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 :)

....I keep looking at the sky......

I was never a boy scout when I was a kid, I'm sure I'd have made a really good one learning essential skills like helping old ladies up toll roads and the like, I'm sure my three chords would also help when singing those campfire songs. I normally plan my rides in advance, use route planning sites, check google street view for junctions the lot, not very spontaneous I know but I like to know where I'm going. Last night though I was in a bit of stupor,a malaise not quite knowing what to do, where to go, what to ride, so I went to bed.

I awoke feeling just as tired and grumpy so I took my retired friend for a walk and decided I'd hit the hills on the mtb, onwards and upwards.......

Had a bit of a monochrome day.....

Here's the Strava bit....

...when the wheels touch ground........

It's very confusing being a mountain biker these days, wheels keep changing size. We have the traditional 26" then we have 29" which is 700c and then there's 650b which 27.5", confused? Some may say it's cynical marketing others may say it's an innovative sport that's still young and is pushing the boundaries of cycle design and is constantly evolving. Road bikes never really change, a few tweaks in angles and electronic shifting because pushing those pesky levers is ever so tiring and time consuming ;) I've read the reviews, laughed at the forums and decided to take the plunge and got one of those big wheeled 29er things. It's a bike, the wheels are a bit bigger than the last one and I've called it Gilbert ' cos it's green.

So, first ride today and my mate Bonus came along to. It's a while since we've been out for a ride together so it was nice to have some company. The bike felt quicker straight away, can't explain why really, it might be the tyres, the geometry the big wheels who knows but we both made light work of the big climb, I even got to the top before Bonus which is a first. The big wheels got rolling along the top of the hill but I couldn't keep up with Bonus on the down he does fly downhill. We then went exploring, we'd passed a track on a few occasions and thought we'd head along up it today just to see where it went. There are lots of tracks around the forest not all on maps and it ended up at a house in the middle of the forest, a proper house, windows, curtains, flowers in the window. Bonus was well impressed but I wanted to leave, I'm sure I could hear the sound of banjos.

We headed up another track through some ramshackle gates which again looked ominous but we just ended up riding around what seemed to be a Christmas tree plantation and ended going out the way we came in. After finding another dead end we headed back to where we knew we could actually get somewhere and headed down to Dunster.

Up Grabbist hill in what felt like record time and back onto the ridge line. A quick blast along readers wives and down to the Combe, I was flying along, I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship. 

Here's the Strava bit.....

....I get knocked down but I get up again.....

Whilst watching the Tour Series cycling the other night, one rider was out all on his own when suddenly his back wheel seized up and his race was over. It puzzled me as to what caused it and the commentator never enlightened us but five minutes into my ride today I discovered how.

I was moping about and in two minds about riding, it was cold and dull but I thought if I ride things can only get better. The ride did not start well, changing down the gears to go up a short hill before I hit the main road my chain decided to do a hop, skip and a jump and passed my last sprocket and wedged itself behind it. I was standing up clipped in and doing about 1 mph and over I went, crash, bang wallop. Luckily I mainly landed on my more than ample derriere which would probably give Beyonce a run for her money ! I did feel like petulantly throwing my bike in a hedge and waiting for my team car to bring me a fresh bike. That was short lived as I neither have a team or a spare bike. The chain was well wedged but I managed to free it, twist and turn things and all seemed to work again. I'd grazed my elbow and my hip was a bit sore and I did contemplate crying and going home but fuelled by adrenaline and wounded pride I kept going.

Once on the move all seemed okay and the gears were behaving themselves. I headed up the Toll road again, I've lost about two kilos or so lately and the air is a bit warmer on the lungs and I felt really good spinning up the four miles to the top. Turned right at the top and headed for Devon, in the sunshine ! Last time I went this way was on the Exmoor Beast, it was not sunny, it was slightly wet and blowing a gale. It's a lot nicer riding this way in the sunshine though, views and everything.

If you did the Beast, this was the view behind the rain ;)

I made really good progress before hitting the descent down Contisbury Hill, long, fast with a short steep bit at the bottom, even more fun on a dry road but watch for sheep !

Contisbury Hill

A quick stop at the bottom and then on up through Watersmeet, another nice steady climb. It's one of those climbs that keeps on giving, about six odd miles with the top bit on the moors included.

Up through Watersmeet

It was over the moors and up and down through Simonsbath and Exford and onto Wheddon Cross and a quick stop for something fizzy. All downhill from here with some nice new tarmac at the bottom of the hill.

So glad I decided to ride, a great route which hopefully I'll do again soon with some company?

Here's the Strava bit......

.....there is a green hill far away going back there one fine day......

As I made my way along the A39 this morning my progress was slowed by two horse boxes being towed somewhere, where I don't know, they turned off at Cannington and I made my merry way to Axbridge to visit my friend, the A.A Gill of sportive reviews, Jennifer aka The Cycling Mayor. On my way back I was stuck behind the same two horse boxes again, where had they been? The vets, had they been for a ride out with mates, do horses go shopping, I pondered all these things as I slowly made my way along the A39.

In between following horses I went for ride around the Somerset levels with Jennifer. Tradition has it that it rains whenever we meet but today thankfully the rain held off. I was a promised a flat route which is a bit of a novelty for me, it's a tad hilly were I live. I knew the first bit out of Cheddar and towards Wedmore having ridden that way on the Cheddar Sportive on a couple of occasions(great event well worth doing). After giving a nice man a tow to Wedmore we headed off towards Glastonbury. Jennifer assured me she knew where she was going, the timber yard in Glastonbury was very nice but I'm sure that was off route ;)

....Tor....

It was nice spinning along quiet straight flat roads, chatting, drafting tractors, admiring the countryside, passing fields of Swans, the sun even shone on the odd occasion. I think I kept up but Jennifer might of eased off a bit, she's not as slow as she keeps telling people. Riding on the flat is such a change for me, we even did the drafting thing but drafting behind Jennifer is a bit like drafting behind a cocktail stick, I hope my bulk had a better effect ;)

Camera shy !

A thoroughly enjoyable ride out with good company, here's the Strava bit.......

....this is where I heal my hurt....

Went for a spin on the mtb today, when the weathers like this you just have to get out. I felt remarkably good after yesterdays efforts and even made it up the last big hill of the day without stopping which is a first for me. I also took the time to take some pics, I'm very lucky to live here, I may have said that before :-)

Here's the Strava bit if you want to see where I went.