DooBlood
New Member
- Location
- Warwickshire
Am a newbie to this event and distance. Any one got any advice/stories/horrors/tips etc they wanna share? Whose doing it?
Brevet Cyrmu
- Thread starter DooBlood
- Start date
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SheilaH
Guest
Good ride. Great night section on the a40. Tips? Don't eat too much at controls, especially Newquay ( long climb afterwards). Can have a nap if needed in Bwlch. Look at your watch when you arrive at a control and give yourself 15 minute tea stop for most of them, but a bit longer at Llandovery and Newquay. Team up with someone else from Llandovery to Chepstow. Take some food with you and snack every half hour. Drink plenty, 400ml per hour minimum. Most of all relax and enjoy.
Nuncio
Über Member
Unless you're quite fast or very slow (ie close to the time limit), consider taking a nap at Bwlch. There's only about 50k to go from there but you'll need some energy for the final climb after Usk and it's quite pleasant to do it at dawn rather than in the dark.
On the return you have the choice of going through Brecon or taking the by-pass. Brecon town centre is not exempt from drunken louts so you may want to consider the by-pass depending on what time you're there.
The two sharpest climbs are about 10k out from Newquay. You probably won't need a grannie gear (if you have one) apart from for those.
The ride goes through Llanddewi Brefi. I don't know about the only gay in the village but whenever I've been there it's been full of blokes in lycra.
If you want somehere quick and cheap at Hay, consider a quick receipt somewhere there and going on to the garage at Glasbury 10k further.
The A483 between Builth and Llandovery looks like it should be busy on a Spring Saturday but it seldom is. Count the cars onthe A40 on the return between Llandovery and Bwlch - you may get to double figures if you're unlucky.
It's a shame about the 'not eating too much' at controls advice, because there are good opportunities for it at the West End Cafe (twice), Newquay, and Bwlch.
As you're suffering on the climb out of Newquay, soften if by reminding yourself that you're well over half way and have done the bulk of the climbing.
Don't relax or press too much on the dark (for me, usually) descent to Llanwrda. There's a sharpish right and left over a stone bridge that can catch out the sleepy/unwary.
Make sure you have bonk rations for the stretch between Newquay and Bwlch - there's not much open should you need a boost.
Favourite bit: the back road between Boughrood and Builth. Listen out for cuckoos.
Enjoy the ride.
On the return you have the choice of going through Brecon or taking the by-pass. Brecon town centre is not exempt from drunken louts so you may want to consider the by-pass depending on what time you're there.
The two sharpest climbs are about 10k out from Newquay. You probably won't need a grannie gear (if you have one) apart from for those.
The ride goes through Llanddewi Brefi. I don't know about the only gay in the village but whenever I've been there it's been full of blokes in lycra.
If you want somehere quick and cheap at Hay, consider a quick receipt somewhere there and going on to the garage at Glasbury 10k further.
The A483 between Builth and Llandovery looks like it should be busy on a Spring Saturday but it seldom is. Count the cars onthe A40 on the return between Llandovery and Bwlch - you may get to double figures if you're unlucky.
It's a shame about the 'not eating too much' at controls advice, because there are good opportunities for it at the West End Cafe (twice), Newquay, and Bwlch.
As you're suffering on the climb out of Newquay, soften if by reminding yourself that you're well over half way and have done the bulk of the climbing.
Don't relax or press too much on the dark (for me, usually) descent to Llanwrda. There's a sharpish right and left over a stone bridge that can catch out the sleepy/unwary.
Make sure you have bonk rations for the stretch between Newquay and Bwlch - there's not much open should you need a boost.
Favourite bit: the back road between Boughrood and Builth. Listen out for cuckoos.
Enjoy the ride.
OP
OP
DooBlood
New Member
- Location
- Warwickshire
Thanks Guys, this ride sounds great 
OP
OP
DooBlood
New Member
- Location
- Warwickshire
Coolio, any last minute advice? Single chainring?! Not sure I want your advice! 
OP
OP
DooBlood
New Member
- Location
- Warwickshire
See some of you guys tomorrow, well wishes
zigzag
Veteran
the ride went very well despite aching knees (after london marathon two weeks ago). started with the first group and was going at brisk pace until the first steeper hill at 31km. then carried on riding solo, taking photos and enjoying welsh countryside. i was briefly joined by Jason C (preparing for his ironman race), later rode with Ray from mtbwales. strong tailwind was helping a lot and i found myself at tregaron at 13:34 (my fastest 200?). my granny sprocket was put to a good use from tregaron to new quay and also on some hills out of new quay. i was dawdling on my own when i was cought up by a jolly company of Bianchi Boy and his mate Mike (from yacf) and we stayed together until the finish. it was good to meet DooBlood at llandovery. finished in 18h25m (16hrs riding, 2h25 faffing)
my first ride in wales and i thoroughly enjoyed it. photos can be found here.
my first ride in wales and i thoroughly enjoyed it. photos can be found here.
OP
OP
DooBlood
New Member
- Location
- Warwickshire
The weekend saw me complete my first ever 400k audax. This event was the Brevet Cyrmu audax that started and finished in Chepstow.
I rested well the day before the Brevet Cyrmu and SJ cooked me up a nice dish of spaghetti bolognese - the perfect carbo load. Packed my car the day before too and checked I had all the equipment I required. This was the most stuff I have ever carried on a bike and the extra weight was noticeable.
Got to the start of the audax in good time. Had left my house at about 3.30 a.m and reached the community centre in Chepstow a good half hour before start. About 100 cyclists were taking part in this event - a few were using fixed speed cycles. I had a hot cross bun (plus 2 banana's on way up) then readied myself preparing to begin. At 6 a.m we were off. It was a nice fast start and the initial chill passed quickly. I was wearing my new Pearl Izumi gilet and I completely rate it - it kept me toasty warm. Big descents were encountered early in this stage. The most memorable descents being the long stretch past Tintern Abbey (cycled before during LEJOG events) and another steeper descent not long after. This second descent was real scary - I saw a poor cyclist feather his rear brake and subsequently see his rear wheel bounce a few times before he went straight over the bars and into the side of the hedge. These big descents and subsequent climbs soon broke the pack of cyclists up. I was towards the front cycling in a group of 5. We cycled steady till we neared Hay-On-Wye and then 2 cyclists in our group of 5 raced to reach said destination first. Just a few miles later we had reached the first control. The picture below shows the complete route.
I did not stop at the first control, save to get my brevet card stamped. I had wanted to stop for something to eat but the others I was cycling with had just continued so I followed suit.The gels and shortbread biscuits in my pockets made a great snack. I was cycling this section mostly as part of a double act for a long stretch - taking turns to pull and follow until we reached a group with a few more cyclists in. My thoughts went a bit cloudy for a while after joining group and it was starting to get very hot. The guy I had been cycling with to reach the new group was suffering already and was soon dropped - I never saw him again. Reached the control in Llandovery in good time and stopped for a suitable breakfast of beans and egg on toast and a mug of tea. Met Zigzag from a cycling forum here, which was nice. This cafe was called the 'West End Cafe', and was the first of 2 controls with the self same name.
Stage 3 was menace! Near disaster! Sadly my navigational skills were badger like. After 198k I was not at the control in Tregaron. Instead, I was outside an antique shop. I popped in and asked how far away from Tregaron I was, the shop keeper informed I was about 25 miles away! Grr! I felt quite peeved at this juncture and wasn't sure what to do. Should I pack and give in was my first thought - this was a silly idea as I was half way through, ie it was about 200k back to start and also about 200k to finish. My second though was to back track and find Tregaron, but I wondered if I'd reach the control in time. A quick check of the brevet card indicated I had hours to reach control so off I cycled. The cycle here was horrid, I had big hills to climb and was cycling into a headwind. After what seemed like an age, with only my shadow for company, I picked up signs for Tregaron. With renewed hope I sped along till I reached control. I was so happy at this control because lots of cyclists were here. I had added 32k to my trip by making this wrong move and missed the sign for Llanddewibrefi.... that I so wanted to photograph. Grr! I ate the most delicious butternut squash soup ever at this control and washed it down with a pint of coke just before I set off again. As I set off from control, other cyclists were still reaching control which made me feel good and the voices in my head were bigging me up and telling me I was fitter than I thought.
Stage 4 was awesome. This stage led to the beach in Newquay which was a real pretty sight. Although I was already over half way, this felt like a 'true halfway' as this was the furthest point I was to reach before heading back. I felt a bit sick and out of sorts at this control and had a light lunch consisting of just a tuna mayo sarnie and banana milk shake.
So pleased was I that I had only a light lunch at control because as soon as leaving Newquay a major hill was encountered that just went on and on and on. I saw some folk pushing their bikes up the hill here. My dry, dark sense of humour got me up this hill as I chuckled at the thought of those cyclists eating a large fish and chips before tackling this hill. When I finally reached the control at Llandovery it was dark. The control was the second 'West End' cafe on this audax. Folk must have known the moment I reached this control, as when I did, lots and lots of fireworks were set off! Again, I felt rough at this control so I ate lots as a recovery means. I had egg on toast and washed it down with a cup of tea. Is strange what you do when you feel drained, when off your head and in pain. I ate a custard slice, which normally I do not like, but right then, I loved it! I decided to lose a bit of weight here too and went for a number 2!
Started stage 6 in complete darkness. My front light that I have previously rated was naff and it was hard to follow the road. As a result of this I cycled quite slowly and got scared when suddenly flying down a descent. To be fair the road was mostly flat and navigating was minimal. It was lucky that navigation was minimal as I could not see my route sheet and would have benefited greatly by using my head torch (which I didn't bring with me). The sky at night was awesome. So beautiful was God's creation - all the sky was splashed with glitter - the many stars looked fantastic and there was no light pollution. After so long a cyclist caught me up and I benefited big time from his powerful lights. Up until now, I had cycled slowly until a car passed, where I would suddenly speed up being able to clearly see the road and it's markings. I stuck with this 'bright' cyclist all the way to control. Call me an opportunist but these lights were too good to miss out on. At one point I took a few minutes off the saddle, just to stretch, which was nice. How great it was to reach the control at Bwlch. Not sure how you pronounce 'Bwlch', but the voices in my head pronounced it 'Belch'.
The control at Bwlch was the first sleep control that I had ever encountered. After getting brevet card stamped I was treated to soup. I could have had pie and custard too but decided to give it a miss. Then, I had the option of sleeping. Lots of sleeping bags and roll mats were placed in rows and sure enough a whole bunch of cyclists were resting/sleeping/groaning. Have no idea where all these sleeping bags came from but was happy to use one all the same. I asked the brevet card stamper dude to wake me up at 2 a.m - he woke me up after 2 hours (3a.m). I didn't want to get up now but there was demand for my bed! Left this control knowing that I was now on the last leg.
Again it was still real dark when I left control and initially I was alone. I had only cycled a few miles and then I hit real trouble again - my front light packed up completely and I had no spare batteries. I decided to do my previous trick and wait for a passing cyclist and 'pinch' from their light source. This worked ok but meant I had to cycle slower than I wanted. As other cyclists caught up I would jump ship and use their light. I followed this process until it was light enough for me to read my route sheet. This last stage seemed to go on forever. There was a hill near (or leading to) Usk that just didn't seem to have an end. It wasn't particularly steep but it went on and on and hard it was on tired and fatigued legs. A real sting in the tail. Or a pain in the butt (quite literally). Ah, once the summit was reached though, it was a long descent pretty much all the way back to the Arrivee in Chepstow! Woo hoo!
This was the furthest audax event I had ever cycled and I clocked a distance of 437.36 k or 271.76 miles. My average speed was 14.29 mph and according to my speedo I reached a max speed of 65.8 mph (hmm?!). Great sights were seen. Nice cyclists were met and stories shared. Thanks to those who shone a light, provided a pull or helped in any other way. An adventure shared with a few and now I share with you too!
I rested well the day before the Brevet Cyrmu and SJ cooked me up a nice dish of spaghetti bolognese - the perfect carbo load. Packed my car the day before too and checked I had all the equipment I required. This was the most stuff I have ever carried on a bike and the extra weight was noticeable.
Got to the start of the audax in good time. Had left my house at about 3.30 a.m and reached the community centre in Chepstow a good half hour before start. About 100 cyclists were taking part in this event - a few were using fixed speed cycles. I had a hot cross bun (plus 2 banana's on way up) then readied myself preparing to begin. At 6 a.m we were off. It was a nice fast start and the initial chill passed quickly. I was wearing my new Pearl Izumi gilet and I completely rate it - it kept me toasty warm. Big descents were encountered early in this stage. The most memorable descents being the long stretch past Tintern Abbey (cycled before during LEJOG events) and another steeper descent not long after. This second descent was real scary - I saw a poor cyclist feather his rear brake and subsequently see his rear wheel bounce a few times before he went straight over the bars and into the side of the hedge. These big descents and subsequent climbs soon broke the pack of cyclists up. I was towards the front cycling in a group of 5. We cycled steady till we neared Hay-On-Wye and then 2 cyclists in our group of 5 raced to reach said destination first. Just a few miles later we had reached the first control. The picture below shows the complete route.
I did not stop at the first control, save to get my brevet card stamped. I had wanted to stop for something to eat but the others I was cycling with had just continued so I followed suit.The gels and shortbread biscuits in my pockets made a great snack. I was cycling this section mostly as part of a double act for a long stretch - taking turns to pull and follow until we reached a group with a few more cyclists in. My thoughts went a bit cloudy for a while after joining group and it was starting to get very hot. The guy I had been cycling with to reach the new group was suffering already and was soon dropped - I never saw him again. Reached the control in Llandovery in good time and stopped for a suitable breakfast of beans and egg on toast and a mug of tea. Met Zigzag from a cycling forum here, which was nice. This cafe was called the 'West End Cafe', and was the first of 2 controls with the self same name.Stage 3 was menace! Near disaster! Sadly my navigational skills were badger like. After 198k I was not at the control in Tregaron. Instead, I was outside an antique shop. I popped in and asked how far away from Tregaron I was, the shop keeper informed I was about 25 miles away! Grr! I felt quite peeved at this juncture and wasn't sure what to do. Should I pack and give in was my first thought - this was a silly idea as I was half way through, ie it was about 200k back to start and also about 200k to finish. My second though was to back track and find Tregaron, but I wondered if I'd reach the control in time. A quick check of the brevet card indicated I had hours to reach control so off I cycled. The cycle here was horrid, I had big hills to climb and was cycling into a headwind. After what seemed like an age, with only my shadow for company, I picked up signs for Tregaron. With renewed hope I sped along till I reached control. I was so happy at this control because lots of cyclists were here. I had added 32k to my trip by making this wrong move and missed the sign for Llanddewibrefi.... that I so wanted to photograph. Grr! I ate the most delicious butternut squash soup ever at this control and washed it down with a pint of coke just before I set off again. As I set off from control, other cyclists were still reaching control which made me feel good and the voices in my head were bigging me up and telling me I was fitter than I thought.
Stage 4 was awesome. This stage led to the beach in Newquay which was a real pretty sight. Although I was already over half way, this felt like a 'true halfway' as this was the furthest point I was to reach before heading back. I felt a bit sick and out of sorts at this control and had a light lunch consisting of just a tuna mayo sarnie and banana milk shake.
So pleased was I that I had only a light lunch at control because as soon as leaving Newquay a major hill was encountered that just went on and on and on. I saw some folk pushing their bikes up the hill here. My dry, dark sense of humour got me up this hill as I chuckled at the thought of those cyclists eating a large fish and chips before tackling this hill. When I finally reached the control at Llandovery it was dark. The control was the second 'West End' cafe on this audax. Folk must have known the moment I reached this control, as when I did, lots and lots of fireworks were set off! Again, I felt rough at this control so I ate lots as a recovery means. I had egg on toast and washed it down with a cup of tea. Is strange what you do when you feel drained, when off your head and in pain. I ate a custard slice, which normally I do not like, but right then, I loved it! I decided to lose a bit of weight here too and went for a number 2!Started stage 6 in complete darkness. My front light that I have previously rated was naff and it was hard to follow the road. As a result of this I cycled quite slowly and got scared when suddenly flying down a descent. To be fair the road was mostly flat and navigating was minimal. It was lucky that navigation was minimal as I could not see my route sheet and would have benefited greatly by using my head torch (which I didn't bring with me). The sky at night was awesome. So beautiful was God's creation - all the sky was splashed with glitter - the many stars looked fantastic and there was no light pollution. After so long a cyclist caught me up and I benefited big time from his powerful lights. Up until now, I had cycled slowly until a car passed, where I would suddenly speed up being able to clearly see the road and it's markings. I stuck with this 'bright' cyclist all the way to control. Call me an opportunist but these lights were too good to miss out on. At one point I took a few minutes off the saddle, just to stretch, which was nice. How great it was to reach the control at Bwlch. Not sure how you pronounce 'Bwlch', but the voices in my head pronounced it 'Belch'.
The control at Bwlch was the first sleep control that I had ever encountered. After getting brevet card stamped I was treated to soup. I could have had pie and custard too but decided to give it a miss. Then, I had the option of sleeping. Lots of sleeping bags and roll mats were placed in rows and sure enough a whole bunch of cyclists were resting/sleeping/groaning. Have no idea where all these sleeping bags came from but was happy to use one all the same. I asked the brevet card stamper dude to wake me up at 2 a.m - he woke me up after 2 hours (3a.m). I didn't want to get up now but there was demand for my bed! Left this control knowing that I was now on the last leg.
Again it was still real dark when I left control and initially I was alone. I had only cycled a few miles and then I hit real trouble again - my front light packed up completely and I had no spare batteries. I decided to do my previous trick and wait for a passing cyclist and 'pinch' from their light source. This worked ok but meant I had to cycle slower than I wanted. As other cyclists caught up I would jump ship and use their light. I followed this process until it was light enough for me to read my route sheet. This last stage seemed to go on forever. There was a hill near (or leading to) Usk that just didn't seem to have an end. It wasn't particularly steep but it went on and on and hard it was on tired and fatigued legs. A real sting in the tail. Or a pain in the butt (quite literally). Ah, once the summit was reached though, it was a long descent pretty much all the way back to the Arrivee in Chepstow! Woo hoo!
This was the furthest audax event I had ever cycled and I clocked a distance of 437.36 k or 271.76 miles. My average speed was 14.29 mph and according to my speedo I reached a max speed of 65.8 mph (hmm?!). Great sights were seen. Nice cyclists were met and stories shared. Thanks to those who shone a light, provided a pull or helped in any other way. An adventure shared with a few and now I share with you too!
Glover Fan
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Almondsbury, Nr Bristol
Epic write up and all done on a Focus! There is hope for me yet! Definitely gonna give this a go next year!
Ian H
Ancient randonneur
Well done, Dooblood (and a few lessons learnt 
). I presume you do realise that second West End Cafe was the same as the first?
Thanks are due to Mark and his team for superb organisation, including providing the sleeping mats and bags at Bwlch ('w' as in 'look'; 'ch' as in 'loch').
). I presume you do realise that second West End Cafe was the same as the first?Thanks are due to Mark and his team for superb organisation, including providing the sleeping mats and bags at Bwlch ('w' as in 'look'; 'ch' as in 'loch').
OP
OP
DooBlood
New Member
- Location
- Warwickshire
Hahahha Ian H, that's hilarious - I didn't realise it was the same cafe at all. Hahahahah. Sure, a few lessons were learnt plus a little Welsh too! 
