Well that was interesting! I had a good journey to & from Wales, and a superb weekend at Chateau Claude, complete with sun, beer, lots of cycle- and other-chat, more beer, roast piggy and excellent company all round. It was lovely, too, to meet three new (to me) friendly forum faces and to see lukesdad again (although I might have to put him on the ignore list for blatant lying about the route: "Only one short steep one"?? [see post no 15]. He really does live in a different cycling universe from the rest of us ...)
I'll be honest, Saturday's ride was very challenging for me: I found the combination of pace, heat, a really brutal headwind (sometimes I struggled to keep upright, and when we turned across the wind I was blown across the road and often felt quite unsafe), and multiple steep gradients very testing and not a little disheartening. When I say I'm slow up hills I'm being honest - I really am very slow up hills and just can't do the silly steep stuff. Other people's ideas about their own fitness, speed and climbing ability seem to vary. If that's Pubrunner being unfit and not up to much, I look forward to seeing him on the TdF before too long!
And that ****ing Devil's Staircase! How can anyone cycle up that, it's practically vertical! I was already walking by the time we got to the foot of it. Huge respect to Claudine who managed the first part of it before it defeated even her. Mark still insisted to me that it was only short, but walking up it nearly did me in! I can safely say I will never be going that way again.
But the compensation once we were up and swooping up and down round the shores of that reservoir made it all worthwhile. Amazing views that took away what little breath I had left. Trust me to forget my camera for the most scenic ride this year - but I have the memories. I gave up trying to keep up with the others, who sailed off into the distance, and settled into my own rhythm, holding up the cavalcade of beautiful Morgans trying to pass me in the shady depths of the pine forests. 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 ...). The craic and laughter in the sun outside the pub before we set off for home was unsurpassed, sorry you had to miss it Doseone.
On Sunday, a blessed cooler day, Claudine and I rode a shorter and less taxing route around the Gower, complete with two great pub stops. I found the more relaxed pace more to my liking, and the less severe hills were within my reach this time so my spirits rose again. Thank you Claudine for sensitively choosing that perfect route and arranging for the wind to have dropped as well, phew! All round, it was a fantastic weekend, thanks everybody!
That's a great write up TMN. I'm gutted I had to go and that I missed a beer in the sun with you all. Sounds like you had a nice Sunday
And haven't we already seen Pubby at the Tour De France
