hairpin to take me to the lake

.

It was another long drag back to the main road, then along the Brendon Hills ridge and the quick descent down to Timberscombe. A steady spin towards home on some welcome flatter stuff, achy legs but well worth it.

Looking back on Strava my times were okay for me again, I think the achy legs is through me going that little bit quicker and trying that little bit harder I thought it was meant to get easier ;)

A big well done to both of my friends who rode all three days of the Tour of Wessex, both have been through a lot lately, kudos :)