In June I did not complete CET's SR600 -
http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/sr01r/ - ran out of time on Day3 (or left too little time to complete).
Cambrian 6C/SR600 route:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29823510?beta=falseI attempted this 10-12 Jun. Forecast a week out looked OK. One day out it looked no fun. Stayed in Kington YH and started from Knighton at 0750. On Day 1 I actually had just the odd shower wind was steady 10-12kn and tail/head/tail combo. Fast to Brecon (60k). First food in Llanwrtyd Wells (95k) followed by hardest climb of the day (no foot down)(but much easier than the morrow's) Devil's Staircase on the mountain road to Tregaron (125k, more food there). East from Aberystwyth (153k) on the A44 for 100 minutes was more climbing than I expected. Ice cream at a shop. Started 0750 and finished 2036.
219km + 4021m (Garmin)
Moving Time = 10:56
Elapsed Time 12:46
17.2 kph ave
20.1 kph moving
Overnight 15km NW of Llanidloes in bunkhouse just west of Staylittle (210k) - cooked dinner provided. In retrospect: too comfy and hospitable hosts, but supper and company, shower and bed were great.
Pissing down overnight and in the morning, with fresh cool northerly, deterring an early start. Set off north at 7am. Climbed Bwlch-y-Groes (no foot down) and then fast, cold descent to Bala (267k). 50 mins in cafe warming up, in particular, hands (a week short of mid-summer!). Still raining. Left both (filled) bottles on table outside cafe. Pressed on till mid-afternoon and had a meal in an Abergele pub (317k) - rain had stopped once north of Llansannan. Climb back out was easier than expected and soon down into Llanwrst (bought food/pizzas to cook) and after climb up and down to Swallow Falls/A5 dumped shopping at YH (quick tea at YH) and pressed on to Llanberis and back (45km there and back) in lovely evening sun. Benefitted from a tailwind back up to Pen-y-pas.
189km + circa 3000m in 13 hours ish with a fair bit stopped - roughly similar moving and average speeds to Day 1. Pleased with a good day's riding. Swallow Falls YH (394k) was excellent.
Expected (forecast) northerly to continue and therefore tail wind for Day 3 - regrettably not realised. Set off later than I ought at 6am from Swallow Falls and took 140 mins for the 37km to Denbigh (427km) and realised/decided that my speed made good (<14kph) was not going to get me to the finish in time (181km to Knighton in 11 hours, by 8pm) given the relentless hills, up and down. Breakfast in ?Morrisons? cafe just below right hand turn to Denbigh control. So, to get back to Knighton, left out Mold and after Llangollen, routed east of the hills, lower down via Oswestry, Welshpool, Montgomery and Bishop's Castle: 175km on Day 3 (as opposed to 217km and much more climb in general drizzle, and wet descents on narrow roads). Glad I made the decision as, from the 'no rain' Severn plain B roads, I could see the hills which the route traversed covered in low cloud.
My key lessons identified are:
1) Given pre-arranged accommodation, accept/plan for a late arrival Day 1 eg 10pm+.
2) Ration overnight stopped time and prioritise sleeping.
3) Don't underestimate the last day which has harder climbing than Day 1, harder descents (as far as I can see) so less beneficial to average speed, and for my plan/schedule, the longest day. One's average speed over the previous 2 days will give one a(n upper limit) guide as to how long one needs to allow (and therefore a definite start 'no later than' time).
4) Try to hit better weather (and MTFU if actual worse than forecast).
I'd ridden 35 hours with 5 + hours sleep in a bed on the Bryan Chapman 3 weeks earlier, and that's got 7000m of climb.
When I give this another go (in 2020), I'll start earlier on Day 2, go on to Denbigh in the evening of Day2 and hopefully have better weather.
@CET - thank you for the organisation. I have control photos for the first 400k!