CC Llandovery Ride. Sat 26th May.

[theclaud]

Where & when ?

I'm seriously considering TC's ride from Swansea; the fact that there is beer involved is a great incentive. A kind of two for the price of one - bike ride and Beer Festival.

Mulling the Gower ride date over on the way back on Saturday, I was thinking that June 29 might be good for it, but I've gone and promised I'll meet up with some old friends (in Didcot of all places) that night. I can't cancel it 'cause I've been putting them off too long. This doesn't leave me with any Fridays to play with in June, because I'll be, err, off playing with The Fridays, unless people can make a short-notice one on the 8th? Can do it, say, July 13, but that's taken us a way past midsummer. What do you all think?

The FNRttC Cardiff to Swansea is 6 July - that's got beer at the end too

Jenny and I followed up with a 36-mile Gower ride on Sunday - moderate in comparison to the Devil's Staircase (what isn't?) but not too dawdly, and with a few decentish hills. She was zipping about effortlessly, so the tough ride the day before had obviously put some fire in her legs.

 

[frank9755]

Looks like you all had a fun day out in the sunshine!

Every year before I go up there I always say that I might have a crack at the Devil's Staircase but, after seeing it again, and struggling to get up it using a car, I've always reconsidered and never have done :-)
Well done for trying!

 

[lukesdad]

Mulling the Gower ride date over on the way back on Saturday, I was thinking that June 29 might be good for it, but I've gone and promised I'll meet up with some old friends (in Didcot of all places) that night. I can't cancel it 'cause I've been putting them off too long. This doesn't leave me with any Fridays to play with in June, because I'll be, err, off playing with The Fridays, unless people can make a short-notice one on the 8th? Can do it, say, July 13, but that's taken us a way past midsummer. What do you all think?

The FNRttC Cardiff to Swansea is 6 July - that's got beer at the end too

Jenny and I followed up with a 36-mile Gower ride on Sunday - moderate in comparison to the Devil's Staircase (what isn't?) but not too dawdly, and with a few decentish hills. She was zipping about effortlessly, so the tough ride the day before had obviously put some fire in her legs.

Can't manage the 8th but any other friday should be fine, July sounds like it might be a goer ?

 

[theclaud]

Can't manage the 8th but any other friday should be fine, July sounds like it might be a goer ?

Let's pencil 13th in lightly and consult El Banjoista then?

 

[lukesdad]

Looks like you all had a fun day out in the sunshine!

Every year before I go up there I always say that I might have a crack at the Devil's Staircase but, after seeing it again, and struggling to get up it using a car, I've always reconsidered and never have done :-)
Well done for trying!

Do you mtb when you go up there Frank ? We passed a nice little campsite on the way up to the dam and was thinking of towing the trailer up there for a weekends mtbting.

 

[lukesdad]

Let's pencil 13th in lightly and consult El Banjoista then?

Sounds good to me.

 

[theclaud]

I just can't corner as sharply as you guys - it feels as if the bike will slide away from under me . . . . . . . how do you corner and descend like that ???

I'd also be interested to know, just how other riders get in the mileage - very early morning starts, before work ?

What tyres have you got, Pubbers? Confidence in your tyres makes a big difference on fast descents. I'm very happy with the Ultremos for being slightly "sticky", but they're a bit pricey. You want your foot down hard on the outside pedal for big fast corners, and a bit of feathery braking before anything that looks nasty, rather than in the middle of it...

 

[lukesdad]

What tyres have you got, Pubbers? Confidence in your tyres makes a big difference on fast descents. I'm very happy with the Ultremos for being slightly "sticky", but they're a bit pricey. You want your foot down hard on the outside pedal for big fast corners, and a bit of feathery braking before anything that looks nasty, rather than in the middle of it...

Pubby was the nasty looking bit in the middle of every bend

 

[Banjo]

July 13th is good for me.

Pubbies descending is nothing to do with tyres. He's just a wuss (like me).

I'm not as slow as I was but still pretty sedate on descents.Not really planning on improving ,gives you more time to enjoy the scenery

 

[lukesdad]

July 13th is good for me.

Pubbies descending is nothing to do with tyres. He's just a wuss (like me).

I'm not as slow as I was but still pretty sedate on descents.Not really planning on improving ,gives you more time to enjoy the scenery

What scenery ? You can t see much with pubbys' arse in the way !

 

[frank9755]

Do you mtb when you go up there Frank ? We passed a nice little campsite on the way up to the dam and was thinking of towing the trailer up there for a weekends mtbting.

I once stayed at the campsite in Rhandirmwyn - which is very pleasant and quieter than the one you see by the road.

But nowadays we stay at the old youth hostel at Dolgoch, which is pretty much the last word in getting away from it all.

When we arrived the other week, the warden greeted us with the news that some mean-spirited gas technician had been up that day and condemned all the gaslights, and the solar hot water didn't work. She was most disappointed on our behalf and said that a few people she had contacted that day had cancelled. I said that I didn't think our group would be too bothered.

And so it turned out. There was hardly ever any hot water when it did work, and someone brought a candelabra along, which was, if anything, even better than the gaslights - so we had a great weekend. One day off-road in the forest to the North of the reservoir, involving a bit of river work, and a loop round the reservoir, and down to the pub in Rhandirmwyn for lunch on the second day. The Elenydd must be the nearest thing to wilderness south of the Highlands. Often when we go into the forests, we don't see anyone else all day - on a bank holiday weekend!

 

[Crackle]

The day ended with a tailwind back to Llandovery, so that I eventually caught up with Crackle and for the first and only time of the day I wasn't last (well, someone's got to be ...).

Lovely write up TMN.

You didn't just catch me, you came flying up. One minute you were a distant speck and the next you came TT'ing past. I glanced at my speedo as you came by and I was doing 20 so you must have been really flying at that point.

 

[pubrunner]

. . . . . . . and to see lukesdad again (although I might have to put him on the ignore list for blatant lying about the route:

Yeah, do it ! . . . . . . . I would, given the chance ! . . . . . . . . and whilst you're about it, put in a complaint to the Moderators .

. . . . . . He really does live in a different cycling universe from the rest of us ...)

It's not just the cycling universe . . .

 

[pubrunner]

Huge respect to Claudine who managed the first part of it before it defeated even her.

Agreed.

I said something to TC along the lines of . . . "let's kill this hill"; I was slightly surprised that she wasn't with me all the way up . . . . . . . until I found afterwards, that she was riding something like 39 X 25 - a high gear for a hill such as that.

 

[pubrunner]

What tyres have you got, Pubbers?

The tyres are good ones - so I'm told; but it ain't the tyres that are at fault.

Banjo's got it in one . . .

Pubbies descending is nothing to do with tyres. He's just a wuss (like me).