Author Topic: Transporter - 7 Nov  (Read 6132 times)

Re: Transporter - 7 Nov
« Reply #25 on: 02 November, 2009, 03:19:45 pm »
Justine,

That's right.  Bottom end of the Taff trail, I think.  Taff gurgling and twinkling to the right.  Early risers walking their dogs over the playing fields.   Randonneurs relaxed, but girding their loins for the oncoming city centre dash.  Sun rising gently through the whispy mist. Jumpers for goalposts.  Isn't it?

border-rider

Re: Transporter - 7 Nov
« Reply #26 on: 06 November, 2009, 02:55:06 pm »
Hmm

Looking showery for the afternoon, at least

I may emulate jwo and do this on gears - I fancy a shorter day than I'd otherwise need :)

Re: Transporter - 7 Nov
« Reply #27 on: 06 November, 2009, 03:28:18 pm »
I may emulate jwo and do this on gears - I fancy a shorter day than I'd otherwise need :)

Good lord.  I'll bring the camera!

AC
'Accumulating kilometres in the roughest road conditions'...

border-rider

Re: Transporter - 7 Nov
« Reply #28 on: 06 November, 2009, 03:50:47 pm »
 ;D


Panoramix

  • .--. .- -. --- .-. .- -- .. -..-
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Re: Transporter - 7 Nov
« Reply #29 on: 06 November, 2009, 06:17:15 pm »
Won't be able to do it... Have fun everybody!
Chief cat entertainer.

Re: Transporter - 7 Nov
« Reply #30 on: 06 November, 2009, 06:44:37 pm »
Won't be able to do it... Have fun everybody!

Same from me, sadly.

Re: Transporter - 7 Nov
« Reply #31 on: 07 November, 2009, 12:21:32 pm »
Hope you're all having fun - I'm off to play rugby in a minute, then watch the All Blacks game at the club after! :-)

border-rider

Re: Transporter - 7 Nov
« Reply #32 on: 08 November, 2009, 11:13:34 am »
A grand day out :)

The forecast was dire, but the morning was superb  - a clear start, with  a bit of mist as we rolled down the Taff Trail and over the river into Cardiff,  and then cloudless blue skies and sun

Last year the pace across the Levels was a bit frantic; this time it was relaxed - a bit too much so for me at times and I was getting cold.   A small group of us pulled away before Wentwood, and I enjoyed a spectacular climb though sunlit woodlands with Lexi Webber.  at Usk we found ChrisN and Toby, already tucking into the pastries.

After that it was a headwind the whole of the rest of the way round, which seems unfair.  I was just trundling, having ridden nothing much for a year, and spent most of it on my own.  I had a bit of a tow from various groups and a decent one into the lunch stop from the Blacksheeps.

I didn't stop - I was suffering from tired legs but felt OK otherwise and I fancied getting as far as I could before the weather closed in; that was to the top of the Devil's elbow, where I got hailed on quite convincingly, and from there it was showery the whole way back

Gog yn y De  caught up with me on the run-in and helped me navigate - it's  a route I've done probably 10 times before but I was suffering from brain-fade yesterday at times.  We got most of the way in in something like daylight (though it was gloomy) with just the last half hour or so being properly dark.

Great sandwiches and a warm welcome at the end - a much better venue than the previous one  that this ride has used.

Chris N

Re: Transporter - 7 Nov
« Reply #33 on: 08 November, 2009, 11:37:53 am »
It was a lovely day out (except for the last two hours in the rain) - new part of the country for me, and Toby and I won the first section too. ;)  We'd had too much BEER on Friday night to maintain that kind of pace and decide to stop in Brecon for a kebab.  Beautiful ride from Brecon to the Devil's Elbow, with some spectacular rainbows and lovely crumble at Defynnog but pretty much constant (and very heavy) rain all the way back into Cardiff.  I couldn't see much and didn't really enjoy the heavy traffic, thought there were some nice bits later on.

Nice pint of Rev. James and a bit of the rugby at the finish, then went out for a curry last night.  Was going to ride home today, but didn't wake up until 10 - so I'll get the train instead.

TOBY

  • hello
Re: Transporter - 7 Nov
« Reply #34 on: 08 November, 2009, 05:27:33 pm »
arriving in brecon hungry my suggestion of a visit to Greggs the Baker was dismissed as too chavvy - apparently the more sophisticated option was the high street Kebab house.

I suffered on the climbs as far as the top of The Devils Elbow by which time the chilli sauce had done it's job of breaking down the excess of continental yeast and sedements deposited on my legs the night before. I enjoyed the run through the rain to the finish, although it wasn't the breeze back experienced last year. Although I struggled for the most I thoroughly enjoyed myself.


Re: Transporter - 7 Nov
« Reply #35 on: 08 November, 2009, 08:48:51 pm »
We (Ludwig, miniog and myself) stopped for a steak slice at Morriston's garage in Brecon.  Not sure where that counts on the chavvy scale, but Cardiff to Defynnog is just too far on a Danish pastry.   At the schoolhouse control our tactic for speeding past those who were ordering/waiting for their beans on toast with lettuce was to go for cake and and a can of coke, but our order just went to the bottom of the list, despite being able to point at want we wanted at the counter. 

Given the forecast, the best I was hoping for was to stay dry to the second control, and that's what we got.

Good to see such a large turn-out. 


JStone

  • E=112
Re: Transporter - 7 Nov
« Reply #36 on: 08 November, 2009, 09:28:00 pm »
... Cardiff to Defynnog is just too far on a Danish pastry. 

... but then it did make the apple and blackberry crumble that much more welcome on arrival  :) Only a temporary reprive, as emerging from the control into the pouring rain revealed a flat rear tyre, but at least it was there rather than later in the wilds at the top of the Devil's Elbow.
Néophyte > 2007 > Ancien > 2011 > Récidiviste

border-rider

Re: Transporter - 7 Nov
« Reply #37 on: 08 November, 2009, 09:29:58 pm »
Cardiff to Defynnog is just too far on a Danish pastry.   

Yes - I'd stopped at the rather good village shop/cafe in Talybont-on-Usk just before you passed me.

ludwig

  • never eat a cyclists gloves
    • grown in wales
Re: Transporter - 7 Nov
« Reply #38 on: 09 November, 2009, 10:00:53 am »
Lovely day but the last bit was murder with heavy traffic and pouring rain. Thanks to Dai harris and John Bastiani for navigation through to the finish. I was fading fast. I noticed as I drove away from the hotel that my frost light had come on in the car so it must have been pretty cold as well as wet.

Re: Transporter - 7 Nov
« Reply #39 on: 09 November, 2009, 10:07:25 am »
the last bit was murder with heavy traffic and pouring rain.
...cold as well as wet.

Thanks Ludwig. That makes me think I'd have done myself in on the ride, even if I'd struggled along to the start!

Thanks for all the reports. Hope to make it next year.

Re: Transporter - 7 Nov
« Reply #40 on: 09 November, 2009, 02:27:16 pm »
Well my motley crew made it around in about 12 hours dead.

This was Paul's 3rd Audax and he's properly into it now.  I've even got him sporting a Carradice Super C...  I think he's the most likely candidate for being bullied into PBP 2011 with me, but I haven't told him that yet.

Also joining us was Emma, who I'm hoping to do LEJOG with next year.  This was her first ride above 60 miles ever and also the first time she's ridden in the dark.  A bit of a baptism of fire, but she coped very well and proved to be very mentally tough.  She's a fairly serious runner, so it goes to show that there is some cross-over value.

For once the forecast was spot on, with beautiful autumnal weather up until about 1pm and nasty wet stuff thereafter.  We had 1 visit from the puncture fairy in the form of a slow that appeared as we were leaving Defynnog.  Other that that it was pretty uneventful and I even managed to follow the routesheet this year. 

I wasn't wildly impressed with the Defynnog control this time.  I'm a fussy bugger when it comes to eating and there seemed to be a lot less to chose from this time.  I guess only having 3 legs to the ride makes this more of a problem than it would other be.  Unusually for me I wasn't carrying much in the way of bonk rations and used all that I had prior to Brecon.  It wasn't a major issue, but I'll know better next time.

AC
'Accumulating kilometres in the roughest road conditions'...