Dragon Ride Wales 2012

One of the highlights of this year was to complete the dragon ride again (the other being the Cornwall Tor - which didn't happen due to the weather)!
I roped in my erstwhile cycling brother Kiff (Chris), who usually agrees to do these events with me, and infact did it last year with me. The plan was for me to travel to his on the Friday, easy day Saturday fettling with the bikes, and drive down from Staffordshire to South Wales in the early hours of  Sunday for the ride, push back 09:00-09:15. Well my trip to Stafford was delayed a few hours as I attempted to wait for the post, hoping that a new tyre was going to be delivered, as I'd managed to rip a hole in my new rear tyre that same week on a training ride. Of course the mail hadn't arrived by 13:30, so I really needed to set off to avoid the Friday pm traffic. What a nightmare. Firtsly, I didn't have my usually (family) car with tow bar & bike rack. The wife had this as she had taken the family to her Father's with dog, crate, sleeping bags, yada, yada, yada... I had the convertible Beetle. Whilst it is a lovely car, it's not a car I would like to drive further than the neighbouring village let alone 179 miles to Stafford. I wasn't even sure I could fit the bike in!! Well roof down, bike wheels off, bike jammed on back seat, drive chain covered in rags, I was able to set off. Awfull traffic on the A34 past Oxford (isn't there always)! Awfull traffic on the M40 & M42.
Saturday was meant to be a rest day & fettle with the bikes - fine tune the machines ready for the event on Sunday. Those of you who know  mine & Chrise attitude to pre-event training will not be surprised to hear that rest was never on the cards! Chris on arrival proceeded to tell me that he had been unwell for the last  3 days with the runs & a cold sore (which proves that he was run down)! but was most pset when I told him I hadn't brought my golf clubs. No matter, we roped in a colleague of Chris's, borrowed his clubs then struggled round the local golf course visiting every inch of it looking for balls (litlle round ones, not courage)! Still it was a great laugh, & bought back happy memories of when I used to be fairly adept! Supper was a Chicken spicey pasta, washed down with red wine. We had an early night ready to be up at O my god its early (05:00) to leave at 06:00 for thejourney to South Wales. The weather was surprisingly mild. we checked the teperature on the way down, cheering for every 1/2 degree it rose as the sun came up. It seemed to settle on 13.5 degrees on aarival at Margam Park nr Port Talbot. This is an NT property with massive grounds for parking in. Quick change, pump up the tyres, switch on the garmin, share out the energy gells & bars, & away to the start. Hit the start line at 09:15 ish, with 30 or 40 otheres, & set off at a reasonably steady pace. Within 10 miles my Garmon had me at MPH av & Chris's had his at 18 MPH av, but here we were cycling side, by side. He enjoyed telling me it was beacuse he pedals faster than me! The first 20 or so miles was fairly urban, eventually we hit some long slow climbs. Now normally Chris whizzes off, but this time we were side, by side. Was there something wrong? Chris was complaining of a sore knee, but I ignored him, as he's always moaning about something. The next hill was just before the fanmous Rhigos, & was a few miles long with av gradients at around 5 - 6% max of about 10%, I noticed Chris was no longer staying with me! I was really perturbed, as he is such a socialble fellow, I thought he was just chatting to a few fellow riders? We had just been over a timing mat, so I didn't want to slow down, but just kept plodding on - ever upwards. After about 30 mins, chris still hadn't caught up, & I couldnt see him behind. Now those of you that know me, know that clinbing isn't really my forte. Speeding recklessly downhill, now that is my forte!! Despite the nagging feeling that I would regret stopping & ruin my time on the mountain. I stopped jsut befor the Rhigos for Chris. A full 15 mins passed, & in that time I checked the phone to make sure he hadn't tried to call me witha probalem? No calls & no text, so evrything must be ok. well, Chris arrived, looking the worse for wqear & definitely in pain. he fair fell off his bike to announce 'I'm fucked' see photo. his knee was agony, he'd been in cramp & had no energy. I let him know that I was in no such bother, & he should re-evaluate his benchmark of pain & tiredness! After all we'd anly done 48 miles thus far! Pep talk over I strapped him back on the bike & crawled up the Rhigo at around 6 MPH ( I almost rolled backwards once)! He was done in & couldn't go any further. Half way up there were some well meaning spectators who offered Chris a lift. Good job I was between him & them! evemtually we reached the 2nd feed station on the summit of Rhigos. A couple of Tarts later (the pastry kind),  a few salted potatoes & a banana we were raring to go, well mainly me. Chris still couldn't see how he could go on. The fact  the the next few mile was downhill helped. for the next 15 mins we had a fantastic rollercoaster descent of the Rhigos reaching speeds over 40 MPH! Then came the Bwlch, a longer more punishing climb (8 miles long last year), but this year we were attempting it from the opposite side. It's still a monster! Apologies to the statisticians amongst you for the absence of feet climbed, speeds and altitude etc, but you can view the data here http://app.strava.com/rides/10575501, Chris struggled & cried all the way to the top, with his very supportive elder bruv dragging his lame arse along! The came the most exhillarating and certainly the longest descent I have ever done, with only a small rise at the bottom to negotiate 8% for 50 meters, but due to the cold winds on the speedy descent Chris's legs seized up, & he couldn't turn over his pedals! OMG, emergency stop for stretching, & an elderly local kindly checked on him, as I had him face down passively stretching his quads, then Hamstrings, before setting off back oto Port Talbot for the final 10 mile mostly downhill, or flat. Chris struggled, & I tried to due my duty towing him a long, but it was akin to towing a gel, or amoeba, soemthing withouot a backbone, whinging every 2 mins that I was going too fast, as every tom dick & harry powered past us heading to the finish.

Kilo to Go Cornwall Tor 2012 what a wash out!

Was entered for the 2102 Cornwall Tor yesterday, & even drove 184 miles, in the hope that the weather forecasts were somehow way out considering Saturday wasn't too bad?


Awoke in the night to Gale Force winds & driving rain which nearly took our (my brother & I), tent away, so got no sleep. In the morning we drove part of the amended course (kilo to go's compromise), & there was so much tree debris & standing (& running water) on the hills, it was downright dangerous, so decided to DNS!

I was very disappointed with Coms fro Kilo to Go. The event should have been cancelled/ Rider safety should be their main concern? I would accept even re-scheduled? Surely they have insurance for incidences such as this - especially as some poor cyclist wedged himself under an oncoming car last week on the Exmoor Beauty after loosing control on a slippery downhill section?

Poor show Kilo to Go, I, nor my brother will be entering one of your events again!