Author Topic: Mr. Pickwick's Crych Cymraeg. 200km, Tewkesbury Nov. 4th 2017  (Read 6182 times)

whosatthewheel

Re: Mr. Pickwick's Crych Cymraeg. 200km, Tewkesbury Nov. 4th 2017
« Reply #25 on: 03 November, 2017, 01:10:18 pm »
Looks like the Met Office is revising its forecast in our favour... Hopefully we will have a (somewhat) dry départ :)

Yep... worth skipping the mud on the way to Monmouth and maybe only going that way on the return? I can live with a muddy drivetrain for 50 km or so, not sure I can for 150. A diversion would "only" add 5 km each way

Lee Killestein

Re: Mr. Pickwick's Crych Cymraeg. 200km, Tewkesbury Nov. 4th 2017
« Reply #26 on: 03 November, 2017, 01:19:21 pm »
But that's the best bit!!  :demon:

whosatthewheel

Re: Mr. Pickwick's Crych Cymraeg. 200km, Tewkesbury Nov. 4th 2017
« Reply #27 on: 03 November, 2017, 01:25:42 pm »
But that's the best bit!!  :demon:

I expect it to be... but everybody say it can be very boggy after the rain... I have destroyed a chainset in the past by riding for several hours with grit in the chain and zero lubrication left... I can do without spending a fortune to replace prematurely worn out parts to be honest.

I suppose on the way back it might be marginally drier... and crucially close to home

JonB

  • Granny Ring ... Yes Please!
Re: Mr. Pickwick's Crych Cymraeg. 200km, Tewkesbury Nov. 4th 2017
« Reply #28 on: 03 November, 2017, 02:31:40 pm »
Yep... worth skipping the mud on the way to Monmouth and maybe only going that way on the return? I can live with a muddy drivetrain for 50 km or so, not sure I can for 150. A diversion would "only" add 5 km each way
What's the diversion? I'm not riding tomorrow but I have looked for a diversion in the past that doesn't involve climbing Symonds Yat Rock or going down the A40 dual carriageway ... intrigued?

whosatthewheel

Re: Mr. Pickwick's Crych Cymraeg. 200km, Tewkesbury Nov. 4th 2017
« Reply #29 on: 03 November, 2017, 03:55:07 pm »
yes, looks like there is a climb, but it doesn't appear to be Hardknott on the map...

Lee Killestein

Re: Mr. Pickwick's Crych Cymraeg. 200km, Tewkesbury Nov. 4th 2017
« Reply #30 on: 03 November, 2017, 04:12:47 pm »
yes, looks like there is a climb, but it doesn't appear to be Hardknott on the map...

Adds about 2 miles and 500ft of ascent. I'm on fixed for this ride so I'll take my chances along the river path! :)

Re: Mr. Pickwick's Crych Cymraeg. 200km, Tewkesbury Nov. 4th 2017
« Reply #31 on: 03 November, 2017, 06:51:47 pm »

Adds about 2 miles and 500ft of ascent. I'm on fixed for this ride so I'll take my chances along the river path! :)

And the climb to Symonds Yat is single track with passing place. There's a bit of respite once you get to the main road. But there's a cheeky little final kick up before the drop down to Monmouth - and this certainly isn't freewheel all the way.
where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Re: Mr. Pickwick's Crych Cymraeg. 200km, Tewkesbury Nov. 4th 2017
« Reply #32 on: 04 November, 2017, 11:24:19 pm »
A ride of two halves, literally. God awful slog from Monmouth all the way to Talybont. Then a wonderously easy return with tailwind and downward trajectory. Had great company in the return.  :thumbsup:

Jeff E

  • Formerly JRe
Re: Mr. Pickwick's Crych Cymraeg. 200km, Tewkesbury Nov. 4th 2017
« Reply #33 on: 05 November, 2017, 08:45:29 am »
Likewise, great company on the return.   Thanks John L, even though not fully recovered from LEL.   A magical route on a Magical day.     Mark commanded the downpour to cease 20 mins before the off, and the weather then just got better all day so that we had very fine views for the rest of the day.   A fine almost traffic free day only had to negotiate the long busy double white lined road into Abergavenny, before Mark routed us up and out of town onto my favourite hilly scenic section of the Event, allowing the long build up of traffic behind us, to go their merry way.     Symonds Yat was a delight again with a  totally firm path beside the river and through the trees.     The Checkpoints stepped up to the Mark with fine food and cakes, although I did opt for the better coffee and cakes at Cafe Nero in Monmouth.

Such a pity that many could not enjoy what I think is Mark's best 200 route, as something else was apparently happening in Llandrindod Wells.   They missed a great day and I am sure they are appropriately gutted to have missed Mark's Event.       Mark also laid on great Firework displays for our last few miles and at the Arrivee.     And always nice to finish in a warm pub

Thanks again Mark, and thanks for a great year again ( December might be too cold for me this year, me being a soft southerner)

whosatthewheel

Re: Mr. Pickwick's Crych Cymraeg. 200km, Tewkesbury Nov. 4th 2017
« Reply #34 on: 05 November, 2017, 09:29:49 am »
Last minute change of plans with the Mrs meant I didn't have the car to get to Tewkesbury... no way to get there that early with trains, so DNS for me.

I did manage to ride 209 km in Leicestershire starting from home, to make sure I was not missing out on the distance and the day out. Left quite late (9AM), allowing the rain to clear, so I got home that it was dark... and celebrated with a pork pie and mash...

So all in all I don't feel too short changed  ;D

https://www.strava.com/activities/1261128931

Re: Mr. Pickwick's Crych Cymraeg. 200km, Tewkesbury Nov. 4th 2017
« Reply #35 on: 05 November, 2017, 02:43:50 pm »
Here you are Ugo, the Boggy bit you were so looking forward to  ;D :thumbsup:

https://youtu.be/YLqL1QZU_y0
Eddington Number 75

whosatthewheel

Re: Mr. Pickwick's Crych Cymraeg. 200km, Tewkesbury Nov. 4th 2017
« Reply #36 on: 05 November, 2017, 03:26:47 pm »
Here you are Ugo, the Boggy bit you were so looking forward to  ;D :thumbsup:

https://youtu.be/YLqL1QZU_y0

Doesn't look too bad, but it's hard to say... the track is always out of focus

Re: Mr. Pickwick's Crych Cymraeg. 200km, Tewkesbury Nov. 4th 2017
« Reply #37 on: 05 November, 2017, 04:01:39 pm »
The track was in good shape, regardless of the rain

Re: Mr. Pickwick's Crych Cymraeg. 200km, Tewkesbury Nov. 4th 2017
« Reply #38 on: 05 November, 2017, 06:41:45 pm »
Thank you Mark for a lovely day out although I was pretty well done at the end. First time I had ridden the riverside path, it wasn't as bad as I expected. A bit bumpy but no worse than a lot of road surfaces. It was quite a hard slog on the way out from Monmouth to Talybont, much better on the way back. But then the road from Abergavenny to Monmouth just about finished my legs. All in all a grand day out.

Re: Mr. Pickwick's Crych Cymraeg. 200km, Tewkesbury Nov. 4th 2017
« Reply #39 on: 05 November, 2017, 09:10:33 pm »
Took some video of the route plus a bit my my off piste excursion, thanks Mark for a great day out.

Done in three parts as my PC is playing up

https://youtu.be/FKDPhyPROTQ

https://youtu.be/a6zUaE7w9R0

https://youtu.be/XUDm9AC6U5o

Eddington Number 75