Author Topic: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018  (Read 5577 times)

Phil W

Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #25 on: 08 June, 2018, 04:20:04 pm »
In my Google calendar I now add question marks to events I'm thinking about entering. Once I've entered the question mark changes to a tick.
That is a REALLY good idea. Thank you.
Diary entry for 18/7/19 now reads ?PBP  :thumbsup:

You doing PBP a month early?

andyp

  • Andrew Preston
Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #26 on: 08 June, 2018, 04:47:45 pm »
...You doing PBP a month early?
Doh. it's not been my finest day  :facepalm:

whosatthewheel

Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #27 on: 10 June, 2018, 08:56:04 am »
Another fantastic event, incredible weather and amazing food... many thanks to John and Linda for organising it and to all the volunteers along the way, especially the control at Llangollen... the soup was exceptional!  :thumbsup:
Seeing as we were in Llangollen early, we took a small diversion to cycle on the aqueduct, which was quite something!






Wycombewheeler

  • PBP-2019 LEL-2022
Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #28 on: 10 June, 2018, 10:34:48 am »
Lovely ride in awesome weather. A shame I wasn't fast enough to keep up with company for the last bit.

Unfinished business with this ride as front mech/chainset issues forced to off a few times.

Must try again.

Interestingly though it was my second fastest 300 (behind hereward the wake) despite the climbing, my gear issues and riding solo from the first control onwards, i ended up with less total time and less moving time than on the dean  (twice) or oasts and coasts. So i'm feeling like i am hitting good form in time for mille pennines.

Eddington  127miles, 170km

αdαmsκι

  • Instagram @ucfaaay Strava @ucfaaay
  • Look haggard. It sells.
Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #29 on: 10 June, 2018, 10:40:12 am »
I rode the 400 with Flatus and Graham G. The first part out to Lake Vyrnwy with a tailwind was fast and furious. A tactical wee stop meant we fall out of the large group we'd ended up at the head of and things calmed down.

Lake Vyrnwy was looking stunning as we cycled along the shoreline. We took it sensibly up Bwlch y Gros, enjoying the fantastic scenery & ignoring the few drops of rain. I found it odd riding up this climb knowing I'd ridden it in September on fixed and, apart from the very top section, finding it all okay. I guess when one doesn't have the options of gears it is just case of getting on with riding.

The next section across Trawsfynydd mountain road was brilliant. I must have ridden this road back in 2011, but the weather was terrible and it all felt new to me. It's nice being able to link the main road sections I know from things like the BCM 600 together. Another quick stop at Trawsfynydd control meant we were quickly on our way to Pen y Pass. I really like that climb as I find it the perfect gradient to tap out a good rhythm. Flatus and I are waiting for the photo from the top to find out who won the sprint for the summit.

The stop at Pete's Eats was possibly a mistake as it was baking inside & all three of us had a slow ride to Bangor digesting food. On the BCM 600 I dislike the Llanberis to Bangor section and it was the same today. At least it's not far.

The first part across Anglesey was a tad dull after all the amazing mountain views, but the coastline ride back made up for the inland section.

Then all we had was the ride along the A5. In the evening light it was an incredible trip. The gradients are perfect, the traffic light after the first little bit and I enjoyed spotting all the old toll houses, mile markers etc that one misses when driving. Not having to think about navigation made this a mentally much easier section.

The food at Llangollen was great and we then sorted out warm clothes for the last leg. It was a shame to leave the A5 and get back onto some smaller roads with gravel and potholes to dodge in some cases. We still made decent progress and finished just before 1am covered in grime and bugs. I used the outside tap to clean myself off before collapsing in my sleeping bag to dream about a fantastic ride.

Many many thanks to John, Linda, Edwin, Daniel and the other helpers.


Bwlch y Grows

Trawsfynydd

Riding onto Hollyhead


Audax glamour: sat outside Waitrose at Menai Bridge & getting disapproving looks from the customers heading in and out of the shop


Ogwen

Sunset on the A5.


https://www.strava.com/activities/1629390482
What on earth am I doing here on this beautiful day?! This is the only life I've got!!

https://tyredandhungry.wordpress.com/

Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #30 on: 10 June, 2018, 10:44:43 am »
Well that was jolly fun.

Loved it all except for the Menai-Holyhead section which was a shit.

Highlights:Snowdonia (obvs) Vrnwy lake angry fat shouty man, mountain road over the Belch, Trawsfyndd mountain road, Anglesey return leg, Menai to Capel Curig mountains, into the darkness with Underworld and Leftfield in my ears.

Thanks John, Linda, Edwin and the other  helpers

whosatthewheel

Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #31 on: 10 June, 2018, 11:29:52 am »

The stop at Pete's Eats was possibly a mistake as it was baking inside & all three of us had a slow ride to Bangor digesting food. On the BCM 600 I dislike the Llanberis to Bangor section and it was the same today. At least it's not far.



I think we did the right thing to raid the SPAR instead... ice cream, coca cola, sandwich and kit kat bar were a lot more suited to the weather. Pete's Eats is great when it's cold

Pedal Castro

  • so talented I can run with scissors - ouch!
    • Two beers or not two beers...
Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #32 on: 10 June, 2018, 05:35:19 pm »
My first ride over 80km since my crash so a certain amount of trepidation but started well and rode near the front but just off the pack so I could spot potential pot hole issues. Passed more often on the downhills rather than uphill due to very cautious descending. I really enjoyed it until it got dark and the temperature plummeted, the descent into towards Betws had me longing for another hill to warm up on. I stopped for a kip at Llangollen to minimise night time riding, leaving as soon as it was light. This resulted in feeling very fresh at the finish rather than the normal getting my head down for a couple of hours before driving.

We were very well looked after at Llangollen, and again at the finish, a super event all round!

GrahamG

  • Babies bugger bicycling
Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #33 on: 10 June, 2018, 08:31:13 pm »
Lovely, lovely day out on the bike, finest Snowdonia trip I've ever done. Feel much better prepared for next big ride now between the extra miles in the legs and great hints, tips and reminders from flatus and adamski, appreciate it all. Now feeling suitably battered.
Brummie in exile (may it forever be so)

CountrySickness

  • mostly puzzled
Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #34 on: 10 June, 2018, 09:14:36 pm »
Many thanks to John and his helpers for a great day out on the bike and their fabulous hospitality.  It was a stunning day on the bike with good vegan food (I had 3 bowls of Danel's soup so I hope he didn't run out) among many highlights were my first time up Bwlch-y-groes, the evening jaunt through the west of Ynys Mon and a really beautiful ride back through Snowdonia around sunset. The section from Bethesda to Betws-y-coed was remarkably beautiful in the last fading light of day, being slow has it's rewards sometimes.

My first time on this event so I hope it won't be anoher 7 years before it's run again

Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #35 on: 11 June, 2018, 08:06:40 pm »
WHat a wonderful route, which had a bit of everything, I was still a bit tired from the previous weekends endevours but I am glad I made the effort and rode.

Control #2 was an awesome setting I could have stayed there all day.

Thanks to Undulates and Mrs Undulates Danial and Edwin and everyone else who helped to put this on.  :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Eddington Number 75

U.N.Dulates

  • aka John Hamilton
Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #36 on: 12 June, 2018, 09:50:54 pm »
Thanks everyone. All seems to have gone well. We were blessed with pretty much perfect weather, certainly a bit different to the last edition in 2011.

Seven years ago I decided to retire this event as I'd never managed to get a field of more than 36 riders, and the 2011 edition was only just over 20. Which didn't make the event viable either financially or from the point of view of getting enough helpers to run the overnight control. But never say never, and I reckoned it was time to give it another go. So I was pleasantly surprised to end up having to close entries early when I ended up with 80 takers. That turned into 66 starters which certainly makes it worth running.

I'm biased of course but I'd forgotten how good the route is, with its great variety of scenery. The new truckstop at Holyhead has transformed it as well - so much better than raiding Tesco's - you can now get some hot food ready for that long night leg. Overall I really enjoyed putting it on again, so whilst I can't say for definite I suspect it may not take another 7 years to reappear. It won't be next year though - the PBP qualifying schedule means it would have to be a month earlier and the Brevet Cymru/BCM behemoths make finding a slot in the calendar difficult then. PBP year also seems to attract the weather - both 2007 and 2011 were wet and windy whereas non-PBP years seem to consistently attract good weather. Maybe in 2020 though...

And lastly thanks hugely to Mrs Undulates and all my other helpers at Upton Magna, Danial & Edwin at Llangollen, and Bay at the Old Barn for opening up early for us.

Wycombewheeler

  • PBP-2019 LEL-2022
Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #37 on: 12 June, 2018, 10:40:39 pm »
Perhaps it attracts the weather because of being a month earlier to fit the PBP schedule.

Irish mail would still be a viable qualifier at only one week earlier. Just saying this as I feel I have unfinished business with this ride.

Eddington  127miles, 170km

αdαmsκι

  • Instagram @ucfaaay Strava @ucfaaay
  • Look haggard. It sells.
Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #38 on: 13 June, 2018, 06:39:39 am »
Just saying this as I feel I have unfinished business with this ride.

http://www.aukweb.net/perms/detail/JHA05/
What on earth am I doing here on this beautiful day?! This is the only life I've got!!

https://tyredandhungry.wordpress.com/

whosatthewheel

Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #39 on: 13 June, 2018, 06:49:51 am »
I think the Snowdon & Lakes 300 option was the perfect ride and I hope you still offer it in the future... long and hilly enough to provide that sense of achievement, but at the same time short enough to allow tweaks of the route for a bit of "sightseeing".
Most importantly, I love a ride that ends before the pub shuts...  ;D

Wycombewheeler

  • PBP-2019 LEL-2022
Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #40 on: 13 June, 2018, 08:53:31 am »
Just saying this as I feel I have unfinished business with this ride.

http://www.aukweb.net/perms/detail/JHA05/

Can't be used as a PBP qualifier though if it is a perm. I can't think of any other 400 I'd rather do. Although with a weekend away for the 600 and again for pbp I might have to go for the local 400 to keep it as only one day out.

I expect demand for qualifiers will be up on previous years. It coukd be mire a cse of ruders competing for pkaces on rides than rides competing for riders.

Eddington  127miles, 170km

whosatthewheel

Re: Irish Mail 400 / Snowdon & Lakes 300 from Upton Magna on 9 June 2018
« Reply #41 on: 13 June, 2018, 09:01:23 am »

Can't be used as a PBP qualifier though if it is a perm. I can't think of any other 400 I'd rather do.

Hot trod?