Lon Las Cymru - Cardiff to Caernarfon in 24 hours???

[urs1984]

Hi,

I'm new to here, but hoping to get some advice from you.

I'm thinking of doing the Lon Las Cymru Cycling Route sometime next year and was wondering anyone on here has done it? Another thing i'd like to know if its possible to do it within 24 hours?

I haven't been on a bike for a while but looking to get back in to it to do this trip!

 

[Banjo]

Hi,

I'm new to here, but hoping to get some advice from you.

I'm thinking of doing the Lon Las Cymru Cycling Route sometime next year and was wondering anyone on here has done it? Another thing i'd like to know if its possible to do it within 24 hours?

I haven't been on a bike for a while but looking to get back in to it to do this trip!

Hi there Welcome on the forum.

I have done the bottom bit of the route from Brecon to Cardiff twice now. It is a great ride but doesnt lend itself to fast times, some is on rough gravel forestry tracks, some is on back lanes and some on shared paths where you cant get any speed up safely.

People have done it on roadbikes but i wouldnt.
I cant remember how long it takes me but probably only averaging about 10 mph.

Some stunning scenery between merthyr and brecon.


If you purely want to get from A to b in a limited time I think you need to forget the route 8 and plot your own route using faster roads.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Done Llanidloes - Bristol via Lon Las and Gospel Pass in a summer day's leisurely riding. North of Llani it is tougher, hillier, but if you really mean 24 hours and are fit enough to cycle at pace though that sort of country with little support or in the way of stops I'd suggest it could be done (but not by me)

 

[palinurus]

I'd say it's possible to do it in 24 hours. If you want, sure.

Avoid any bits which are described on the Sustrans maps as "may be rough or muddy". You'll have trouble walking let alone riding.

It's very pleasant to spread it over a few days, that may not be what you're after though.

 

[sadjack]

I think you will have to be VERY fit to do it in 24hrs. I agree if you want to try it you should avoid route 8 and plan to stay on faster roads.

I did route 8 a couple of years ago and found sticking to the route led me over some remote and steep hills.

The ride goes through some lovely scenery and it would be a shame to race through it without taking time to appreciate it. However I can see that trying to do it in 24 hours is a challenge and if thats what you want go for it!

 

[vernon]

Hi,

I'm new to here, but hoping to get some advice from you.

I'm thinking of doing the Lon Las Cymru Cycling Route sometime next year and was wondering anyone on here has done it? Another thing i'd like to know if its possible to do it within 24 hours?

I haven't been on a bike for a while but looking to get back in to it to do this trip!

I've done it over four and a half days and I hope that you like hills as the ride embraces the Cambrian mountains, Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons. Some of the route is on disused railway lines with surfaces of varying quality and the southernmost rail bed based route is marred with barriers which impeded progress.

Doing it in 24 hours is probably possible but there's some great scenery to be taken in and you'll miss most of it as you whizz by.

 

[geocycle]

Just got back from doing this over 4 days Bangor-Cardiff with a pathetic average of just 10.1 mph. If I'd really pushed myself I might have managed 3 long days but that would have defeated the purpose of the trip for me. There are very significant hills in the central section between Llanidloes and Dolgellau. These take you above 500masl (Bryn y fedwen) and are a real challenge in bad weather (it was!). Even the decents need a lot of care because the roads are very minor in places. As others have mentioned, the Taff trail is a great touring route but not easy to ride quickly because of gates, barriers and dog walkers. I spent some time looking at alternatives but the A roads parallelling the route looked terrifying, the A4054 would have been the best bet for some sections. Overall, I think you'd struggle to do Lon las Cymru sensu stricto without a lot of support and would have to deviate very significantly from the route to have any chance (now that's a challenge!).

 

[kevbach]

Ive done the cardiff to caernarfon route on the lon las cymru august last year,2010.As im a diabetic,i fell ill at machynlleth after 13 hours and had to stay over night untill i recovered.Then finally did the remaining distance in 7 hours.Im going again in a few months and hope to complete the whole journey in less than 24 hours whithout falling ill.Anyone welcome to come along.

 

[kevbach]

Hi,

I'm new to here, but hoping to get some advice from you.

I'm thinking of doing the Lon Las Cymru Cycling Route sometime next year and was wondering anyone on here has done it? Another thing i'd like to know if its possible to do it within 24 hours?

I haven't been on a bike for a while but looking to get back in to it to do this trip!